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.

[Waddizzle]

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@John_SD wrote:

Gents, head over to DPReview pronto and read the article they just posted regarding the R5/R6 overheating issue. Some great points are made -- among them is that high-end video recording is one of the most processor-intensive activities you can subject the camera to, and any of them will heat up. In the case of the R6/R5, we have a lot of amateurs and spec sheet warriors who will attempt to use them as pro cinema gear, which they are not.  Excellent article, in my opinion. 

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Do you mean the article that starts off like this?

"If you have any interest in cameras, you may have witnessed the heated discussions lately around the new Canon EOS R5 and R6’s tendency to overheat when capturing video internally."

Note the key phrase, "when capturing video internally:, which means internal recording.  If you use an external recorder, the overheating problems are practically non-existent.  Also, the most guilty party in the overheating issue just may be the CFExpress memeory card.

[John_SD]

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@Waddizzle wrote:

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Also, the most guilty party in the overheating issue just may be the CFExpress memeory card.

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Despite your weird fixation on the memory card as being the source of the overheating problem, we haven't seen any proof of that to this point.

Actually, I believe that the article presented a pretty good overview and reasons of why the camera is subject to overheating, particularly in its summation:

"It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking this means Canon didn’t put enough thought into thermal management for these cameras. Our testing suggests this isn’t the case, but that the cameras’ specs are rather over-ambitious."

For me, and I suspect for you too, the overheating "problem" won't be an issue, or for any of us who are interested in photography. It is the spray-and-pray videographers who thought they could film for hours on end without issue who are going to be bitterly disappointed. They should look into the C500 Mark II, which is priced at B&H at an affordable $16,000. This would be an apporpriate tool for our "emerging" movers and shakers. 

I have zero interest in video, though once in a blue moon I may film something for a minute of two. The R5/R6 would be fine in producing high quality video within the confines of its engineering. 

[Waddizzle]

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@John_SD wrote:

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@Waddizzle wrote:

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Also, the most guilty party in the overheating issue just may be the CFExpress memeory card.

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Despite your weird fixation on the memory card as being the source of the overheating problem, we haven't seen any proof of that to this point.

Actually, I believe that the article presented a pretty good overview and reasons of why the camera is subject to overheating, particularly in its summation: 

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People have wondered why Sony has never used CFExpress cards in their cameras, despite the fact they invented them.

The reason why there is so much chatter about the "overheating problem" is that it drives traffic to your platform.  Profit.

[livestreamer]

I didn't see the article, but I would say that a general trend in technology solutions these days have been towards private / public cloud-based solutions, and decentralised storage (IPFS), with value-exchange via e.g. Ethereum blockchain, cited as a catalyst in this space.

Much of this has been driven by a requirement to offload client-side processing to better-specialised hardware (like `NVENC` chips on GPUs), and also to provide backup storage for important items.

Since giving up the desire to "store" or "record" content - in favour of "livestreaming" it... I am much more creative, and end up with much less time in post-production (which personally I hate).

So... I believe we're moving towards a world of more "in the moment" creativity, and indeed value-sharing - where the most real / believable news will be that reported by individuals pointing a camera up at the sky.

Inclusion of a SIM Card slot would connect Canon Cameras with a whole world of photography, videography, and sharing on public permissionless video infrastructure networks, with micropayment royalty sharing in real-time (you took the snap, someone instantly paid you $100 for it).

It would open new channels into cloud-based decentralised storage solutions for photographers and videographers alike.

I don't think I would ever want to use my camera as a smartphone... but I would certainly want to do some of the things that I do with the camera lens in my smartphone.

I campaign for a SIM Card Slot in all future Canon EOS Cameras.

[John_SD]

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@livestreamer wrote:

I campaign for a SIM Card Slot in all future Canon EOS Cameras.

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Who cares. You're posting to the wrong forum. 

[livestreamer]

@John_SD

> Who cares. You're posting to the wrong forum. 

Thanks for highlighting this...! Doh!

Thank you for all your feedback, I've created a consolidated response here:

https://community.usa.canon.com/t5/Software/A-Roadmap-for-Livestreaming-Canon-Software-and-Hardware/...

I invite you all to comment @kvbarkley @Waddizzle

[livestreamer]

Per response above... I'm sure the R is overheating because it's downsampling from 4k to 576p, to present a webcam stream designed for USB 2.0. It should be presenting 4K over USB-C - it's capable of it... Logitech do it with their Brio 4k

[livestreamer]

Right.

And right now, when the EOS R presents a video feed to EOS Webcam Utility, it's sending a 576p (1024x576) video signal (limited in previous cameras by the USB 2.0) interface...

I wonder whether it's downsampling the 4K (3840x2160) on the device, hence the overheating problem?

It should be presenting an uncompressed 4K feed over USB-C (capable of such data-rates), with audio included.

Further, if there was a SIM Card slot (and software, obviously), it could push all this direct to the livestream - 4K with synced Audio... and then all downsampling can be done with specialist hardware, using things like livepeer.org - could this remove the need for Digics?

[livestreamer]

> Most of the video implemetation is done through software. All of the parts to do video are already present in a digital camera.

This!

These cameras have lovely sensors in them, and are more than capable of capturing light whether being used as single stills, or a series of frames in a video sequence.

[livestreamer]

> This would only appeal to people who aren't using the camera for photography.

With respect, I don't agree. A SIM Card slot would provide a way for photographs to be backed up remotely, to a cloud-based server. It could also be instantly put "up for sale" in exchange for crypto-currencies... how much would you pay for the most recent snap from @John_SD?