Canon expands its mirrorless camera range with flagship EOS R1 EOS R5 Mark II

Canon has announced its first new cameras of 2024, and they're looking impressive.

The EOS R1 is for professionals, but the EOS R5 Mark II might be ideal for aspiring amateurs.

Canon has taken the wraps off some highly-anticipated new mirrorless cameras , in the form of the EOS R5 Mark II and the EOS R1. Each is aimed at a pretty different slice of the market.

The EOS R1 is a pro's camera, one that looks ideal for sports photographers and anyone else seeking to capture tiny moments out of chaotic motion. The EOS R5 Mark II, by contrast, might make sense for a much wider audience, although you'll still need a pretty decent budget.

The R1 looks really high-powered, and takes its place as a new flagship.

It boasts a 24.2MP full-frame sensor, and packs in what Canon is calling a Digic Accelerator processor, which helps it achieve 40fps burst-shooting speeds. That means you'll be able to capture absolutely heaps of photos in the hopes of one having that perfect moment crisply rendered.

Of more interest to normal users though, will be the Canon EOS R5 Mark II – which is smaller and more approachable, suitable for high-level holiday shots as much as it is to more professional uses. It too has the Digic Accelerator though, and can manage a seriously solid 30fps in burst mode, which should be more than enough for us normal folks.

It's not just new hardare and some subtle design changes, however. Canon has also built in a new system called Dual Pixel Intelligent AF in both cameras. This is basically a label for its latest and greatest auto-focus system, one that seemingly is using a little bit of AI to help with even better subject-tracking and facial recognition – it wouldn't be a 2024 tech launch without some AI, after all.

The R5 Mark II comes with a 5.76m-dot OLED viewfinder display, while the R1 has a similar one with upgraded tech for a 9.44-million dot version which should impress.

Of course, pricing is right at the heart of the matter here, and it's fairly wince-worthy.

The R1 comes in at a stonking $6,299 / £6,999 / AU$10,999 for the body only, while the R5 Mark II costs $4,499 / £4,499 / AU$6,699, making it similarly one that most people will need to save up for.

The R1 will come out in November, while the R5 Mark II arrives in August.