Biggest challenges with R5 (to 5D line previous owners)

Folks, this is not to start any bashing. No need, plenty of threads like that. I would try the camera myself, but there is no opportunity to do so. I am considering a transition from 5D line and I loved the system, but will move to mirrorless sooner of later. I know strong points of the camera that are relevant to me (I am a landscape photographer mostly), but wanted to assess other things based on what others have experienced. Share your experience, please if you are moving from 5D line to R5 and own R5 yourself. What are your biggest challenges?

I struggle to choose, as it was so natural to me 😊 (5d4 -> -R -> R5)

Hope to be able to reply soon, as I will be transitioning from a 5DsR to the R5 and am also primarily a landscape shooter. Lots to like about the camera on paper. I am assuming I will have an adjustment period to get used to the EVF but hoping that will not turn out to be a big issue. I am not anticipating any issues form perhaps carrying more batteries. And I suppose if I start to dabble more seriously in wildlife, I may have another family of lens types to start lusting after too

Unfortunately my camera is scheduled to ship out to me around the end of September, but if your post is still available then, or you want to drop me a PM with some way to get back to you, I can give you my feelings as a scenic shooter transitioning to the R5 once I have my camera for a bit.

ML

Light Pilgrim wrote:

Folks, this is not to start any bashing. No need, plenty of threads like that. I would try the camera myself, but there is no opportunity to do so. I am considering a transition from 5D line and I loved the system, but will move to mirrorless sooner of later. I know strong points of the camera that are relevant to me (I am a landscape photographer mostly), but wanted to assess other things based on what others have experienced. Share your experience, please if you are moving from 5D line to R5 and own R5 yourself. What are your biggest challenges?

How would anyone know if the 5Ds are more durable?

Other is probably the best answer. I have a few small issues but nothing deal breaking or even significant.

- The EVF is AWESOME! Take this from someone who HATED earlier EVFs. Its not the issue, but the implementation of it is. As a wildlife guy sitting and waiting for something to happen is the norm. But the camera has to be ready at ANY time to start shooting. I find the way Canon set up the EVF wake up is not ideal. A half shutter button press will wake up the camera, which is fine, but you have to activate the EVF sensor for the EVF to wake up. This slight delay is crucial considering you're blind until it wakes. Ways around this require you to do EVERYTHING through the EVF including menus and playback which isn't ideal.

- 12-Bit Electronic Shutter. This is less gripe and more wishlist. This is a problem because the E-Shutter's 12-Bit pipeline robs dynamic range.  So you have to be spot on (at least on the highlights), as I find even a 1/3 stop too much starts losing detail. So get it right or shoot in one of the mechanical shutters.

I came from the 5D4 and the only thing I miss about it, is the beefier grip of the 5D series.

Thanks. i read about the slight delay in starting up being an issue for wild life. How do you like the EVF tracking fast moving subject in shutter and electronic shutter mode? Any lags at all? I think the shutter has black out which is expected but the EVF does not. This is my main concern as I take surfing photos

gavin wrote:

Thanks. i read about the slight delay in starting up being an issue for wild life. How do you like the EVF tracking fast moving subject in shutter and electronic shutter mode? Any lags at all? I think the shutter has black out which is expected but the EVF does not. This is my main concern as I take surfing photos

Yes, there is a slight lag or studder but its very workable. It shouldn't impact your ability to track anything.

aeronium wrote:

I came from the 5D4 and the only thing I miss about it, is the beefier grip of the 5D series.

Yes... I would love to have the beefy grip back.

gazza73 wrote:

aeronium wrote:

I came from the 5D4 and the only thing I miss about it, is the beefier grip of the 5D series.

Do you mean the standard grip or with battery grip?

I have the BG-R10 battery grip on my R5 and It is vey substantial to a point where people with smaller hands would find it a struggle.

To my hand the R5/BG-R10 feels much more like a 1D series than any 5D/Battery grip ever did.

The standard grip.

It's more of the "fatness" of the grip, rather than the height of it. The grip on the 5D4 feels chunkier.

I find that the battery grip adds additional weight and bulk so it wouldn't be ideal for certain situations like travelling or hiking.

gazza73 wrote:

aeronium wrote:

gazza73 wrote:

aeronium wrote:

I came from the 5D4 and the only thing I miss about it, is the beefier grip of the 5D series.

Do you mean the standard grip or with battery grip?

I have the BG-R10 battery grip on my R5 and It is vey substantial to a point where people with smaller hands would find it a struggle.

To my hand the R5/BG-R10 feels much more like a 1D series than any 5D/Battery grip ever did.

The standard grip.

It's more of the "fatness" of the grip, rather than the height of it. The grip on the 5D4 feels chunkier.

I find that the battery grip adds additional weight and bulk so it wouldn't be ideal for certain situations like travelling or hiking.

That makes sense however, I feel if the grip was any thicker then the buttons under the thumb would be more of a stretch....... we’re all different and I guess from using my A7rIII more than my 5D’s the R5 is half way between the two which I like a lot.

I've ALWAYS hated Canon's battery grips. Its almost like they make them aesthetically ugly to protect the 1D series. They always look like third party add-ons and never really match the contours of the original body. I just don't understand...

As for the R5's body, it is a little bit compromised to help those with smaller hands (relative to the 5D series and the 7D series). Not a big compromise so it ok, but its noticeable.

You mentioned the AF-ON reach, and I do feel like it was awkward compared to the 7D and 5D series cameras as well. I've gotten used to it in the last 2-3 weeks, but it was uncomfortable at first.

Tazz93 wrote:

Other is probably the best answer. I have a few small issues but nothing deal breaking or even significant.

- The EVF is AWESOME! Take this from someone who HATED earlier EVFs. Its not the issue, but the implementation of it is. As a wildlife guy sitting and waiting for something to happen is the norm. But the camera has to be ready at ANY time to start shooting. I find the way Canon set up the EVF wake up is not ideal. A half shutter button press will wake up the camera, which is fine, but you have to activate the EVF sensor for the EVF to wake up. This slight delay is crucial considering you're blind until it wakes. Ways around this require you to do EVERYTHING through the EVF including menus and playback which isn't ideal.

- 12-Bit Electronic Shutter. This is less gripe and more wishlist. This is a problem because the E-Shutter's 12-Bit pipeline robs dynamic range. So you have to be spot on (at least on the highlights), as I find even a 1/3 stop too much starts losing detail. So get it right or shoot in one of the mechanical shutters.

I have a 5R ordered. This is the first I heard about the 12 bit electronic shutter. I could be wrong but I find that disappointing. What are the advantages and disadvantages of electronic versus mechanical shutter with the 5R?

I also didn't know about the EVF going to sleep. I'm very used to being able to take a quick look thru an optical viewfinder on a DSLR, so that will take some getting used to for me.

KatManDEW wrote:

Tazz93 wrote:

Other is probably the best answer. I have a few small issues but nothing deal breaking or even significant.

- The EVF is AWESOME! Take this from someone who HATED earlier EVFs. Its not the issue, but the implementation of it is. As a wildlife guy sitting and waiting for something to happen is the norm. But the camera has to be ready at ANY time to start shooting. I find the way Canon set up the EVF wake up is not ideal. A half shutter button press will wake up the camera, which is fine, but you have to activate the EVF sensor for the EVF to wake up. This slight delay is crucial considering you're blind until it wakes. Ways around this require you to do EVERYTHING through the EVF including menus and playback which isn't ideal.

- 12-Bit Electronic Shutter. This is less gripe and more wishlist. This is a problem because the E-Shutter's 12-Bit pipeline robs dynamic range. So you have to be spot on (at least on the highlights), as I find even a 1/3 stop too much starts losing detail. So get it right or shoot in one of the mechanical shutters.

I have a 5R ordered. This is the first I heard about the 12 bit electronic shutter. I could be wrong but I find that disappointing. What are the advantages and disadvantages of electronic versus mechanical shutter with the 5R?

I also didn't know about the EVF going to sleep. I'm very used to being able to take a quick look thru an optical viewfinder on a DSLR, so that will take some getting used to for me.

The electronic shutter's 12 bit mode is the industry standard for that level of speed. Both A9 bodies shoot that way, as well as the R6 and 1DX III, and I believe the A7r IV may push their bit depth down for higher speed modes as well, but don't quote me on that one.

The R5 uses the electric shutter for its uber high speed 20 fps shooting. So if you are shooting at 12 fps with the regular shutter you get 13 bit, if you shooting in one of the under 8 fps modes you get 14 bit. The only exception is the electronic shutter, where all electronic shutter shooting is all 12 bit, whether its single frame or 20 fps.

The EVF can be configured to stay on all the time, but the battery drain is a little more than I'd like. Also it would force you to do everything through EVF, like menus, image review, etc. There are workarounds like creating a button to turn the LCD on/off so you can use the LCD with a single button press, but I find it more problematic than its worth. Would be nice if Canon made a DSLR mode for playback and shooting. The options they give for EVF and LCD implementation are really odd and very specialized for non-still photography use (IMO).

Tazz93 wrote:

KatManDEW wrote:

Tazz93 wrote:

Other is probably the best answer. I have a few small issues but nothing deal breaking or even significant.

- The EVF is AWESOME! Take this from someone who HATED earlier EVFs. Its not the issue, but the implementation of it is. As a wildlife guy sitting and waiting for something to happen is the norm. But the camera has to be ready at ANY time to start shooting. I find the way Canon set up the EVF wake up is not ideal. A half shutter button press will wake up the camera, which is fine, but you have to activate the EVF sensor for the EVF to wake up. This slight delay is crucial considering you're blind until it wakes. Ways around this require you to do EVERYTHING through the EVF including menus and playback which isn't ideal.

- 12-Bit Electronic Shutter. This is less gripe and more wishlist. This is a problem because the E-Shutter's 12-Bit pipeline robs dynamic range. So you have to be spot on (at least on the highlights), as I find even a 1/3 stop too much starts losing detail. So get it right or shoot in one of the mechanical shutters.

I have a 5R ordered. This is the first I heard about the 12 bit electronic shutter. I could be wrong but I find that disappointing. What are the advantages and disadvantages of electronic versus mechanical shutter with the 5R?

I also didn't know about the EVF going to sleep. I'm very used to being able to take a quick look thru an optical viewfinder on a DSLR, so that will take some getting used to for me.

The electronic shutter's 12 bit mode is the industry standard for that level of speed. Both A9 bodies shoot that way, as well as the R6 and 1DX III, and I believe the A7r IV may push their bit depth down for higher speed modes as well, but don't quote me on that one.

The R5 uses the electric shutter for its uber high speed 20 fps shooting. So if you are shooting at 12 fps with the regular shutter you get 13 bit, if you shooting in one of the under 8 fps modes you get 14 bit. The only exception is the electronic shutter, where all electronic shutter shooting is all 12 bit, whether its single frame or 20 fps.

The EVF can be configured to stay on all the time, but the battery drain is a little more than I'd like. Also it would force you to do everything through EVF, like menus, image review, etc. There are workarounds like creating a button to turn the LCD on/off so you can use the LCD with a single button press, but I find it more problematic than its worth. Would be nice if Canon made a DSLR mode for playback and shooting. The options they give for EVF and LCD implementation are really odd and very specialized for non-still photography use (IMO).

Thank you for that explanation.

KatManDEW wrote:[..]

I have a 5R ordered. This is the first I heard about the 12 bit electronic shutter. I could be wrong but I find that disappointing. What are the advantages and disadvantages of electronic versus mechanical shutter with the 5R?[..]

I rented a 1dx3 a few weeks back and I was happy with the results from the ES. Especially on a tripod, it removes all shutter shock. Since most of the tripod shots were properly exposed I didn't need to tweak exposure a lot in post. For the other shots I didn't notice a big difference compared to 14-bit files from my RP.