8. It's about new control methods
Enabling a new, more immersive shooting experience meant devising new controls and features such as the EOS R's customisable multi-function touch bar, which was designed to enable you to make multiple settings quickly with small finger movements. It was an experiment in enabling users to change settings more smoothly while shooting through the EVF, says Mr Oishi. "The operation feel of the EOS R5's multicontroller is also optimally tuned for use in the EVF, allowing you to control it as you like," he adds.
Other features are also designed to make using the camera faster and smoother. On the EOS R5 and EOS R6, you can start recording video without having to switch from stills mode, simply by pressing the Rec button on the top of the camera, which is much faster than on DSLRs where you need to flick the stills/video lever.
"My personal favourites are the control ring on RF lenses and the second sub-electronic dial on the top of the camera," Mr Oishi reveals. With these features among others, "we aimed for a sense of straightforward, direct control of the camera. I feel that we are one step closer to the ideal of bringing the camera and the user together as one."
With users now so accustomed to smartphone-style touch controls and smart menus, could we see a time when everything is controlled from the camera's screen? "There's a good chance that menus will evolve to become smarter and affect the design of the controls," Mr Oishi concedes. "However, in the case of cameras, we believe that the benefits of physical controls are also significant, so we would like to explore various possibilities."