Gerald Undone completes exhaustive record time testing on the Canon EOS R5 and Canon EOS R6

freejay

CR Pro
Feb 3, 2015
90
56
One thing of context that I have only seen written once. Even when the camera stops recording in the limited modes, 8k, 4k120 etc, it will still work as a stills and video camera for any other mode, instantly. This is not the behavior all other hybrids exhibit, once they ‘overheat’ they are bricks. The Canon NEVER bricks even when it won’t record in the limited modes anymore.
I can confirm this: I recorded in 4k HQ mode (30p) until the camera shut down after about 27 minutes due to heat. After some minutes (max 5, I didn't look at my watch) I restarted the R5 - overheat warning was still there. Then I changed to non HQ 4k 30p: The overheat icon disappeared and I was able to record more than an hour instantly. I stopped after about 70 minutes - there was no overheat warning or anything. So from my point of view: The R5 works within the official specifications.
 
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freejay

CR Pro
Feb 3, 2015
90
56
I understand, YouTube is a great platform to be heard, which is why the overheating and cooldown issue is having a spotlight shone on it. But how many in the real world market would pony up for a video oriented mirrorless camera ala the A7SIII?

How many of you would buy a Canon EOSR5C?
  • It would compromise weather sealing
  • Have vents and a silent fan
  • Full Size HDMI 2.1
  • Delete 29 min 59 second time limit for essentially unlimited recording in all codecs, framerates & bitrates
  • Same photo capabilities as R5
  • Probably cost $4399
Maybe it could add a few extras like Built in ND filters, Shutter Angle Priority, Better Audio Preamps, but will not include them for now since the above seems doable for Canon. If it gets all these video extras it's probably a $5K camera at that point.

Would you buy this camera?
If all current available recording modes would then record unlimited? Everybody! It would be the best video camera under 10.000$ I guess.
 
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I really do hope all this stuff gets sorted cause I think it is a pretty rad product but for professional use in its current state it is not reliable. With the heat today while shooting the heat index was 94 with humidity and the camera was always in hand and the sun was very direct. Now I have never had this with any of my 1d’s or 5 ‘s so it was a real surprise. I know people will call what I experienced bullshit or something but I am a canon fan, I own 2 1dc’s a 1dxii a 5div a c200 a 600 f4 , 400 2.8 and the list goes on. Cameras are tools for my work and I have always purchased canon for reliability and the R5 is not reliable currently
Another quick clarification... did both bodies overheat, or just yours? Also, did you get the battery overheat warning (flame) or the thermal overheat warning? If battery, were you using the new battery or one from your 90D?
 
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slclick

EOS 3
Dec 17, 2013
4,634
3,040
Can I sell you a rear derailleur that only works on flat roads? Haha sorry couldn't resist.
Yeah, it was tame. Esp what with the old two speed kickback hubs and fixies for stills only analogies which you could have gone for, but I'll give you a point for trying to use my other passion for making me look absurd. Seriously though, I am so entrenched in playing/recording music & cycling (new builds), photography and all the insanity over the R5/6 is passing me by and I could not be happier. Canon still, no pun intended hasn't built an R body that tempts me.
 
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May 12, 2011
1,386
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For the past five years, I've been shooting with Sony and Canon exclusively.
My main cameras are the 1DxmkII, and the A7iii/A7riv. Today, I find myself at a crossroad. I want to get rid of one system to be able to commit long term to the other one.

I shoot 50% video and 50% photos.
For photos, its either street style and family stuff, or high resolution travel composites.
For videos, on a daily basis I shoot little short films of my family, short travel videos, and about once year, I shoot a narrative short film (small crew).
I only use prime lenses. 24mm 1.4 , 35mm 1.8 (90% of the time on my camera for both photo and video) , 85mm 1.4/1.2 , and for macro stuff I use the 100mm 2.8 on canon, and the 90mm 2.8 on Sony. This lens choice will never change for me. They are the four lenses I plan to use for the rest of my life. To be honest, they are great on Sony, and great on Canon, so my doubts concern more the bodies than the lenses at this point.

When I first heard the specs of the R5, I thought it was going to be the body that does it all for me. As of today, it doesn't seem like it anymore.
I will work for all my photo work, it will work for the family videos perfectly, it will work for the travel videos even better, but it might fall short to shoot my yearly short film.

The ASiii on the other hand will be perfect for all of my video work, but it will not be ok for most of my photo needs, except the family portraits.

When I ask myself what are my needs, and if I try to be objective and reasonable, here is what I come up with:
- At least 24MP for photos + Great autofocus
- 4K 10 bit 422 for the family and travel videos
- Unlimited 4K 10 bit 422 AND/OR RAW recording for the short films.
One thing I know for sure is that I want a compact system, that I own and master. So the idea of getting an R5 and rent out a cine cam for the short film doesn't suit my style/needs.
Another thing I know is that I have a little more affection and trust for Canon than Sony as a brand, but I could get past that if needed.

So here are the two solutions I can imagine for the future, to make myself happy and satisfied:

1. Say goodbye to Sony forever. Invest in RF glass. Use the Canon R5 for my daily use and it will be more than perfect. When the time comes to shoot my yearly short film, either hope that Canon fixed some of the limitations via firmware update, or buy a second body to double my shooting time on set and give more time for the camera to cool off when needed.

2. Say goodbye to Canon forever. Invest in FE glass. Own the A7Siii for my short film and a Ninja V for RAW recording, and patiently wait for the A7iv which should at least offer me a 24MP sensor, great autofocus, and 4K 10 bit 422.

Well, sorry I just told you about my life, I know it didn't bring anything constructive to this debate, but I needed to write things down to figure out myself what I really wanted. I guessed I used you guys as my shrink, to let it all out.

If you're curious about my work though, you can always check me out on Insta. My username is stev
All you see there has been shot either on the 1DXmkii or on the a7iii/A7riv...
Except for the last two posts which I shot on my latest purchase. The Leica M10P.... which is actually becoming my favourite camera of all times, but I'll keep that story for another day or you might think I'm bipolar....

Cheers
Stev

I'm in a very similar boat to you. My initial thought was that I could buy the R5 and sell my A7S2/A7III/Sony lenses and be back to all Canon. I shot Canon video until 2015 and I couldn't ignore how much better Sony video was and moved over. I preordered the R5 but ended up cancelling it because the A7S3 just made more sense for me since I shoot like 90% video. But I love shooting Canon stills, I just never liked shooting photos on Sony mirrorless for some reason. Also love my Canon glass so it looks like I'm going to continue using both systems for the forseeable future.
 
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This is what worries me. I am a photographer and don't care about video. I've been a Canon shooter since 1969 and really wanted a Canon stills camera with face/eye AF, IBIS and high resolution. Was going to by an R5 as this would have answered my dreams...I shall now wait to see what comes out from actual documented testing from using it as a camera...not a video recorder.
If you only shoot stills, you will love the R5. In my opinion no mirrorless come close if you combine it with RF glass and up 8 stops stabilisation.
 
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cornieleous

5D4 + R5
Jul 13, 2020
208
737
I don't have much experience shooting in burst modes extensively. But 45-60mb files multiplied by 12 to 20 FPS in short order for hours, we're talking between 500mb to 1.2gb A SECOND! That's a lot of data to write. And that isn't even taking into consideration DPRAW or writing dual files to dual cards.I don't know what this camera is fully capable of, but 'a few thousand bursts'- (we're talking hundreds of gigs), no, I'm not surprised that it would overheat doing that in any environment.

People are saying it is normal to shoot several thousand images in a couple hours, but what is the comparison? A giant DSLR with smaller MP sensor that will heat less with each burst and cool more easily? Even in short bursts of dozens to hundreds of images, a camera is running full-out for a few minutes writing the buffers and to two cards- this is near max processing just like HQ video, especially with tracking and IBIS running. This will heat the camera each burst, and if the body is small and compact, heat dissipation to the outside will not be as effective as a large body. Over time, and with the sun, the camera is going to get really hot inside. The R5 is a tiny MILC body. The comparisons to a 1DX3 is senseless. The 1DX series is huge compared to this camera. People are calling this heat issue a problem because they expect a dedicated video camera or dedicated sports camera. If I start to hear reports or have my own experience with more normal forms of stills shooting, I will become concerned, but so far all reports of 'problems' come from people pushing the camera hard as a specialty sports or video camera when it is a hybrid.

The major mistake I think Canon made is giving this camera capabilities of their higher end video cameras and sports cameras in a tiny body that cannot do those duties indefinitely in all environments. They were not clear enough about this being a 5D5 stills camera replacement in a mirrorless body. No one expects the 5D4 to do anything but basic video and pretty good stills reliably, and the same should be true of what is essentially a mirrorless 5D5. Maybe if they didn't choose such a tiny body, the thermal situation would be better, but then vloggers and wedding photographers would be crying about it.

Without being spoon fed the obvious, many customers are just not that educated about technology and have no idea what to expect or how to pick a camera properly- this is why they turn to all the dumb youtube reviewers, most of whom unfortunately make their living on being talking heads who hype everything.

The real failing of the R5 release is not one of engineering, but of marketing. It may have been smarter of Canon to not offer the high fps or 4kHQ or 8k, but if they did, you know how loud people would be crying about 'the cripple hammer'. I would hate to work in consumer electronics right now. People who don't have a clue how their gadgets work are just the most demanding, pissy, egotistical lot. The more uninformed they are, the louder they seem to be, parroting the opinions of anyone who they think sounds informed. They always want more for less, and just once I wish any of them had the brains to be on the engineering side and see just how hard it is, just how amazing the R5 actually is in this tiny body.

I'll be right here complaining with everyone if this camera fails me for reasonable use (excellent stills in all environments plus light duty high quality video). I'll compare it to the 5D4, the market segment it belongs. So far in my reasonable torture test in direct sunlight the camera meets and exceeds what Canon said it could do, and meets my needs. People trying to use it as all time HQ video camera, cinema camera or sports camera, and those deliberately just 'leaning on the shutter' etc. are perhaps not considering the purpose it was designed to and are expecting hybrid to perform as a specialist. Just silly.

If firmware improvement or a manufacturing fix can make things better, great. Otherwise I expect that if the camera performs to reasonable limits it will serve many of us well. Time will tell.
 
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Max TT

Canon 60D / Canon 6D
Feb 9, 2020
114
135
Yeah, it was tame. Esp what with the old two speed kickback hubs and fixies for stills only analogies which you could have gone for, but I'll give you a point for trying to use my other passion for making me look absurd. Seriously though, I am so entrenched in playing/recording music & cycling (new builds), photography and all the insanity over the R5/6 is passing me by and I could not be happier. Canon still, no pun intended hasn't built an R body that tempts me.

I retired two years ago from the sport, no racing anymore, only recreational now and some coaching. Best decision ever! If I can just sell some of these bikes in the stable, affording an army of R5's should not be a problem haha whenever one overheats grab another lol

With Covid they have banned group rides, so I am Zwifting this morning indoors2_August_2020_1024000.jpg
 
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cornieleous

5D4 + R5
Jul 13, 2020
208
737
I'm assuming you're responding to me.
A7siii now has flip screen, better menu. Is better in video options. A7iv coming will beat the r6 with flip screen, better menu. What's the reason for enticing ex-Canon users to come back then? Or for people to choose Canon, when Sony offer the same with greater lens choice. None! That's why you need to stem the flow now, in this sleepy pandemic when most people are bored with nothing to do.
What's the harm in providing more options to anxious users now from switching. Longer recording times for wedding and interview usage. I'm telling you, if Canon wait longer for the R1 to come out to address these issues, when the a7iv comes out, it'll be too late. Why choose/stay with Canon when Sony has a vast lens choice?

You probably think this song is about you. Enjoy your Sony.
 
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Cryhavoc

Eos R, EM1 MkII, Lumix G9, Lumix S1R
Jan 17, 2019
102
131
Seattle
That’s 19 min from a cold body with no foreplay, you take a pic or two and fiddle in the menus that time begins to drop. I got to use an r5 today out at a Motocross event and well it turned off from only doing photos. This was using the ef to rf adapter and a 200mm f2. This was used for over a time period of 2.5-3 hrs and it was 86 degrees out. I’m glad that I didn’t buy it and needless to say my friend who did is pretty disappointed. I love 1d bodies

Turned off due to a dead battery since it was used over 2.5 to 3 hours?
 
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slclick

EOS 3
Dec 17, 2013
4,634
3,040
My R5 is on preorder so please Canon send some firmware to 'fix' it before I ever use it. The Category
If you only shoot stills, you will love the R5. In my opinion no mirrorless come close if you combine it with RF glass and up 8 stops stabilisation.
I appreciate this sentiment and perhaps it will be part of my way of thinking for a new body but is this from personal experience in your hands or specs? Asking seriously. I have yet to see any early adopter accounts of stills shooting examples or reviews. I am interested in these! Thanks
 
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slclick

EOS 3
Dec 17, 2013
4,634
3,040
I retired two years ago from the sport, no racing anymore, only recreational now and some coaching. Best decision ever! If I can just sell some of these bikes in the stable, affording an army of R5's should not be a problem haha whenever one overheats grab another lol

With Covid they have banned group rides, so I am Zwifting this morning indoorsView attachment 191786
I've put in about 3,000 solo miles outdoors this year and it's been wonderful. Peaceful and zen like at times. Group rides, whatever, they can return when they do and when it's safe. I ride for myself.
 
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Unpleasant. Less than 25 mins indicates an inferior product. To me.

Matter of opinion. Lack of 8K altogether in other cameras could indicate an inferior product. How about lack of MP above 12 MP? Maybe that's an inferior product.

Basically, the EOS R5 is what it is. Buy it, or don't.
 
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