It's either an accidental leak or it's just a placeholder, but an Australian retailer has jumped the gun and listed the as-yet-unreleased Canon EOS R5 on its online storefront.
The page on the Camera Warehouse website claims Canon's upcoming mirrorless marvel will cost an eye-watering AU$10,499. That translates to about $6,800 / £5,550. While there's no guarantee that listing is correct, it's an indication that you will likely need plenty of spare change to get your hands on Canon's next full-frame mirrorless camera.
If there's a grain of truth to this, it puts the launch price of the EOS R5 on par with that of the Canon EOS 1D X Mark III and the Nikon D6.
Given what we know of the EOS R5 – 8K video capabilities without a crop factor, in-body image stabilization, dual card slots, up to 20fps burst speed – it really shouldn't be very surprising if Canon launches the camera with a massive price tag.
However, RF lenses aren't cheap. So for photographers looking to change systems, the price of the EOS R5 might be quite prohibitive.
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It might force many Canon fans to look elsewhere for a new mirrorless system if they're looking for an upgrade. With news of a new high-end Sony shooter on the way and the possibility of Panasonic announcing the Lumix GH6 later this year, it does offer Canon some competition. Whether any of the upcoming cameras will give the EOS R5 stiff competition, though, is anyone's guess.
We'll also need to keep in mind that the economic fallout of the current Covid-19 pandemic has caused the value of the Australian dollar to plummet, and that listing could well just be a placeholder and nothing else.
We still don't have a confirmed release date for the EOS R5, but rumors suggest it could happen at the end of May or early June – that means we won't have to wait long to find out whether the price tag is true and whether the camera will be worth the investment.
