p.85 #1 · Sony-shooters thoughts on the Canon R5/R6
RoamingScott wrote:
Should have been more specific...low angle vertical pictures. For some reason, when I find myself inclined to shoot near ground level, I'm almost always shooting vertically.
Fuji got screens right for us non-bloggers...I wish more manufacturers use the 3 way vari-tilt vs Sony's 2 way, or Canon full flippy.
Makes sense...I agree that the Fuji one is ideal. Or if people really need an all in one they can get the Panny S1-H which does tilts in line with the lens and can flip around....but I bet it is pretty bulky to do all of that.
p.85 #5 · Sony-shooters thoughts on the Canon R5/R6
RoamingScott wrote:
First impression of the R5 body and lenses compared to the R4:
- I can take low angle pics using the flippy LCD without getting on my knees or worse. Yay!
- The back scroll wheel doesn't click like a D-Pad and that confused me for way too long...it's very odd having to use the AF joystick for D-Pad functions, but clicking it in only works in half the screens, and you have to hit Set for the others. I also forgot I could use the touchscreen instead, which works far better than the AF joystick method
- There is a noticeable heft increase across the board, and everything feels more front heavy than analogous Sony lenses. However, the grip is far deeper/better than the R4 and my pinky isn't clinging on desperately, basically negating the weight increase.
- Canon zoom lenses rotate in the opposite direction. Goodbye years of muscle memory!
- The EVF is FAR easier for me to see than the Alpha bodies. I felt like I had to cram my eyeball into the camera, and I was still missing edges of the EVF on Sony.
-On/Off switch action feels backwards to what my brain thinks it should be. Also hate the left side placement but it is what it is.
-Shutter is just as pleasantly soft as the R4.
-I like that when mounting a lens, the markers are at the very top of the mount and not at 2 oclock. That always annoyed the hell out of me on my Sony bodies. I also like that the lens release button is on the opposite side from the grip, preventing accidental loosenings.
-100-500 has a terrible design flaw of not being able to zoom the lens with the hood on and reversed. How did that make it past any user feedback?!
The cam and lenses feel very solid and well made, looking forward to better weather to get out and shoot....Show more →
No! Sony lenses zoom in the opposite direction to Canon!
p.85 #7 · Sony-shooters thoughts on the Canon R5/R6
@arbitrage did you notice that the R5's EyeAF+tracking mode is less sticky than Sony's wide mode (and keep in mind I'm talking R4 levels of stickiness, not A1/A9)?
I tried shooting swallows and purple martins in flight last night, and the camera had a miserable time keeping locked on against a blue sky. It would constantly lose focus, start pulsing, and i had to pull the camera down, prefocus a bit, and try again. I was blown away by how much it struggled to focus consistently.
Very probable it's user error. Swallows are just tough to use any other AF mode for since they are so erratic.
edit: also, the Canons won't preview the depth of field automatically in the EVF as you adjust the aperture? hadn't heard that one before, and that would be a dealbreaker if I have to do that manually with a button press. Sounds like from the manual they expect you to hold the DOF preview button with your ring finger as you change aperture. Guess Canon felt like they had to appeal to all the DSLR dinosaurs.
double edit: furthermore, if you shoot at anything but wide open, the EVF would not be giving you an accurate image preview, correct, unless you hold the DOF preview button? I feel like this one little feature/lack thereof is blowing my mind apart lol
triple edit: literally none of my PCs, docks, laptop chargers with USB ports, phone charging bricks, etc will USB charge this thing. I knew Canon was selling a nearly $200 USB charging brick, but I didn't think it would be THIS hard to find something around the house to charge it with USB. Is this post "Sony shooters thoughts on the R5" yet?
p.85 #8 · Sony-shooters thoughts on the Canon R5/R6
RoamingScott wrote:
@arbitrage@ did you notice that the R5's EyeAF+tracking mode is less sticky than Sony's wide mode (and keep in mind I'm talking R4 levels of stickiness, not A1/A9)?
I tried shooting swallows and purple martins in flight last night, and the camera had a miserable time keeping locked on against a blue sky. It would constantly lose focus, start pulsing, and i had to pull the camera down, prefocus a bit, and try again. I was blown away by how much it struggled to focus consistently.
Very probable it's user error. Swallows are just tough to use any other AF mode for since they are so erratic.
edit: also, the Canons won't preview the depth of field automatically in the EVF as you adjust the aperture? hadn't heard that one before, and that would be a dealbreaker if I have to do that manually with a button press. Sounds like from the manual they expect you to hold the DOF preview button with your ring finger as you change aperture. Guess Canon felt like they had to appeal to all the DSLR dinosaurs.
double edit: furthermore, if you shoot at anything but wide open, the EVF would not be giving you an accurate image preview, correct, unless you hold the DOF preview button? I feel like this one little feature/lack thereof is blowing my mind apart lol
triple edit: literally none of my PCs, docks, laptop chargers with USB ports, phone charging bricks, etc will USB charge this thing. I knew Canon was selling a nearly $200 USB charging brick, but I didn't think it would be THIS hard to find something around the house to charge it with USB. Is this post "Sony shooters thoughts on the R5" yet? ...Show more →
Just get a cheap PD enabled charger (30 bucks) and it will work fine. AS for the DOF thing, yea requires a button press. I don't get why this isn't an option rather and not forced. As for earlier mentioned items from R4 to C r5, i made this move and I think many of the points were addressed with the a1, minus the weight/size.
p.85 #9 · Sony-shooters thoughts on the Canon R5/R6
RoamingScott wrote:
edit: also, the Canons won't preview the depth of field automatically in the EVF as you adjust the aperture? hadn't heard that one before, and that would be a dealbreaker if I have to do that manually with a button press. Sounds like from the manual they expect you to hold the DOF preview button with your ring finger as you change aperture. Guess Canon felt like they had to appeal to all the DSLR dinosaurs.
double edit: furthermore, if you shoot at anything but wide open, the EVF would not be giving you an accurate image preview, correct, unless you hold the DOF preview button? I feel like this one little feature/lack thereof is blowing my mind apart lol
triple edit: literally none of my PCs, docks, laptop chargers with USB ports, phone charging bricks, etc will USB charge this thing. I knew Canon was selling a nearly $200 USB charging brick, but I didn't think it would be THIS hard to find something around the house to charge it with USB. Is this post "Sony shooters thoughts on the R5" yet? ...Show more →
Re DOF/EVF - I complained about this directly to Canon, not that it will necessarily be resolved. While not totally critical for wildlife photography it's irritating doing something like landscape work when a constant accurate DOF preview is critical. It also makes me wonder if the Canons focus wide open rather than stopped down, similar to a DSLR? At very least this should be an option that could be enabled, perhaps always active when exposure simulation is enabled.
Never had any issues with charging though, be it a Macbook USB-C charger, Lenovo USB-C charger, phone charger, power bank. However all are listed as PD compatible, and I've only ever charged with the camera off - it's possible that with it running there isn't enough current to offset the battery drain from the camera being on?
p.85 #10 · Sony-shooters thoughts on the Canon R5/R6
nycdarkness wrote:
Just get a cheap PD enabled charger (30 bucks) and it will work fine. AS for the DOF thing, yea requires a button press. I don't get why this isn't an option rather and not forced. As for earlier mentioned items from R4 to C r5, i made this move and I think many of the points were addressed with the a1, minus the weight/size.
I'm really not interested in buying new USB chargers when all my others worked flawlessly on the Sony. If I could afford the A1, I'd have just went to that, as yes, it seems to really be the king of the hill for all the features I want. When BIFing, I'll almost always be using as wide of an aperture as possible, so not the biggest issue...perched birds can be another story sometimes, and having to juggle the extra button increases the probability of missing a shot.
Greg Schneider wrote:
Re DOF/EVF - I complained about this directly to Canon, not that it will necessarily be resolved. While not totally critical for wildlife photography it's irritating doing something like landscape work when a constant accurate DOF preview is critical. It also makes me wonder if the Canons focus wide open rather than stopped down, similar to a DSLR? At very least this should be an option that could be enabled, perhaps always active when exposure simulation is enabled.
Never had any issues with charging though, be it a Macbook USB-C charger, Lenovo USB-C charger, phone charger, power bank. However all are listed as PD compatible, and I've only ever charged with the camera off - it's possible that with it running there isn't enough current to offset the battery drain from the camera being on?
I tried all USB charging with the power off...nothing triggered it to charge.
Reading more about the DOF thing, it seems Canon is for sure focusing wide open and then stopping down at shutter fire. This allows them to market the camera as having better low light focusing than Sony/Nikon, which...true...but give us the option for crying out loud. I shoot landscape and like you say, a DOF preview is critical and gating that behind a mandatory button press is asinine. It's also nice on Sony to use the phone app to change the aperture and have the preview there.
p.85 #11 · Sony-shooters thoughts on the Canon R5/R6
RoamingScott wrote:
@arbitrage@ did you notice that the R5's EyeAF+tracking mode is less sticky than Sony's wide mode (and keep in mind I'm talking R4 levels of stickiness, not A1/A9)?
I tried shooting swallows and purple martins in flight last night, and the camera had a miserable time keeping locked on against a blue sky. It would constantly lose focus, start pulsing, and i had to pull the camera down, prefocus a bit, and try again. I was blown away by how much it struggled to focus consistently.
Very probable it's user error. Swallows are just tough to use any other AF mode for since they are so erratic.
edit: also, the Canons won't preview the depth of field automatically in the EVF as you adjust the aperture? hadn't heard that one before, and that would be a dealbreaker if I have to do that manually with a button press. Sounds like from the manual they expect you to hold the DOF preview button with your ring finger as you change aperture. Guess Canon felt like they had to appeal to all the DSLR dinosaurs.
double edit: furthermore, if you shoot at anything but wide open, the EVF would not be giving you an accurate image preview, correct, unless you hold the DOF preview button? I feel like this one little feature/lack thereof is blowing my mind apart lol
triple edit: literally none of my PCs, docks, laptop chargers with USB ports, phone charging bricks, etc will USB charge this thing. I knew Canon was selling a nearly $200 USB charging brick, but I didn't think it would be THIS hard to find something around the house to charge it with USB. Is this post "Sony shooters thoughts on the R5" yet? ...Show more →
Tough question to answer. I thought the R5 was more effective for BIF than the RIV. But I did find the R5 jumping off to other things more than the Sony system. I never got to aim the R5 at my really challenging swallows.
I actually just put in a request to CPS for an R5/600III test drive for later this month. Haven't heard back yet if it is available to borrow. If it is I think I will have some swallows to test it back to back with the A1. My gut feeling is that in some situations the R5 will excel with swallows. But the situation I was shooting in this past weekend where even the A1 struggled with distractions I'm not all that confident that the R5 will work at all. Hopefully I will get the test drive and see for myself. I want to solidify my thoughts with the R5 v A1 going forward as I consider the R3 later this year. Even though I put a lot of months into R5 shooting it still was only over the winter duck, shorebird season so didn't get to put it up against some of my summer targets like swallows and kingfishers.
For exposure the EVF gives you a proper image preview even stopped down. But not for DOF like the Sony's do.
All my MacBook chargers worked for charging R5. But I mainly used a RAVPower PD charger. There is a certain value needed for charger output to make it work. I can't remember what the minimum spec has to be.
p.85 #12 · Sony-shooters thoughts on the Canon R5/R6
To answer the OP’s original query, my first impressions would be after reading this thread is that other than A1, A7RIV and A9II owners, the R5 might might be tempting. This may change over time though. It appears to have A1ish aspirations…but not sure if they are being realized.
Of course it and the A1 are both relatively new cameras and users are still mastering their capabilities. Roaming Scott’s experiences and insights are refreshing and keep them coming.
So not sure the question can really be answered with any clarity yet, but interesting times with all the options out there.
p.85 #13 · Sony-shooters thoughts on the Canon R5/R6
arbitrage wrote:
Tough question to answer. I thought the R5 was more effective for BIF than the RIV. But I did find the R5 jumping off to other things more than the Sony system. I never got to aim the R5 at my really challenging swallows.
I actually just put in a request to CPS for an R5/600III test drive for later this month. Haven't heard back yet if it is available to borrow. If it is I think I will have some swallows to test it back to back with the A1. My gut feeling is that in some situations the R5 will excel with swallows. But the situation I was shooting in this past weekend where even the A1 struggled with distractions I'm not all that confident that the R5 will work at all. Hopefully I will get the test drive and see for myself. I want to solidify my thoughts with the R5 v A1 going forward as I consider the R3 later this year. Even though I put a lot of months into R5 shooting it still was only over the winter duck, shorebird season so didn't get to put it up against some of my summer targets like swallows and kingfishers.
For exposure the EVF gives you a proper image preview even stopped down. But not for DOF like the Sony's do.
All my MacBook chargers worked for charging R5. But I mainly used a RAVPower PD charger. There is a certain value needed for charger output to make it work. I can't remember what the minimum spec has to be....Show more →
I have been out in the bush for 3 days shooting great grey owls with a couple of Sony shooters and they are overly impressed with the hit rate, tracking and focus of the R5. They were also looking closely for leaning trees and let me inform you there's lots of trees around but none leaning / or showing up in the photos. They especially like the the cropping ability of the R5. Both are using a9's.
I told them to buy an A1 and they would be good to go... I couldn't convince them to cough up the money... .. Oh there are 2 Nikon shooters as well.
p.85 #14 · Sony-shooters thoughts on the Canon R5/R6
Pius Sullivan wrote:
I have been out in the bush for 3 days shooting great grey owls with a couple of Sony shooters and they are overly impressed with the hit rate, tracking and focus of the R5. They were also looking closely for leaning trees and let me inform you there's lots of trees around but none leaning / or showing up in the photos. They especially like the the cropping ability of the R5. Both are using a9's.
I told them to buy an A1 and they would be good to go... I couldn't convince them to cough up the money..... Oh there are 2 Nikon shooters as well.
Yeah, you'll need to be panning a bit faster subject than a GGO to see leaning trees. No need to guess how fast, just take a few test pans at varying speeds to see how fast you need to swing the camera to make them lean. Then you will know for sure what situations MS may be the better option when faced with trees or grass that will render in the background.
I've even gotten the A9 to lean trees once in awhile. So far the A1 seems to scan fast enough to avoid it but I bet I could induce it if I really went crazy
p.85 #15 · Sony-shooters thoughts on the Canon R5/R6
arbitrage wrote:
Yeah, you'll need to be panning a bit faster subject than a GGO to see leaning trees. No need to guess how fast, just take a few test pans at varying speeds to see how fast you need to swing the camera to make them lean. Then you will know for sure what situations MS may be the better option when faced with trees or grass that will render in the background.
I've even gotten the A9 to lean trees once in awhile. So far the A1 seems to scan fast enough to avoid it but I bet I could induce it if I really went crazy...Show more →
I'm sure you could induce if you wanted to with any camera. But the photographer would be at fault...
All I'm saying, the job can be done and the end result looks good...
p.85 #16 · Sony-shooters thoughts on the Canon R5/R6
RoamingScott wrote:
@arbitrage@ did you notice that the R5's EyeAF+tracking mode is less sticky than Sony's wide mode (and keep in mind I'm talking R4 levels of stickiness, not A1/A9)?
I tried shooting swallows and purple martins in flight last night, and the camera had a miserable time keeping locked on against a blue sky. It would constantly lose focus, start pulsing, and i had to pull the camera down, prefocus a bit, and try again. I was blown away by how much it struggled to focus consistently.
Very probable it's user error. Swallows are just tough to use any other AF mode for since they are so erratic.
edit: also, the Canons won't preview the depth of field automatically in the EVF as you adjust the aperture? hadn't heard that one before, and that would be a dealbreaker if I have to do that manually with a button press. Sounds like from the manual they expect you to hold the DOF preview button with your ring finger as you change aperture. Guess Canon felt like they had to appeal to all the DSLR dinosaurs.
double edit: furthermore, if you shoot at anything but wide open, the EVF would not be giving you an accurate image preview, correct, unless you hold the DOF preview button? I feel like this one little feature/lack thereof is blowing my mind apart lol
triple edit: literally none of my PCs, docks, laptop chargers with USB ports, phone charging bricks, etc will USB charge this thing. I knew Canon was selling a nearly $200 USB charging brick, but I didn't think it would be THIS hard to find something around the house to charge it with USB. Is this post "Sony shooters thoughts on the R5" yet? ...Show more →
I was able to track purple martins with the R5 and 600 III + 2x TC with no issue, should be a piece of cake against a blue sky for Canon...
p.85 #18 · Sony-shooters thoughts on the Canon R5/R6
pjmsj21 wrote:
So if you're not a BIF shooter and just do landscapes, tripod based, etc, is there any reason to consider the R5 over say an A7RIII or IV?
The short answer is no.
The OP’s original question was “Sony shooters thoughts on Canon R5 and R6”
Most of the recent discussion has been focused on BIF including the 31 minute video that keeps popping up.
p.85 #19 · Sony-shooters thoughts on the Canon R5/R6
sygtryggr wrote:
To answer the OP’s original query, my first impressions would be after reading this thread is that other than A1, A7RIV and A9II owners, the R5 might might be tempting. This may change over time though. It appears to have A1ish aspirations…but not sure if they are being realized.
Of course it and the A1 are both relatively new cameras and users are still mastering their capabilities. Roaming Scott’s experiences and insights are refreshing and keep them coming.
So not sure the question can really be answered with any clarity yet, but interesting times with all the options out there.
I can at least say my calculus for trying the R5 vs the R4 was mostly centered around a more well rounded user experience and the added 100mm utility of the 100-500 vs the 100-400.
After 24 hours of fiddling, I'm now of the opinion that most people that are impressed with the R5 must have come from a previous DSLR system, probably Canon. There are many little niggling issues I have with the body itself vs the latest Sony generation, and these are just "first impressions" from a long time Sony shooter.
- Differing materials for similar dials - top dial is sort of a flimsy feeling rubber, while the mode dial is a hard plastic. Also the top dial pointing straight up is a huge step down comfort wise compared to the R4
- Power switch placement is identical to 5D4 (and still just as stupid)
- AF-ON button is tragically small, and mag/info/Q are all very similar feeling when trying to use by feel
- I cannot find a functional advantage to the odd Mode dial, where you must press mode to access the inexplicably laggy PASM options. A locking PASM wheel would have been far better. What a shame the Canon R3 retains this. I thought the R6 having a legit PASM wheel was a sign of hope for future bodies.
- The battery door creaks and pops under the pad of my right hand while holding it with the 100-500 mounted. It feels extremely cheap when this happens, and I never felt this type of material flex on the R4. The R4 admittedly was a big step up build quality wise from the R3.
- The EVF will get extremely choppy/laggy when doing a lower light exposure preview, even when EVF is set to high refresh rate. Not super uncommon with MILCs but still very jarring when panning from bright to dark rapidly.
- Using my right hand to navigate the touchscreen routinely blocks the eye sensor and turns the LCD off mid-use. Blame my big hands I guess.
- Previous complaint about not being able to zoom the 100-500 with lens hood on and reversed has turned from small niggle to major issue. The natural state of my 100-400 was in this configuration with me putting the hood on as needed to minimize bulk. This all or nothing proposition on the Canon is beyond stupid.
- Beyond tactile issues, the CR3 file noise is far uglier and more "digital" to my eye, and LR somehow runs worse while editing CR3 batches than R4 batches.
Might be good for my sanity to just take a break from photography for a while until the A1 is more affordable and can satisfy all my needs with a single body. Can turn my Canon sell into a jet ski and have some real fun this summer at my new lake house
Overall, I don't see much improvement in the "user experience" like so many Canon users gush about, short of the EVF being easier to see/use in bright daylight conditions and the easier lens mounting orientation. All of the tactile experience is objectively worse than Sony, at least in my early impressions.
The biggest ongoing complaint about Sony is the menus, but once you set up your My Menu options, you never menu dive again.
pjmsj21 wrote:
So if you're not a BIF shooter and just do landscapes, tripod based, etc, is there any reason to consider the R5 over say an A7RIII or IV?
If all you do is basic tripod landscapes, you can get away with an A7R2 frankly. There are only quality of life improvements with the R3 (like Z battery), but you lose the apps. The R4 is still the best value proposition in all of photography.
p.85 #20 · Sony-shooters thoughts on the Canon R5/R6
Pius Sullivan wrote:
I was able to track purple martins with the R5 and 600 III + 2x TC with no issue, should be a piece of cake against a blue sky for Canon...
I was able to capture swallows without issue on the R4/100-400GM so I'd like to think I know what I'm doing for the most part. Again, your insistent fanboyism is not welcome on either side of the house, Canon or Sony. We're here to have actual conversations, not regurgitate support for brands.
