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

[thelebaron]

I hope(most likely in vain ) that this hubbub encourages canon to jump start the deep discounts early.

 

[Etienne]

This is why it is best to wait for real world testing of new equipment. The R5 / R6 look awesome on paper, but overheating and long cool down times will be far too limiting for many people, including me. I regularly shoot at over 85 F, and this looks impossible for the Canons.
Looks like the Sony A7s III wins for video. (Of course, the peanut gallery will fill up with "pros will only use a dedicated video body" from everyone who has never shot a video, ignoring the ubiquitous use of DSLRs and mirrorless bodies in films and videos around the world. Hint: there's a reason pros DO use these mirrorless bodies and the DSLRs before them on film sets )

 

[Juangrande]

Who the hell wants to carry around multiple bodies for video during a wedding or for anything. Who wants to keep switching mods WORRYING about over heating. You want to work without worrying at all. No one wants added stress to their life.

I used to be a wedding photographer and I only shot stills. The couples always hired a videographer separate, and they didn’t shoot stills.
But if you want to tackle both jobs then yes you need to have multiple bodies. Me and my partner brought five cameras between the two of us to every event and we only shot stills. We also brought a lot of light gear and modifiers. If you using just one camera to shoot a wedding your living dangerously.

 

[Juangrande]

I hope(most likely in vain ) that this hubbub encourages canon to jump start the deep discounts early.

That would be great because as a stills only shooter I’d buy two then.

 

[davidhfe]

You shoot weddings at 8K? What are your computer specs like that you can process 8K video so well?

Honestly? I can see this as a potential selling point. "I capture key moments of your wedding such as vows, first dance, cake cutting in stunning 8K. You can be assured these moments will be cherished and look outstanding for a generation to come"

 

[twoheadedboy]

The line skipped/ pixel binned modes equivalent to say, an EOS R?

No, because there's a huge crop on the EOS R, so you'd need to shoot entirely different glass just to make a perspective comparison.

 

[lucuias]

well this surprised me too yesterday when I got the signal; I expected the camera to be very hot but it wasn't. Or they've made it in a way the heat stays completely inside

I pull out the card and it is also barely warm.R5 body is made by magnesium alloy.heat would easily transfer out . weather seal usually some rubber in between the gap but metal does transfer heat .and I barely felt the heat .

 

[stevensteven]

Finally a photography review !!! so sick of the temperature reviews. The internet has gotten mad... The only thing that people seem to care about when it comes to cameras since a month is the temperature of the body..

 

[landon]

That would be great because as a stills only shooter I’d buy two then.

I'm from Aus, so Aus pricing.
For the price of ONE R5, you can buy TWO 5Div (when discount) or TWO R.
Both 5Div and R and pretty much every other Canon 4K camera can shoot 4K reliably without shutdown. Their 4K is slightly less quality than the R5, but is it worth paying double the 5Div price?
The R5 was supposed to convert on the fence pro dslr users to the new mount. I wander how many or few will do so, when the 5Div is a workhorse, is half the price, and they can continue with their EF lenses.

 

[stevensteven]

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.

For me, if we could get unlimited 4K HQ 24fps, all the other limits would be totally acceptable... The 4K HQ 24 is the only one im a bit bummed about...

 

[stevelee]

I’m curious about the need for 60 or 120 FPS for weddings. I have’t been to that many weddings with fast-moving action, even the one where the groom was armed with a sword. I could see using those speeds so that the kiss in slow motion would look fabulous. Also 120 will gracefully sample down to either 24 or 30. So if the groom and the bride’s mama can‘t agree on the final product, that could be handy. Otherwise throwing out every other frame or three out of four for final product doesn’t seem to accomplish a lot.

I will admit that I haven’t shot a wedding since the days when instead of video, there was Super-8 film. So I don’t have much idea of contemporary expectations. I suspect it has something to do with soap operas. How common are drones, BTW?

 

[cornieleous]

This is why it is best to wait for real world testing of new equipment. The R5 / R6 look awesome on paper, but overheating and long cool down times will be far too limiting for many people, including me. I regularly shoot at over 85 F, and this looks impossible for the Canons.
Looks like the Sony A7s III wins for video. (Of course, the peanut gallery will fill up with "pros will only use a dedicated video body" from everyone who has never shot a video, ignoring the ubiquitous use of DSLRs and mirrorless bodies in films and videos around the world. Hint: there's a reason pros DO use these mirrorless bodies and the DSLRs before them on film sets )

For video, the A7S3 looks amazing and by far the better purchase for that need, but its stills are then compromised (to me) as much or more as the R5 video. I like the nuances of the A7S3 for video not just because it performs, but for the nice details like full size HDMI, hot shoe audio wire path, vertically hinged port covers, and ridiculous low light ability. If I was needing 4K60, I think I'd be looking hard at it as all around it would be more pleasurable for video. I just don't do enough video to need the FF 4K60fps and have a dedicated Sony NXCAM that does wonderful 4K30 and has built in ND and lots of nice video centric stuff. For footage quality alone, the R5 might make my NXCAM redundant. Before the R5 and A7S3, there really was no hybrid FF MILC that could even try to do 4K60 and up was there?

To me the R5 was always going to be a 5D5 from all the press around it. A great stills camera with ho-hum video that will be amazing for casual users and not good enough for many forms of pro work on the video side. You aren't wrong that pros use these size cameras for a reason, but until recently we only had 4K30 on FF, and Canon went the stills bias on their hybrid balancing while Sony went the video way.

I have read some interesting stuff that I cannot verify, that the 5D2 was used for Iron Man 2 in some scenes, and a full episode of House, and some other full feature film (cannot remember which, some war movie) and had overheating issues during some shoots, so they had multiple bodies. Not saying that is a reasonable solution for event photographers, just that we have seen this before in Sony and other bodies: putting the latest horsepower into tiny bodies will just always be a thermal problem and I would almost rather they hold this stuff back to avoid this controversy.

 

[quilatoo]

Perhaps someone should teach DPReview and a few posters here the difference between "testing" and "torture testing" a system. Dependability can only be defined and measured when testing a system not torture testing it. Better learn your lessons first then try again!

"Doing a wedding shoot" doesn't seem like torture testing though?

I'm from Aus, so Aus pricing.
For the price of ONE R5, you can buy TWO 5Div (when discount) or TWO R.
Both 5Div and R and pretty much every other Canon 4K camera can shoot 4K reliably without shutdown. Their 4K is slightly less quality than the R5, but is it worth paying double the 5Div price?
The R5 was supposed to convert on the fence pro dslr users to the new mount. I wander how many or few will do so, when the 5Div is a workhorse, is half the price, and they can continue with their EF lenses.

The R5 is absolutely the camera to convert me to the RF mount for photography. I just need it to be about 20% cheaper!

 

[JustUs7]

I’m curious about the need for 60 or 120 FPS for weddings. I have’t been to that many weddings with fast-moving action, even the one where the groom was armed with a sword. I could see using those speeds so that the kiss in slow motion would look fabulous. Also 120 will gracefully sample down to either 24 or 30. So if the groom and the bride’s mama can‘t agree on the final product, that could be handy. Otherwise throwing out every other frame or three out of four for final product doesn’t seem to accomplish a lot.

I will admit that I haven’t shot a wedding since the days when instead of video, there was Super-8 film. So I don’t have much idea of contemporary expectations. I suspect it has something to do with soap operas. How common are drones, BTW?

Usually a cringy enough moment live. What on earth would I want to slow it down for?

 

[stevelee]

"Doing a wedding shoot" doesn't seem like torture testing though?

Maybe not for the camera.

 

[stevelee]

Usually a cringy enough moment live. What on earth would I want to slow it down for?

I couldn’t think of anything else in a wedding that the couple would want in slomo.

 

[landon]

"Doing a wedding shoot" doesn't seem like torture testing though?


The R5 is absolutely the camera to convert me to the RF mount for photography. I just need it to be about 20% cheaper!

Yeah. Maybe 50% more expensive, for better Ibis, autofocus and other goodness. But 100% more?
I'm willing to pay the asking price, if I can also have reliable access to 4kHQ30, and the occasional 4k60 and 4k120. Because I'm essentially paying for two cameras in price.

 

[Deleted member 384473]

No, because there's a huge crop on the EOS R, so you'd need to shoot entirely different glass just to make a perspective comparison.

Was speaking of the 4K quality. There are pretty fast and wide lenses available for EF/RF. Think one would be okay. Lets also keep in mind we're talking about a $3900 camera now.

 

[Deleted member 384473]

For me, if we could get unlimited 4K HQ 24fps, all the other limits would be totally acceptable... The 4K HQ 24 is the only one im a bit bummed about...

I would love this.

 

[DBounce]

Where is the controversy other than people want it to do what it was not designed for?

From Canon’s website:
“It’s an ideal choice for a large range of photographic and cinematographic environments from weddings, portraits, sports, journalism, landscape, cinematography and more.”

Looks like Canon has clearly and publicly stated that the R5 was designed to be the ideal choice for professional video. Do you own this camera? Why do you want to give Canon a pass on these obvious defects? Did you know there are reports of the R5 overheating from only shooting stills? I’m sorry, but if Canon does not directly address these defects this camera is being returned. I’ll cast my vote with my wallet. You are welcomed to do likewise.