Canon has been releasing new features for its highly-anticipated EOS R5 full-frame mirrorless camera over the last four months, but has been quiet since April after confirming 4K 4:2:2 10-bit internal recording. Today, Adobe released updates for many of its Creative Cloud programs, and with it, might have confirmed a feature on the camera yet to be announced by Canon.


It's been rumored that Canon will officially announce the EOS R5 soon, which could coincide with Sony's announcement of the a7s III. Canon has already stated the EOS R5 will have a new image sensor and processor, record uncropped 8K up to 29.97fps, and 4K video up to 119.9fps in 4:2:2 10-bit (H.265) Canon Log. The camera will also feature Dual Pixel CMOS AF in all 8K and 4K modes and Canon's first integration of in-body image stabilization. Additionally, it will record uncropped 8K RAW internally. Canon has been mum about the exact type of RAW the camera will record, but Adobe might have provided new insight.

With Adobe's June 2020 release of Premiere Pro, which included the integration of Adobe Stock audio, the non-linear editor now natively supports RED Komodo, Canon EOS-1D X Mark III, and Canon EOS R5 footage.

Premiere Pro Now Supports

Since Adobe Premiere Pro currently only supports Canon Cinema RAW Light (.crm) files created by cameras such as the Canon EOS C200, it's safe to assume the Canon EOS R5 will record Canon's Cinema RAW Light over another flavor of RAW. The support allows creators to work natively with Canon XF and Canon RAW footage, which includes the EOS C300, C500, EOS-1D X Mark III, and eventually the EOS R5.

Raw_light_01_1200Credit: Canon

Canon's Cinema RAW Light is different than its Cinema RAW. Cinema RAW is uncompressed and requires an external recorder to capture the images. Cinema RAW Light also works differently than RED's REDCODE RAW or Blackmagic's BRAW visually lossless codecs. With REDCODE and BRAW, the amount of compression can be selected from 2:1 on up. With Cinema RAW Light, the compression is standardized, around 5:1, and retains the majority of the uncompressed version's quality.

It also requires a different post-production process than traditional RAW workflows. Cinema RAW Light doesn't record using the traditional RAW frame-by-frame file structure. Instead, it compiles the RAW information into a single Canon RAW (.CRM) file. The .CRM acts as a container for the RAW sensor data which can be unpacked, debayered, and modified using Canon's software before being exported to the format of choice. The good thing here is Adobe Premiere Pro will support it natively when the EOS R5 is released. If you're an Avid user, there are plugins available for Windows or Mac that supports Canon RAW formats. 

If Canon does add its existing Cinema RAW Light to the EOS R5 it would be a smart move. The EOS R5 will probably be promoted as a B or C camera to the EOS C300 Mark III and others, and it would be surprising for Canon to introduce a third RAW format into the mix. With this release, Premiere Pro will let you import and edit the files without any transcoding, rewrapping, or logging and transferring required when working with Canon EOS R5. Now, creators only need to wait for the camera.