DPReview: Canon EOS R5 and R6 overheating claims tested: cameras work as promised – but that’s not enough

[RayValdez360]

Some portrait photographers shoot natural light (available light), some take the extra miles to bring strobes and assistant to help them out. You want to stand out, go the extra stresses. Leave laziness to the lazies.

I didnt know doing video and photography is the exact same thing. You want more stable shots and better angles for longer than a second, you want to carry less stuff when it comes to video. I can do a wedding with 3 camera bodies on my body. Juggling 2 cameras during continuous filming is a lot of shakiness and starting and stopping. I do both photography and videography so I know how things really feel.
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[drama]

I didnt know doing video and photography is the exact same thing. You want more stable shots and better angles for longer than a second, you want to carry less stuff when it comes to video. I can do a wedding with 3 camera bodies on my body. Juggling 2 cameras during continuous filming is a lot of shakiness and starting and stopping. I do both photography and videography so I know how things really feel.
.

we’re three pages in and you’re coming up with subjective responses to every objective point. Can we move on? You’ve said you don’t think the camera is good. Don’t buy one. Other cameras exist.

next point anyone?

 

[Jonathan Thill]

That IS NOT how the R5 works, when it gives a temperature warning and shuts off from capturing high resolution video you can immediately turn the camera back on and use it for still and or regular video. The only thing you get locked out of is the highest video specs.

to reiterate, the R5 NEVER bricks or locks you out of stills or regular video even if it just shutdown.

This cannot be repeated enough, you are never without an option.

 

[another_mikey]

I for one, am against any camera modifications that would potentially compromise the excellent weather sealing of this camera. I am buying it as a stills shooter, and will probably do minimal video. I am a scenic and wildlife shooter who will unavoidably be out in rainy conditions on occasion, and I need the camera to be safe and reliable in those conditions.

From just the marketing standpoint, it seemed like common sense to me that a small mirrorless body that shoots basically state of the art video would not be designed to replace the much more expensive and video dedicated cameras that Canon sells, so once all the specs had been shown, it seemed obvious the camera would have time limits for shooting video, at least in all the modes that were high end or groundbreaking. And that is without even considering all the previous evidence of how this type of data processing generates heat that has been exposed in other previous cameras from other manufacturers that have exhibited these same heat mitigation issues to one degree or another.

I agree with a poster above - the specs and limitations are now pretty well known. The camera is a hybrid camera that has chosen to excel at stills, while offering groundbreaking video for limited duration applications only. if you need longer video you can either:

1) Add an external recorder to the R5 for video shooting if that cost and additional complexity work for you

2) Buy a video-centric camera like the A7S III instead of the R5 that is clearly designed as a video tool first, at the expense of a lot of things relating to stills.

3) Buy a full up dedicated video camera if your use case requires and you can afford it.


At this point no one is forcing you to buy and use an R5. Given the backlog of orders I dare say Canon will be alright without all the customers who now can see that this camera will not fulfill their needs. And there are other better options out there now (or very soon to be released) that will be better for the heavier video use cases that some potential customers say they require. I for one cannot wait for my R5 to arrive, and I very much look forward to some reviews by people who are intending to use it as a stills camera. For those other potential customers it seems to be time to move on to another product. The R5 would appear to be unsuitable for you.

ML

 

[Jupiter_GP]

Here it is shown that the new A7IIIS also heats up and it gets hotter

 

[mppix]

What seems lost . . .
These cameras really have no competition!

Actually they do.
The R5 doesn't do much more than 4K30 line skipped reliably so it competes directly with the A7r4 and Z7 (~$3k price point).
The R6 doesn't do 4K video reliably and has a lower resolution sensor so it sits below the A73 and Z6 (~$2k price point).
Yes, RF lenses are great and Canon AF+IBIS is potentially industry leading. However, Sony and Nikon are close enough and certainly up for the task (Sony also has a lot more lenses).
Only good thing is the prices will come down soon (for us, not for Canon).

Just the two cents of a 100% Canon shooter (if that matters).

 

[TheSalvatore]

You're kind of picking and choosing who you want to believe. There are plenty of reviews done on the EOS R5 in a production/work environment, and how difficult it is to deal with the cooldown.

Even the guy that did your video says you'd probably need multiple bodies to properly do a wedding.

No one is disputing the quality of the footage.

Agreed with you. I took my Canon R5 out for a normal street shoot ytd. I'm based in Singapore and temperature can easily be 32C- 36C. I was shooting stills the whole time. When I saw something quite interesting and wanted to use its 4K120 but guess what, overheating and not able to record. Back then I really think that R5 users should have at least 2 bodies...

 

[Jonathan Thill]

Actually since the R5 doesn't do much more than 4K30 line skipped reliably, it is a direct competitor of the A7r and Z7.
Since the R6 doesn't do 4K video reliably and has a lower resolution sensor, it sits below the A7 and Z6.
Yes, RF lenses are great and Canon AF+IBIS is potentially industry leading. However, Sony and Nikon are not far behind (and Sony has a lot more lenses).
Just the two cents of a 100% Canon shooter (if that matters).

I would also add the R5 does 5.1k cropped 4K30/24 reliably that is nicer then the EOS R and can be shot using 10bit clog internally.

 

[IVS]

You get 37 minutes of 4K60 Internal, and no overheating with External. Use that, problem solved. And who shoots long segments of 4K120 during a wedding? You do know all of these compact, weather-sealed, fanless cameras overheat, right? This isn't just a R5/R6 thing.

Overheating is just part of the problem. The extremely slow cooling is what could affect a workflow big time. It's not that after those 37 minutes you wait 5 minutes and you get 30 minutes again... My 90D runs 29.59 min. at 4K 24p as long as the memory card's capacity runs out / with 2 seconds break required to push the record button once the limit kicks in. I would not rely on the R5 nor R6 for such a workflow not even at 4k24p.

 

[derpderp]

That IS NOT how the R5 works, when it gives a temperature warning and shuts off from capturing high resolution video you can immediately turn the camera back on and use it for still and or regular video. The only thing you get locked out of is the highest video specs.

to reiterate, the R5 NEVER bricks or locks you out of stills or regular video even if it just shutdown.

Can confirm. Managed to make my camera overheat today after a very long 4kHQ shoot (40 mins+) and I was still able to take photos after.

 

[derpderp]

Overheating is just part of the problem. The extremely slow cooling is what could affect a workflow big time. It's not that after those 37 minutes you wait 5 minutes and you get 30 minutes again... My 90D runs 29.59 min. at 4K 24p as long as the memory card's capacity runs out / with 2 seconds break required to push the record button once the limit kicks in. I would not rely on the R5 nor R6 for such a workflow not even at 4k24p.

isn't ur 90D an APSC camera?

 

[Jonathan Thill]

Overheating is just part of the problem. The extremely slow cooling is what could affect a workflow big time. It's not that after those 37 minutes you wait 5 minutes and you get 30 minutes again... My 90D runs 29.59 min. at 4K 24p as long as the memory card's capacity runs out / with 2 seconds break required to push the record button once the limit kicks in. I would not rely on the R5 nor R6 for such a workflow not even at 4k24p.

Why not? The non HQ 4K24p will work the same as your 90D and I bet the 4K is comparable. Oh and the R5 is FF so little more coverage.

 

[Pape]

I dont know why wedding photographers feel they need spray 8k over whole event. cant they just use line skip 4k for boring moments and 8k for important moments

 

[Jstnelson]

I just received my R5 on Friday and used it all weekend and I love it. I love the extra grip girth, build feels premium over the R in subtle ways like the screen hinge and overall feel, i'm still not over how great the shutter sound is, the IBIS is amazing, the resolution is amazing.

I packed up after a shoot Sunday and then turned my camera on to take a candid of my fiancee. It had gotten very dark so i just switched it from Manual to Aperture Priority and snapped a shot while we were walking to the car (I was walking when I took the shot). Once I loaded everything into lightroom I saw the pic and it was pretty underexposed. I had the ISO set to 100 instead of auto so the shot was at 1/15sec, f1.2, ISO 100 on my RF 85 1.2. It was SUPER sharp right on the pupil. I brought up the exposure and shadows a bit and it looked like a perfect shot. The auto focus, IBIS, and resolution of this camera is amazing!

I know I'm posting this in response to a video review but, as a stills shooter, I just want to say to those that haven't received your camera; it's amazing. I've done 3 shoots with it and still definitely in the honeymoon phase with it.

 

[mb66energy]

Kudos to Canon being honest about its products properties. That is not normal in our world where companies tell you about all those great capabilities and if you buy the product you have to learn that these capabilities are only possible under very specific conditions e.g. fuel / electricity consumption at least on the German market.

While Canon products aren't mystical they are rock solid tools - just the more or less entry level M50 (and models below) have a fully manual mode and - the M50 - has a solid set of functions which leaves just a few things open - for me filming at 1 fps with 350 degree shutter angle (the M does it with ML). Older lenses like 5.6 400 with 2x TC mark i work flawlessly and it takes just FD lenses.

Maybe 8k is a waste product of getting very good 4k but Canon decided to use just the 8k files and I am shure it will solve a lot of problems for film makers just those who have the biggest systems ... in tight environments. And allows "poorer" film makers creating well prepared short scenes with a camera they own and bring down rent times for dedicated 8k video cams.

Additionally I remember a story of a wedding photographer who used the - cinema wise limited - 4k capabilities of the EOS 5Dc for wedding photography ... to have 24 fps or so for 8 MPix photos. Now this can be done with 32 MPix photos.

 

[IVS]

Why not the non HQ 4K24p will work the same as your 90D and I bet the 4K is comparable. Oh and the R5 is FF so little more coverage.

And what exactly would I pay the extra $1500 for !? Sure thing ain't for the battery life

 

[cornieleous]

it’s the 4K60 and 4khq that is the problem. The fact that you can take pictures to where you can over heat the camera and have no option to use it.



“cancel culture” , screams you have a whole other discussion you want to have .

I was echoing what the other poster said. Calm down.

 

[IVS]

isn't ur 90D an APSC camera?

Indeed it is...and it's awesome ! If it wasn't for IBIS I wouldn't even consider the R6.

 

[DBounce]

I have the R5 in hand. My order was delivered last week Thursday. I can tell you that the line skipped 4K is not something you’ll want to shoot once you’ve seen the image quality upgrade from shooting the 4K HQ. I can also tell you that the camera does indeed overheat and that the cool down times can be unexpectedly long.

The real issue with the R5 is that it’s performance is unpredictable. Have you watched a video play back? Well, sorry, that will reduce your recording time. Did you leave it switch on between takes?... again, sorry, recording time is reduced. Did you take stills?... Well, you get the picture. I’m not accustomed to this sort of unreliable and unpredictable behavior from a Canon body. It’s unacceptable. And before you speak out to refute my claims, first go and shoot with an R5... that you purchased and then give your opinion. I find things are different when someone has some skin in the game. If you don’t have the camera in hand, you can’t speak from experience.

I tested the R5 against my Sigma fp... image quality, to my eyes is practically identical. The Sigma can shoot raw all day long, with a body that is almost half the size of the Canon... and it does not overheat... at all. Canon can do better. And we as customers must let them know we need a camera with repeatable performance. This camera is a constant roll of the dice every time you hit the shutter button.

 

[Deleted member 384473]

Overheating is just part of the problem. The extremely slow cooling is what could affect a workflow big time. It's not that after those 37 minutes you wait 5 minutes and you get 30 minutes again... My 90D runs 29.59 min. at 4K 24p as long as the memory card's capacity runs out / with 2 seconds break required to push the record button once the limit kicks in. I would not rely on the R5 nor R6 for such a workflow not even at 4k24p.

Yea, line skipped 4K24 would be fine and you wouldn't have to worry about overheating there, however, you're comparing a $939 camera to a $3900 camera now which is worrisome. However, you would get better AF, FF, 10-bit log? I don't know if that's worth it for you or not. Maybe an EOS R? They're pretty discounted now.