On my birthday this year Canon gave me a present. Well, sort of. They made the official announcement of two new mirrorless camera bodies and several mid level lenses for the system. I have been eagerly awaiting the EOS R5 which ended up being nearly identical to what Canon Rumors reported all along.
The R5 has been billed as the true spiritual replacement for the EOS 5D Mark IV, effectively a mirrorless 5D Mark V. That appears to be a reasonable comparison in features and price. The R5 is coming in at a list price of $3800. That is just a couple hundred more than the launch price of the 5D Mark IV back in 2016. The R5 has been one of the most hyped camera releases in years maybe a decade. They really went nuts. Canon seemed to focus on the crazy video specs but this camera is really a fabulous stills camera. The 5.76 million dot EVF with a crazy fast 120hz refresh rate is among the best in the business at any price and the IBIS system is rated at up to a super steady 8 stops.
The R6 was less hyped and more or less flew under the radar. The R6 was thought to be a replacement for the EOS-R but as of now the R remains put with a reduced price of $1799. The R6 is coming in at $2499. In some ways the R6 is not as high end as the EOS R which boasts the same 3.2 inch flip out display with 2.1 million dots as the R5 and the same top down LCD display as well. The R6 is missing these features having no top LCD and the same flip out LCD display as the $999 EOS RP, a 3 inch 1.6 million dot unit. The EOS R also shares the sensor with the 5D Mark IV at 30.3 mega-pixels, the R6 shares the same 20.1 mp sensor as the top sports camera the amazing EOS 1Dx Mark III. The R6 shares the EOS Rs original 3.69 million dot electronic viewfinder. As an EOS R owner I can tell you that EVF display is nice.
I was convinced I would immediately pre-order the R5, but after seeing the R6 I am not so sure. I will not likely take advantage of the 8k RAW video. Although I feel like 45mp is more than enough and frankly more than I need, I do like the 30mp size. The file size is manageable the image quality is good with room to crop. 20.1 mp is also plenty, but it will not offer as much cropping. The R6 with its $2499 price, features the same blazing speed of the R5 with 12fps mechanical and 20fps with the electronic shutter. The R6 gets the same Digic X processor and the crazy steady IBIS. Both cameras feature Canon’s new Dual Pixel AF Mk II and improved version of what many consider to be best AF system already.
For me I’d just as soon keep my EOS R, I love that camera. It has just one feature missing that is an absolute must have for a guy like me. I love that vintage glass and the EOS R does not have IBIS. If I buy the R6 I will miss the top down LCD that I have grown to love in the EOS R. I can live with the 20.1mp but I think I will fall in love with the higher res EVF. My friend and PhotoFair business partner, Graham has a Sony a7R Mark IV which has a 5.76 mega dot EVF and it looks nice. That one is refreshing at only 60hz not 120hz like this R5!
EOS R with 70 year old Chiyoko 45/2.8
If you are shooting a DSLR now you should definitely consider making the move to a mirrorless body. With the exception of battery life, mirrorless is better in every way than a DSLR. Using old school glass is also a ton of fun.
Down below I have a chart from Canon’s website showing the basic spec differences between the EOS R5 and R6. If either of these full frame mirrorless bodies are a bit rich on the wallet, the EOS R with its fabulus 30.3 mp sensor is priced new at just $1799 and the RP is a steal at just $999 using the 26.2 mp 6D Mark II sensor. If you have Canon EF lenses I’d stick with Canon but if you shoot a Nikon DSLR be sure to check out the Nikon full frame Z6 and Z7 or even the Z50 in APS/c. Sony has the largest selection of full frame mirrorless bodies so give them a look as well.
'Couv' Camera 