Canon officially announces the Canon EOS R5 C

[Gazwas]

Really? I was hoping we’d get that over on the c70, but sadly no. Really surprised that’s it’s not in this.

Anyone know of any technical limitations as to why they would omit it from the cinema side on the R5 C?

Because that will be a feature held back for the next run of RF cinema cameras.

 

[neuroanatomist]

For all those status conscious people out there, the shutter release is red. That matches the red rings in your lenses and the red accent in the digital crown of your Apple Watch.

 

[jeffbenjam]

This camera looks downright amazing for those who primarily shoot video. I already preordered. Here's my biggest concern, though. The Canon C70 has extremely sub-par autofocus capabilities compared to the R5. I'm concerned with canon splitting between two different OSes, that the AF performance in video mode will be more akin to that of the C70, while the photos mode will be similar to the R5. Is there any logical reason for me to have this concern? Sorry for all of the typos!

 

[Busted Knuckles]

This really isn't a proper stills camera (no IBIS) or a proper cinema camera (no full size HDMI, no ND, etc).

To me, that means it's a niche camera designed for someone who really wants to shoot 8K on a budget. That's definitely not everyone, but for that purpose, it's probably going to be the best camera on the market. It's too bad that it's a bit crippled, but at least the price is right this time.

8k on a budget? What are you doing post processing on? Simple clip editing would take a pretty stout computer. Color grading etc omg x 20

 

[CanonGrunt]

This camera looks downright amazing for those who primarily shoot video. I already preordered. Here's my biggest concern, though. The Canon C70 has extremely sub-par autofocus capabilities compared to the R5. I'm concerned with canon splitting between two different OSes, that the AF performance in video mode will be more akin to that of the C70, while the photos mode will be similar to the R5. Is there any logical reason for me to have this concern? Sorry for all of the typos!

Someone on here said that the R5C in Cinema mode has the same AF from the c70. Not sure, but you might want to look into that if that is your concern.

 

[dtaylor]

When people say video people don’t want ibis that is a very small group based in Hollywood, gimbals are overrated for many situations. People who buy this are the hike a mountain types that can only cary minimal gear, or people who do content gathering for news work that maybe high paced, canon misses the mark on this by removing the ibis.

These people need actively cooled, unlimited 8k recording? Really?

This camera is not targeted at those people. Those people should be looking at an R3, a regular R5, an R6, or for true minimal gear/long hike scenarios, an M6 mark II.

 

[jeffbenjam]

Someone on here said that the R5C in Cinema mode has the same AF from the c70. Not sure, but you might want to look into that if that is your concern.

Yikes. If that's the case, then wow. This camera just quickly fell off my radar. I really hope that's not true.

 

[SteveC]

What a shame they invested time and effort in this Frankenstein monster instead of getting an R7 into production.

From some people's point of view sticking an APS-C sensor behind a mount meant for full frame would also be a "Frankenstein monster."

 

[CanonGrunt]

Yikes. If that's the case, then wow. This camera just quickly fell off my radar. I really hope that's not true.

I have no idea why they would do that, but I’m definitely looking into it. It makes little sense to me that they’d leave that out. I do some wildlife work, and that is where I would really want that personally. That’s my no go for it. Would rather have an R5 than an R5C if it’s true. I love the Animal AF on my R6.

 

[StandardLumen]

8k on a budget? What are you doing post processing on? Simple clip editing would take a pretty stout computer. Color grading etc omg x 20

It's true that not just any computer is well-suited for handling 8K, but you only need to spend $3-4k for a computer that's up to the task. 8K cinema cameras usually run $20k+. Off the top of my head, the least expensive option other than the R5/R5C is the Sony A1 at $6500.

EDIT: The Z9 somehow slipped my mind, but that one is still $5500.

 

[jeffbenjam]

I have no idea why they would do that, but I’m definitely looking into it. It makes little sense to me that they’d leave that out. I do some wildlife work, and that is where I would really want that personally. That’s my no go for it. Would rather have an R5 than an R5C if it’s true. I love the Animal AF on my R6.

Same. If this is the case, I'll have to sadly cancel my preorder. I was so disappointed with the AF performance on the C70. It was like 10 steps backwards compared to the R5's great auto focus. I'd just stick to my R5 and keep doing the time trick to bypass the overheating message.

 

[melgross]

So, the IBIS question is confusing. Canon says, and it’s here in the published section CR provided:

• Coordinated image stabilization (with Canon lenses equipped with optical IS) helps to correct hand-shake and better anti-vibration performance than electronic IS alone

so, while apparently no mechanical body stabilization, it does at least have electronic body stabilization.

really, we’ll have to wait to see how well this works.

 

[CanonGrunt]

Same. If this is the case, I'll have to sadly cancel my preorder. I was so disappointed with the AF performance on the C70. It was like 10 steps backwards compared to the R5's great auto focus. I'd just stick to my R5 and keep doing the time trick to bypass the overheating message.

I’m looking at the specs sheet now. I don’t see anything that says this though. So maybe it is the R5’s system on the video side? Here is what I found…

 

[jam05]

So officially no IBIS?

Nope, don't need it really.

 

[Bonich]

I would've preordered immediately if it had IBIS. I can live with Micro-HDMI and the other issues, but it needed IBIS for the type of run-and-gun shooting that I like to do.

But I also do a lot of photography. And when I do that photography, I inevitability end up shooting video. But now I don't have IBIS. And when I look at the costs of jumping into the RF world from EF, I really do not want to face any trade offs.

BTW - I don't think the R5 ever needed a fan at all. The 1DC never needed a fan - all it had was a very well designed heat sink. Ultimately the R5 just needed a better designed heat sink as well.

So there's no good excuse here for why IBIS was removed, other than finding a convenient way to differentiate the products and forcing you to buy separate photo and video products - which seems to have always been the Canon gameplan from day 1.

The sad part here - which was expressed in the early R5 reviews - is that more photographers are doing videography. Its not that people are taking less photos, but just that more people are also taking video. So a hybrid shooter is really want consumers want. So does Canon really understand the market anymore?

The sensor's cooling doing this crazy speed (i.e. 8k 60) is the thing you call "excuse" (no IBIS)
It is a technical need.

 

[NorskHest]

Really? I was hoping we’d get that over on the c70, but sadly no. Really surprised that’s it’s not in this.

Anyone know of any technical limitations as to why they would omit it from the cinema side on the R5 C?

CVP has a video that goes way in-depth and they cover the autofocus differences between photo and video, so does news shooter as well as cine d. Hopefully a firmware fix but I doubt it. Seems like running a atomos and a r5 is still a better solution than this camera. The time code addition is nice but the caveats are a bit much. You have the greatest autofocus in the r5 and then you cripple hammer it.

 

[Bonich]

8k on a budget? What are you doing post processing on? Simple clip editing would take a pretty stout computer. Color grading etc omg x 20

You are not forced to shoot 8k, go into the menus .....

 

[CanonGrunt]

I’m looking at the specs sheet now. I don’t see anything that says this though. So maybe it is the R5’s system on the video side? Here is what I found…

Same. If this is the case, I'll have to sadly cancel my preorder. I was so disappointed with the AF performance on the C70. It was like 10 steps backwards compared to the R5's great auto focus. I'd just stick to my R5 and keep doing the time trick to bypass the overheating message.

Oh, It’s Duel Pixel CMOS AF 1 for Video and DPAF 2 for Photos... Bizarre….

 

[byjohnburns]

Well no offense but based upon what you're saying, I should just stick with my 5D Mark III because it works fine.
The point is camera technology continues to advance, pricing keeps going up, and consumers expect more features.
I expect IBIS in every R-series Canon camera, and why not? It's about creating consistency across the product line, so you know how your lens will work with each R-series body. Makes it easy to decide if I buy a lens with in-lens IS or not.
And furthermore, please lets stop defending the cripple hammer. I always see it, and when you defend the practice, Canon just keeps doing it.

I've been hoping from day 1 that the R5C wouldn't have IBIS. No professional cinema camera does, and for good reason. It creates horrible warping and distortion at wide angles in video that, unlike a simple warp-stabilizer added in post (which produces identical results when executed properly), is completely unfixable. Digital IS in the C70 and C300 is much better and I often utilize it, but to each their own.

I think it would have been cool if IBIS was included and you could disengage it on all lenses, but ditching it to reduce heat buildup makes plenty of sense. I personally don't have the degrees/certifications to question what Canon presents as an engineering decision. I would speculate that removing IBIS also reduced power draw to compensate for the extra draw introduced by the fan, higher bitrates, etc - thereby extending battery life.

IBIS is handy for handheld long exposure. But with the high ISO performance of the sensor, just throw a fast lens on and crank the shutter to 1/150 or 1/200. Any shot at 1/50 with movement in front of the lens is likely going to be unusable anyway. I'd gander that most people shoot at slow shutter speeds far less often than they think. I shot on the original R for a year and the 70D for years before that and never took a picture that was blurry due to a lack of IBIS.

 

[reef58]

Wow - thats all I can say at this point.
I was so looking forward to this camera, and everything in the video was going great - until, of course, he started saying "the still imaging features and operation of the EOS R5C are nearly identical".. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop after that. I had long predicted that IBIS would likely not make it in this camera, due to Canon's past practices of subtracting features in order to differentiate their product line. And of course, its missing. And Ill say it now - without IBIS, this camera is junk.

For me, this is really depressing. I'm still using my 5D Mark III from 10 years ago - not because I can't afford to buy another camera - but because I haven't found a camera that Canon has yet made that checks off all the boxes I need. All I've been waiting for since the beginning is a proper hybrid - a photo-video shooting product. Without IBIS, this product simply can't compete in the photography realm.

And when Canon inconsistently applies IBIS to their products, it also creates overall inconsistency with product expectations. For instance, Sony has IBIS in all of their pro models, including their video-oriented a7S III (!). This means that when you stick on a lens between an a7S, an a7R, an a7, an a9 or an a1, you know how the lens and body will give you a stabilized image, since all of these models have in-body stabilization. With Canon, there's no such consistency - you still have the EOS R and RP models without in-body stabilization, the R5/R6/R3 with stabilization, and now the R5C without - its really inconsistent, and it makes this complicated for the end user. For instance, should I buy the 24-70 f2.8 lens with in-lens stabilization, or the 28-70 f2 without? On a R3/R5/R6, this doesn't matter since the in-body stabilization is great and both lenses will perform great. But now on a R5C, suddenly that in-lens stabilization is a requirement.

As is always the case when Canon releases a new product and subtracts desired features, I see folks on here trying to defend the decisions - either by stating videographers don't need IBIS or that Canon came through on the price. I would gladly had paid more money for a more complete product. And not everyone uses gimbals for stabilization! And lastly, these cameras are expensive!

For context - I'm in Canada, so a R5C plus battery grip, extra battery, 512 GB CExpress card, RF-EF adapter plus 24-70 f2.8 lens would cost nearly $10K Canadian. If I'm paying that much for a camera, it had better be perfect. No missing features. Right now, for me, this camera is a non-starter, and I am left to ponder whether Canon will ever release a product free from feature subtraction/crippling/etc.

Also please note that this continued issue of feature subtraction/crippling is uniquely a Canon issue. I don't know any other company that does this. Certainly, Sony and Nikon do not. They both put their best foot forward in releasing the best products that people want to buy without the need to diminish features. Canon on the other hand keeps on doing the same thing again and again - releasing products with key features subtracted, forcing you to buy MORE products.

And its sad because I feel that Canon doesn't understand customer needs. More photographers shoot video (in addition to photos) than ever before. Many people brought this up when the original overheating issues concerning the R5 came up. All Canon needed to do was respect the wishes of hybrid shooters and actually create a camera that meets both target needs, which Sony, and now Nikon with the Z9, have done.

This ongoing issue with Canon has just gotten too ridiculous for me. But in hindsight, I suppose this was bound to happen. Canon's real reason for crippling appears to be keeping the Cinema EOS line well protected, and they just released the C70 last year. So I'm not sure where this product was ever going to fit. Perhaps what would have been better is for Canon to release a proper R5 Mark II that fixed all of these issues. And perhaps that R5 Mark II may end up being the true spiritual successor to one of the last "perfect" products that Canon made 12 years ago - the 5D Mark II.

Some other issues that folks have brought up about this camera:
- It just looks weird from a design standpoint
- The totally separate video/photo UI is weird and feels like Canon just frankensteined the whole thing together. My 10-year-old 5D Mark III switches from video to photo mode at anytime without time delay. Why does this product have to be so different?
- Lack of full-sized HDMI

So I guess now, I wait for the R1? And likely a $10-13K price tag all in with lenses/cards/battery/etc? Sigh!

I am no video expert just getting into it, but none of their cinema cameras have IBIS that I am aware of, C70, C100, C200, C300, or C500. This is a video centric camera. What surprises me is the micro HDMI and non matching card slots, which would be fine if both could handle the video output which they can't. That is the head scratcher to me.

That being said it is hard to find a perfect camera. The C100 has the perfect form factor I think and I love an EVF. The C200 is a bit better, but 8 bit or raw are the only options. The C300 doesn't come with an EVF. Canon does not make an EVF for the C70, and the Zacuto models require power. The horrors the horrors. Ha