MIRRORLESS MARVEL

Testing Canon's R1 in the field

- PETER RYAN

The shift to mirrorless cameras for wildlife photography has been expensive but rewarding for birders. Sony set the pace, forcing traditional market leaders Canon and Nikon to switch from SLR to mirrorless systems. Since 2020, Canon has released a series of camera bodies with animal-eye focus, which is one of the main advantages of going mirrorless (see African Birdlife 9(3): 56–60). However, it was only in 2024 that the company finally released the R1, the replacement for its professional 1D SLR series. I was excited to be able to borrow one to assess at first hand how it performs.

First impressions: ergonomics and EVF

The first thing that strikes you when you pick up an R1 is how well it fits into your hand. The ergonomics are stunning. And, thanks to the fine clarity, looking through the camera brings back happy memories of using an SLR. The electronic viewfinder (EVF) is the largest and has the highest resolution of any Canon camera to date. After using the R1, it was hard to go back to the much smaller EVFs in the R6 and R7.

Weighing in

Like all Canon’s 1D bodies, the R1 has a much larger battery than that of most other Canon cameras. Many controls are duplicated, making it as easy to shoot portrait as landscape images. It closely resembles the R3, which was released a few years ago but lacked sufficient weatherproofing for it to be awarded the coveted R1 marque (see