Comparison of R5, R5II and the R3

[Tronhard]

If you can deal with the presentation style, Jarod Polin has released a comparison review of these cameras to get those of us who are stuck with a decision as to where to go.  If you are looking for a reasonably detailed overview, you might find it worth a view.

[March411]

I watched it before I made my decision and one of the concerns I had that nobody as talking about until recently regarding the R5 MkII was the weather sealing. I felt the open venting had to be an issue. Each day since the release of the R5 MkII I am reading about peoples camera's taking on moisture in inclement weather. Reports of the camera locking up, battery compartment having water in it and general challenges regarding weather sealing. I don't think that outdoor sports photographers aren't going to have concerns.

I had the opportunity to use both the R3 and R5 MkII for a couple days. It's a great camera and the more robust MP @ 45 is nice, the focus was a bit better/faster than the R3 and the pre-capture was cool but I decided on the R3.

I prefer not to have weather dictate when I can shoot. The R3 body is a tank by comparison and with the grips built in it just felt better in my hands. I am used to the 24 MP because of the R6 and because of the build quality and weather sealing I believe it will have extended longevity over the R5 MkII.  

[FloridaDrafter]

Hey there, Marc!

I guess we will see. I've already had a couple of shoots in drizzle as we had a hurricane brush us, and I'm not one to shy away from a bit of rain. I've also shot a few times in 90% humidity, which was so bad that I had to carry lens wipes to keep my lenses and EVF clear. Of course, I kept my gear wiped down. But I am keeping an eye on it. Personally, I don't anticipate the venting as being a problem. I'm sure Canon has done their testing.

Newton

[March411]

Agreed Newton only time will give us the full picture. And for the record it is not personal experience but feedback I have read since the release. This thread is posted on these forums but I have read similar feedback on other sites.

EOS-R5-II-Weather-Sealing 

I do hope it is isolated because it is an excellent piece of equipment but this is one of the reasons I went with the R3. It offered the majority of the functionality of the MkII in a proven body.

[FloridaDrafter]

Thanks for that vid, Trevor!

I like his reviews, although I don't typically rely on them to purchase. One thing that caught my attention was his comment abought stacked sensors giving up some DR. I researched a bit and found a lot of conflicting information, mostly a couple of years old and based on non-Canon stacked sensors. Most declare a wee loss in DR but a slight gain in detail in the darker areas of your images. This would explain why I am seeing what I perceive as better DR over the R5. My comparisons between the R5 and mark II have been with similar subjects in similar lighting, forest floor and canopy in low light. I'm sure you know the conditions I'm talking about. I think my mistake is seeing better detail in the low tones and assuming that that translates across the entire range of tones... My bad.

You have been more in tune with stacked sensors a lot longer than me, so I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on this DR thing with stacked sensors.

Newton

[Tronhard]

Thanks Newton, and you are most welcome.

I have a limited experience with stacked sensors myself, but I can attest to the amazing throughput they offer, but that demands a data bus that is able to handle that through the processing and buffering and onto fast cards.  I am holding my decision on buying anything until I see what comes out for the much-anticipated R6III in Q1(?) next  year.
I have not tested the DR in the context of the stacked sensor, but if there is one, I think it is likely more dependent on the subject types and conditions.  For what I would do, I didn't find it significant and considering the power of post-production software, I'm pretty sure that could be compensated for by that.

[ata]

What concerns me about the Canon R5 Mark 2 is the sealing issue. The air duct inlet and outlet points used to enable in-camera cooling for this camera's video shooting confuse me. I haven't seen a video on disassembling the camera yet and I'm wondering what kind of insulation it has.

[Tronhard]

From what I have seen without disassembling a camera body, the venting is done by conduction rather than induction: that is to say, the venting gives a flow through of air over a conductive surface (like metal)  and the heat creates a current of air where the lower pressure of the hot air as it rises through the venting system applies a Bernoulli effect, drawing cold air from beneath to cool the heat transfer surface.  Thus, the environmental integrity of the body should be maintained.

Of course for those requiring greater heat reduction performance there is the venting version of the BG-R20, the CF-R20EP which does have a cooling fan to turbo-charge the air movement over the venting in the body.

[ata]

Hello Trevor,

Yes, I know the fan system in Canon R5c. The cooling system is integrated into the body. However, I have not yet seen the in-body structure in the R5 Mark 2. I am aware of Cooling Fan CF-R20EP. What I'm curious about is the structure of the airway inside the body. Could any weakness in the insulation here allow moisture and water to seep into the hull?

[Tronhard]

Any weakness in the the sealing structure of any camera is a risk.  I don't think this is about insulation so much as an air conditioning and cooling structure - they are trying to let hot air out.

I can't say for sure what is going on inside a camera I cannot tear down and I am slightly amazed that, despite diligent searching, I cannot find decent images of the venting, or a diagram of the weather sealing.  Still, it is early days...

However, logic suggests that the system works like that of a submarine, where there is an outer casing that is open to the elements (in a sub you walk on it, with a camera you hold onto it), and then a enclosed hull within that which is sealed.  This arrangement would not encompass the whole body, but be a curved shaft behind where the LCD sits. Within that would be the metal conduction surface, which takes heat from the inside and radiates it into the air shaft.  As the air heats, it loses pressure and rises, drawing more cool air from the base and venting out the side.

Given the information to hand at present, it is clear that there are intake vents on the base of the camera and obvious outlet vents on the left side by the ports, where hot air coming out should not impact someone holding the camera correctly - that is to say, with the left hand cradling the base of the camera and lens. Thus, the inner shell would be weather sealed, leaving a metal surface inside to radiate heat into the venting cavity and cause the air to travel up and through the venting path.

I have cobbled together a diagram of the passive venting from those elements.

Logic suggests that this has been tested extensively before release to the market, but if you are unsure I would hold back and see how the camera behaves in the hands of the masses, or someone tears it down - maybe Lens Rentals will oblige!