mirrorless Archives

This is my research about the Canon EOS R5. The camera is not released yet. So there are some details about the camera that we know, and there are other details that are still rumours and we don’t know.

My thanks to Canonrumors for what we don’t know.

Specification: Canon EOS R5

Newly designed 45MP full frame CMOS sensor rumoured A sensor of this size is evidently required for 8K video.
20fps electronic shutter burst or 12fps mechanically confirmed
In body stabilisation (IBIS) confirmed up to eight stops rumoured “a newly Canon-developed, in-camera image stabilization system – which works in combination with the lens stabilization system, making sure that whatever the situation stills and video content captured is shake-free.”
Builtin WiFi confirmed. 5GHz ?
Bluetooth 5.1 rumour
Dual card slots confirmed. One or both slots are CFexpress rumour.
Similar battery to the 5D Mark IV rumour.
8K video confirmed @30fps unconfirmed 4K @ 120fps unconfirmed.

Differences with the Canon EOS R

I have moved to the Canon EOS R from Sony. I know the camera very well so I am not surprised at the rumoured design changes. These are what users have been asking for:

Similar size (based on photographs)
Multi-function bar to be replaced by a scroll wheel rumour
Larger capacity battery rumour
New Digic processor from the new Canon 1D X Mark III rumour

Positioning

This camera is being introduced by Canon as a professional mirrorless camera. Their tagline is ‘Professional Mirrorless Redefined’ (confirmed). The R5 shares a similar name to the Canon EOS 5D which has had success in the professional/strong amateur market for many years. Could the Canon EOS R5 be aimed at a similar market positioning (conjecture)?

Launch

The Canon EOS R5 will be on show at The Photography Show in Birmingham. (confirmed). The launch date is July 2020 in time for the Olympics in Japan (rumoured). The timing is tight, as many professionals have not yet made the move to mirrorless. The Canon shooters amongst them will likely be using the new Canon 1D X Mark lll.

There is a distant rumour that Canon are working on the Canon EOS R1 for launch in 2021.

The advantage of the R5 at the Olympics would be the 8K video. Which would allow quality stills to be produced from 8K footage. (Is this true?) Canon reportedly said that it is possible to “extract high-resolution still images from video footage”.

The recently launched Samsung Galaxy S20 smartphone does this. As they say on their website: “Shoot videos in 8K resolution at a huge 24FPS. And with Single Take, turn them into 33MP stills in an instant”.

Pricing

There is no confirmation on pricing, but the Canon EOS 5D is priced at £2549 body only. The EOS R5 is likely to be a similar price plus a premium e.g £3K (conjecture).

Camera Wrist Strap

I have avoided dropping my camera so many times using a simple inexpensive wrist strap like this one. Cameras and expensive lenses do not bounce!

USA

Start / John Gough / Sony a6300

A couple of YouTube videos have described the state of the interchangeable lens camera market as ‘Mirrorless Wars’. However, this is a misnomer it is not a war but a race, and the big players have yet to start.

The Race

To recap. The Sony launch of the Sony a7III was a gamechanger. A mirrorless full frame camera for £2000 packed with technology. It has been hailed as stunning by all who reviewed it. At a time when sales of DSLR’s are steadily declining, the a7III is now the best selling camera in the United States. Sony has taken on the goliaths of the pro/enthusiast market: Nikon and Canon and made deep inroads into a territory, they thought was theirs by divine right.

Sony is throwing down the gauntlet, challenging both Nikon and Canon to have a go. Nikon has responded. This week they will announce two mirrorless full frame cameras to challenge Sony. Commentators think a war will break out, with creaky old Nikon pulling a fast one and suddenly bettering the Sony offer.

What we have is no war, it is not even a battle, a fight or a skirmish. It is a race. If it were a Grand Prix, Sony would be laps ahead with a range of brilliant mirrorless full frame cameras and lenses. Nikon would have a car that is ready to go, but must be sensationally fast to beat the best. We will see on Thursday. Canon is meanwhile working in the pits, but no one knows on what. Olympus and Fujifilm are chatting in the stands, keeping a safe distance, waiting and hoping that their loyal supporters will stick with their micro four thirds, and APS-C offerings. Click here to make sense of that statement.

Talking Flanges

Continuing on this racing analogy, beware I am now going to talk flanges because this is the handicap, that both Nikon and Canon must overcome.

In a DSLR camera, there has to be room for the mirror mechanism. In mirrorless cameras, there is obviously no mirror. This means that the camera can be a lot less heavy and less bulky. The result is that the lens is now much closer to the sensor. Consequently, the flange distance has changed which means that a new mount is required. The last time Nikon introduced a new mount was in 1959!

This is key to understanding the dilemma Nikon and Canon are in. They have for years made money on lenses developed in the past and sold today. It is their biggest profit stream, and it is going to slowly fade away. They will no doubt create adaptors so that old lenses can be used on these new cameras, but they will not work as well as a lens designed for a mirrorless camera. That is because DSLRs use phase detection autofocus vs contrast detection in mirrorless. This means that lenses have to be capable of micro movements, which enables the clever technology around focus tracking and eye detection, which makes the Sony mirrorless full frame camera so versatile.

On the Starting Grid

So Nikon and Canon have a lot of catching up to do, which means that what they offer in this marketplace will have to be truly amazing. This is a race, in which we the consumers are the winners.

The Mirrorless War Video

From Kevin Raber at Luminous Landscape

Where I Buy

I buy my equipment from Wex because I have genuinely found that they offer great advice and customer service.

Canon EOS R5 What You Don’t Know