Hardware Feature Request: EOS R with SIM Card Slot

[livestreamer]

5G is coming, and so is livestreaming.

Please can future versions of the EOS R include a SIM Card Slot so that the device can connect to a 5G mobile internet relayers, and stream uncompressed 4K with Stereo Audio.

Now *that* would be quite something.

No more cables, no more WiFi, no more BlackMagic, no more Sony.

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

I assume you mean future "R" series.  I think you might see the ability to tether a camera enhancing existing Wi-Fi function before you'll see one with a SIM slot.  Space is a real premium.  

[livestreamer]

> I think you might see the ability to tether a camera enhancing existing Wi-Fi function before you'll see one with a SIM slot. Space is a real premium.

Yes, hopefully so... for me, the obvious enhancement would be to add an RTMP encoder into the EOS R software, so that it can tether to my smartphone hotspot for WiFi, then stream to my RTMP endpoint.

Failing that, adding a "livestreaming" section to the Camera Connect apps, where you can configure your RTMP endpoint and settings etc, would be a nice simple integration, building on top of existing apps.

But IMHO a SIM Card slot should ultimately replace the SD Card slot.

If all you are doing is streaming, and the stream is being recorded remotely, then there's no need for local storage any more.

I acknowledge that it might seem extreme, especially for people who have always had memory cards to fill up with content.

But with the rise of cloud storage, and livestreaming, I think this is the direction it is headed. Take also the emergence of 5G, which can transmit 4x4k uncompressed video streams... we're entering a new era.

[shadowsports]

Might work in "most" cases, but not underwater or in locations where cellular is not an option.  I for one like having local storage, but we all use our devices differently.    

[RobertTheFat]

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@livestreamer wrote:
5G is coming, and so is livestreaming.

Please can future versions of the EOS R include a SIM Card Slot so that the device can connect to a 5G mobile internet relayers, and stream uncompressed 4K with Stereo Audio.

Now *that* would be quite something.

No more cables, no more WiFi, no more BlackMagic, no more Sony.

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No, Canon, please don't. Some (many?) of us are getting fed up with the added size, weight, and cost of cameras with features useful only to those shooting video. By all means, start making smaller and cheaper video cameras (if it's technically feasible to do so), but please stop foisting these "improvements" on still photographers.

[shadowsports]

Bob,

I'm glad you brought it up.  Have to say that I agree with you.  Let's keep still image cameras focused on taking pictures and camcorders focused on full power video.

If my DSLR can do some video, great, but I don't need 8K in a still camera.  Now maybe a R5 could have been been $3400 (like it should have been from the get go).  I'd much rather have GPS, but power is still an issue for mirrorless. 

Wirelss streaming sounds like a great feature for a camcorder, but not something most professional still image photographers would want or even need at this juncture.       

[Waddizzle]

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@livestreamer wrote:
5G is coming, and so is livestreaming.

Please can future versions of the EOS R include a SIM Card Slot so that the device can connect to a 5G mobile internet relayers, and stream uncompressed 4K with Stereo Audio.

Now *that* would be quite something.

No more cables, no more WiFi, no more BlackMagic, no more Sony.

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Believe it or not, it has been tried before and it flopped.  Samsung introduced their Galaxy Camera [in 2012].  It was a resounding  failure, which probably explains why marjor camera manufacturers have not gone down that path.

It flopped because it was too big.  More accurately, it was too thick to fit your pocket.  

[livestreamer]

@Waddizzle it's not the same thing.

Putting a better camera in a smartphone is one thing.

But connecting these new mirrorless sensors direct to the livestream, instead of local storage... the opportunities would be endless.

Re: stills cameras vs. camcorders debate... I think Canon stopped being a "stills-only" product when it lost the mirror. Perhaps some of you in the forum still didn't lose the mirror, but once things go mirrorless, they stop being intrinsically linked to an archaic and analogue mechanism for capturing light.

People will demand live will demand extreme high quality imagery and sound... and the EOS R can supply this... so let's get the content flowing live, instead of being stuck on a SD Card, waiting for Post-production.

[Waddizzle]

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@livestreamer wrote:
@Waddizzle it's not the same thing.

Putting a better camera in a smartphone is one thing.

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Actually, it is the same thing.  Adding a SIM chip to a camera so it can connect to phone networks makes it a smartphone.

[Waddizzle]

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@Waddizzle wrote:

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@livestreamer wrote:
@Waddizzle it's not the same thing.

Putting a better camera in a smartphone is one thing.

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Actually, it is the same thing.  Adding a SIM chip to a camera so it can connect to phone networks makes it a smartphone.

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Besides, do you have any idea how much extra cost that would add to the cost of a camera?  Hundreds, is my guess.