The Canon EOS R5c is expected to be a new video-focused version of the Canon EOS R5, but it's not quite ready for prime-time – with the latest rumors suggesting there'll be a slight delay to its launch.
Filmmakers had been hoping to see the EOS R5c land at the returning NAB show, a broadcasting trade show that's scheduled to take place in Las Vegas from October 9-13.
But according to Canon Rumors, the "announcement and release date have apparently been pushed back to Q1 of 2022". Apparently, this is partly because Canon wants to be able to ship the camera within 60 days of its official announcement.
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This contradicts earlier rumors from the site a few months ago, which confidently predicted that the Canon EOS R5c "is going to be announced this year". To be fair, it would be far from the first camera whose launch plans have changed this year – Sony has just pulled plug on its next Alpha announcement just days before it was due to take place on July 7.
There are clearly still big supply chain issues and chip shortages affecting consumer tech launches, and cameras are no different. But that revised launch date for the Canon EOS R5c, which should see it arrive sometime between January and March 2022, wouldn't be a huge delay to its expected arrival – and there's always a chance that Canon could make a development announcement before then.
The EOS R5c is expected to be Canon's equivalent of the Sony FX3; in other words, a mirrorless camera that's been adapted to be a cinema model, including internal fans for active cooling and more video codecs, including the C-Log 2 profile, to preserve dynamic range so the footage can be color-graded afterwards.
Film festival
The Canon EOS R5c certainly makes a lot of sense as one of Canon's next big launches. The current EOS R5 is a popular camera for video shooters, but does come with continuous recording limitations due to its lack of active cooling.
It needs long recovery times after shooting 8K or 4K/60p video, which explains the rumors about internal fans on the EOS R5c. Still, the addition of more video codecs and a full-size HDMI port would make the R5c a very compelling option for filmmakers, as well as a big rival to the Sony FX3 and Sony A7S III.
There's certainly nothing wrong with the Canon EOS R5's video quality, as you can see in our short example film above – and the EOS R5c is expected to have the same 45MP sensor with Dual Pixel AF II. Like the EOS R5, you'll also likely be able shoot slo-mo 4K/120p video and raw video internally.
But if the Canon EOS R5c is delayed until early 2022, it's also possible that some filmmakers will be tempted to go for the Sony A7S III or Sony FX3 instead. The former is the best 4K camera you can buy right now, so the R5c can't really risk any more delays if it's to budge Sony's hugely popular mirrorless camera from the top spot.
