Choosing between R5 and R6 Mark III

[logan55]

Hi all, I'm about to sell my 10 year old 5DMkIII (21MP) and upgrade to a better camera. I have a stack of EOS L lenses, LEE filters etc so not planning on changing brands for a long while

Thus, I am looking at a Canon R5 and the Canon R6 MkII. Specification wise, essentially the R5 is similar to R6MkIII (24MP), though the latter has ~5x more focus points and the latter a 45MP capability. I really like the idea of the 45MP for super detailed images.

I've found a new grey market R6MkIII with a stupidly low price of $AU1650 (body only). But lowest price for R5 is $AU4700.

I shoot mostly landscape for hobby photography and print to up to 40inches square shots, which look fantastic from the 5DMkIII. I’ve sold about 50 prints of various landscapes but don’t intend on going pro until maybe in a few years when I retire from my day job. I also do a few paid stage photography gigs each year and occasional portrait work.

So my questions to myself at this point is: given the improvements in image upscaling software, the improvement of the new cameras, do I really need the 45MP of the R5? Who has the Canon R6 MkII and wish then had gotten the R5?

[rs-eos]

You should absolutely avoid anything gray market.  I hope you realize that such things can contain non-original parts (i.e. it's often the case where premium parts are removed and replaced with inferior parts, just so that seller can also then sell the premium parts).

[Waddizzle]

I also recommend that you avoid grey market products.  The items do not have a factory backed warranty.  The only guarantee is that you will get what you paid for.

If you are mainly shooting landscapes from a tripod, then you do not really need a high resolution camera.  I like to capture landscapes, too.  I dislike the “look” you get when using wide angle lenses.  

My favorite lens for shooting landscapes is a 70-200mm, which I often rotate to portrait mode to capture a series of 3-7 panoramic shots to be combined in post.  Using a 20MP 6D, my final images were typically 30-50MP.  Using a 26MP 6D2, my final images are typically 50-100MP

[rs-eos]

Good callout on panoramas.  They can be quire fun to create and will give so much latitude for creating huge prints.

[Waddizzle]

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@rs-eos wrote:

Good callout on panoramas.  They can be quire fun to create and will give so much latitude for creating huge prints.

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They are fun.  But, you have to be really deliberate and meticulous for best results. 

I need to invest in a beefier PC to use my 5Dsr for stitching together images into a final shot.  Adobe upgraded LR to handle the larger original images just before COVID Isolation shut down every park in my area for two years.  

I had gotten caught up inside of the original isolated hotspot in NY state.  I did not live inside the isolated zone, but I frequently visited stores inside of it.  I was ordered into an extended isolation, just like the residents who lived within that zone.  I haven’t gotten back into my old regular habits of weekend shoots and road trips.  Many of the places I visited have totally changed, businesses are closed up.

[jaewoosong]

The difference between US and INTL (gray market) is the warranty coverage.  As the OP is Australia, any camera he buys would be the INTL version.  Overseas vendors wouldn't be selling the North America warrantied version.

If the OP is in the US/Canada, then I'd agree that OP should stick with North American version for warranty coverage.

[rs-eos]

Not sure why you put gray market in parenthesis after international.   Gray market is gray market, no matter where you are.  Absolutely best to avoid purchasing such goods.   For Australia, the OP can visit this Where to buy Canon page which is specific to Australia.

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

Interesting comparison between the R5 and R6 mkII.  If you are shooting landscapes which is one of my favorites also, I am going to recommend the R5.  Not because the R6 mkII isn't capable, but instead for the reasons you pointed out, primarily the extra detail which can be captured with a sensor capable of higher resolution.  

10 yrs of happiness with your 5D3.  You owe it to yourself.  Its not like you didn't get the return on investment out of the old body.  You've got glass to start with.  You'll need an adapter.  Next recommendation.  No grey market.    I'm not going to explain why.  You already know and others have pointed it out.

I passed on the R6 and R5.  I was coming from 26.2 mp and the R5 had everything I needed except I wasn't prepared to accept something that might not turn on when I needed it.  Real world use and FW has shown this is now not as much of an issue.  I ended up with a R5 C and have no regrets.  Canon has taken serious steps to address the thermal characteristics in newer R series body's.   Thats another topic.  Between the 2 body's you are considering I'd go all in on the R5.  Its going to deliver in detail and color science, and is right up a landscape photographer's alley.  I don't think anyone can tell you what you "need", only what they might do.  When I look at the detail my R5 C captures in comparison to my 6D2 (26.2) I am happy with my choice all day long.  I don't stitch my shots together.  Sounds like a great idea though.  

[amfoto1]

First of all, there is no such thing (yet) as an R6 MkIII ("Mark 3"). The R6 Mk II ("Mark 2") has only just been introduced and is currently the newest model in the Canon lineup. So if you are seeing the bargain price on a gray market R6 MkIII I suggest you run away quickly. If this is just a typo, a bargain price on a brand new R6 MkII model is also extremely suspicious and likely to be a rip off. I don't know the current currency conversion, but here the R6 MkII is selling for $2499 US and the R5 is on sale for $3499 US (reg. $3899).

Another thing, the R6 MkII and R5 have virtually the same 1053 point AF system. Neither has more AF points than the other. Coming from a 5D MkIII, the biggest difference you would see with either of the mirrorless models is that their AF point array covers almost the entire image area, instead of just an oval in a the center that's approx. 1/3 the image area.

The R6 MkII's AF system is a little newer and inherited some tweaks from the R3, R7 and R10... but it is NOT substantially different. I think Canon calls the R5's AF "DPAF" and the R6 MkII's "DPAF 2". This stands for "dual pixel autofocus" and refers to how the AF points are embedded directly in the image sensor, rather than being positioned elsewhere within the mirror box and relying upon mirrors to redirect the image to them, the way they are in your DSLR. The fact that the mirrorless cameras' AF points are part of the image sensor itself simplifies matters... there's essentially no need to calibrate the focus system, as can be necessary with DSLRs. The direct through the lens "view" of the mirrorless cameras' AF sensors also makes them capable of functioning at much lower light levels. Where your DSLR probably was able to focus to about -1EV, these mirrorless can focus at -6EV or even lower light levels. This also allows them to be able to autofocus f/8 and f/11 lenses, as well as work with more lens/teleconverter combos.

The R5 has a higher resolution electronic viewfinder (EVF) and a higher resolution rear LCD screen. The R6 MkII's EVF is 1.6 million dot and its rear LCD is nearly 3.7 million dot, while the 5D's EVF is 2.1 million dot and it's LCD is 5.76 million dot. In both the EVF and rear monitor, the higher resolution might be helpful seeing fine details. 

For landscape photography and large prints, the 45MP R5 seems more ideal. The R6 MkII uses a 24MP sensor that's not bad (and is up from 20MP in the original R6), but wouldn't leave much for cropping if that's ever needed. If best possible image quality and maximum fine detail are goals in your prints, then the R5 is probably the best choice. The R6 MkII might be a better choice for wildlife and/or sports shooters, with it's faster frame rate (only with the electronic shutter) and potential better low light/high ISO performance.

A quick search I did suggests the new R6 Mark II list price in Australia is AU$4299 (body only). The same store where I saw that price offers the R5 body only for AU$5999. I don't know if pricing works the same there as it does here in the US, but here authorized dealers selling "official" products (not gray market) have to stick with the list price. Some of them "sweeten the deal" by throwing in a free camera bag or printer, free shipping or something. But their agreement with Canon USA requires they sell at the list price.

Finally, the fact that the EOS R5 is on sale here might be a hint that a "Mark II" version of it will be announced in the near future. Two other full frame R-series currently on sale at discounted prices are the original R and R6 (original), which are probably being cleared out to make way for the new models. So maybe the same is being done with the R5. (OTOH, there also is a discount on the relatively new R3, which is unlikely to be replaced for a couple years).  There are other announcements expected from Canon this week, so I would wait to place any order... just in case.

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Alan Myers
San Jose, Calif., USA
"Walk softly and carry a big lens."
GEAR: 5DII, 7DII (x2), 7D(x2), EOS M5, some other cameras, various lenses & accessories
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[Klarsen]

Hi I came from a setup 5D3, L lenses, Lee filter system, and a bunch of other canon stuff. When EOS R came out I purchased it for a trip to Italy. Got hooked on the mirrorless as a walk around camera, but always ended up using the old camera for the landscape shots on the trip. I had hoped for more image details from the R but not so much, and the focus system was so-so, so about a year ago replaced the R for R5 which now is my main goto, and the 5d3 is the backup. Everything’s works extremely well, and even stuff such as the remote shutter works w R5 ( not the case w R), my flash etc. The R5 bring new life to your lenses.  I always had a love-hate relationship w my 50mm 1.2L which w the new autofocus system now is more love ( and a little hate).  EF16-35/f4 really tons of details. EF 70-200 2.8 is now even more amazing, you can add an extender and even w the 2 stop loss you get high percentage keepers, also at high iso. You will naturally need an adapter. You can crank up the iso, my 5d3 is fixed to 100 but you can got way up in the 1000s w the r5. Be aware, the cfexpress cards are on the expensive side, the Raws are ~50M each. high dynamic range (HDR PQ) is unfortunately not supported by tools such as photo mechanics. I might replace my old 5d3 with the R6 as a backup, time will tell