The Canon Eos R5 has been bouncing around the internet rumor mill for some time now, and the list of specs surmised by speculators has beggared belief. Seriously, who would seriously believe that after years of hobbling their cameras with artificial software limitations that Canon would decide to leapfrog the competition with a camera that blew away all previous expectations. That’s why their confirmation of some of the R5’s more surprising features came as such a shock to the photography world this past week.
Frankly, 8K resolution is a bit ridiculous, and I don’t think a lot of people will end up shooting very much with it due to the ludicrous file size, and that is even if the camera is capable of shooting true 8k video and that it isn’t some timelapse video mode. What it does mean is that the R5 will have at least 33 megapixels (people are widely guessing 45MP), and if it is indeed capable of 8k 30p video, it is the prospect of what it could be capable of at lower resolutions that is truly exciting.
Personally, the most exciting rumor (which has yet to be confirmed by Canon) is that the R5 might be able to shoot 4k at 120p. 120fps 4k video would be incredible - 120fps at 1080p resulted in a big leap forward for me in the production of videos on my channel (example below), and to be able to shoot at that shutter speed in 4k would vastly increase the quality of the content I am able to produce. What has yet to be even mentioned in the rumors or in official announcements is what the R5 will be able to do at 1080p. If 8k 30fps and 4k 120fps are real, then it is not unreasonable to suppose that we might see 480fps at 1080p. Again assuming those rumored specs are real, 240fps at 1080p would be almost a certainty.
The last piece of the puzzle as to why I personally am so interested in the R5 is that, as confirmed by Canon, it will feature in body image stabilization (IBIS), that will work in concert with stabilized lenses.This superior stabilization, combined with high resolution slow motion video would allow me to upgrade my run-and-gun shooting style that I have adopted since I started using the Nikon Z6. With Youtube being the current focus of my creative efforts, this camera could result in a major boost to my production value.
Of course, there are a lot of ways in which Canon could ruin this camera, as they have crippled many cameras over the past decade in a blatant attempt to avoid cannibalizing their own products. I have been burned before, but I am cautiously optimistic that the R5 could be something special. I am also excited by the new 100-500 lens they also announced, which looks to be a super compact pro-grade super-telephoto zoom. It’s dark 7.1 max aperture at the long end is a little off putting, but that could be justifiable if the thing is small and light, and capable of delivering great images. Paired with the simultaneously announced teleconverters and the R5 we could be looking at the ultimate ultra-portable wildlife videography (and photography) kit.
We will have to wait and see what Canon does with the Eos R5, which might not be too long, as they are expected to reveal more about it at the end of February. Price will be a big factor for me, and for many others. Since it appears to be essentially the mirrorless successor to the 5D series, it is not unreasonable to hope for a $3000-$4000 price point. Any more than that and I simply won’t be able to justify the upgrade from my excellent Nikon Z6 which already serves me very well indeed. One thing is for sure though, these are exciting times to be a photography nerd!
