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The time was coming, and it has arrived. The Canon EOS R5 has been officially discontinued, This may not be news to everyone, but I think it could help with some buying decisions over the next few months for some shooters.
What can you say about the EOS R5? It was Canon's true arrival into the world of full-frame mirrorless cameras alongside the EOS R6 that was announced on the same day. There was nothing wrong with the EOS R and EOS RP, but the R5 and R6 were the first ground up developed RF mirrorless cameras from Canon. The R5 was a camera that had crazy amounts of coverage over the next 6 months, some of it was great, and some of it was hot not.
Should You Still Buy an EOS R5 Today?
One of the the questions I see online: “is the R5 worth buying today?”. The answer is a resounding yes, unless there is some specific feature that you must have that the EOS R5 doesn't. It will be a great camera for years to come, as most cameras made today are.
Repairs? Canon will officially service the R5 into the 2030's. There isn't a date on when service life will end, but the date is generally well down the road for cameras considered professional.
Service Life Information
EOS R5 vs EOS R6 Mark III
If you're in the market for a new camera in and around $2500, the question of the R5 vs R63 is out there, and it's a valid one.
I bought the EOS R6 Mark III, and for the first time in a long time, I have a bit of buyer's remorse. There are a couple of things about the R5 that I didn't realize I would want. I didn't initially like the R5 and sold it when the R3 came.
My negative feelings about the camera mostly had to do with the ergonomics and size of mirrorless cameras. The R5 was my first Canon mirrorless. Over the last 5 years, things have become second nature in that regard and that isn't an issue anymore.
Why the Buyer's Remorse?
Maybe my experience will help a few people, these are things that have been talked about before.
The top-down LCD
I use it a lot on the R1, as I have the fliipy screen turned around more often than not. I also don't like too many things in the EVF. Old school? Maybe. The top down is also nice to aid in preserving some night vision when you want to.
EOS R5 vs EOS R6 Mark III
The EVF
The other thing that has been difficult is the resolution of the EVF. The R1 is a movie theater, but going from that viewfinder to an EVF with 60% less resolution is annoying. The R5 EVF is a lot better for me as I spent many years with the R3 as my main camera.
Resolution
Yes, I am the “24MP is enough” psycho, but I wouldn't mind having the 45MP instead.
None of those things may matter to some people, or maybe they're worth considering. I'm well past the buying and selling gear stage of my life, so I'll roll with the R63 unless someone wants to do a 1 for 1 trade.
There are obviously features that people would want that the R63 has, and that will be the way to go for them.
You have time!
There is still lots of inventory of the EOS R5 out there, so you do have some time if you'd prefer buying one new. There will probably be one more round of price drops at some point, but who knows when.
The used market is full of them, and they are easy to find sub-$2000 USD.
Hats off to the EOS R5 and keep enjoying it.
Photo by Tolu Akinyemi 🇳🇬 on Unsplash
But, I do still miss my R, although I love the R5!
I don´t know the exact difference (other from the spec sheet) between the R6ii/ R6iii and R5 EVF, but I know the difference between the R8´s EVF and the R5´s... boy, it really is night and day. The R8 EVF works for casual and slow photography, but with fast paced kids you really feel or see the difference.
It was really interesting to read about your buyers remorse: when the R6iii came out, I was like: wow, should I trade? But I figure I´d miss the top LCD (using the R8 I can tell you: yes, I do! although the wheel has advantages) and maybe a bit smaller files would be great... but in the end, the R5 is the right camera for me. Period 🙂
Hope the service runs a long time.