This video is pure gold for someone looking at the R5 for wildlife. Total honest review from a man who KNOWS his stuff through 1000's of hours of experience.
@@WillGoodlet I'm already invested in the Sony ecosystem, I own the A7R3 and have both the 100-400 and 200-600 lenses. Very happy with the results but the R3 isn't exactly a fast focusing camera so things like birds in flight often frustrate me, however, when you do get perfect focus the images are incomparable, actually better than the A9 if you need to recover shadows because of the great dynamic range. I'm waiting to see what's on the horizon for Sony next, supposedly an A9 with 50 megapixels is coming soon. With all this said I'm always curious and open to all brands, if Canon pulled way ahead of Sony I'd consider going back to their system but for now I don't see a huge advantage and they don't have fast affordable zooms yet either. I don't think I could use a 600mm f/11. All I've seen for the R5 are praise so seeing you point out some of it's shortcomings was refreshing. Even today I think the Nikon D850 is still a great wildlife camera, I almost went that route but it's clear everyone is moving towards mirrorless.
@@robwasnj Coming from a Pentax and Minolta SLR, 36 shots at ISO 400 and a 300mm manual focus lens - I can't really complain about any of the cameras we have at our fingertips these days! We are truly blessed. Just wish they were cheaper ;)
@@WillGoodlet Yeah, I'm old enough to remember those days. For me it was a Chinon CE3, then a Nikon F3HP. I acdtually had a darkroom and also worked for a cousin that owned a processing lab. I actually miss a lot of those days, all the technical craft you needed to have isn't there so the bar is lower. I still have sunny 16 in the back of my head when shooting outdoors, I often test myself and guess exposure even today. I just never attemped wildlife with those cameras.
@@robwasnj good to see someone else uses the sunny f16 rule. I also use hyperfocal distance too, although most modern lenses don't bloody well offer any markings for it anymore :-/ old school here, but didn't get into photography until '89.
Beautiful vlog , @Will Goodlet ! I really appreciate you make this for us, your viewers! :) In Uruguay, we have to ride a lot as well, it's not the same as your country, but many birds, or wildlife animals are very far, we have quite a bit of smaller lakes (whe we don't have this draught) . But those are in private fields, so yeah, distance is a normal situation! I love you that you so down to earth!!! Thank you again.
One of the best reviews about any product online! And very useful tips. Everything you said is after field use and after facing real-time challenges. Thanks for sharing
Thanks Will, a really helpful review. You mention the lag in the EVF start up. I wake it up by half pressing the shutter button as I'm bringing the camera to my eye. That way it's on by the time it gets there and I'm ready to go. After a very short time muscle memory kicks in and it becomes automatic.
Agreed this is a great tip as I also found using the original R with my old 300 2.8 that when I left it lying on the car seat next to mine if it got to close to the centre console it would cause the EVF and IS to engage (no option 3) which chewed up batteries LOL. I now use my bean bag upside down to hold the camera clear of this. The only other option was to switch off / on to safeguard which is not ideal but I use when I notice battery levels dropping (the new lug on the R5 on/off switch also helps with this)
6:50 I am late to the party, but here it is: in DSLR, when you leave a len uncovered, if there's a strong light (heat), it reflects up the mirror and get out through the eyepiece. By the time it is past the eye focal point, the light is already scattered and no more intense. (Imagine heating up with a magnifying glass). However, in mirrorless, because there's no mirror, light & heat entering the len is directly hitting the sensor focused. So, while it rest, if it happen to point towards a sun, it'll literally fry your camera's sensor. Hence the warning notification. All you need to do is cover the lens front with a thin black piece of clothe or simply point it away from bright light/heat.
I believe there's an extra nuance with the R5, which is that (I think be default) the shutter closes when the camera is off. This means that there's the potential for sunlight to melt the shutter, which is rather more delicate than the sensor.
That was such a great video. A very humble and honest review of the camera with no hype or bs. You have a very nice tone of voice too. Great to see the change of backgrounds and the punctuation of photos and b roll. An excellent overview of the R5 and very interesting to me as I am about to buy this camera. Like you I am also new to mirrorless, the R5 will be my first.
Thanks so much, really kind of you! I think it is a great camera. Many of my issues with spool up time were addressed by experienced mirrorless shooters in the comments. So don't worry about that.. The freezing issue seems hit or miss, Canon Europe took mine for evaluation and gave it back only on Thursday. At which point Canon Japan insisted on replacing it. I don't know why as I'd previously refused a replacement. It's a spectacular camera but they seem to be having some teething trouble!
Thanks for watching Robert. There’s been some new firmware since this video and the issues with much of the freezing seems to have stopped. Bear in mind that they will announce a mark ii in the first part of 2024 and you might see a price drop then. I love mine
Hey Will - if you keep the lens cap off, and sunlight hits the lens directly, it'll concentrate the light on the closed shutter blades and burn them. You can tell the camera to keep the shutter open when off if you don't want to cover the lens, but be wary of changing lenses as there is no mirror to protect the sensor.
Thanks Morgan, yep I think that is the consensus of opinion. I am keeping mine off as I am shooting from the car most of the time. Will just have to be more careful!
@@WillGoodlet Will, there are custom lens caps for the super telephoto lenses available on eBay. I'm looking at 1 for my 500mm f4 IS L (mark 1 sadly, can't afford a mark II - not a working pro making money, just a hobbyist).
Thank you for a great review of the R5. I am a canon shooter, of over 10 years, mostly wildlife, 1D MKlV & 5D MKlV, I am amateur, no pressure to generate a living. I am pleased that Canon has finally come to the table with it’s first REAL quality mirrorless. I am going to hold off for some of the bugs to be worked out and the price to drop or for some important incentive reductions. Keep up the great work, I really appreciate this type of honest review.
Wow…thanks a million for the in depth review, really well done ….1 have had the same issue with 400 2.8 and converter of lockup…2 no difference in Raw and Craw… 3 battery destroyer as well looking forward to more..appreciate your hard work…
The keep the lens cap on message when turning off the camera is common to all EOS R_ series of cameras. The new RF Lenses have this feature where upon switching the camera off, the aperture blades in the lens close down automatically but this doesn’t occur with EF Lenses leading to more light going down the lens barrel compared to a similar EF Lens equivalent
HI Judah, thanks yeah I believe that is correct - having only shot DSLR I was not aware. I am just going to take care where I point the telephotos when they are not in use.
Hey Will, I rarely watch a youtube video all the way through. But I did with yours. All 26 minutes. Thanks for providing a fantastic review of this camera. Not only did I enjoy the review I learned a lot about wildlife photography (I shoot landscapes primarily). I subscribed and look forward to catching up with some of your earlier videos. PS. I am getting the r6. The r5 was just a little above my budget.
Hi Graeme, great to hear from you and thanks for sitting through 26minutes of wildlife blather. I also love to shoot landscapes, particularly under the stars. I've found that it is quite hard to do in South Africa because the land is all fenced off and the farmers are very jumpy and in national parks, the animals want to eat you. I was hoping to explore some of my favourite spots on the channel when I get the chance.
I am using compressed raw format and although early days I would agree with you regarding the quality of the image. I am currently shooting exclusively in this format. The other change in my photo technique is getting away from tracking the bird with the autofocus point. Once the eye focus locks on you can of course recompose the image but it is not yet intuitive to me.
Sorry I forgot to add that I have been to some of the same sites. I am sure we were seated next to each other at lake panic without knowing you were publishing. Planning a trip to BOT for birding in April if you want to participate.
As per Rudy Winston (Canon USA) the animal AF has been optimized for cats, dogs and birds although It may work for other animals. It will likely be tweaked/expanded in future firmware revisions. The DOF preview button can also be configured to engage an alternate AF scenario.
Hi Steve, thanks for the info. Yep, I am aware that it is not optimised for these species - but we are all going to try aren't we :) Important for my compatriots to be aware of any limitations over here as they are a large component of what they shoot. I'm sure, as you say, that features will be added.
Hi Will, its your video that convinced me it was time to leave my old 1DX mk1 / 7D2 behind. It was like id jumped from an old hatchback car to a ferrari! Its just amazing. Yep, takes an old DSLR shooter a while to get used to. The ISO performance is at least as good as my 1DX which given the pixels is amazing. Ive set the camera up where i can jump from animal eye to spot and also crop mode and it works a treat. Agree with the autofocus. It can be amazing but also isn't perfect in certain situations. So far mine hasn't frozen but there's lots of internet chatter that some have had the same problem. My only gripe wasn't the camera but I've had a few faulty LPE6NH batteries. Brand new but wont charge. So yes, your review is bang on and your pics amazing.
Hi Mick, thanks for watching and congratulations on the new camera! I've got the same setup with eye & spot AF on back buttons next to each other. Canon replaced my camera as a result of freezing, and my new one has only just started to freeze again. It does it when I hold the autofocus button in for more than 30 seconds or so. I have just learned not to do that. Not good to hear about the LPE6NH batteries - I only have two of them and they are OK. I'm lucky in that I can recharge the older LPE6N's in my car and just rotate them. I think, like any camera, you get used to its foibles. The R5 & 6 are definitely a giant leap forward, and my 7DMark ii is now sitting on a shelf most of the time.
Hi Will, you are not alone with the freeze issue, lots of others including me. Same happened to me two mornings in a row, first with 300mmf2.8 mkii and then with the RF70 200mm f2.8, screen/evf freeze 20 seconds, soft clunk like camera power up. I download the latest firmware 1.1.1 yesterday, no bug fix mentioned, but no longer an issue so far ....
@@WillGoodlet I am having the freeze issue as well, but only when using the battery grip. I have seen the E2 error once. I powered the camera down and the card was fine after that. I'm not sure if the issue was the CFExpress card or the SD card. I have continued to use the same cards and have only seen the issue the one time. I would be interested to hear if the freeze issue has gone away. I did install the latest firmware (1.1.1) but haven't shot a lot since the firmware update. But overall, I love the R5. It's a bit buggy, but not enough to make me want to give it up.
Hi Fred, thank you for watching and thanks for the very helpful comment too! Battery Grip! Maybe that's it!? I didn't get the freeze before the battery grip. I will have to test this out thoroughly to see if I can identify the cause. I had the Err2 repeatedly, so much that I had to stop using the card - maybe every 30min or so. It was the SD card in my case as I don't have a CFexpress yet. They are coming to collect the camera for assessment on monday - so I have the weekend to test a few things, thanks for the info! Like you I'm keeping this camera - too good!
@@WillGoodlet unfortunately freeze happened again today, I think it might be when the EVF is set to smooth , will try again tomorrow with the other slower EVF setting
I tried to get mine to freeze for a while yesterday and couldn't (v.1.1.1 without battery grip) Tried naked lens, 1.4, 2x and even stacked 1.4 + 2x. insisted on behaving itself. The retailer still hasn't picked it up - I'd rather keep it now knowing that all the cameras are the same.
Will, I'm back again! Good news, I'm booked and scheduled for my trip with Phillip Bronkhorst Sept 20-28. The bulk of my time will be in various parts of Kruger with a couple of days in a private reserve (don't know where). Back to the old question of Adobe handling of RAW files, has it improved for you? I spend my money-making time with the R6 doing Real Estate photography, so I don't get as much experience with the R5. Also, for what it's worth, I decided to give the new R7 cropped sensor version a try on this trip that I can use with my RF 70-200 F2.8 and have a great backup camera (in addition to the R6). I'll also be using a 5DSR that I had converted to Infrared to get some interesting shots.
Super great video Will! The other fellow who has this kind of thorough, helpful and thoughtful reviews is Ron Bielefeld. You're both splendid. I learned a lot here about my 7D Mk 2! I have new respect for it. And I agree with a later vid of yours "Is there a place for dSLRs in this current wildlife scene?". I would like to know what you think of the R6 (Mk 2) if you ever get the chance to borrow one.
EVF will spool up in time. First, use only the new high capacity batteries. Second, program the shutter button to focus. Now, when your hand reaches for the camera, immediately press the shutter button half down. By the time the camera is at your eye, the EVF is working. After you do this for a day, it becomes second nature. (You can do the same with back button focus)
Thanks Billy, it was a while ago but I think it is shot using the R5 in 4K at 25fps (for the talking head) using a standard profile rec709. It uses a 24-105 f4 l is lens and probably a ND filter (not variable)
I wanted to thank you for producing an honest and practical review of the r5. I mostly do wildlife with landscape coming in second. I was contemplating selling my 1DX and 1D MK4 to pay for the r5 but after your review I think I'll keep one of them, just not sure which one. I have placed an order for the r5 and the adapter for my current lens collection and an extra battery. Thanks again for all the info.
Hi, just found your channel and what a fantastic real-world review that isn't based on the video blogging and your comments are very valuable. Thanks Will, I've subscribed.
The same from me, wonderful to hear some one humble enough that they ask for suggestions. I'm still waiting for mine so no comments from me but I've subscribed!
Thanks Stan, great to hear your perspective and thanks for the sub! I took some flak for asking questions !! :) Good to know there is another side to that coin.
Hi Will It’s a pity that you have so much investment in Canon gear. I switched from Nikon to Olympus (Em1 mk2) which is a great mirrorless micro 4/3 system. anyway, one great feature for bird photographers is “pro capture” which fills the buffer with 14 shots when you half press the shutter or use back button. Then when you fully press the button it takes the photo as normal. That way if you are a bit slow to press the shutter button you have 14 previous shots in the bag. Burst mode is impressive even using Raw. Olympus Pro lenses are pin sharp and weather sealed. The latest EM1 has Ai to assist with focus. Bonus is the weight and space saving - I now use a messenger bag instead of a rucksack. Also EVF boot up is instant and battery life also good. I have never looked back and sold all my Nikon gear.
Thanks Ray, I’ve had the opportunity to use the Olympus OMD em-1 Mark ii, I reviewed it in a blog post some time ago. I only got to play with it a few days but it was a great camera and a lot of fun a and yes I am jealous of pro-capture :) Im happy enough with my canon gear but you are correct, I’d like less of it. I love my 400 f2.8 - would find it hard to part with and don’t get me wrong the R5 is a very good camera, I won’t be giving it back soon!
@@WillGoodlet with the 400 f2.8 do you use a x2 TC or x1.4 TC to increase the reach? is the x2 TC sharpness good enough compare to the 1.4? Thank you very much for your sharing hands on experience. They are really helpful.
@@iamleek Hi! I use both TC"s a lot. But I do not feel that super telephotos are best employed to photograph extremely distant subjects and our approach to teleconverters is wrong. Atmospheric effects degrade image qaulity far more quickly than the teleconverter. So when we attach a 2x and say- 'oh this is softer than the naked lens' so often the subject is twice as far away when we make that comparison! The dust, heat haze, vapour and our own camera shake have all degraded the image much more than the converter in that situation. If you photograph the same subject at the same distance with the naked lens, 1.4 and 2x you will note that the 2x does an amazing job - especially on small, close subjects. Sorry for the long answer - but I think we wildlife photographers don't always use TC's in the best or most comparable way and then make 'better vs worse" black and white statements that miss so much of the nuances involved. Hope my perspective helps a litte at least!?
@@WillGoodlet Thank you very very much! That's really make me think very differently on how TC are used. I really like the thoughts you shared and considering the atmospheric condition of the environment.
Will, Thanks for discussion of the EV spool up. That would seriously frustrate me. I need to act quick to capture birds and mammals when I come upon them. For now I will keep my 5D4 and 90D. I am wondering if Canon has an R7 up their sleeve for quick action bird photography?
Hi Mark, glad it was useful!. A lot of the more experienced mirrorless guys suggested tapping a button on the way up to the eye, I tried it and it did help quite a lot. I think that the APS-C might not make an appearance in RF format. It seems sensible to rationalise the lens line-up, maybe we are going back to the days before digital where we just had 35mm - but now with slightly longer RF glass to compensate? 100-500. 600 F11, 800F11, 250 f2.8 etc...? All I know is it's an exciting time.
Me too! I’ve found that I can leave it switched on and it starts up when you touch a button. The replaced camera hasn’t frozen at all (touch wood) so it’s been good - I must do an update video
I hope to have my replacement camera soon - hope this one works out better. A lot of people with similar complaints. Otherwise, I feel it is an excellent camera.
@@WillGoodlet good lets hope you had a faulty version . i had similar troubles with a d850 . it turned out to be the sd card , slowed everything down . really had my doubts luckily i had a kingston red high speed card . transformed it instantly .. craziest thing . im more learned on the little tykes now , thanks for the great informative videos Will , all the best
I believe that the message to put your lens cap on is because of the danger of damaging your sensor or the curtain in front of it. On our old DSLRs the sunlight hit the mirror and out the viewfinder, now it goes straight to the sensor. I think if you don’t have the sunlight hitting the lens you’ll be fine. If the lens is looking at the inside of the door on you Rover there’s not a problem. Just my thoughts.
Thanks Bruce, makes sense about the mirror. Forgot about that! Yes I like the lens up against the door panel just in case. I think if its a sunlight thing then it should be pretty safe there.
I think the LCD needs to spool up too? I don't have the camera at the moment so I can't check. But either way, from a purely personal perspective, I can no longer see the LCD properly due to failing short vision. Much prefer the EVF (it's one of the main reasons I got the R5). However, a number of long time mirrorless guys suggested tapping a button on the way up to the eye and this is working really well for me, so I would mark this problem as mostly solved. Thanks for watching and I appreciate your helpful suggestion!
Will, There is a list of all EF lenses that support 12 frames per second on pages 895 and 896 of the PDF user manual you can get from the Canon sites. Nothing about image stabilisation though. Is this what you’re looking for?
Cheers Mal, maybe yes! Thank you for that. I keep seeing an asterix in the specs list and the note says 'list of lenses available on the canon website' but never find it.
@@WillGoodlet Canon UK have a list of lenses which improve IS here: www.canon.co.uk/support/consumer_products/products/cameras/digital_slr/eos-r5.html?type=faq&search=1&searchurl=/support/consumer_products/content/faq/?itemid=tcm:14-1997136. Unfortunately for you, they all seem to be RF mount.
Hi, Please don't let me put you off the camera, it's a good one. I think you need to try one out first and see if it fits your photography. I know there is a global shortage but hopefully you will be able to try one at some point! It has revolutionised some parts of my photography but I don't want to pretend that it is perfect. However, most of the time I choose to pick up this camera ahead of my DSLRs. I'm sure the R1 will also be a technical marvel. Happy shooting and thanks for watching.
About the staccato effect when panning: have you got "automatic review" set to (say) 2 seconds? (That was the default on my Canon R. I don't know about the R5). If so, set it to zero seconds. The short freeze should go away.
@@WillGoodlet I had the same issues with the "lag" but I've tweaked settings (dont know which ones as of now) and it is gone! :D feels like my 5dmkIV now. Superhappy about that. So it is most likely a setting or two.
I am not only impressed with your video, but these comments are awesome too. What a great community you have! I am struggling with the price tag of the R5. I am not a professional photographer (or that great of a novice photographer for that matter) but I am starting to hit the limitations of my 80D. I was thinking 5D until this beauty was introduced. Now I'm just stuck in the decisions. 🙄 Thanks for the wonderful info. New sub.
Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment and subscribe! Yeah there are a lot o great comments in the thread - plenty of really helpful people around :) The R5 is spectacular but so is the R6.. it might be important to just ensure you have enough resolution for your subject before going to any of the full frame options though. The 80D is offering a lot of pixels that the other cameras don’t have! What are your subjects?
Hi Robin, sure thing, I'll put together another video with my updates - but I'm sure it's well covered out there by now! Canon sent me a replacement which has been perfectly behaved to date.. So I wonder what's really going on with all the cameras suffering from freeze out there.
Hey will, i have the R5 aswell and i can confirm your experience with the Animal EYE AF and i also have set up the Camera with dual backbutton focus! Funny that Wildlife-photographers around the World think in the same way and come to the same solutions to a problem! You didnt mention it, do you have the function active so that the Eye AF starts with the closest Focuspoint in the EVF you have selected? I noticed that it will improve your "hitrate" with the Eye AF because you can choose where to place it with your joystick (like with DSLR's) and if you press the eye AF backbutton it will pick it up right away! I'm shooting with a sigma EF 150-600 Sports and can tell you there is no real diffrence between native canon EF and third party lenses at all (i have 70-200 2.8 -with tc- and 24-70 2.8 as well). There are firmware updates for the R5, did you update your camera? Did it solve your Problem with the 400 mm 2.8? I'm very intrested in that because i am about to buy an EF 400 2.8 II ! Thanks for the helpful review! One of the best reviews out there! Greetings from Germany and all the best!
Hi, thanks so much for the helpful info and for watching, it's highly appreciated. Great to compare notes! Yes that's how I am using it too - but I am still exploring. I don't have the camera at the moment so it will have to wait til it comes back. Glad to hear that the 3rd party lenses are working well too. Someone had a problem with freezing on a Tamron though. The firmware came out just after I packed up my camera so I haven't updated to 1.11 yet. Hopefully Canon will tell me what's wrong when they look at the cam.
Will, I was one of the first waves to get my R5 back in July and have been a bit disappointed with color, but after seeing your video, it never occurred to me that it could be how poorly Adobe is handling the files! Have you seen any difference with this latest update? I still shoot the MkIV for my every day real estate work and don't get an opportunity to shoot the R5 enough.
Ron Castle Hi Ron, I haven’t had my camera since this video. Canon has been looking at it for weeks. I just got a replacement but haven’t taken a shot. So I haven’t noticed any difference in LRC. But, it’s an easy workaround to open the file in Canon DPP then apply the correct colour profile and then export to TIF and import that to LRC or Photoshop(colour correct) and work on it further. You could convert the TIf to DNG after this. If you work purely in adobe the files look dreadful.
@@WillGoodlet I normally convert to DNG when I import all my files, but thanks to you, I'm going to change that for the R5 for now! Your review was really great and I can't believe you're so responsive to comments. I'm curious if you know an outfitter there in South Africa, Phillip Bronkhorst? I was planning a photo safari with him for this year before all the COVID stuff happened, but hope to re-book for this coming summer.
Ron Castle yes I think that is wise - don’t want to bake in that colour!! I work on writing/videos etc late into the night, so I see the comments come in and try to answer questions first. :) I don’t know Phillip, so sorry you had to postpone/cancel. Hopefully things will start getting back on track earlier rather than later next year. A lot of people in travel will be going bust, hang on to your deposit if you do book (if possible)
I never use a lens cap and have never had an issue with the R5. I also use the LPE6NH batteries and get roughly 1500+ images from two batteries easily with chimping. (are you shooting in airplane mode shutting off all unnecessary functions?) It just takes some getting used to with the EVF tracking BIF - and use the NH batteries you will have a better experience. (There is a massive difference in IQ between the 7D2 and the R5. Not sure why you would think they are even close!)
Thanks Kurt, no supply of the NH batteries here. Sadly SA is usually well down the list of availability for anything new - especially with the current situation. I'm getting about 3-4 hours out of one LP-E6NH + LP-E6 I am also shooting video during this time. I'm sure I'll get used to the EVF eventually. I'm not going to pretend I am a good IQ reviewer - just felt it was my duty to speak about it! I wasn't seeing a lot of difference - BUT of course these things change in poor light and conditions and my test shot was in very good light at a reasonable ISO and the R5 was cropped. Also - the adobe conversion of the R5 file looks terrible to me? How do you feel about it?
@@WillGoodlet I agree that the Adobe conversion is flat, lacking contrast and color. They will get it straightened out in time. You will see a huge difference in the IQ when you are shooting in low light and pulling shadows. It's light years ahead of the 7D2. I am keeping my 1DXIII alongside the R5 because I am not 100% ready to go full mirrorless...
Thinking of getting the R5 have the 7d II, in crop mode the R5 is 17mp, 7d is 20, but the R5 has way better dynamic range and ibis and better aa filter, I just don't know if its a massive difference. Of course in non crop mode that 45mp would be massive, but not everyone can afford a 400 2.8 let alone a 600mm.
@@danielson_9211 Hi Daniel, thanks for watching and the comments. I've just uploaded some test shots comparing R5 to 7Dii into the shared folder pinned in the comments. Take a look if you want - let me know your thoughts!
Great video Will. I tend to have ADD when watching any type of video but you have such easy manner and you speak so well that my focus never wanders during your videos. I'm an amateur photog and have both the Canon 5D4 and the R5. I just started using the R5 (with the RF 800 lens) this week for willdlife and birding. So far I am loving the R5 - though I still have little idea how to use it properly. I have not used the EVF (or I don't think I have) and I am not sure if I am using the animal tracking properly. But It feels good, handles easily and the static shots have been amazingly sharp.
Congratulations, it's a great camera, I'm sure you will enjoy it a lot - especially one that doesn't Freeze up! Canon replaced mine and the second one has been flawless so far!
@@WillGoodlet Thank you! I have had the R5 for about a month. I've been using it (with an adaptor and the Sigma 14-24 Art lens) for an urban project that i am hoping to turn into a personal book and so far I've been very happy with the results. This week, I started using it (with the RF 800mm) for bird photography and again I am very happy with the results. I had been using the 5DIV with the Sigma 60-600 lens for wildlife, but I really love the feel and ease of use of the R5 - and again this is without being that familiar with the camera. I'm now giving some consideration to trading in the 5DIV for the R6 and using that with my current Sigma lens lineup. Thank you and once again I must say that I very much enjoy your videos and your manner of presentation.
The lens cap thing is to protect the sensor if you have light streaming through the lens while sat in a table for example. Just go into the settings and you can set the shutter to drop and protect the sensor when the camera turns off.
I have an EOS R and the same warning pops up even if you use the shutter at power off. Maybe it's too protect the camera in general from overheating? Of specificity the shutter?
Thanks, yes, that's it. I was new to mirrorless when I made this (although I never got the message on my M50 vlogging cam). Even with the shutter down, you are still at risk though. The problem is the missing mirror and all those elements focusing the light.
I had some similar issues with my 1dxii with my 2xiii teleconverter. It turned out the contacts needed to be replaced on my 2xiii. I had them replaced and works mint again!
The freezing you mean? Glad to hear it was solved. On the R5, a lot of people are having issues with brand new Rf lenses, and some with more than one lens. Canon actually insisted on replacing my camera recently, even though I didn't ask for a replacement. I'm hoping they will fix it in firmware, although the fact that they replaced mine without me asking makes me wonder if it is more serious - or maybe a batch issue?
I only took the new one out the box a few days ago and have only used it when making the latest video - but so far, no freezing. Fingers crossed. I've also sent my 400 f2.8 ii in for a service. So I'll try it out properly when it gets back.
I have a Lexar 128GB card and have had zero issues with it on any level. I've also never had a problem with the camera seizing. Nor do I notice ANY EVF lag or "spool-up" issues when starting up, super fast up and running. There is a setting in the menu for VF Performance that allows the viewfinder to act more quickly. Maybe try that. One other thing to consider is that, while the old (and theoretically after-market) batteries (some may work better than others, obviously), the new battery for this camera adds functionality to the camera that is not present when using the older style batteries. CRAW is great! Seen many vids showing it to be comparable to RAW with smaller files. Perhaps if you're still having issues after checking the above settings, you should have your camera checked? Have you done the updates? Good video! Thanks for sharing your insights.
Hi Kai, great to hear that your camera is performing and thanks for the info. Don't forget I'm comparing the EVF spoolup to a DSLR (which is always available to look through!) not to other mirrorless. And I do agree the R5 is very fast to start compared to the Olympus I've tried in the past. The settings are all maxxed and new battery installed, 100% charged, preview off etc... I think the 'stacatto' effect (lag is the wrong word) is a thing we all see/percieve a little differently. I actually noticed that it bothered me much less over time. I'm glad the card isn't giving issues they are expensive! There's a couple of others in the comments who also have the same issue as me with the cards. I'm not getting it with the Sandisk. Yep all the updates are done - The camera is being evaluated at canon for the freeze issue. A LOT of other people are having this problem on all kinds of lenses - RF lenses too. I am really surprised Canon didn't pick this up in testing. For me it's more of an issue than the overheating saga that everyone talks about. I'm really pleased with the camera - it's great, don't get me wrong, just trying to speak from my experience and as someone transitioning from DSLR wildlife.
Peter, I'm not sure how early a version it is but I bought a half hour into the release event and it was shipped with the very first shipments. I got it in the day they were first supposed to arrive. I'll try to remember to check my serial number when I get home.
Putting on the lens cap is to avoid user from accidentally damage the shutter when they put the camera on its back, pointing directly into the sun. In DSLR, most of the light will be reflected by the mirror and out through the view finder. In mirroless, if the lens is focusing at infinity, it will focus the sun onto the shutter or sensor, and causing damage.
It's the same for any digital camera - just no long exposures directly at the sun and you CERTAINLY shouldn't look through the viewfinder at a strong sun. I almost always use live view for a rising or setting sun shot with a big lens.
Pieter J de Villiers I think the issue is the shutter is down when powered off to keep dust off the sensor when switching lenses. When the camera is on and you are looking through the lens, the shutter is open and the sensor is exposed to the lens. The sensor is far more stable than the shutter to intense light.
Hi Will. I don’t know whether, being a hobbyist, I’m in a position to offer any ideas. However, for myself I have settled to stick to DSLRs, come what may. I’m nowhere near your level as a photographer however, I use Canon 1D Mark IV + Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM + Canon Extender EF 2x III. This combo produces a focal length of 780mm of full-frame equivalent. Despite all these; if I need more reach and cropping; I use my new 90D which really rocks. For flight shots; my old friend 7D + EF 400mm f/5.6L combo is the way to go. All these bodies have plenty of shutter life remaining. So, I don’t really care whether Canon produces any more DSLRs or not. I know this won’t help you anyway but, mentioned it just to reiterate that DSLR is not dead despite massive efforts by manufacturers and promoters to kill it.
Thanks Quazi, really appreciate you taking the time to set out your thoughts here. It's so valuable to have all this info and input on the thread. You can't really fault the 1D Mark IV and 300 f2.8 they didn't get any worse just because mirrorless came along! The focus speed, 1.3 crop and powerful battery for the converter are a joy to use. And there is always something special about those APS-H sensors. They look gorgeous. What I still like about optical is that the battery lasts, the image through the viewfinder also is REAL and it's much more immersive from the perspective of someone who enjoys watching wildlife. Sometimes we just want to watch right? I think we are lucky too because cameras have become so good that they will do the job - especially if their users know how to take advantage of them. And there is more to photography than the image - wildlife photography at least. It's about being there. Close by, observing, enjoying and being a part of what's happening. It's about the capture but also the feel of the capture. And the feel in the hand of a 1D is very fine indeed. You know you are holding a beautifully crafted instrument.
With freezing? It’s somewhat improved with firmware but also if you don’t use the eye af for too long - say more than 15 seconds, especially with TC attached
Hi there, yes the previous video deals with the 100-400 mk2 and R5. There is a list of lenses supported in the downloadable manual on the canon website
@@WillGoodlet I am so grateful for your comments on the EVF spooling issue. I've never shot a mirrorless camera, but was starting to salivate for the R5. The spooling is a deal-breaker for me. Part of what I shoot is urban editorial, where the 'surprise' moments are frequent and important. I don't see why a camera that's not instantly ready for use is even marketed. Good on you for finding battery-intensive workarounds. As for me, I'm going to stay with my 5Dmk4 and 7Dmk2, maybe forever. Thanks again. -Michael
@@timeslikethese6379 Hi thanks for the comment - I feel I really need to address the spool up with you though! I don't feel I did a good job in the video. The R5 is REALLY fast to spool up for a mirrorless camera. But I do definitely lose shots compared to a DSLR in surprise conditions. One trick the regular mirrorless guys suggest is tapping a button on the way up to your eye and this really works well. If you are working at waist with the LCD (maybe you do that in street?) it could be even quicker to tap the LCD? It's a very good mirrorless offering - but I think you should try it before you buy it to see if it meets your needs?
@@WillGoodlet Thanks, Will. In your experience, what is a typical (average, usual) time in seconds for your R5 to spool up? And yeah, when one is available to rent, I'll try it out. Grateful for your advice and help.
@@timeslikethese6379 It's fractions of a second. You would miss on average about 2 maybe 3 frames compared to a 7D2 set to 10FPS with servo focusing so it must be about 200-500 milliseconds all together with focus and human reaction times thrown in. The main issue is not the speed, it's that you can't track while the EVF is dark, so you have to do it when it comes on. So in my case I'm not on the bird and ready to shoot when the EVF comes on - so I then have to follow and catch up..and the beginning of the sequence is usually a better opportunity than the end of the sequence. With the 7D2 I'm tracking the bird and acquiring focus and the only thing that feels slow is my reaction times on the shutter and the AF. So in my mode of shooting with the R5, I typically miss three shots at the start of the action and gain 3 shots at the end of the action because the R5 tracks better and longer once it is on target. But this can all be improved if you half press the shutter on the way up to the eye - as long as the EVF is up when it reaches your eye it doesn't feel slow and most of the time with this technique it is up and ready to go.
Has there been any improvement due to 1.6.0? You can charge the LP-E6NH with a USB-C cable, I haven’t yet determined if this happens in a reasonable time. Perhaps the R3 might be more suitable for those quick shots as it has a faster sensor and is designed for sports photographers. It also has the larger body as it has the grip built in. It however only takes 20mp and is far more expensive than the R5, In Australia the R5 is $6300 and the R3 is about $9000. I’m not sure how that compares in your currency. But most imported goods in Australia have a 40% markup compared to the US prices. Freight and exchange rates are not enough to explain the markup.
The prices are equivalent to Australia here - the difference to US prices is usually VAT which is not always applied there. Duty is only charged on video cameras in SA (extra 35% hence the importance of the 29min recording limit that everyone writes off as an anachronism) The R3 is a great camera but I don’t need it. I prefer the pixel density on the R5. I don’t bother with USB charging. I use a grip but rely on my ability to recharge in the vehicle as needed. If I were without a charger for a few days the older optical cameras would be my preference. At longer sightings the battery gets heavily depleted and the camera sometimes has problems with heat (not with photos). Just looking through the viewfinder will cause heat issues. But overall one Learns to work around it. I shoot two bodies so it might be more of a problem for those shooting one body. The spool up time is still annoying and does cost a shot or two. But again we learn to work around it. I haven’t yet tried 1.6 I’ve not been using the camera for a few months while working on other projects.
It’s a great camera - good upgrade on optical - I don’t regret it in the least. Please don’t let my few nitpicks put you off. I wouldn’t give it back! :)
For the lens cap issue. The camera has a setting to have the shutter close so no debris or dust that traditionally would hit the mirror first. Would fall onto the sensor directly. Not bad for dust and debris issues. I don’t ever have myself in a situation where I need that. So I opted for shutter up upon power off. When the camera freezes up. Eventually getting the command to shut down. It shut down. The clunk you heard was the shutter closing as per the default setting to protect the sensor. You can set this to not. But Africa and sand. Idk man your call. I would hate to get sand in the ibis ouch! Update to 1.1.1. Being real I only had one freeze up with my R5 but I haven’t seen it since the software update to 1.1.0 I have yet to go to 1.1 .1 myself.
Thanks for the info and for watching. Yes, bad dust here! I think I'll probably keep that shutter closed for changing lenses. I think my clunk was more like the noise when the IBIS shuts down? I wonder if the IS in the lens and the IBIS are not working well together hence the freezing? I'm seeing issues in the notes on the 1.11 firmware that they had issues with the 100-500 IS and also the 100-400 ii - so I think maybe there's a possibility that this freezing could also be an IS thing? There's probably not many people using the 400 F2.8 with it yet so maybe canon hasn't had many complaints about this lens with the R5.
Hi Will, Love the channel. I saw the answer to one of your issues in another wildlife photographers video. Yes, the R5 will take all old version batteries, but it will not perform the same with the older batteries as with the new ones. This is true for mechanical shutter lag. It is not a problem with the newer batteries while kept charged well. You will also have the bigger lag with the new batteries if allowed to get low in charge (I don't know the exact charge level). So, it looks like battery grip with four of the newest batteries will allow you to use mechanical on your typical day.
Thanks David. Yes you are right, it requires the LP-E6NH at greater than 60% charge to run at 12FPS mechanical, the state is indicated with a green icon on the left side of the screen. Even when running at that state of charge the camera still has a staccato mechanical shutter. It aslo needs to be at greater than 1/1000th second. It's certainly improved in that state but not at all the same as an OVF - it's weird coming from a dslr. I'd prefer if the frame went dark (like a mirror closing) rather than show me the frozen image for a nanosecond - your mind wants to stop and wait with the frozen bird rather than continue tracking... I think it will be possible to get used to it once I use it more. I actually prefer electronic though - no lag, no funny staccato view and will run at fast FPS below 60% charge and doesn't add to the shutter count :) I think I will most use electronic for wildlife and birds - unless there is a situation where rolling shutter is an issue. Cheers! and thanks for watching :)
Thanks for being honest about your experience using the camera. I am a bird and wildlife photographer who also takes most of my photos from inside the car. I have the 7D Mark ii and have never used mirrorless so I think I will just keep what I have until something affordable comes along. I may get the Canon R6 and use for landscape images. I can't image not being able to see through the viewfinder instantly.
Hi, thanks for watching and coming to comment. I wanted to say that a number of mirrorless guys suggested I tap the focus button on the way up to the eye and I can confirm this works pretty well and the problem is basically resolved from my perspective. One person warned that the EVF can stay active if the back of the camera is too close to the centre console in the car - it's mundane, but actually a really good observation. The main points of difference between the R5 and 7Dii are handling, that all frame Autofocus and astonishing frame rate. Noise is also better controlled and dynamic range better. There is no major compelling reason to move from the 7D2 to the R5 unless the items listed above will make a meaningful difference to your photography. So I can certainly understand your decision to stay put. I am certain that canon will develop a whole range of great mirrorless cameras - I wonder though, if the APS-C will stay? It would save on lens confusion if it didn't but also reduce the options for high resolution cameras like a new 'R7'.
EVF spinup: I recall back in 2003 time frame my friend ventured into digital camera first. When the camera went to sleep, it took a very long time to wake up. Probably more than it is taking the EVF to spin up today. Obviously with time, Canon has addressed that problem. I would suggest try to voice your concerns so that Canon hears them and hope for a firmware update. My body is still back ordered but I'm surprised that touching the shutter as soon as possible that the EVF hasn't spun up by the time you get the camera to your eye. Very nice review -- a real person doing real work and describing what is and isn't working.
Thanks for watching and your thoughts here. Yes of course you are right, a little perspective can help a lot. It's not so long ago is it! The canon EVF startup is actually very fast for a mirrorless camera. Certainly faster than the Olympus OMD EM-1 Mark ii, which is the last one I tested. Many of the regular mirrorless shooters have suggested tapping a focus button on the way up to the eye, and that has been working very well.
Hi Alasdair, thanks for watching. The rolling shutter isn't really a problem for what I do with birds in flight. Only when panning with distinct vertical lines in the shot. The rest of the time it has no impact. For wildlife, I'd just switch into mechanical.
Hey Will, as always thanks for yet another excellent video. I too have been toying with the idea of making the move to mirrorless, or at least adding the R5 to my arsenal of options for wildlife photography. At present my main body is a 1Dx Mk ii and a 7D Mkii as the second body and while I'm really happy with the combo I can't help but wonder if it's worth the added expense. So for the moment I'm still undecided but will wait and see how you like it after you've had it for a little longer. Once again thanks for sharing your insights, happy shooting and stay safe..... JC
Great info Will. Will also go to Marievale next week. Got 2 R5's. Used them in Kruger last week but still a steep learning curve going mirrorless. From another Defender lover.
Re, the lens cap warning. I saw on another mirrorless camera video the suggestion/thought was that sun light down the lens would melt the sensor when not in use. Not sure if this is the case here.
Sunlight will burn out the shutter (set to close to keep dust out) as it’s more vulnerable than the mirror on cameras that don’t close the shutter. Of course dslr shine the light via the mirror safely out the viewfinder!
By far the best R5 review I have seen.
Thank you Chris!
Best review of using a mirrorless camera... period. And i speak as a card carrying Nikon dslr and Fuji user.
I couldn’t find a better overview and review....
This video is pure gold for someone looking at the R5 for wildlife. Total honest review from a man who KNOWS his stuff through 1000's of hours of experience.
Thanks a lot! Really appreciated. It's a great camera, did you make a decision?
@@WillGoodlet I'm already invested in the Sony ecosystem, I own the A7R3 and have both the 100-400 and 200-600 lenses. Very happy with the results but the R3 isn't exactly a fast focusing camera so things like birds in flight often frustrate me, however, when you do get perfect focus the images are incomparable, actually better than the A9 if you need to recover shadows because of the great dynamic range. I'm waiting to see what's on the horizon for Sony next, supposedly an A9 with 50 megapixels is coming soon. With all this said I'm always curious and open to all brands, if Canon pulled way ahead of Sony I'd consider going back to their system but for now I don't see a huge advantage and they don't have fast affordable zooms yet either. I don't think I could use a 600mm f/11. All I've seen for the R5 are praise so seeing you point out some of it's shortcomings was refreshing. Even today I think the Nikon D850 is still a great wildlife camera, I almost went that route but it's clear everyone is moving towards mirrorless.
@@robwasnj Coming from a Pentax and Minolta SLR, 36 shots at ISO 400 and a 300mm manual focus lens - I can't really complain about any of the cameras we have at our fingertips these days! We are truly blessed. Just wish they were cheaper ;)
@@WillGoodlet Yeah, I'm old enough to remember those days. For me it was a Chinon CE3, then a Nikon F3HP. I acdtually had a darkroom and also worked for a cousin that owned a processing lab. I actually miss a lot of those days, all the technical craft you needed to have isn't there so the bar is lower. I still have sunny 16 in the back of my head when shooting outdoors, I often test myself and guess exposure even today. I just never attemped wildlife with those cameras.
@@robwasnj good to see someone else uses the sunny f16 rule. I also use hyperfocal distance too, although most modern lenses don't bloody well offer any markings for it anymore :-/ old school here, but didn't get into photography until '89.
This is a real review not a fan/hater review. Great Camera. But not the perfect one (that doesn't exits). Thanks for sharing this
Thanks Pablo, yep no perfect cameras :) Just a lot of fun using them and learning how to get the best out of the one you have!
Beautiful vlog , @Will Goodlet ! I really appreciate you make this for us, your viewers! :) In Uruguay, we have to ride a lot as well, it's not the same as your country, but many birds, or wildlife animals are very far, we have quite a bit of smaller lakes (whe we don't have this draught) . But those are in private fields, so yeah, distance is a normal situation! I love you that you so down to earth!!! Thank you again.
One of the best reviews about any product online! And very useful tips. Everything you said is after field use and after facing real-time challenges. Thanks for sharing
Hi Will. Three years down the line , very informative and very helpful one new subscriber.
So glad it was helpful!
Thanks Will, a really helpful review. You mention the lag in the EVF start up. I wake it up by half pressing the shutter button as I'm bringing the camera to my eye. That way it's on by the time it gets there and I'm ready to go. After a very short time muscle memory kicks in and it becomes automatic.
Good tip! Thanks for that, I'll try it!
A good tip...thanks
My Z6 has the same quirk and is overcome by doing exactly as you suggest,it becomes second nature.
Agreed this is a great tip as I also found using the original R with my old 300 2.8 that when I left it lying on the car seat next to mine if it got to close to the centre console it would cause the EVF and IS to engage (no option 3) which chewed up batteries LOL. I now use my bean bag upside down to hold the camera clear of this. The only other option was to switch off / on to safeguard which is not ideal but I use when I notice battery levels dropping (the new lug on the R5 on/off switch also helps with this)
I do the same with my R
Thanks for your input. Its rare to get someone on UA-cam that understands south African conditions. You are a wealth of knowledge and humble.
Thanks for watching Keith, greatly appreciate your support.
6:50 I am late to the party, but here it is: in DSLR, when you leave a len uncovered, if there's a strong light (heat), it reflects up the mirror and get out through the eyepiece. By the time it is past the eye focal point, the light is already scattered and no more intense. (Imagine heating up with a magnifying glass). However, in mirrorless, because there's no mirror, light & heat entering the len is directly hitting the sensor focused. So, while it rest, if it happen to point towards a sun, it'll literally fry your camera's sensor. Hence the warning notification.
All you need to do is cover the lens front with a thin black piece of clothe or simply point it away from bright light/heat.
Thanks Themi! Yep I think you are spot on with this comment. Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge.
@@WillGoodlet My pleasure! And thanks for making this insightful and practical video.
I believe there's an extra nuance with the R5, which is that (I think be default) the shutter closes when the camera is off. This means that there's the potential for sunlight to melt the shutter, which is rather more delicate than the sensor.
Such a good review! Nice video Will!
Thanks a ton!
That was such a great video. A very humble and honest review of the camera with no hype or bs. You have a very nice tone of voice too.
Great to see the change of backgrounds and the punctuation of photos and b roll.
An excellent overview of the R5 and very interesting to me as I am about to buy this camera. Like you I am also new to mirrorless, the R5 will be my first.
Thanks so much, really kind of you! I think it is a great camera. Many of my issues with spool up time were addressed by experienced mirrorless shooters in the comments. So don't worry about that..
The freezing issue seems hit or miss, Canon Europe took mine for evaluation and gave it back only on Thursday. At which point Canon Japan insisted on replacing it. I don't know why as I'd previously refused a replacement.
It's a spectacular camera but they seem to be having some teething trouble!
Will sir, YOUR THE MAN!! Thank you, Im SOLD on getting this and upgrading from my 90d
Thanks for watching Robert. There’s been some new firmware since this video and the issues with much of the freezing seems to have stopped.
Bear in mind that they will announce a mark ii in the first part of 2024 and you might see a price drop then.
I love mine
@@WillGoodlet That is good to hear. It will take me a bit to save up for it anyways but it seems a HUGE upgrade other than battery life from my 90d
@robertbennett6410 yes it will be quite a revelation!
This is a *great* review of the R5. I'm even more impressed by your genuine engagement with viewers in the comments. Subscribed!
Thanks Timothy! And thanks for the sub, hope I'll be seeing you around for many more videos in future :)
You're wildlife video with your 13 tips was superb. Thank you for taking the time to produce it!
Here's some quality review! Finally someone who uses the camera for what's intended. Thank you.
Hi Boris, thanks for watching :)
Very valuable review and instruction
Thanks Leonard, that's really kind of you.
Hey Will - if you keep the lens cap off, and sunlight hits the lens directly, it'll concentrate the light on the closed shutter blades and burn them. You can tell the camera to keep the shutter open when off if you don't want to cover the lens, but be wary of changing lenses as there is no mirror to protect the sensor.
Thanks Morgan, yep I think that is the consensus of opinion. I am keeping mine off as I am shooting from the car most of the time. Will just have to be more careful!
@@WillGoodlet good luck! I found the other comments explaining this after I'd posted, sorry about the duplicate info haha
@@MorganHJackson No worries :)
@@WillGoodlet Will, there are custom lens caps for the super telephoto lenses available on eBay. I'm looking at 1 for my 500mm f4 IS L (mark 1 sadly, can't afford a mark II - not a working pro making money, just a hobbyist).
Awesome video mate great detail. Thanks very much.
Glad you liked it
Thank you for a great review of the R5. I am a canon shooter, of over 10 years, mostly wildlife, 1D MKlV & 5D MKlV, I am amateur, no pressure to generate a living. I am pleased that Canon has finally come to the table with it’s first REAL quality mirrorless. I am going to hold off for some of the bugs to be worked out and the price to drop or for some important incentive reductions. Keep up the great work, I really appreciate this type of honest review.
Also using dual back button focus on my R5 and it's great! Agree with what you say in this review.
This review was so clear and concise you got yourself a new subscriber 👍🏼
Thanks Christian, really appreciated! I'm glad you liked it. I mainly do in the field vlogs when we aren't locked down. Hope to see you around :)
Wow…thanks a million for the in depth review, really well done ….1 have had the same issue with 400 2.8 and converter of lockup…2 no difference in Raw and Craw… 3 battery destroyer as well looking forward to more..appreciate your hard work…
One of the best camera reviews I have ever seen. Thank you, Will.
Thanks Gene! Wow :)
Thankyou Will.Great informative video relating to the Canon R5
Thanks John, appreciated!
The keep the lens cap on message when turning off the camera is common to all EOS R_ series of cameras. The new RF Lenses have this feature where upon switching the camera off, the aperture blades in the lens close down automatically but this doesn’t occur with EF Lenses leading to more light going down the lens barrel compared to a similar EF Lens equivalent
HI Judah, thanks yeah I believe that is correct - having only shot DSLR I was not aware. I am just going to take care where I point the telephotos when they are not in use.
but when you shut down the R5 the curtain is closing the access to the sensor, so i wonder what's the point in all of this.
Your thought on dpp is a true review best to go with dpp. Also craw is best. Thanks for those practical tips.
Hey Will, I rarely watch a youtube video all the way through. But I did with yours. All 26 minutes. Thanks for providing a fantastic review of this camera. Not only did I enjoy the review I learned a lot about wildlife photography (I shoot landscapes primarily). I subscribed and look forward to catching up with some of your earlier videos. PS. I am getting the r6. The r5 was just a little above my budget.
Hi Graeme, great to hear from you and thanks for sitting through 26minutes of wildlife blather. I also love to shoot landscapes, particularly under the stars. I've found that it is quite hard to do in South Africa because the land is all fenced off and the farmers are very jumpy and in national parks, the animals want to eat you. I was hoping to explore some of my favourite spots on the channel when I get the chance.
I am using compressed raw format and although early days I would agree with you regarding the quality of the image. I am currently shooting exclusively in this format. The other change in my photo technique is getting away from tracking the bird with the autofocus point. Once the eye focus locks on you can of course recompose the image but it is not yet intuitive to me.
I shot 90D, and it also has compressed raw. I tested it many times and I just couldn’t see any difference between compressed and uncompressed.
Thanks so much for corroborating. I never tried it before but I think it's great now.
Yes, even the same goes to my 5D IV. Cant see a difference shooting in medium raw...not sure if its the same you are talking about
Hi Will, thanks for being an ambassador for SA both on wildlife and bird photography.
Sorry I forgot to add that I have been to some of the same sites. I am sure we were seated next to each other at lake panic without knowing you were publishing. Planning a trip to BOT for birding in April if you want to participate.
This is the review I’ve been waiting for.
Thanks Ruzdi, greatly appreciated! :)
As per Rudy Winston (Canon USA) the animal AF has been optimized for cats, dogs and birds although It may work for other animals. It will likely be tweaked/expanded in future firmware revisions. The DOF preview button can also be configured to engage an alternate AF scenario.
Hi Steve, thanks for the info. Yep, I am aware that it is not optimised for these species - but we are all going to try aren't we :) Important for my compatriots to be aware of any limitations over here as they are a large component of what they shoot. I'm sure, as you say, that features will be added.
You’re the best teacher for me sir...
Wow, thanks
Hi Will, its your video that convinced me it was time to leave my old 1DX mk1 / 7D2 behind. It was like id jumped from an old hatchback car to a ferrari! Its just amazing. Yep, takes an old DSLR shooter a while to get used to. The ISO performance is at least as good as my 1DX which given the pixels is amazing. Ive set the camera up where i can jump from animal eye to spot and also crop mode and it works a treat. Agree with the autofocus. It can be amazing but also isn't perfect in certain situations. So far mine hasn't frozen but there's lots of internet chatter that some have had the same problem. My only gripe wasn't the camera but I've had a few faulty LPE6NH batteries. Brand new but wont charge. So yes, your review is bang on and your pics amazing.
Hi Mick, thanks for watching and congratulations on the new camera! I've got the same setup with eye & spot AF on back buttons next to each other. Canon replaced my camera as a result of freezing, and my new one has only just started to freeze again. It does it when I hold the autofocus button in for more than 30 seconds or so. I have just learned not to do that. Not good to hear about the LPE6NH batteries - I only have two of them and they are OK. I'm lucky in that I can recharge the older LPE6N's in my car and just rotate them.
I think, like any camera, you get used to its foibles. The R5 & 6 are definitely a giant leap forward, and my 7DMark ii is now sitting on a shelf most of the time.
Hi Will, you are not alone with the freeze issue, lots of others including me. Same happened to me two mornings in a row, first with 300mmf2.8 mkii and then with the RF70 200mm f2.8, screen/evf freeze 20 seconds, soft clunk like camera power up. I download the latest firmware 1.1.1 yesterday, no bug fix mentioned, but no longer an issue so far ....
Thanks for the confirmation Chas - as I mentioned I will test it out with and without the 1.1.1. update - maybe it's nailed the problem (lets hope!)
@@WillGoodlet I am having the freeze issue as well, but only when using the battery grip. I have seen the E2 error once. I powered the camera down and the card was fine after that. I'm not sure if the issue was the CFExpress card or the SD card. I have continued to use the same cards and have only seen the issue the one time. I would be interested to hear if the freeze issue has gone away. I did install the latest firmware (1.1.1) but haven't shot a lot since the firmware update. But overall, I love the R5. It's a bit buggy, but not enough to make me want to give it up.
Hi Fred, thank you for watching and thanks for the very helpful comment too! Battery Grip! Maybe that's it!? I didn't get the freeze before the battery grip. I will have to test this out thoroughly to see if I can identify the cause. I had the Err2 repeatedly, so much that I had to stop using the card - maybe every 30min or so. It was the SD card in my case as I don't have a CFexpress yet. They are coming to collect the camera for assessment on monday - so I have the weekend to test a few things, thanks for the info! Like you I'm keeping this camera - too good!
@@WillGoodlet unfortunately freeze happened again today, I think it might be when the EVF is set to smooth , will try again tomorrow with the other slower EVF setting
I tried to get mine to freeze for a while yesterday and couldn't (v.1.1.1 without battery grip) Tried naked lens, 1.4, 2x and even stacked 1.4 + 2x. insisted on behaving itself. The retailer still hasn't picked it up - I'd rather keep it now knowing that all the cameras are the same.
Will, I'm back again! Good news, I'm booked and scheduled for my trip with Phillip Bronkhorst Sept 20-28. The bulk of my time will be in various parts of Kruger with a couple of days in a private reserve (don't know where). Back to the old question of Adobe handling of RAW files, has it improved for you? I spend my money-making time with the R6 doing Real Estate photography, so I don't get as much experience with the R5. Also, for what it's worth, I decided to give the new R7 cropped sensor version a try on this trip that I can use with my RF 70-200 F2.8 and have a great backup camera (in addition to the R6). I'll also be using a 5DSR that I had converted to Infrared to get some interesting shots.
Thanks for the excellent clear review Will. I am certainly considering the R5 after seeing this. Cheers Keith
Thanks for the feedback Keith, appreciated!
a good honest and useful review
Thanks for watching and commenting Poorna :)
Great review from an experienced wildlife photographer. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it thank you David!
Super great video Will! The other fellow who has this kind of thorough, helpful and thoughtful reviews is Ron Bielefeld. You're both splendid. I learned a lot here about my 7D Mk 2! I have new respect for it. And I agree with a later vid of yours "Is there a place for dSLRs in this current wildlife scene?". I would like to know what you think of the R6 (Mk 2) if you ever get the chance to borrow one.
EVF will spool up in time. First, use only the new high capacity batteries. Second, program the shutter button to focus. Now, when your hand reaches for the camera, immediately press the shutter button half down. By the time the camera is at your eye, the EVF is working. After you do this for a day, it becomes second nature. (You can do the same with back button focus)
Yes this is a great Idea, I'll try it out as soon as the cam comes back.
Quality of your video is superb!!
What is the resolution and frame rate did you record your video?
Thanks Billy, it was a while ago but I think it is shot using the R5 in 4K at 25fps (for the talking head) using a standard profile rec709. It uses a 24-105 f4 l is lens and probably a ND filter (not variable)
I wanted to thank you for producing an honest and practical review of the r5. I mostly do wildlife with landscape coming in second. I was contemplating selling my 1DX and 1D MK4 to pay for the r5 but after your review I think I'll keep one of them, just not sure which one. I have placed an order for the r5 and the adapter for my current lens collection and an extra battery. Thanks again for all the info.
Hi Gary, great to hear the video was useful. Thanks for watching and leaving me a comment here. Good luck with the R5!
Just about every word is useful. Thanks so much. An accomplished photographer and teacher and videographer.
excellent video and a good honest review of R5
Thanks Ravi! Appreciated
Best review so far, thank you. Great to see it in action with the 400 too
Thanks so much for watching and the support!
Hi, just found your channel and what a fantastic real-world review that isn't based on the video blogging and your comments are very valuable. Thanks Will, I've subscribed.
Thanks so much for watching, commenting and subscribing! Appreciated. I generally don't do a lot of reviews - more of a lockdown occupation :)
The same from me, wonderful to hear some one humble enough that they ask for suggestions. I'm still waiting for mine so no comments from me but I've subscribed!
Thanks Stan, great to hear your perspective and thanks for the sub! I took some flak for asking questions !! :) Good to know there is another side to that coin.
Hi Will
It’s a pity that you have so much investment in Canon gear. I switched from Nikon to Olympus (Em1 mk2) which is a great mirrorless micro 4/3 system. anyway, one great feature for bird photographers is “pro capture” which fills the buffer with 14 shots when you half press the shutter or use back button. Then when you fully press the button it takes the photo as normal. That way if you are a bit slow to press the shutter button you have 14 previous shots in the bag. Burst mode is impressive even using Raw. Olympus Pro lenses are pin sharp and weather sealed. The latest EM1 has Ai to assist with focus. Bonus is the weight and space saving - I now use a messenger bag instead of a rucksack. Also EVF boot up is instant and battery life also good. I have never looked back and sold all my Nikon gear.
Thanks Ray, I’ve had the opportunity to use the Olympus OMD em-1 Mark ii, I reviewed it in a blog post some time ago. I only got to play with it a few days but it was a great camera and a lot of fun a and yes I am jealous of pro-capture :)
Im happy enough with my canon gear but you are correct, I’d like less of it. I love my 400 f2.8 - would find it hard to part with and don’t get me wrong the R5 is a very good camera, I won’t be giving it back soon!
@@WillGoodlet with the 400 f2.8 do you use a x2 TC or x1.4 TC to increase the reach? is the x2 TC sharpness good enough compare to the 1.4? Thank you very much for your sharing hands on experience. They are really helpful.
@@iamleek Hi! I use both TC"s a lot. But I do not feel that super telephotos are best employed to photograph extremely distant subjects and our approach to teleconverters is wrong.
Atmospheric effects degrade image qaulity far more quickly than the teleconverter.
So when we attach a 2x and say- 'oh this is softer than the naked lens' so often the subject is twice as far away when we make that comparison!
The dust, heat haze, vapour and our own camera shake have all degraded the image much more than the converter in that situation.
If you photograph the same subject at the same distance with the naked lens, 1.4 and 2x you will note that the 2x does an amazing job - especially on small, close subjects.
Sorry for the long answer - but I think we wildlife photographers don't always use TC's in the best or most comparable way and then make 'better vs worse" black and white statements that miss so much of the nuances involved.
Hope my perspective helps a litte at least!?
@@WillGoodlet Thank you very very much! That's really make me think very differently on how TC are used. I really like the thoughts you shared and considering the atmospheric condition of the environment.
@@WillGoodlet This is a really insightful observation and one I had not previously considered.
thank you for sharing your experience with R5! I was thinking to get one but I guess I'll wait for now...
It's a good camera, very good. I wouldn't hold back unless you will be using it in a very cold climate or need long periods without a recharge.
Will, Thanks for discussion of the EV spool up. That would seriously frustrate me. I need to act quick to capture birds and mammals when I come upon them. For now I will keep my 5D4 and 90D. I am wondering if Canon has an R7 up their sleeve for quick action bird photography?
Hi Mark, glad it was useful!. A lot of the more experienced mirrorless guys suggested tapping a button on the way up to the eye, I tried it and it did help quite a lot. I think that the APS-C might not make an appearance in RF format. It seems sensible to rationalise the lens line-up, maybe we are going back to the days before digital where we just had 35mm - but now with slightly longer RF glass to compensate? 100-500. 600 F11, 800F11, 250 f2.8 etc...? All I know is it's an exciting time.
I have had no issues with EVF. It may be the setting. I use two back button focus to assist the camera on where I need to hit. Loving my R5.
Me too! I’ve found that I can leave it switched on and it starts up when you touch a button. The replaced camera hasn’t frozen at all (touch wood) so it’s been good - I must do an update video
great thorough field review Will, appreciate it
Many thanks Roger!
wooow Will dillemas dillemas , maybe Canon didnt expect a seasoned pro to be using the things , pointing out teething problems ? new learning curves ?
I hope to have my replacement camera soon - hope this one works out better. A lot of people with similar complaints. Otherwise, I feel it is an excellent camera.
@@WillGoodlet good lets hope you had a faulty version . i had similar troubles with a d850 . it turned out to be the sd card , slowed everything down . really had my doubts luckily i had a kingston red high speed card . transformed it instantly .. craziest thing . im more learned on the little tykes now , thanks for the great informative videos Will , all the best
I believe that the message to put your lens cap on is because of the danger of damaging your sensor or the curtain in front of it. On our old DSLRs the sunlight hit the mirror and out the viewfinder, now it goes straight to the sensor. I think if you don’t have the sunlight hitting the lens you’ll be fine. If the lens is looking at the inside of the door on you Rover there’s not a problem. Just my thoughts.
Thanks Bruce, makes sense about the mirror. Forgot about that! Yes I like the lens up against the door panel just in case. I think if its a sunlight thing then it should be pretty safe there.
@ 4:35 , wouldn't using the LCD screen help?
I think the LCD needs to spool up too? I don't have the camera at the moment so I can't check. But either way, from a purely personal perspective, I can no longer see the LCD properly due to failing short vision. Much prefer the EVF (it's one of the main reasons I got the R5).
However, a number of long time mirrorless guys suggested tapping a button on the way up to the eye and this is working really well for me, so I would mark this problem as mostly solved.
Thanks for watching and I appreciate your helpful suggestion!
Will, There is a list of all EF lenses that support 12 frames per second on pages 895 and 896 of the PDF user manual you can get from the Canon sites. Nothing about image stabilisation though. Is this what you’re looking for?
Cheers Mal, maybe yes! Thank you for that. I keep seeing an asterix in the specs list and the note says 'list of lenses available on the canon website' but never find it.
@@WillGoodlet Canon UK have a list of lenses which improve IS here: www.canon.co.uk/support/consumer_products/products/cameras/digital_slr/eos-r5.html?type=faq&search=1&searchurl=/support/consumer_products/content/faq/?itemid=tcm:14-1997136. Unfortunately for you, they all seem to be RF mount.
Definitely a real world 🌎 review from a real wild life photographer. I was looking at that camera 📸 to purchase next but now I’ll just wait for the r1
Hi, Please don't let me put you off the camera, it's a good one. I think you need to try one out first and see if it fits your photography. I know there is a global shortage but hopefully you will be able to try one at some point!
It has revolutionised some parts of my photography but I don't want to pretend that it is perfect. However, most of the time I choose to pick up this camera ahead of my DSLRs. I'm sure the R1 will also be a technical marvel. Happy shooting and thanks for watching.
About the staccato effect when panning: have you got "automatic review" set to (say) 2 seconds? (That was the default on my Canon R. I don't know about the R5). If so, set it to zero seconds. The short freeze should go away.
Thanks Barry, I don't have the camera (canon is checking it) but review is turned off completely. I'll try again when it comes back.
@@WillGoodlet I had the same issues with the "lag" but I've tweaked settings (dont know which ones as of now) and it is gone! :D feels like my 5dmkIV now. Superhappy about that. So it is most likely a setting or two.
Great to hear Fredrik!
is that hunters lodge?
I am not only impressed with your video, but these comments are awesome too. What a great community you have! I am struggling with the price tag of the R5. I am not a professional photographer (or that great of a novice photographer for that matter) but I am starting to hit the limitations of my 80D. I was thinking 5D until this beauty was introduced. Now I'm just stuck in the decisions. 🙄 Thanks for the wonderful info. New sub.
Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment and subscribe! Yeah there are a lot o great comments in the thread - plenty of really helpful people around :)
The R5 is spectacular but so is the R6..
it might be important to just ensure you have enough resolution for your subject before going to any of the full frame options though.
The 80D is offering a lot of pixels that the other cameras don’t have! What are your subjects?
Great stuff Will, luv your straight forward and honest style. Please let us know of any updates re the problems you’ve come across.
Hi Robin, sure thing, I'll put together another video with my updates - but I'm sure it's well covered out there by now!
Canon sent me a replacement which has been perfectly behaved to date.. So I wonder what's really going on with all the cameras suffering from freeze out there.
Hey will, i have the R5 aswell and i can confirm your experience with the Animal EYE AF and i also have set up the Camera with dual backbutton focus! Funny that Wildlife-photographers around the World think in the same way and come to the same solutions to a problem! You didnt mention it, do you have the function active so that the Eye AF starts with the closest Focuspoint in the EVF you have selected? I noticed that it will improve your "hitrate" with the Eye AF because you can choose where to place it with your joystick (like with DSLR's) and if you press the eye AF backbutton it will pick it up right away!
I'm shooting with a sigma EF 150-600 Sports and can tell you there is no real diffrence between native canon EF and third party lenses at all (i have 70-200 2.8 -with tc- and 24-70 2.8 as well). There are firmware updates for the R5, did you update your camera? Did it solve your Problem with the 400 mm 2.8? I'm very intrested in that because i am about to buy an EF 400 2.8 II !
Thanks for the helpful review! One of the best reviews out there! Greetings from Germany and all the best!
Hi, thanks so much for the helpful info and for watching, it's highly appreciated.
Great to compare notes! Yes that's how I am using it too - but I am still exploring. I don't have the camera at the moment so it will have to wait til it comes back. Glad to hear that the 3rd party lenses are working well too. Someone had a problem with freezing on a Tamron though. The firmware came out just after I packed up my camera so I haven't updated to 1.11 yet. Hopefully Canon will tell me what's wrong when they look at the cam.
Absolutely fantastic review ,thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Will, I was one of the first waves to get my R5 back in July and have been a bit disappointed with color, but after seeing your video, it never occurred to me that it could be how poorly Adobe is handling the files! Have you seen any difference with this latest update? I still shoot the MkIV for my every day real estate work and don't get an opportunity to shoot the R5 enough.
Ron Castle Hi Ron, I haven’t had my camera since this video. Canon has been looking at it for weeks. I just got a replacement but haven’t taken a shot. So I haven’t noticed any difference in LRC. But, it’s an easy workaround to open the file in Canon DPP then apply the correct colour profile and then export to TIF and import that to LRC or Photoshop(colour correct) and work on it further. You could convert the TIf to DNG after this. If you work purely in adobe the files look dreadful.
@@WillGoodlet I normally convert to DNG when I import all my files, but thanks to you, I'm going to change that for the R5 for now! Your review was really great and I can't believe you're so responsive to comments. I'm curious if you know an outfitter there in South Africa, Phillip Bronkhorst? I was planning a photo safari with him for this year before all the COVID stuff happened, but hope to re-book for this coming summer.
Ron Castle yes I think that is wise - don’t want to bake in that colour!!
I work on writing/videos etc late into the night, so I see the comments come in and try to answer questions first. :)
I don’t know Phillip, so sorry you had to postpone/cancel. Hopefully things will start getting back on track earlier rather than later next year. A lot of people in travel will be going bust, hang on to your deposit if you do book (if possible)
@@WillGoodlet Thanks! I will.
I never use a lens cap and have never had an issue with the R5. I also use the LPE6NH batteries and get roughly 1500+ images from two batteries easily with chimping. (are you shooting in airplane mode shutting off all unnecessary functions?) It just takes some getting used to with the EVF tracking BIF - and use the NH batteries you will have a better experience. (There is a massive difference in IQ between the 7D2 and the R5. Not sure why you would think they are even close!)
Thanks Kurt, no supply of the NH batteries here. Sadly SA is usually well down the list of availability for anything new - especially with the current situation. I'm getting about 3-4 hours out of one LP-E6NH + LP-E6 I am also shooting video during this time. I'm sure I'll get used to the EVF eventually.
I'm not going to pretend I am a good IQ reviewer - just felt it was my duty to speak about it! I wasn't seeing a lot of difference - BUT of course these things change in poor light and conditions and my test shot was in very good light at a reasonable ISO and the R5 was cropped. Also - the adobe conversion of the R5 file looks terrible to me? How do you feel about it?
@@WillGoodlet I agree that the Adobe conversion is flat, lacking contrast and color. They will get it straightened out in time. You will see a huge difference in the IQ when you are shooting in low light and pulling shadows. It's light years ahead of the 7D2. I am keeping my 1DXIII alongside the R5 because I am not 100% ready to go full mirrorless...
Kurt Scherbaum I will look out for the difference (haven’t touched the 7d since the R5 arrived!)
I’m interested in hearing how your 1dx iii compares?
Thinking of getting the R5 have the 7d II, in crop mode the R5 is 17mp, 7d is 20, but the R5 has way better dynamic range and ibis and better aa filter, I just don't know if its a massive difference. Of course in non crop mode that 45mp would be massive, but not everyone can afford a 400 2.8 let alone a 600mm.
@@danielson_9211 Hi Daniel, thanks for watching and the comments. I've just uploaded some test shots comparing R5 to 7Dii into the shared folder pinned in the comments. Take a look if you want - let me know your thoughts!
Terrific review and very similar to my findings after using the R5 for three weeks.
Thanks so much for watching and great to have confirmation on these thoughts. Hope you are enjoying the camera. Mine's still with Canon.
Great video Will. I tend to have ADD when watching any type of video but you have such easy manner and you speak so well that my focus never wanders during your videos. I'm an amateur photog and have both the Canon 5D4 and the R5. I just started using the R5 (with the RF 800 lens) this week for willdlife and birding. So far I am loving the R5 - though I still have little idea how to use it properly. I have not used the EVF (or I don't think I have) and I am not sure if I am using the animal tracking properly. But It feels good, handles easily and the static shots have been amazingly sharp.
Congratulations, it's a great camera, I'm sure you will enjoy it a lot - especially one that doesn't Freeze up! Canon replaced mine and the second one has been flawless so far!
@@WillGoodlet Thank you! I have had the R5 for about a month. I've been using it (with an adaptor and the Sigma 14-24 Art lens) for an urban project that i am hoping to turn into a personal book and so far I've been very happy with the results. This week, I started using it (with the RF 800mm) for bird photography and again I am very happy with the results. I had been using the 5DIV with the Sigma 60-600 lens for wildlife, but I really love the feel and ease of use of the R5 - and again this is without being that familiar with the camera. I'm now giving some consideration to trading in the 5DIV for the R6 and using that with my current Sigma lens lineup. Thank you and once again I must say that I very much enjoy your videos and your manner of presentation.
Thanks Michael. I use the 14-24 for landscape and astro, really like that lens :)
Thanks for this review. I'll stick to my 5D4 - you've saved me GBP4,300!
Glad it was helpful. Pretty sure the 5D4 is excellent.
@@WillGoodlet would you say 5D4 is better than R5?
Depends what for, but for me and for wildlife, no - the R5 is better
The lens cap thing is to protect the sensor if you have light streaming through the lens while sat in a table for example. Just go into the settings and you can set the shutter to drop and protect the sensor when the camera turns off.
I have an EOS R and the same warning pops up even if you use the shutter at power off. Maybe it's too protect the camera in general from overheating? Of specificity the shutter?
Thanks, yes, that's it. I was new to mirrorless when I made this (although I never got the message on my M50 vlogging cam). Even with the shutter down, you are still at risk though. The problem is the missing mirror and all those elements focusing the light.
English not my native language, but Your speech so amazing and clearly understanding! Thanks for conclusion and perfect review 🙏
Evgeny, thank you so much, I really appreciate the feedback! I'm glad you enjoyed the video :)
I had some similar issues with my 1dxii with my 2xiii teleconverter. It turned out the contacts needed to be replaced on my 2xiii. I had them replaced and works mint again!
The freezing you mean? Glad to hear it was solved. On the R5, a lot of people are having issues with brand new Rf lenses, and some with more than one lens. Canon actually insisted on replacing my camera recently, even though I didn't ask for a replacement. I'm hoping they will fix it in firmware, although the fact that they replaced mine without me asking makes me wonder if it is more serious - or maybe a batch issue?
@@WillGoodlet Aww man that's a huge bummer. I am currently trying to save up for the R5. Hope they have it sorted out by the time I can afford it!
I only took the new one out the box a few days ago and have only used it when making the latest video - but so far, no freezing. Fingers crossed.
I've also sent my 400 f2.8 ii in for a service. So I'll try it out properly when it gets back.
Thank you!!! Great Review!!! Some real world issues without of the hype:)))
Thanks Earl! Glad you liked it :)
I have a Lexar 128GB card and have had zero issues with it on any level. I've also never had a problem with the camera seizing. Nor do I notice ANY EVF lag or "spool-up" issues when starting up, super fast up and running. There is a setting in the menu for VF Performance that allows the viewfinder to act more quickly. Maybe try that. One other thing to consider is that, while the old (and theoretically after-market) batteries (some may work better than others, obviously), the new battery for this camera adds functionality to the camera that is not present when using the older style batteries.
CRAW is great! Seen many vids showing it to be comparable to RAW with smaller files.
Perhaps if you're still having issues after checking the above settings, you should have your camera checked? Have you done the updates?
Good video! Thanks for sharing your insights.
Hi Kai, great to hear that your camera is performing and thanks for the info. Don't forget I'm comparing the EVF spoolup to a DSLR (which is always available to look through!) not to other mirrorless. And I do agree the R5 is very fast to start compared to the Olympus I've tried in the past. The settings are all maxxed and new battery installed, 100% charged, preview off etc... I think the 'stacatto' effect (lag is the wrong word) is a thing we all see/percieve a little differently. I actually noticed that it bothered me much less over time.
I'm glad the card isn't giving issues they are expensive! There's a couple of others in the comments who also have the same issue as me with the cards. I'm not getting it with the Sandisk.
Yep all the updates are done - The camera is being evaluated at canon for the freeze issue. A LOT of other people are having this problem on all kinds of lenses - RF lenses too. I am really surprised Canon didn't pick this up in testing. For me it's more of an issue than the overheating saga that everyone talks about.
I'm really pleased with the camera - it's great, don't get me wrong, just trying to speak from my experience and as someone transitioning from DSLR wildlife.
@@WillGoodlet hope it all works out for you. Sometimes production runs get faults...
@@KaiTiura I have had several problems with the Lexar cards. Is your cameara a early batch? My starts with serial nbr: 023021xxxxxx
Peter, I'm not sure how early a version it is but I bought a half hour into the release event and it was shipped with the very first shipments. I got it in the day they were first supposed to arrive. I'll try to remember to check my serial number when I get home.
Peter Teodorsson my serial number is 022021xxxxxx, so it’s quit a bit earlier than yours.
Putting on the lens cap is to avoid user from accidentally damage the shutter when they put the camera on its back, pointing directly into the sun.
In DSLR, most of the light will be reflected by the mirror and out through the view finder. In mirroless, if the lens is focusing at infinity, it will focus the sun onto the shutter or sensor, and causing damage.
Makes a lot of sense! Thank you.
@@WillGoodlet Could this be a problem when shooing into the Sun ( Sunrise & Sunset ) with the strong Afrrican Sun?
It's the same for any digital camera - just no long exposures directly at the sun and you CERTAINLY shouldn't look through the viewfinder at a strong sun. I almost always use live view for a rising or setting sun shot with a big lens.
Pieter J de Villiers I think the issue is the shutter is down when powered off to keep dust off the sensor when switching lenses. When the camera is on and you are looking through the lens, the shutter is open and the sensor is exposed to the lens. The sensor is far more stable than the shutter to intense light.
Hi Will. I don’t know whether, being a hobbyist, I’m in a position to offer any ideas. However, for myself I have settled to stick to DSLRs, come what may. I’m nowhere near your level as a photographer however, I use Canon 1D Mark IV + Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM + Canon Extender EF 2x III. This combo produces a focal length of 780mm of full-frame equivalent. Despite all these; if I need more reach and cropping; I use my new 90D which really rocks.
For flight shots; my old friend 7D + EF 400mm f/5.6L combo is the way to go. All these bodies have plenty of shutter life remaining. So, I don’t really care whether Canon produces any more DSLRs or not.
I know this won’t help you anyway but, mentioned it just to reiterate that DSLR is not dead despite massive efforts by manufacturers and promoters to kill it.
Thanks Quazi, really appreciate you taking the time to set out your thoughts here. It's so valuable to have all this info and input on the thread. You can't really fault the 1D Mark IV and 300 f2.8 they didn't get any worse just because mirrorless came along! The focus speed, 1.3 crop and powerful battery for the converter are a joy to use. And there is always something special about those APS-H sensors. They look gorgeous. What I still like about optical is that the battery lasts, the image through the viewfinder also is REAL and it's much more immersive from the perspective of someone who enjoys watching wildlife. Sometimes we just want to watch right? I think we are lucky too because cameras have become so good that they will do the job - especially if their users know how to take advantage of them. And there is more to photography than the image - wildlife photography at least. It's about being there. Close by, observing, enjoying and being a part of what's happening. It's about the capture but also the feel of the capture. And the feel in the hand of a 1D is very fine indeed. You know you are holding a beautifully crafted instrument.
@@WillGoodlet thank you buddy.
Thumbs up fist, then start commenting:-) I've been waiting so much to hear your experiences with the R5.
If you tap the shutter button as you lift the camera to your eye it will wake up the camera and the evf will be active no time lag
Here's a review with more details: willgoodlet.com/blog/canon-eos-r5-wildlife-photography
Extremely helpful and thorough video. Thanks for taking the time to make it, Will. Cheers.
A pleasure Carl, thanks for watching and commenting!
Great review of teleconverters, nice balance of knowledge and in depth experience well communicated.
Thanks John, glad you liked it!
Very helpful review. Your focus on real world/applied-use issues helps us get a feel for how it might work for our applications. Craig
Thanks so much for watching and glad it was helpful Craig. :)
So glad to see a very thorough objective review. Kinda sick of all haters & fanboys.
Cheers and thank you for watching and leaving a kind comment, glad you liked it Erick!
I shoot with the R5 and the 400mm f2.8 iii and I have not had the issues you have had.
With freezing? It’s somewhat improved with firmware but also if you don’t use the eye af for too long - say more than 15 seconds, especially with TC attached
Fab video Will. Really happy that you’re able to get out again and you can enjoy your new camera. Sounds like it’s really working for you!
Thanks James! Fantastic to be out again :)
Just got a R5 I done the firmware and it froze but it hasn't done it again yet.Great video Will.
Thanks Peter and congratulations!!
Watch out for the freezing - my replacement has never frozen. So make sure you have a good one!
Awesome work! Do you perhaps have any experience with the R5 and 100-400 mkii pairing. Also please share the list of lenses
Hi there, yes the previous video deals with the 100-400 mk2 and R5. There is a list of lenses supported in the downloadable manual on the canon website
@@WillGoodlet thank you for that will have a look.
@9:59. It will be awkward and take some getting used to, but try shooting with both eyes open that way you can track the bird with the other eye.
Methodical2 sadly I’m blind in one eye. Else I’d love to. I know it is of great use for most people thanks.
@@WillGoodlet Gotcha. I'd love to be in that jeep with you getting all those great action shots vs getting the zoo animals, haha!
Excellent, Will. Just discovered you by a search for R5 videos. Will be looking carefully at all past and future videos from you.
Thanks, so appreciative of the support! Hope you enjoy them and hope to see you around :)
@@WillGoodlet I am so grateful for your comments on the EVF spooling issue. I've never shot a mirrorless camera, but was starting to salivate for the R5. The spooling is a deal-breaker for me. Part of what I shoot is urban editorial, where the 'surprise' moments are frequent and important. I don't see why a camera that's not instantly ready for use is even marketed. Good on you for finding battery-intensive workarounds. As for me, I'm going to stay with my 5Dmk4 and 7Dmk2, maybe forever. Thanks again. -Michael
@@timeslikethese6379 Hi thanks for the comment - I feel I really need to address the spool up with you though!
I don't feel I did a good job in the video.
The R5 is REALLY fast to spool up for a mirrorless camera. But I do definitely lose shots compared to a DSLR in surprise conditions.
One trick the regular mirrorless guys suggest is tapping a button on the way up to your eye and this really works well.
If you are working at waist with the LCD (maybe you do that in street?) it could be even quicker to tap the LCD?
It's a very good mirrorless offering - but I think you should try it before you buy it to see if it meets your needs?
@@WillGoodlet Thanks, Will. In your experience, what is a typical (average, usual) time in seconds for your R5 to spool up? And yeah, when one is available to rent, I'll try it out. Grateful for your advice and help.
@@timeslikethese6379 It's fractions of a second. You would miss on average about 2 maybe 3 frames compared to a 7D2 set to 10FPS with servo focusing so it must be about 200-500 milliseconds all together with focus and human reaction times thrown in.
The main issue is not the speed, it's that you can't track while the EVF is dark, so you have to do it when it comes on.
So in my case I'm not on the bird and ready to shoot when the EVF comes on - so I then have to follow and catch up..and the beginning of the sequence is usually a better opportunity than the end of the sequence.
With the 7D2 I'm tracking the bird and acquiring focus and the only thing that feels slow is my reaction times on the shutter and the AF.
So in my mode of shooting with the R5, I typically miss three shots at the start of the action and gain 3 shots at the end of the action because the R5 tracks better and longer once it is on target.
But this can all be improved if you half press the shutter on the way up to the eye - as long as the EVF is up when it reaches your eye it doesn't feel slow and most of the time with this technique it is up and ready to go.
Has there been any improvement due to 1.6.0?
You can charge the LP-E6NH with a USB-C cable, I haven’t yet determined if this happens in a reasonable time.
Perhaps the R3 might be more suitable for those quick shots as it has a faster sensor and is designed for sports photographers. It also has the larger body as it has the grip built in. It however only takes 20mp and is far more expensive than the R5, In Australia the R5 is $6300 and the R3 is about $9000. I’m not sure how that compares in your currency. But most imported goods in Australia have a 40% markup compared to the US prices. Freight and exchange rates are not enough to explain the markup.
The prices are equivalent to Australia here - the difference to US prices is usually VAT which is not always applied there. Duty is only charged on video cameras in SA (extra 35% hence the importance of the 29min recording limit that everyone writes off as an anachronism)
The R3 is a great camera but I don’t need it. I prefer the pixel density on the R5. I don’t bother with USB charging. I use a grip but rely on my ability to recharge in the vehicle as needed.
If I were without a charger for a few days the older optical cameras would be my preference. At longer sightings the battery gets heavily depleted and the camera sometimes has problems with heat (not with photos). Just looking through the viewfinder will cause heat issues. But overall one
Learns to work around it. I shoot two bodies so it might be more of a problem for those shooting one body.
The spool up time is still annoying and does cost a shot or two. But again we learn to work around it.
I haven’t yet tried 1.6 I’ve not been using the camera for a few months while working on other projects.
It’s a great camera - good upgrade on optical - I don’t regret it in the least. Please don’t let my few nitpicks put you off. I wouldn’t give it back! :)
Thanks for this review. I am with the 7d mark ii and am thinking about an upgrade and found this video really helpful
Thanks for watching and good luck with the search :)
For the lens cap issue. The camera has a setting to have the shutter close so no debris or dust that traditionally would hit the mirror first. Would fall onto the sensor directly. Not bad for dust and debris issues. I don’t ever have myself in a situation where I need that. So I opted for shutter up upon power off.
When the camera freezes up. Eventually getting the command to shut down. It shut down. The clunk you heard was the shutter closing as per the default setting to protect the sensor. You can set this to not. But Africa and sand. Idk man your call. I would hate to get sand in the ibis ouch! Update to 1.1.1. Being real I only had one freeze up with my R5 but I haven’t seen it since the software update to 1.1.0 I have yet to go to 1.1 .1 myself.
Thanks for the info and for watching. Yes, bad dust here! I think I'll probably keep that shutter closed for changing lenses. I think my clunk was more like the noise when the IBIS shuts down? I wonder if the IS in the lens and the IBIS are not working well together hence the freezing? I'm seeing issues in the notes on the 1.11 firmware that they had issues with the 100-500 IS and also the 100-400 ii - so I think maybe there's a possibility that this freezing could also be an IS thing?
There's probably not many people using the 400 F2.8 with it yet so maybe canon hasn't had many complaints about this lens with the R5.
Hi Will, Love the channel. I saw the answer to one of your issues in another wildlife photographers video. Yes, the R5 will take all old version batteries, but it will not perform the same with the older batteries as with the new ones. This is true for mechanical shutter lag. It is not a problem with the newer batteries while kept charged well. You will also have the bigger lag with the new batteries if allowed to get low in charge (I don't know the exact charge level). So, it looks like battery grip with four of the newest batteries will allow you to use mechanical on your typical day.
Thanks David. Yes you are right, it requires the LP-E6NH at greater than 60% charge to run at 12FPS mechanical, the state is indicated with a green icon on the left side of the screen. Even when running at that state of charge the camera still has a staccato mechanical shutter. It aslo needs to be at greater than 1/1000th second. It's certainly improved in that state but not at all the same as an OVF - it's weird coming from a dslr. I'd prefer if the frame went dark (like a mirror closing) rather than show me the frozen image for a nanosecond - your mind wants to stop and wait with the frozen bird rather than continue tracking... I think it will be possible to get used to it once I use it more.
I actually prefer electronic though - no lag, no funny staccato view and will run at fast FPS below 60% charge and doesn't add to the shutter count :) I think I will most use electronic for wildlife and birds - unless there is a situation where rolling shutter is an issue.
Cheers! and thanks for watching :)
Do you know if this Is also an issue on the R6?
I believe they will be the same in this regard,
Thanks for being honest about your experience using the camera. I am a bird and wildlife photographer who also takes most of my photos from inside the car. I have the 7D Mark ii and have never used mirrorless so I think I will just keep what I have until something affordable comes along. I may get the Canon R6 and use for landscape images. I can't image not being able to see through the viewfinder instantly.
Hi, thanks for watching and coming to comment. I wanted to say that a number of mirrorless guys suggested I tap the focus button on the way up to the eye and I can confirm this works pretty well and the problem is basically resolved from my perspective.
One person warned that the EVF can stay active if the back of the camera is too close to the centre console in the car - it's mundane, but actually a really good observation.
The main points of difference between the R5 and 7Dii are handling, that all frame Autofocus and astonishing frame rate. Noise is also better controlled and dynamic range better.
There is no major compelling reason to move from the 7D2 to the R5 unless the items listed above will make a meaningful difference to your photography. So I can certainly understand your decision to stay put.
I am certain that canon will develop a whole range of great mirrorless cameras - I wonder though, if the APS-C will stay? It would save on lens confusion if it didn't but also reduce the options for high resolution cameras like a new 'R7'.
Hi Will, I use raw files. I paid for a 45 mp and I love it. Thanks for your helpfull videos !
Excellent review. Very helpful to know about using compressed RAW. I must remember that tip for when my R5 eventually arrives.
Thank you! Yes, I wish I'd known sooner - it's available on some of the other cams too.
EVF spinup: I recall back in 2003 time frame my friend ventured into digital camera first. When the camera went to sleep, it took a very long time to wake up. Probably more than it is taking the EVF to spin up today. Obviously with time, Canon has addressed that problem. I would suggest try to voice your concerns so that Canon hears them and hope for a firmware update. My body is still back ordered but I'm surprised that touching the shutter as soon as possible that the EVF hasn't spun up by the time you get the camera to your eye.
Very nice review -- a real person doing real work and describing what is and isn't working.
Thanks for watching and your thoughts here. Yes of course you are right, a little perspective can help a lot. It's not so long ago is it!
The canon EVF startup is actually very fast for a mirrorless camera. Certainly faster than the Olympus OMD EM-1 Mark ii, which is the last one I tested.
Many of the regular mirrorless shooters have suggested tapping a focus button on the way up to the eye, and that has been working very well.
Thanks for the great review. Do you have any problems with rolling shutter when using the electronic shutter. Thanks again.
Hi Alasdair, thanks for watching.
The rolling shutter isn't really a problem for what I do with birds in flight. Only when panning with distinct vertical lines in the shot. The rest of the time it has no impact.
For wildlife, I'd just switch into mechanical.
@@WillGoodlet thanks that is good to know
Hey Will, as always thanks for yet another excellent video. I too have been toying with the idea of making the move to mirrorless, or at least adding the R5 to my arsenal of options for wildlife photography. At present my main body is a 1Dx Mk ii and a 7D Mkii as the second body and while I'm really happy with the combo I can't help but wonder if it's worth the added expense. So for the moment I'm still undecided but will wait and see how you like it after you've had it for a little longer. Once again thanks for sharing your insights, happy shooting and stay safe..... JC
Hi JC, thanks for watching, I'll certainly do an update in the future (if and when Canon send the camera back!)
Great info Will. Will also go to Marievale next week. Got 2 R5's. Used them in Kruger last week but still a steep learning curve going mirrorless. From another Defender lover.
Awesome! Share some notes when you get a chance please!
Re, the lens cap warning. I saw on another mirrorless camera video the suggestion/thought was that sun light down the lens would melt the sensor when not in use. Not sure if this is the case here.
Sunlight will burn out the shutter (set to close to keep dust out) as it’s more vulnerable than the mirror on cameras that don’t close the shutter.
Of course dslr shine the light via the mirror safely out the viewfinder!