Canon Cameras
Canon EOS R5 Review
In July 2019, Canon released the EOS R5 and EOS R6. The two models differed in sensor resolution and intended use. The R6, with its 20 MP sensor, was designed as a fast, versatile all-rounder for everyday and hybrid shooting, while the R5, featuring a 45 MP sensor, targeted photographers who required maximum resolution and detail.
The R5 has since been discontinued and replaced by the EOS R5 Mark II, which features a new 45 MP fully-stacked sensor.
Canon EOS R System
The release of the Canon EOS R in 2018 introduced the Canon RF-mount. With a larger mount diameter, shorter flange distance and a 12‑pin electronic interface, it allowed Canon to design faster, sharper lenses with better low-light performance. Compared to older DSLRs the system is smaller and lighter while also improving autofocus speed and overall image quality. After nearly a decade, the EOS R System now provides a wide selection of lenses. Canon EF-mount lenses (older DSLR lenses) remain fully compatible with Canon R System cameras via the EF-EOS R adapter.
Canon EOS R5 Price
Canon EOS R5 Specifications
General
Canon EOS R5 features a new 45 MP full-frame sensor paired with Canon’s DIGIC X processor.
In-body 5-axis image stabilization (IBIS) provides up to approximately 8 stops of shake reduction. Unfortunately, there is some of Canon’s signature “wobble” visible in the corners, especially when recording video while walking.
The body is robust and ergonomic, with customizable buttons and dials that allow you to tailor the shooting experience to your workflow. According to Canon, the R5 features more rugged weather-sealing than the R6 series.
The R5 automatically closes the shutter when you turn the camera off, protecting the sensor from dust and debris.
A top LCD screen displays the current settings. There is no dedicated mode dial with labeled shooting modes; instead, mode selection is controlled via the customizable dial on the top right, with the selected mode visible on the top screen.
The R5 features dual card slots: one SD and one CFexpress. When the card door is opened, the R5 automatically shuts off and stops charging via USB.
The camera has a fully articulating LCD screen. The EVF is large and bright and allows you to choose between 60 fps and 120 fps, with the latter negatively affecting battery life.
With the release of the R5 and R6, Canon introduced new LP-E6NH batteries with improved performance. The R5 also remains compatible with older LP-E6N batteries. Purchasing an additional battery is still highly recommended, especially if you frequently use the higher EVF refresh rate.
Autofocus
Canon’s autofocus is generally known to be a strong point in most of its cameras. The R5 uses Canon’s new ‘Dual Pixel CMOS AF II’ system and autofocus performance is significantly improved compared to older mirrorless models such as the EOS R and EOS RP.
The camera can recognize and track a wide range of subjects, including people, animals (dogs, cats and birds) and various vehicles (cars and motorcycles). Eye-detection AF and tracking is available for humans and animals and it performs well even when the subject is moving.
Autofocus performs very well for photography. However, in video mode, the camera may occasionally shift focus to the background instead of the intended subject. Adjusting autofocus settings is often necessary to achieve consistent results that match your workflow.
Autofocus performance is further improved with the R5 Mark II.
Photography
Image quality is excellent, with strong dynamic range and Canon’s natural color rendering. The level of detail is impressive thanks to the high-megapixel sensor, though the large file sizes demand more storage and processing power.
Shutter options include mechanical, electronic front-curtain (EFCS) and fully electronic (silent) modes.
The R5 allows continuous shooting at up to 12 fps in RAW when using the mechanical shutter or the EFCS. If you save files only to a faster CFexpress card, the buffer allows up to around 20 seconds of uninterrupted shooting. If you save files to a slower SD card or to both cards for backup, the buffer fills in about 10 seconds.
Using the electronic shutter, the R5 can shoot at up to 20 fps in RAW, but in this mode the buffer fills in approximately 7 seconds, or about 5 seconds if you are saving files to both cards.
According to Canon’s official EOS R5 specifications you will get 14-bit RAW photos when using the mechanical shutter in low-speed-drive modes (up to around 6-7 fps). When using the high fps mode (also known as the H+ mode) 13-bit A/D conversion is used instead.
When you switch to the electronic shutter, the camera automatically uses 12-bit A/D conversion.
There is a noticeable drop in dynamic range when shooting with the electronic shutter and rolling shutter distortion occurs when photographing fast-moving subjects.
Canon EOS R5 also includes a sensor-shift mechanism that enables pixel-shift shooting, combining multiple exposures with slight sensor movements to produce high-resolution images of up to 400 MP, but this feature is limited to JPEG files only.
| Feature | Canon EOS R5 |
|---|---|
| Release Date | July 2020 |
| Megapixels | 45.0 MP |
| Image Resolution | 8192 × 5464 |
| Sensor Size | Full Frame |
| Sensor Type | CMOS |
| Image Processor | DIGIC X |
| IBIS | 5-axis, 8 stops |
| Weather Sealing | Yes |
| Lens Mount | Canon RF |
| Body Type | Mirrorless |
| PHOTO | |
| Native ISO | 100 – 51,200 |
| Expandable ISO | 50 – 102,400 |
| Shutter Speed | 1/8000 – 30s |
| Burst Rate (Mechanical) | 12 fps RAW |
| Burst Rate (Electronic) | 20 fps RAW (12-bit) |
| Buffer | 80 - 200 RAW |
| Shutter Types | Mechanical, Electronic, EFCS |
| Silent Shooting | Yes (Electronic Shutter) |
| Exposure Compensation | ±3 EV |
| High-Res (Sensor Shift) | Yes (JPEG) |
| Pre-Capture Mode | No |
| VIDEO | |
| 4K Video | 4K 30fps (oversampled from 8K) |
| Max Frame Rate | 8K 30fps / 4K 120fps / 1080p 120fps |
| Bit Depth | 12-bit |
| Recording Limit | 29m 59s |
| Timelapse Recording | Yes |
| AUTOFOCUS | |
| AF System | 'Dual Pixel CMOS AF II' |
| AF Points | 1053 |
| AF Coverage | 100% Frame Coverage |
| AF Joystick | Yes |
| DISPLAY / VIEWFINDER | |
| Articulated Screen | Fully Articulating |
| Touch Screen | Yes |
| LCD Size | 3.2" |
| LCD Resolution | 2,100,000 |
| EVF Resolution | 5,760,000 |
| EVF Refresh Rate | 120 fps |
| EVF Coverage | 100% |
| EVF Magnification | 0.76× |
| MORE INFO | |
| Card Slot 1 | CFexpress Type B |
| Card Slot 2 | SD (UHS-II) |
| Sensor Protection System | Yes |
| USB | Type C 3.1 Gen 2 |
| USB Charging | Yes |
| HDMI | Type D (Micro HDMI) |
| Microphone Port | 3.5 mm |
| Headphone Port | 3.5 mm |
| Built-in Flash | No |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes |
| Battery | LP-E6NH |
| Battery Life | 300 ~ 500 frames |
| Wi-Fi / Bluetooth | Yes |
| Dimensions | 139 × 98 × 88 mm |
| Weight | 738 g |
Video
Canon EOS R5 can record 8K 30 fps internally in 12-bit RAW and without a crop. Oversampled 4K video recording is available only at 30 fps. Rolling shutter distortion is very visible in these modes due to the high-resolution sensor with a relatively slow readout speed.
4K up to 120 fps is also available, but in these modes the footage is not oversampled resulting in less detail (but also less rolling shutter distortion).
Full HD (1080p) recording is available at up to 120 fps.
Originally only Canon Log 1 was included, but C-Log 3 was also added with a firmware update (v1.30).
The R5 has a maximum clip length of 30 minutes.
The battery supports approximately 2 hours of 4K recording at 24 fps. Using USB-C for power delivery can extend the battery life almost indefinitely, depending on the power source.
According to Canon’s official EOS R5 Specifications, the R5 supports simultaneous recording to both cards but not for all modes (recording 8K RAW, ALL-Intra and 4K ALL-Intra at 50 fps and above to both cards is not possible).
You can record internally and externally at the same time and external recording has no recording limit.
Heat Management
Overheating is a huge issue and the camera can shut down even before reaching the 30 minute recording limit. The camera slowly builds up heat even when it is just turned on or if you’re just using it for photography.
The R5 can record in 8K for up to 20 minutes before thermal shutdown and cooldown after the shutdown is also a huge issue – even after 20-30 minutes, the camera only allows about 5 minutes more of 8K recording. On top of that there is absolutely no way to reduce this cooldown time. Even if you take the the lens off, take out the battery, move the screen away, take out the cards or place the camera in a cold environment, it will still take about 20 minutes just so you can get a couple of minutes of record time.
4K 120 fps recording is an even bigger issue (the camera only records for about 10 minutes before shutting down), but you likely won’t use the 120 fps mode for prolonged shooting.
Recording externally allows users to record a bit longer (about 50% longer), but eventually the camera still shuts down and you have to wait for it to cool down before continuing your work. Turning on ‘Overheating Control’ in settings extends the recording time further, but reduces the quality on the display of the external recorder.
There are reportedly no overheating issues when recording internally in 1080p or in non-oversampled lower-quality ‘Standard’ 4K up to 30 fps. There are also thankfully no overheating issues when recording externally in 4K 60 fps (with full-sensor readout).
Canon R5 Alternatives
Canon R5 II
Canon EOS R5 Mark II (2024) upgrades to a new 45 MP stacked sensor and adds a DIGIC Accelerator for faster processing and industry-leading autofocus performance. Just like the original R5, it captures highly detailed photos with excellent dynamic range, pleasing colors and good low-light performance, but with less rolling shutter distortion thanks to faster readout speeds. The R5 Mark II can shoot at up to 30 fps with the electronic shutter (12 fps mechanical) and it can record 8K 12-bit RAW video at up to 60 fps. There is no recording limit and heat management has been improved.
It’s a huge upgrade over the original R5, but the Mark II is also more than $1000 more expensive.
Nikon Z7 II
Nikon Z8
Nikon Z7 II (2020) is Nikon’s high-resolution full-frame option. It offers a 45 MP BSI sensor resulting in great low-light performance and great dynamic range. It’s much less focused on videography or speed than other cameras on this list, but high resolution is ideal for landscape, studio and any type of detailed photography.
The Z7 II is much cheaper than the Canon EOS R5 (almost $1000 cheaper) and it has absolutely no competition at this price.
Nikon Z8 (2023) sits much higher in Nikon’s lineup and is effectively the flagship Z9 in a smaller body. It uses a 45.7 MP stacked sensor (making it a direct competitor to the R5 Mark II) paired with Nikon’s EXPEED 7 processor, delivering class-leading autofocus performance with advanced subject detection, blackout-free 20 fps shooting and extremely fast sensor readout, effectively eliminating the need for a mechanical shutter. It can record 8K 60 fps in 12-bit N-RAW, 4K up to 120 fps and oversampled 4K 60 fps. It can shoot at up to 20 fps in RAW, 30 fps in full-resolution JPEG and up to 120 fps in 11 MP JPEG. Buffer performance is extremely strong and the Z8 can shoot 20 fps for approximately 1,000 frames (50 seconds) without viewfinder blackout.
The price is currently lower than the Canon EOS R5 Mark II (the Z8 costs about $500 less).
Sony A7R III
Sony A7R IV
Sony A7R V
Sony A7R III (2017) has a 42 MP BSI sensor. It was Sony’s closest competitor to the R5, but it’s no longer in production. It offered dual card slots, 6 fps RAW shooting (10 fps compressed RAW), 4K 30 fps recording and oversampled 4K 30 fps recording with a 1.5x crop. Its features are certainly outdated compared to other camera on this list.
Sony A7R IV (2019) introduced a new 61 MP BSI sensor. It also introduced dual UHS-II SD card slots, a higher-resolution EVF and a slightly larger and more ergonomic body. It increased the recording time limit to 13 hours, but recording is still limited to 4K and to 8-bit. The price of the Sony A7R IV is very similar to the price of the Canon R5.
Sony A7R V (2022) kept the same 61 MP BSI sensor, but it introduced a new faster BIONZ XR processor paired with Sony’s AI processing unit, resulting in improved subject recognition and subject tracking. Faster processing also leads to expanded video capabilities, including 8K 25 fps and 4K 60 fps recording (but both modes apply a 1.25x crop). Oversampled 4K recording still comes with a 1.5x crop. Internal recording is now limited to 10-bit (instead of 8-bit) with an option for external 16-bit recording. Other upgrades include a new hybrid high-resolution LCD screen (tilting and fully articulating), a high-resolution EVF with refresh rates up to 240 fps and dual card slots that both accept CFexpress Type A or UHS-II SD cards (resulting in a much larger buffer).
Sony A7R V is currently about $500 more expensive than the Canon R5, but pricing in this segment can fluctuate over time.
Canon EOS R5 Price
Final Verdict
Canon EOS R5 was Canon’s first high-resolution mirrorless camera. It is capable of producing excellent stills and its photography performance will realistically never be dated. It is no longer in production, but it is still offered as a new product in most regions.
Canon marketed the R5 as a camera capable of 8K video recording, but in practice this was only possible for a few minutes before requiring a cooldown period of around 20 minutes – something that would be impossible in a professional setting.
Its successor, the R5 Mark II, improved every aspect of the original model making it an extremely capable hybrid camera.
If you are specifically looking for a high-resolution camera, but you are not yet committed to the Canon EOS R system, high-resolution alternatives from Sony (A7R IV and A7R V) use 61 MP sensors, but have less to offer in addition to higher-resolution.
If you are simply looking for a high-resolution camera for photography, the Nikon Z7 II has absolutely no competition at its price.