Canon’s Robo-Photog Sees Chance to Shine

Back in the Before Times, Canon launched a robotic photographer akin to a CamRanger on steroids that is then fitted with battle armor. The CR-S700R accepts a camera and lens in a ring, allowing it to operate focus and zoom rings and pivot around three axes.

“Take Me to Your Leader”

The selling point for these Canon cannons was that you could automate shooting for things like sporting events, and place cameras where your local authorities might think is a poor place to put a human. In other words, perfect for the Olympics.

The system has been around since Q1 2020, probably in preparation for what Canon then though would be 2020 Summer Olympics, of which it is a major sponsor. So it is only this coming week that the CR-S700R will have a chance to show how useful it is. They don’t appear to have been flying off the shelves, as a minority of Canon’s international websites even contain information about it.

Keep an eye out during television coverage of the sporting events for something that looks like the disembodied eye assembly of Optimus Beta.