Last Updated on May 31, 2023 by cameraconsumer
The Canon EOS R5 is a powerful camera that has been making waves in the photography world since its release in 2020.
It’s been on the market for a few years now, but it still has the potential to be a great camera. And the R5 is an even better deal now, with the R5 MK II on the way!
It has a 45mp sensor, excellent autofocus capabilities, and an ergonomic design. So, the R5 is a great choice for photographers of all levels. It shoots at 12f/s with the mechanical shutter, and 20f/s on electronic. And, it can also shoot 8K raw video internally.
It comes with the Digic X processor, dual pixel AF, 5-axis IBIS, a beautiful EVF, and a solid 3.2-inch vari-angle touchscreen. But specs alone don’t tell the whole story. After using it extensively for an entire year, how does the R5 hold up?
So, let’s take a look at the features of the Canon EOS R5 and find out if and why it’s still a great camera choice in 2023.
Canon R5 Autofocus
The autofocus on the R5 is one of its standout features. It’s capable of tracking eyes, planes, birds, and animals with ease. You can also adjust the sensitivity of the autofocus, so you can set it to be super sticky and lock onto the eye.
Or you can set it to be more responsive and switch from one point to another quickly.
And the AF capabilities offer a nice little bonus when it comes to lenses. The autofocus speed and tracking ability between the old EF lenses and the new RF lenses is really close.
So, you can save some money by buying old EF glass and using it with the R5.
The Ergonomics
The EOS R is still the king of comfort when it comes to grips.
Canon hit the nail on the head with the EOS R. The R5 on the other hand has a more boxy grip. It’s still comfortable, but not as comfortable as the EOS R. Still, the tapered grip on the R5 is great for shooting with heavy lenses like the 28-70mm or 70-200mm.
And it fits nicely into the palm of your hand.
Button Layout and Customizability
The button layout on the R5 is great – everything is super intuitive.
You can set up a dual rear button autofocus, which is great for shooting weddings. You can set one button for eye tracking and the other for center point focus. So, you can focus on a champagne glass, for example, while having everyone else defocused.
The joystick on the R5 is super responsive. But you can also set up part of the screen to be like a touchpad for moving the focus point around. This is even faster than using the joystick.
Canon R5 Image Quality
In Jared Polin’s real-world review of the R5, he called it a masterful camera for everything that it offers, and he highlighted how the R5 delivers on its promises.
And to that extent, it’s definitely one of the most well-rounded cameras that we have tested.
The 45-megapixel sensor on the R5 is great for getting details. It resolves a lot of detail for headshots, portraits, and beauty shots. You can also shrink it down to a 20-megapixel image to remove any blurry edges.
From taking it to the zoo to test out animal eye AF, to a baseball game, the R5 can handle just about any type of photography.
The biggest revelation with the R5 is its autofocus. You can trust that the focus will go exactly where it needs to be just about every time. Recent Sony cameras have pushed the limits of AF, but the Canon R5 is just as good.
Adapted EF glass works perfectly, as do newer third-party lenses, like Tamron or Sigma. The raw files the R5 has been capturing in combination with RF glass have been fantastic.
The colors pop, the contrast is on point, and the details are solid.
The In-Body Image Stabilizer, in combination with IS in RF glass is insane. You can hand hold to shutter speeds that are super slow and still get sharp images when you’re not shooting fast-moving subjects.
In some situations, images taken with the electronic shutter might introduce some rolling shutter. But, this isn’t just a Canon problem, since any camera without a stacked sensor will have this issue. So, if this seems like an issue for you, and if you can afford it, the Canon EOS R3 will be your best bet.
ISO Range
The Canon R5 has an ISO range of 100 to 32000.
While we never went to the max, we did push the R5 out to 16,000 ISO and it was more than capable. You might see some noise and grain if you zoom in, but then again, it’s 16,000 ISO!
For the average person, who never goes beyond the “normal range”, like 200 – 1600 ISO, the R5 will perform in just about any real-world setting.
The Overheating Issues
As you might have heard, the R5 does tend to have overheating issues. And, the camera does shut off when overheated.
When Canon released the information about how long you can shoot 4K HQ and 8K video before it overheats, people weren’t happy. Most of the criticism was deserved, since Canon really hyped up shooting videos in 8K.
Here is Canon’s official shooting time chart:
But, the overheating issue is a little overhyped.
You most likely won’t have any issues with overheating while shooting real-life 4K HQ applications. The average person isn’t recording continuously. There are a lot of starts and stops, which allows everything to cool.
4K 30p isn’t limited by heat, so if you need to record for hours on end, lowering the video quality to 4K will get the job done. But you can also try a few heat dissipation techniques to squeeze in more time out of 8k. For example, you can flip out the screen, take off the battery grip, use a tripod with a smaller plate, use a Tilta fan, etc.
Conclusion
The Canon EOS R5 is an amazing camera that is still worth buying in 2023.
It has a 45-megapixel sensor, great autofocus capabilities, and an ergonomic design. It’s a great choice for commercial photographers, wedding and event photographers, headshot and portrait photographers, etc.
It’s also a great choice for artwork reproduction, commercial photography, and fashion photography.
If you’re a pro photographer looking for a budget flagship camera, the R5 is an absolutely amazing deal. And that deal will only get better when the R5 MK II is official.
Does The R5 Hold Up In 2023 (And Beyond)?
If you’re thinking of buying an R5, don’t hesitate. It’ll be a valid camera for at least another 6-7 years!
And the R5 is better situated today than the day it was announced. Through a few major firmware updates, as well as new lenses being released, it’s more capable today, than in 2020.
One of the advantages of a mirrorless camera is that they’re more dependent on software and sensors than mirrors and mechanical hardware. So each firmware update can have a major impact. And even smaller updates add up.
So, the R5 in 2020 isn’t the same camera as the R5 today in 2023, with updated firmware. This is a major reason to avoid grey market cameras!
Add it all up, and the Canon R5 is well-suited for 2023, and beyond. Amazing video, amazing stills, top-notch autofocus, great raw files, and a fabulous selection of lenses – both native and adapted…
So does the R5 hold up in 2023? The answer is a resounding yes.
