topic Re: R6MK2 or R5 -- same price. Which do you choose? in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

R6MK2 or R5 -- same price. Which do you choose?

lumen — Sun, 05 May 2024 10:16:14 GMT

Hey everyone.

I've got the chance to buy either one right now. The R6 mk2 is stock from the box and is $1600.

The R5 is $1500 with less than 5000 clicks on it. Comes with RF/EF adapter and comes with a 128 gb CF Express card.

Of course the classic answer as to which one to get is "it depends" so I'll give you a little background on me.

I am a professional video producer for a big corporation. However this camera is not for work. This is for hobby use and potentially side work. Video is a nice component but I'm really buying this as a still camera first. However I love the ability to shoot video with it.

One of the selling points to me with the R5 is the 45 mp images it shoots. One of the things I'm looking to get this camera for is a series of lighthouse images. My wife and I got married at a light house so I thought rather than buying large images I could go and and grab them myself.

I'm also looking to use this recreationally for my hobbies and getting killer footage to make fun IG and YouTube videos with.

I'm no stranger to video and still cameras but am admittedly not quite up on the tech. At my professional job we have a full set of canon sumire primes and I've always enjoyed used Canon cameras like the 5D and C300.

Hopefully this provides a decent amount of background and can help advise.

Thanks everyone!

Re: R6MK2 or R5 -- same price. Which do you choose?

justadude — Sun, 05 May 2024 14:10:01 GMT

As an owner of the R6m2 since November, all I can say is that I really love this camera. I do not find any faults with it at all, and so far it has proven over and over to be a giant step forward over the RP that was my main camera. The new focus system is insanely fast (great for when I shoot sports). The low noise at high ISO for nighttime photography is excellent. Everyday shooting is simply nice (close to perfect - and again, no complaints).

I did look very closely at the R5, and did seriously consider it instead of the R6m2 at the time. The main thing (at the time) that held me back was the difference in price at the time, because I knew I would also be replacing my 60D infrared camera with the R8 in the next month.

Things I like about the R6m2 over the R5:
Lens focus breathing
Higher maximum ISO
Faster shutter speed (twice as fast 40fps vs 20 fps - but this wasn't a big one for me)
Battery life (rated at 580 vs 320, which for me was a big decision)
Dual SD slots instead of one SD and one CF

Why I wanted the R5:
Sensor size of 45MP vs 24MP - that's very nice for when I sell large prints that I can offer customers even larger yet... but then again, Canon does seem to hit a sweet spot with a lot of their sensors in the 24MP general range.
Top LCD which I've come to rely on with many Canon cameras over the years. I do miss that on the R6m2

I noticed you said you want to take lighthouse images. I'm a Michigan resident, and most folks not from here don't think Michigan has many lighthouses. We have 129, and I photograph these a lot. I spend a vast amount of time on the Great Lakes shorelines (it's my zen). I take photos of the lighthouses in the daytime, nighttime, summer days, winter storms, you name it. The R6m2 has been a solid performer with my lighthouse photography under any conditions I throw at it.

It's only been 6 months, but I have not once thought that I wish I bought the R5 since then.

Sorry for the rambling, but I hope some of this helps.

Re: R6MK2 or R5 -- same price. Which do you choose?

Waddizzle — Sun, 05 May 2024 14:42:31 GMT

It’s not only about the megapixels. The R6 mark II has a more advanced AF system compared to the original R6 and R5. I assume the R6 mark II is brand new, which means it has a full warranty.

Re: R6MK2 or R5 -- same price. Which do you choose?

shadowsports — Sun, 05 May 2024 16:02:34 GMT

@Waddizzle is right, its not about megapixels. Between the two models. If video is the primary use case, the R62 is what I'd buy. If stills was primary I'd get the R5.

I would not purchase either from an unknown source or non-authorized dealer. Warranty is valuable. Many fail to realize this and only look for the absolute lowest price. In many cases this is not a "good deal".

The R62 refurbished is $1759 and is out of stock. New its $1999 and is in stock. The R5 has not been lower than $2199 (refurb) and currently sits at $2899.