Thorny Devil Loc: Alice Springs, Central Australia

For some time I have been looking for a camera that resolves plenty of detail, particularly for landscape photography, is good for low light photography and has responsive auto-focus suitable for indoor sports, particularly basket ball. On paper anyway the Canon EOS R5 appears to tick those boxes. 45MP full frame should resolve a lot of detail. Standard ISO 100-51,200 suggests acceptable resolution at higher ISO settings for low light situations. It is probably reasonable to expect that Canon's Dual Pixel CMOS AF with various area modes and tracking choices would be suitable for sports action. With frame rates 12-20fps depending on shutter choice, inbuilt image stabilization and many other desirable features, the EOS R5 seems to be a winner. What has been the real life experience of any UHH members lucky enough to get their hands on one of these cameras?

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

The EOS R5 will change how we think about mirrorless, how we think about photography, how we think about life.

Thorny Devil Loc: Alice Springs, Central Australia

Have you used one CHG?

mikegreenwald Loc: Illinois

I have one, but for too short a time to answer all your questions. Landscape is my heaviest use, and so far I'm very happy with it - but note any very large images I sometimes produce. In the past I've used photo merge to get fine detail in large prints, and avoided wide angle lenses. So far, with limited experience, I'm willing to go wider than my prior 50 mm low limit, but I have not yet tried the 28mm low end of the 28-70 f2L, and none of the really wide lenses. A few more weeks....

Thorny Devil Loc: Alice Springs, Central Australia

I would be interested in reading your comments after you have had several months use Mike.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Hey Thorny Devil, I'm not in the market for another camera at the moment.

You might be interested in some summary comments from two respected equipment reviewers. Keep in mind, both are reviews of the EOS R5 initially posted in August 2020, where maybe subsequent releases from Sony and Nikon as of April 2021 might change some of the wording today.

The EOS R5 is the world's best mirrorless camera due to its unmatched combination of resolution, unbeaten frame rate and image quality, superior finder and ergonomics and superior technical support.

The EOS R5 is also the world's highest pixel-rate camera: 900 MP/s (45 MP times 20 FPS), shooting more and higher resolution images per second than anything else with tracking auto exposure and autofocus. ~ Ken Rockwell, update April 2021

source: https://kenrockwell.com/canon/eos-r/r5.htm

This decision was a no-brainer: I preordered two Canon EOS R5 cameras the moment preorders were taken. With the EOS R5, Canon's extremely-feature-laden, high-performance 5-series has arrived in the R-series mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (MILC) lineup. Since the introduction of the 5D Mark III back in 2012, Canon EOS 5-series models have been my primary cameras. After significant experience shooting with the R5 and the RF lens lineup, the R5 is solidly my new favorite camera. ~ Bryan Carnathan, August 2020

source: https://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EOS-R5.aspx

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He’s “thinking about life” :-)

Thorny Devil Loc: Alice Springs, Central Australia

Thank you Paul. I have read many reviews about the EOS R5 but I also like to hear from enthusiast users whose job is not reviewing cameras.

Regards,

Richard.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

That makes sense, no reason to trust the professionals over the FanBoyz ...

cactuspic Loc: Dallas, TX

Having used the R5 heavily for a number of months, I found the R5 to be a significant upgrade over the 5D Mark IV. Although I don't shoot indoor basketball, I do shoot birds in the first light of the morning. The eye focus is a great feature and works better than any focusing system I have used. The frame rate speaks for itself and is as advantageous as you might imagine, allowing the selection of the frame with the best wing position. There is no blackout between shots. I have had hit a higher percentage of action images with this camera than with prior bodies. Its high ISO performance is also very helpful as shown in the heron shot discussed below. I am not sure whether it has been tested, but I suspect that the lack of mirror movement also makes your action shots sharper, but that is just conjecture.

For stationary subjects, the ibis teams with the the in-lens stabilization so effectively that I do not use a tripod much anymore outside some of my more specialized photography such as focus stacking. While many have found that battery life can be short, I have not had much of a problem in that regard. Because of the simulated exposure and the ability to see the histogram as I shoot, I chimp much less. Without having to power the back screen as often, the battery seems to last.

I have shot thousands of images for focus stacking with this camera using the automatic focus bracketing feature. One of the benefits of that feature is that it uses the electronic shutter and there is no mirror slap. This means that is don't have to allow the camera to settle down between shots, eliminating any blur caused by either the shutter movement or the mirror movement allowing the completion of a stack in a fraction of the time it previously took. As a result, I have had significantly fewer stacks wrecked by changing light or wind. It also also nice to know that the mechanical shutter received not usage during these thousands of shots.

The bottom line is that the R5 replaced three camera bodies. It gives me as good or better results as my 5D Mark IV, my 7D Mark II, and my 5DSr did when used for their strengths. I am attaching two images that I recently took. The image with the juvenile Yellow-Crowned Night Heron with a crab was taken at an ISO of 12800 and was a substantial crop. The heron was walking at a good clip in deep shade in the mangrove roots.

My primary regret with this camera is there was a backlog when I ordered it. It did not come soon enough. Its major drawback is its price tag. Otherwise...

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ISOlate Loc: Maine

I have and shoot the R5. It was bought to augment my 5DMKIV and 5DRS for certain situations where the IBIS and the eye tracking focus were important. Instead, it has become the only camera I use 95% of the time. It is a very good piece of equipment. My only gripe is that it does not have onboard GPS. This can be compensated by using a smartphone app to transfer the location (clunky) or a shoe-mounted gps unit (but then not able to mount a strobe trigger). But CHG_CANON is right... you should read unbiased professional reviews. He is also a highly respected hogger and gives generously of his time and considerable expertise. In other words, worth listening to.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

I have an R5 and I don't see any difference in resolution between it and the 5DSR it replaced, it does handle low light much better and in post you can definitely push shadows better than you could with the 5DIV. It is a great camera especially if you are accustomed to using Canon bodies, the menu system and ability to change settings quickly and easily is better than any of my previous Canon bodies including the 5DIV. I love the camera and am very happy that I was able to make the purchase. As far as the tracking and high speed shutter goes, I have not had much opportunity to use those features as I now live in a forest, way to many trees to try and track birds and such, but I have read many comments from others that it is amazing. If you have ever shot with a mirrorless then you already know that they offer you an exposure preview that DSLR's don't, a feature that I really like especially when using old vintage lenses which is much easier to do with a mirrorless than it is with a DSLR, often makes for a fun day of shooting.

Canon R Loc: Dayton,OH

Have been using it for almost 1 + year. Camera is amazing for wild life, portrait and landscape photography. Focusing is very accurate. It rarely hunts when focusing. Yet to see any dust on the sensor!. Used it in heavy rain fall and no problem of humidity getting in to the view finder! It is very comfortable to hold with the hands.
You will not go wrong. I bought canon r5 after playing with variety of cameras.
Best Luck

Ava'sPapa Loc: Cheshire, Ct.

How about the R6, Paul?