Buy R5 or R6 mark II and wait for R5 mark II

if you can buy the r5, just buy it.
Saving money is not your issue, the best quality is.

Many of us settled on the r6/r62 because of budget reasons. IF you dont have those limitations, spend the money. You cant really lose here.
I personally would MUCH rather have 45mp instead of 24 for my landscapes. but i also dont have nearly 4k for a body alone. Ouch.

Life is short, spend the cash and get the best tools for your craft.

Cheers

“I’m a professional portrait photographer who shoots in low light”

No camera is going to fix that problem.  In my book, if you aren’t a lighting professional, then you aren’t a professional portrait photographer, you’re a guy with an expensive money hustling people into thinking you’ll deliver professional results.  I’m being blunt because you are taking people’s money, and you shouldn’t

You can get as offended as you want, but I bet you haven’t read any books on professional portraiture, have you? Taken classes? Because the books talk about lighting and the instructors teach you about lighting.

What I think is study lighting, but the lighting equipment and use it a LOT on a model until you master it. Then you can worry about a camera and a lens. The most important equipment in portraiture is:

1) Lighting

2) Lens

3) Camera

For a lens, look at a Canon 85mm f/1.4 or f/1.2.  There are several and they’re all amazing and none of them are cheap.  For an amazing portrait body cheap, the 5Dsr. Otherwise, any of the R5 or R6 bodies; their eye autofocus is great with the razor-thin DoF of the fast 85mm lenses.

Yeah, lighting is a difficult skill to master. I don't do portraits, but I did get some budget lights and umbrellas for a video podcast I'm working on and WOW did I get an eye-opener on THAT process! I'm satisfied with my tiny "studio" now, but only because I am my only customer. 

Steven Aunan wrote:

Yeah, lighting is a difficult skill to master. I don't do portraits, but I did get some budget lights and umbrellas for a video podcast I'm working on and WOW did I get an eye-opener on THAT process! I'm satisfied with my tiny "studio" now, but only because I am my only customer.

In Hollywood, lighting director is its own profession. That's how important it is. There's a Director, the camera operators/videographers, set designers, and lighting directors. It's a very difficult skill.

Circle6 wrote:

...I just want to be able to give my clients the best quality I can offer with the least amount of retouching and stressing about getting the shot or not.

From experience, if I were shooting for profit, it is the best to buy what's available immediately. It will almost always pay for itself.

I personally leaning toward the R5 for your applications (lifestyle, portrait, headshots, and moving into boudoir.). An R6II would be more budget friendly if you don't need the higher sensor resolution.

shadowlands wrote:

thunder storm wrote:

Circle6 wrote:

Currently, I'm an olympus shooter, but as a portrait photographer I know I need more...everything as I level up in my photography. I mainly shoot lifestyle, portrait, headshots, and moving into boudoir photography later this year. I do not shoot weddings or video, but since I photograph people low light, autofocus, and picture quality are super important. I watched as many videos as possible and it points to the Canon R5 being heaven-sent. But should I just buy the R6 MII and spend the extra money on lenses and wait till the R5 MII comes out, or just jump on the R5 right now and just get one strong lens?

What do you need what the current R5 is missing? It could be nothing. For low light AF it could be simply all you need.

It could be wise to think about your lenses as well for low light AF. Another forum member doing boudoir photography had problems with the AF of the RF 50mm f/1.2 L. I've rented that lens and it disappointed me for low light AF as well. I own the Sigma 40mm f/1.4 Art, and that lens focuses better in low light. It's also a whole lot more affordable, easily the difference between the R5 and R6II. Oh, it's sharper as well.

I don't have a massive budget, so it would be an investment to step up and charge more.

If you're willing to drop the Mp-count to 24Mp, you might want to drop it to 20Mp as well and get the R6mkI for now.

Also, I know it's not the camera that makes a person a good photographer, I just want to be able to give my clients the best quality I can offer with the least amount of retouching and stressing about getting the shot or not.

Thanks and I appreciate the feedback

If I may ask: what is the budget? Is the R5 + 28-70mm f/2.0 within reach? Is there anything you would need beyond that?"

"Is the R5 + 28-70mm f/2.0 within reach?"

Been there, done that. My poor bank. LOL

I will shoot the Sony A7IV with 50mm f/1.2 G-master alongside the R5 + either the 28mm or 105mm f/1.4 Art. Two bodies, three primes.

My three primes where only 20% more expensive than your zoom. 

The A7IV was almost half the price of the R5.