The advantages that the R5 offers are automatically yours if you photograph people or animals. We’d even go so far as to say that any serious wildlife photographer should seriously consider purchasing it, not just because it’s the best camera for the job. Only Micro Four Thirds cameras from Olympus and Panasonic have better image stabilization than the EOS R5 when it comes to full-frame systems. Whether you’re shooting in low light, using long shutter speeds, on long lenses, or making video without a gimbal, it makes a huge difference. Due to its high resolution and quick frame rate of up to 20 FPS, the R5 in particular caught the eye of the photography community. We are stills-only photographers, so we will evaluate the camera from that perspective even though Canon did place a lot of emphasis on the R5’s video capabilities. We should point out that we have only ever used Canon products in our photography and have owned a number of different 5-series cameras, so we will be primarily comparing the camera to its DSLR siblings.
Design
Out of the box, it’s clear that Canon is serious about the R5. It looks bulky and feels heavy in the hand, but when compared to more dated DSLRs like the 5D, it is much easier to handle and makes the latter feel out-of-date. Although it feels a little more delicate and less shockproof than older setups, it is almost certainly lighter than non-mirrorless cameras currently on the market. Users of the 5D, who will make up the majority of R5 buyers, will be kept happy with a nice balance between that camera’s design and ergonomics and the more contemporary EOS R. Although there is a screen on top and a touchscreen display that can be fully tilted, the right thumbstick and rotating dial for adjusting autofocus are still present and serve as a welcome throwback to earlier models of Canon’s professional camera setups.
Canon EOS R5 review: Features
We can see from a quick glance at the R5’s specifications that almost all of them remain key selling points. Despite being primarily a stills camera, that full-width 8K raw video is probably the most notable feature. We’ll return to that later because it requires its own chapter. The 45MP CMOS full-frame sensor with a low-pass filter design that was first seen on the exorbitantly priced EOS-1D X Mark III is just one of the many features available elsewhere. Although Sony’s A1 and 7 have higher resolution, this is still the highest resolution a Canon full-frame camera can achieve. With 5,940 AF points for photography and 4,500 for video, the Deep Learning AI Autofocus provides face and eye detection and tracking for both still images and video. The 1D X III’s continuous shooting speed is comparable. Additionally, we get a 5-axis in-body stabilization system with up to 8 stops of CIPA-rated stabilization. This depends on the lens and works best with Canon’s RF lenses created especially for the R range of cameras, but it works at least somewhat better with any lens, so overall, the specs are quite impressive.
Image quality
The R5’s full-frame sensor is its primary advantage. Due to its large size and the f/2.8 lens we’ve been using, it really helps to enhance background blur while also giving us more depth of field control. Melt-away backgrounds in photographs significantly improve their appearance. The resolution and resulting detail come next. When it comes to this brand-new sensor, Canon isn’t messing around. There are 45 megapixels available for use, which is roughly twice as many as the EOS R6. This allows for massive scale that is simple to resize or crop into without having to worry too much about restrictions. also, you can check our article on Canon EOS R5 review. Beyond resolution, the clarity is what really stands out, and even higher ISO sensitivity settings demonstrate how skillful the stabilization system and overall image processing are. For instance, handheld capture at ISO 12,800 appears to be anything but because the majority of image noise is suppressed and only appears as a light grain when viewed closely. In terms of handling resolution, resolving detail, and providing a wide dynamic range, this is Canon’s best sensor. The R5 won’t disappoint you if you’ve been considering upgrading from, well, any other Canon camera, especially if you also have the better RF lenses.
Canon EOS R5 review: Video quality
Despite being primarily a stills camera, the EOS R5 made a big splash in the video world by being the first stills camera to support full-width 8K raw recording. But that depends on how practical it is. It seemed a little too good to be true that a relatively small stills camera could record 8K raw video, and the overheating problem that resulted has since gained notoriety. Is this still a problem two years later? No and yes. The issue of warning messages triggering earlier than necessary has been somewhat mitigated by firmware updates, but the overheating problem itself still exists and limits how long you can record in higher resolutions. Depending on what you plan to do, that may or may not be a problem for you. You should be able to record for up to 20 minutes in 8K at once, and few of us will ever need to record for longer than that. The buildup of heat and the impact of ambient temperature are the bigger issues. We’ve discovered that we can typically leave the camera for 10 minutes before getting another 10 minutes of shooting, but when these variables are at play, it can be difficult to predict how long you’ll be able to record for and how long you’ll need to leave the camera to recover. A camera that is more specifically made for video will be preferred by professionals who need to be able to produce 8K video. The R5’s 8K capability should be considered more of a bonus for sporadic use. Remember that working with 8K requires a powerful computer to even open the files, much less edit them, and that you must record internally using a CFexpress card rather than an SD card.
Performance
The Canon EOS R5 has excellent performance metrics, and its quick processor and professional storage options can handle outputs with large file sizes and high resolution. An SD card slot is supported, but there is also a CFexpress slot. In our testing, we encountered no issues when utilizing premium SanDisk Extreme PRO cards, but if you don’t have one, we advise looking into this matter and getting a fast card to accommodate the R5’s file sizes. you can read our article on Canon EOS R5 review. The R5 is the first processor with built-in body stabilization, and this has garnered a lot of attention. It effectively stabilizes low-light situations and dark scenes so that Lightroom can recover detail in the shadows and blacks. When used in conjunction with the appropriate wide-angle lens, it is a fantastic choice for astrophotography as well. A special mention should also be made of the autofocus system, which is one of the fastest systems we’ve ever used when combined with image stabilization. With precise face, eye, and head detection, tracking is likely the best in class, making portrait, sports, or action photography simple. Even in dynamic circumstances, the continuous focus mode has no trouble maintaining object or person focus.
Canon EOS R5 review: Price
On July 30, 2020, the Canon EOS R5 was made available for purchase, with a body-only launch price of $3,899, £4,199, or AU$6,899. For the first few months of its existence, it was difficult to find stock because demand outstripped supply, but now the EOS R5 is widely available all over the world. That cost is undoubtedly a significant investment, but it is comparable to that of its closest competitors. In most regions, it costs just a little bit more than the Sony A9 Mark II and Sony A7S III, which have lower resolutions and only support 4K. It is also very close to the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV’s starting price, which was $3,499/£5,599/AU$5,060 when it was introduced in 2016.
Conclusion
For professionals or anyone searching for a highly capable option for almost any type of photography, from sports and action to studio portraits and landscapes, Canon’s EOS R5 is a great camera. It is a 45MP full-frame mirrorless camera with excellent ergonomics, impressive Dual Pixel autofocus, and the ability to record 8K video clips. It is the heir apparent to Canon’s 5D-series DSLR cameras and also has the ability to record 10-bit HDR stills and video for HDR displays. Although it isn’t perfect, we believe it to be a great and fiercely competitive addition to the already crowded market of capable high-resolution full-frame mirrorless cameras.
