Canon’s recent launch of the mid-range EOS R7 and EOS R10 was good news for those of us who can’t afford full-frame flagships – and it looks like the camera giant could be following them up with another tantalizingly affordable model. .
The reliable Canon rumors (opens in a new tab) has claimed that “Canon’s next RF-mounted camera is in the field” and will be announced “before November 2022”. Like Canon’s last two releases, the camera will apparently be another APS-C model and “will be a small form factor vlogger” camera likely to compete with the new Nikon Z30. This means it could also be the long rumored Canon EOS R100.
Cameras with APS-C sensors are generally much more affordable than full-frame equivalents. So the launch of a third such RF mount camera – following the Canon EOS R7 and EOS R10 – will confirm a major shift in Canon’s strategy. And also a very welcome one in today’s tough economic climate.
Even if you’re not in the market for a vlogging camera, the arrival of another APS-C model will be a good sign for affordable Canon cameras. As our Canon EOS R7 review explains, one of the few problems with the camera is the lack of original lenses. Right now there are only two RF-S lenses, an 18-150mm and 18-45mm.
The launch of an APS-C vlogging model would, you’d hope, signal that Canon plans to develop more of these lenses, particularly some affordable wide-angle primes that pair well with the rumored Nikon Z30 rival.
But there are no guarantees either. The recent arrival of the first RF-mount cameras with APS-C sensors has echoed the Canon EOS M series, which landed almost exactly ten years ago.
Back in 2012, we had high hopes that Canon would develop a small, compact mirrorless system that would be ideal for amateur photographers. What happened during the next decade? Canon released more cameras for the EOS M series than lenses, and the system only received eight lenses in total.
A small price to pay
An affordable camera system for photographers and vloggers doesn’t need dozens of exotic lenses – after all, the whole point is that it’s relatively cheap and easy. It’s also true that some full-frame RF lenses, such as the Canon RF 600mm f/11 and RF 800mm f/11 IS STM, will pair very well with Canon’s APS-C cameras.
But today’s rumors of another Canon APS-C mirrorless camera have us all feeling optimistic again that the camera giant will build a small, affordable system that can fulfill the former potential of the EOS M series. In the current economic climate, it is without a doubt a must for Canon and camera fans alike.
Canon’s new small sensor RF mount cameras have another small hurdle to overcome. Because the RF mount’s flange distance—the gap between the lens and the sensor—is slightly larger than that of the EOS M series (20mm, compared to 18mm), they’ll probably never be as charmingly compact as the now-apparently defunct range.
Still, according to Canon Rumors (opens in a new tab), the rumored vlogging camera “will be close to the Canon EOS M6 Mark II in design,” which is promising. The EOS M6 Mark II remains one of the best travel cameras you can buy, albeit one that suffers from the same problem as the EOS R7 and EOS R10 – a lack of native lenses.
The camera will also apparently use “a different kind of angled LCD,” which can flip the camera instead of rounding to the side. A Canon EOS R100, if that’s what it’s ultimately called, will give Canon license to be a bit more playful and innovative with its designs than its more serious full-frame cameras.
Canon may not have the resources or the fan base that it had at the beginning of the EOS M series in 2012. But it is now laser-focused on mirrorless cameras and single camera mounts. While mirrorless cameras will never be as affordable as the best entry-level DSLRs, let’s hope that the EOS R series will actually start to offer as many options for amateur photographers as they do for professionals.