Ed Atts

I have been shooting a Canon 7D 2 since 2014 using a 100 to 400 L lens with a 1.4 adaptor part of the time. My photography is mainly wildlife. I also have a 24 to 105 L lens for non wildlife pictures. This set up has served me well but I would like to add a mirrorless body and am debating between a new R7 body and a refurbished R5.
I have no problem with the APS sensor and have numerous stretched canvases and metallic prints that I am totally satisfied with. Nearly all my shooting is in manual mode where I set the shutter speed and f stop and let the
iso vary and I am not interested in changing my style of shooting.
Thus my question is - Would I gain anything from buying the the R5 instead of the R7?
Opinions on this question would be greatly appreciated.

MJPerini

Both your lenses work on both cameras, obviously the angle of view will change significantly if you move from crop to FF. You have to decide how much that will bother you. If you intend to crop the R5 to APS c when you shoot wildlife, you are throwing away a lot of pixels. 45MP becomes 17.3 vs the 20 in your current camera. But the pixels are several generations newer so other aspects would be improved. Whereas the Canon R7 would bump you up to 32.5 MP AND have the better dynamic range of a more modern sensor. It would also be cheaper.
One last consideration , both the 24-105 and original 100-400 are good lenses but were never among Canon's best and both have been redesigned. Depending on your individual copies of those lenses , it is possible they could show their age on a modern 33 MP APS-c camera. Having said that, I still have an older EF 17-40 that is a superb lens, It has been redesigned 2-3 times and I have the latest EF 16-35 which is a superb lens, but my old 17-40 is not far off. I just throw it out there as one of the considerations you have.
I still have an original 7D they were great cameras, although I shoot with a 5D4 & 1 DsIII

John O.

I have the R7 after having the 7D and 7D MKii. I am glad I upgraded to the R7.

Canon has a sale on a refurbished R7 with lens at a very good price. Here is the link https://www.usa.canon.com/content/canon/en/search.html?q=R7&r=products

The R7 will focus faster and shoot faster than the 7D MKii and you can use your lenses with an adapter on the R7.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

You're looking at camera models that are complete replacements to your EOS 7DII. If you're not thinking like that, you're not really analyzing your deeper motivations of this GAS attack. The EOS R7 is the mirrorless replacement of your DLSR 7DII. The R5 is the apex of the current EOS-R line of mirrorless cameras, even if the R3 is the more 'pro-grade' build with a lower 24MP sensor.

The mirrorless cameras will change your style of shooting. Not completely nor awkwardly, but these are new dogs and they have new tricks.

Really, only you can judge when to move to mirrorless and whether to move to a 45MP full-frame marvel like the EOS R5. Adding any better mirrorless camera makes your DSLR old and redundant and a dust gatherer. Make the hard decision, dump the mirror; or don't waste your money at all.

Your EOS 7DII has years of useful life. Stepping back from this GAS attack is the cheapest approach.

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

As I said in another post, I went from an 80D to the R7 and could not be happier. Using an EF→RF adapter I can use all my EF and EF-S lenses with no loss of pixels. I've added IBIS and awesome eye detection focusing as well as later a generation sensor.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

I have the R7, and still have my 7DII, I also have a FF R body, the RP (simplified controls & 26mp sensor) since I don't do a lot of FF work-mostly close up, landscape and macro. I do more birds than anything else with flowers and "bugs" trailing tied for 2nd place.

I have two EF to RF adaptors and find my EF lenses work as well or better on the R bodies.
Besides the FF vs crop sensor thing (two different critters) the R7 will be smaller, lighter etc. (cheaper also)

What will you gain with R5 over R7? Well besides wide angle and dimmer light without flash you will gain a much lighter wallet to carry around while the camera will be heavier and give your arms/hands a better workout - or be more likely to make your neck sore until you get used to the heavier camera on the neck strap.

Hmm, I am getting a bit weird so I think it is time I went out and watered the plants before I take my elderly Jack Russell for her rabies shot - the city is demanding proof two months before the renewal date on her license.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

I don't have the R5 but could have purchased it over the R7.
But I wanted the reach the R7 gives me with my EF 100-400mm. Also Canon has a RF 10-18mm if wide angle is desired. Or in my case I use my EF 10-18mm just fine on the R7.
The R7 also gives a pixel density roughly equivalent to a 80 mp FF sensor and the R5 if cropping is needed goes down from 45 mp.
The R5 lacks the more advanced R3 AF that was included in the R7 and the multi function hotshoe is also missing from the R5 where the R7 has that as well.
If you are dead set on FF wait a couple of months for the R5 MII which will address the R5 shortcomings compared to the R7.
Depending upon your needs but it seems you need reach and the R5 might disappoint as you are used to the 1.6 factor of a crop sensor now. Are you willing to sacrifice that reach for a FF sensor?

47greyfox Loc: on the edge of the Colorado front range

I sold my 5d4 and 7d2, then bought a refurbished R5. I still have and use all my EF lenses thanks to the EF-RF adapter plus the RF24-105. I’ve never looked back and only questioned my decision until I used the R5 the first time.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

The EOS R5 changed how we think about mirrorless cameras, how we think about photography, how we think about life. The others, not so much.

williejoha

I have owned the R5 for the last year and it has changed how I shoot with the 100-500 lens attached. The control ring on the lens is a fantastic addition to an otherwise fantastic setup. Pricy but great for shooting wildlife.
WJH

MtManMD Loc: Beaverton, Oregon

I'll offer a slightly different opinion than most are giving. I have both the R5 and R7, and predominately focus mostly on wildlife. The R5 gets used 90%+ of the time. The R7 is used more as a 2nd body with a different lens at the ready, and when I really need the extra reach. I do have longer lenses, the 100-500mm (my most used and a fantastic lens) and also an 800mm f/11. Yes, I crop some images, but that is what a 45mp is made for. The R5 is a top-of-the-line model, the R7 is a tier below. If you monitor active R7 forums (e.g. Facebook), you'll see many posts about issues. Most are related to challenges with focus where the sensor readout speed is too slow to keep up. There are good YouTube articles on the subject. However, overall, many people love the R7. I started with the R5, love everything about it and the R7 can't take that away.

Another note. I also moved to mirrorless from the 7D II. There is a huge learning curve to master the new bodies. You can read the Canon manuals 10 times, but you'll only learn a fraction of the camera's capabilities. There is so much more. YouTube is your friend.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Fortunately the EF and EF-S lenses on R series cameras have the control ring adapter that emulates the control ring on RF lenses.
So if one has the EF and EF-S lenses they can upgrade them with a control ring.
Glad to hear that the R5 and 100-500mm is a good working set up for you.
The R5 compares favorably to the Z9/Z8 and a1 considering that it is getting a bit old in digital camera life.
Thx for sharing.

Bruce T Loc: Michigan

Does the R5 have an option of cropping the image? My RP has the option of cropping the image X:1.6.

MtManMD Loc: Beaverton, Oregon

Yes it does have the 1.6x crop. Reduces the MP down to about 18MP. I just used it recently when taking sunset photos on the beach with an ultra wide angle lens. Wanted just a little more zoom and thought here’s a quick easy solution.