My Dilemma; Canon 1dx mk3 or Canon R6 + BG

[JairoMartinez]

Hallo everyone,

i will try to keep it short as i tend to make it a long story.

I have a dilemma and I hope you can help me makes some sense out of all of this.

I want to purchase a new camera before the end of the year. The camera has to be weather sealed 1Dx level, why? I live in the Netherlands and I take a lot of pictures in and of nature . I hike a lot in the woods. Here in the Netherlands it does rain a lot. Ok - I have a EOS R which i want to keep as my B camera and expand my RF lens collection on it.

I am looking at the 1dx mk3 - why?because it is a hybrid camera with superb weather sealing and I am looking at the R6 (with BG) I know and understand that these are totally different camera's but it is what it is for now as I am not considering the R3, because it is a unicorn. I dont like to be hopeful on something that is not yet real in the sense of availability, price and specs.

My concern: I have been asking and searching the net for the level of weather sealing in the R6. No where to be found, at least not a clear answer. also if the R6 has a good weather sealing where i dont have to worry about it when it rains while i'm on a hike, it also weather sealed when i paired it up with a BG.

I have searched for answers, asked photographers, emailed Canon Pro Service - no answer!

Canonrumors is my last resort! Help!

 

[Joules]

Why is the R6 the first alternative to the 1DX III that you are considering?

Firstly, if you have until the end of the year to make a purchase, I would think it is worth waiting until September to get a more informed opinion on the R3. After all, if you are actually requiring 1-series weather sealing, only the 1DX III and R3 will provide this according to Canon's own description.

More likely the sealing in the R6 would already be fine if you are just talking about rain. But you are right jn that it seems it is not that well tested. Much more reporting and testing has been done for the R5, which also would be a more logical step down from a professional body such as a 1-series in my eyes. Unless you dread the file size or price, it is a more capable camera than the R6 and unlike a 1DX III or R6 it would not be a step down in resolution from your R. I'm just assuming resolution is important to you as I suspect your nature photography is referring to landscape and wildlife.

Maybe you can elaborate why the R6 is your preference. It is certainly less sealed than the excellent R5. On the R5 I would recommend reading the lens rentals tear down and checking out some of the tests where people put it into the rain.

 

[JairoMartinez]

Why is the R6 the first alternative to the 1DX III that you are considering?

Firstly, if you have until the end of the year to make a purchase, I would think it is worth waiting until September to get a more informed opinion on the R3. After all, if you are actually requiring 1-series weather sealing, only the 1DX III and R3 will provide this according to Canon's own description.

More likely the sealing in the R6 would already be fine if you are just talking about rain. But you are right jn that it seems it is not that well tested. Much more reporting and testing has been done for the R5, which also would be a more logical step down from a professional body such as a 1-series in my eyes. Unless you dread the file size or price, it is a more capable camera than the R6 and unlike a 1DX III or R6 it would not be a step down in resolution from your R. I'm just assuming resolution is important to you as I suspect your nature photography is referring to landscape and wildlife.

Maybe you can elaborate why the R6 is your preference. It is certainly less sealed than the excellent R5. On the R5 I would recommend reading the lens rentals tear down and checking out some of the tests where people put it into the rain.

Hi Joules,

Thank you for your elaborate reply. The reason I am considering the R6 is because of the low light capabilities and file size. I dont have an ultra powerful to handle large file sizes. The PC can handle to file size of my EOS R just fine, but i have read that the files of the R5 are massive.

 

[Joules]

Hi Joules,

Thank you for your elaborate reply. The reason I am considering the R6 is because of the low light capabilities and file size. I dont have an ultra powerful to handle large file sizes. The PC can handle to file size of my EOS R just fine, but i have read that the files of the R5 are massive.

The idea that lower resolutions come with an advantage in terms of low light performance is not accurate. For a comparison, see for example:

Studio shot comparison: Digital Photography Review

Expert news, reviews and videos of the latest digital cameras, lenses, accessories, and phones. Get answers to your questions in our photography forums.

www.dpreview.com

File size is an absolute legitimate downside of the R5, but if your PC can handle the 30 MP R files I doubt it would struggle with 50% larger files. Ideally you would download a few sample images to evaluate the performance with your particular hardware and software of choice.

For reference, how happy are you with the R in terms of weather resistance? It is equipped with just very rudimentary sealing and is inferior to the R6 as far as I'm aware. Should that already be close to what you need, requiring 1-series sealing might be over the top.

Also,I would recommend changing this threads title so that you can get owners of an R6 to click it and report their experience with weather resistance.

 

[JairoMartinez]

The idea that lower resolutions come with an advantage in terms of low light performance is not accurate. For a comparison, see for example:

Studio shot comparison: Digital Photography Review

Expert news, reviews and videos of the latest digital cameras, lenses, accessories, and phones. Get answers to your questions in our photography forums.

www.dpreview.com

File size is an absolute legitimate downside of the R5, but if your PC can handle the 30 MP R files I doubt it would struggle with 50% larger files. Ideally you would download a few sample images to evaluate the performance with your particular hardware and software of choice.

For reference, how happy are you with the R in terms of weather resistance? It is equipped with just very rudimentary sealing and is inferior to the R6 as far as I'm aware. Should that already be close to what you need, requiring 1-series sealing might be over the top.

Also,I would recommend changing this threads title so that you can get owners of an R6 to click it and report their experience with weather resistance.

Good Idea about downloading Raw files of the R5 to see whether my PC is able to handle them in Lr and Ps.

I am happy with my R overall - even wrote a blog about it - to be honest i am very careful with my photography equipment since it is very expensive, and i have not gotten the R wet yet. So i dont know. that is also my point - i would like a camera where i dont have to worry about the weather conditions i am in. I shoot mainly stills. (nature, lifestyle, portraits)

Thank you for the tips on the thread's name - changed.

I have gotten more info from this conversation than the time i have spent asking and looking around.

 

[Joules]

Good Idea about downloading Raw files of the R5 to see whether my PC is able to handle them in Lr and Ps.

I am happy with my R overall - even wrote a blog about it - to be honest i am very careful with my photography equipment since it is very expensive, and i have not gotten the R wet yet. So i dont know. that is also my point - i would like a camera where i dont have to worry about the weather conditions i am in. I shoot mainly stills. (nature, lifestyle, portraits)

Thank you for the tips on the thread's name - changed.

I have gotten more info from this conversation than the time i have spent asking and looking around.

I don't think you have to baby even the R and much less the R6.

Quote from the excellent tear down of the R:

"Speaking of the Sony A7RIII, it’s taken a bit of internet trashing for its lack of weather sealing. Throw no stones from your glass house, oh Canon shooters. The Canon EOS-R is just about the same; well-sealed buttons and dials, not much else. That means, I think, that it will be fine in a misty rain for a while, but don’t get it saturated and don’t set it somewhere wet.

[...]

The Canon EOS-R sells currently for $2299. It’s very close in build quality and weather sealing to the Canon 6D II which sells for about $1600."

And also interesting:

"I want to underscore that the EOS R actually did very well in our weather-sealing tests. It passed the standard 35-minute heavy rain test with absolutely no problems, and in fact was more controllable than virtually any other camera we've weather-tested, because its touch-screen remained fully functional, and the eye sensor on the electronic viewfinder was largely unaffected by the precipitation.

It took 50 minutes of additional drenching the following day before it showed any problems at all, but when it finally did give up the fight, it was pretty obvious, as most of the rear- and top-panel control buttons just stopped working altogether. But note that this was after 85 minutes of being fully exposed to heavy rain with no protection whatsoever, an impressive performance compared to many other cameras we've tested so far"

From one of the few controlled tests on weather resistance I know of.

That being said, the R5 and 1 series do definitely offer an advantage. As I said, the corresponding tear down is worth a read just to see how much more effort Canon put into those bodies. Unfortunately, I haven't looked into any R6 tear downs. You may want to do that, to get an idea of how different they truly are. Canon won't provide you with any hard rating on differences in performance as far as sealings are concerned.

 

[JairoMartinez]

I don't think you have to baby even the R and much less the R6.

Quote from the excellent tear down of the R:

"Speaking of the Sony A7RIII, it’s taken a bit of internet trashing for its lack of weather sealing. Throw no stones from your glass house, oh Canon shooters. The Canon EOS-R is just about the same; well-sealed buttons and dials, not much else. That means, I think, that it will be fine in a misty rain for a while, but don’t get it saturated and don’t set it somewhere wet.

[...]

The Canon EOS-R sells currently for $2299. It’s very close in build quality and weather sealing to the Canon 6D II which sells for about $1600."

And also interesting:

"I want to underscore that the EOS R actually did very well in our weather-sealing tests. It passed the standard 35-minute heavy rain test with absolutely no problems, and in fact was more controllable than virtually any other camera we've weather-tested, because its touch-screen remained fully functional, and the eye sensor on the electronic viewfinder was largely unaffected by the precipitation.

It took 50 minutes of additional drenching the following day before it showed any problems at all, but when it finally did give up the fight, it was pretty obvious, as most of the rear- and top-panel control buttons just stopped working altogether. But note that this was after 85 minutes of being fully exposed to heavy rain with no protection whatsoever, an impressive performance compared to many other cameras we've tested so far"

From one of the few controlled tests on weather resistance I know of.

That being said, the R5 and 1 series do definitely offer an advantage. As I said, the corresponding tear down is worth a read just to see how much more effort Canon put into those bodies. Unfortunately, I haven't looked into any R6 tear downs. You may want to do that, to get an idea of how different they truly are. Canon won't provide you with any hard rating on differences in performance as far as sealings are concerned.

Thank you for the information - i just read the review about the R being weather tested - good stuff. i did not know that the R was that good in the weathers.

 

[SteveC]

Thank you for the information - i just read the review about the R being weather tested - good stuff. i did not know that the R was that good in the weathers.

Apparently the viewfinder can leak; some forum members have had difficulty with it.

 

[ColorBlindBat]

JairoMartinez,

You mentioned the R6 with a battery grip. Unless things have change from earlier BGs, I don't think they are weather sealed at all.

I just looked at the BG-E22 that came with my R and it definitely doesn't have any rubber O-rings around both the pseudo battery, nor the small connector that goes into the bottom of the R to connect the BG's controls to the R.

 

[john1970]

As others have already mentioned, only two cameras have 1Dx-level weather sealing: 1Dx Mk3 and the upcoming R3. If buying new I would lean towards a new R3 when they are released in September. You mentioned in your post that you are looking to expand your RF lens collection so buying a 1Dx makes little sense; you cannot use RF lens on a EF body. With regards to file size if the R3 has a 30 MP sensor that is no larger than your current EOS R camera so I also do not see file size being an issue. Regardless of what you finally decide to do, I would wait for the official specifications on the R3 from Canon and then make a more informed decision.

 

[jhpeterson]

If I may weigh in, I would strongly favor the 1DX III (or the R3). As a yachting photographer who is on the ocean a considerable part of the year (I'll admit I put gear to a pretty rigorous test), I've found I need the water-sealing level of the 1D series. In addition, the BG will only add to the problem of moisture intrustion. Having the built-in grip in the 1DX III (or R3) is one less worry.
FYI, I'm currently using 1DX II bodies and not getting any complaints from my clients with "only" 20MP files.

 

[privatebydesign]

Unless you are exceptionally careless or stupid normal rain, sleet or snow is easily handled by the R5 and R6. This video illustrates the durability well and has some tips for care for your gear after inclement weather use.

Yacht photography, of which I have done a fair amount, requires a completely different level of durability for long term use, sea spray and salt deposits get everywhere and will kill even 1 series cameras if you don’t care for them after each days shooting.

 

[JairoMartinez]

Hallo All,

Thank you for all your replies on my dilemma. I have read all your replies and also watched the clips. You have given me more answers to my questions than even Canon NL or other photographers here in NL did.

I will wait for the R3 to come out and make a decision. I dont know what the price will be compared to the 1Dx Mk3 - the reason I am leaning towards the 2 are fist - the weather sealing (i dont have to be worried) and ergonomics combined with battery life. Again thank you all.

side step: For some reason when i wanted to reply using my laptop and i press the F, G, H keys the screen jumps to the top, I had to run upstairs and use the PCS to reply.

 

[john1970]

Canon has stated that the R3 sits between the R5 and the 1Dx Mk3 in their camera offerings. So I would expect the price less than a 1Dx Mk3, but significantly more than a R5. My gut instinct says it will be between 5500 and 6000 USD.

 

[JairoMartinez]

Canon has stated that the R3 sits between the R5 and the 1Dx Mk3 in their camera offerings. So I would expect the price less than a 1Dx Mk3, but significantly more than a R5. My gut instinct says it will be between 5500 and 6000 USD.

here in EU the gear is more expensive, e.g.; the 1Dx Mk3 sells for 7400 euro here in the Nethelands