Upgrade to mirrorless??? EOS R5C

[echase]

Hello!  I'm looking for some help.  I trying to decide if I should upgrade to a mirrorless camera or stay with the old DSL that I have.  A little background, I'm a novice at best, I have a EOS 60D DSL that is about 13-15 years old.  I have been wanting a EF 70-200 f2.8 lens for years and have never bought one.  My kids are in sports and musical competitions and now I'm finally ready but as I started to do some looking I noticed that things seem to be moving to mirrorless.  I looked at the EOS R5C and a 70-200 lens and it's a pretty penny.  My only real goal is to get good pictures of my kids up close as I move around the field and concert venues.  Could I get video with this camera as well? I would also like a fast auto focus so I can get good action shots.  I also don't see myself digging in really deep to become more proficient than what I already know (maybe a little bit more knowledgeable).  

If I buy the EF lens for the 60D am I investing in an old technology?  Would I be better off moving to mirrorless now?

Any help and advice would be appreciated.  

Thank you!

[Tronhard]

Hi and welcome to the forum:

I'm not sure why you are considering the R5c - that is a high-end video-centric camera when, as I understand it, you are a hobbyist who want to take still images with the occasional video.

I had several EOS 60D units and they were, and still are great cameras, but if you are intending to further invest, I would suggest moving to the mirrorless platform - DSLRs are on life support and the new R-series cameras offer a host of improved features, such as better sensors, much improved autofocus, face and eye tracking and when looking through the viewfinder you will see an accurate image of exposure - something that was not a feature of DSLRs.  These cameras are fully-capable of excellent video performance as well.

Without a budget it is hard to offer solutions that are going to fit your pocket, but let me suggest something like the following:  the EOS R6II - which is a full-frame camera (so bigger sensor than your existing) of 24MP, with In-body Image Stabilization that works with the lens IS to make it much easier to avoid camera shake if hand-holding.  They have a much better dynamic range and noise performance than a crop sensor camera.  They have excellent focus and face/eye tracking that can find the eyes and focus of your subjects and follow them, which is great for getting shots of active kids.  The bodies are solid and well-sealed.

As to a lens, I suggest an all-in-one unit: the RF 24-240, which will have excellent optics, image stabilization and good colour rendition.  It is extremely fast-focusing and silent.

You can pick these up via the Canon Refurbished store - these may be new but over-stock, opened box but unused, show or demo units but 'good as new' and come with a Canon warranty, but save you money.

For the R6MkII: Shop Canon Refurbished EOS R6 Mark II Body | Canon U.S.A., Inc. LINK CORRECTED!

For the RF 24-240: Shop Canon Refurbished RF24-240mm F4-6.3 IS USM | Canon U.S.A., Inc.

[deebatman316]

Did you mean the R6 Mark II or the 6D Mark II. You're recommending an RF Mount lens for an EF Mount camera. Which isn't a compatible combination.

[Tronhard]

Thanks for that Demetrius - obviously, I misread the item in the list, I shall correct!

[echase]

Thank you for all the information, Trevor.  It's a lot to digest but great info.  A couple of questions.  When I say video, it's mostly short 1-4 minutes of my kids doing their activities.  I'm the only one so I switch ofter from video to still photography.  Would the 6D work well for that?  Could I stream using this camera through an app like Game Changer?  Would the video be best from a tripod?

[Tronhard]

Body:
Apologies: I had misread the listing and it was supposed to be the R6 MkII, which I have corrected in the post and will repeat here:
R6MkII $1,7659  Shop Canon Refurbished EOS R6 Mark II Body | Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Without a budget, it is hard to pin down the exact gear that will work best for you - we can suggest and spend money you can't or don't want to invest.  Certainly, the higher priced models will do more, but are you going to use that capacity for the cost that this will incur?   My colleague Rick has offered a range of options, and that is absolutely great, but without knowing exactly what you need and can afford, it's hard for us to offer the best value for a decent budget. 

What I understand from what you wrote suggests the R6II is the best bang for buck - absolutely.   The question here is what are you going to need to produce? 

On the R6II, the menus and settings for stills and video are separated and can be accessed with a single mode switch, so that is really easy to work with.  I recommend you spend some time with the specs for each item I have linked to - you can do so via the links I provided. It currently has the best focus short of the top-end R1 and R5II, which are both much, much more expensive and designed more for professional use.  Their much larger file sizes  will also demand processing capacity and storage space that you may not need.
NOTE: the focusing systems on these cameras are far more sophisticated than the DSLR you have been using, so spending some time to study their setup is important.

As to lenses.  If you want one lens to do it all, I stand by the RF 24-240, the benefit being that you don't have to have multiple lenses and keep changing them -  if you are shooting football in decent light, for the price, it should do well in dealing with movement from close-in to far off in the field and you won't be caught with the wrong focal length.  You may well not have time to change lenses in the speed of play and that can lead to costly mistakes, like dropping a lens.  I enclose a video for shooting football from Brigham Young University that you may find of interest, and while they use multiple lenses they also use multiple bodies and do not change lenses in the field.

I do not use streaming apps so can't comment on that.  

If you are likely to stick to one focal range for the majority of your images and, if you are prepared to go for, and can afford multiple lenses, then something like the RF 24-70 or RF 24-105 would be good, and the RF 70-200 are all high-quality optics, but at a much, much greater price.  All these lenses have image stabilization and will combine with the camera body's IBIS.

If you are near the action, then shorter FL lenses (70-200) may be viable, but you cannot normally use a tripod around the edge of the field normally - it gets in the way of others - the combined IBIS on the camera and the IS of the lens should enable you to shoot hand held if you use good technique.  If you are going to be further away, you may need a longer reach, so something like the
RF 100-500 L:    $2,429  Shop Canon Refurbished RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM | Canon U.S.A., I
RF 24-70 f/2.8L: $2,159   Shop Canon Refurbished RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM | Canon U.S.A., Inc.
RF 24-105 f/4L: $1,169  Shop Canon Refurbished EF 24–105mm f/4L IS II USM | Canon U.S.A., Inc.
RF 70-200 f/4L: $1,439  Shop Canon Refurbished RF70-200mm F4 L IS USM | Canon U.S.A., Inc.
For the RF 24-240: $719  Shop Canon Refurbished RF24-240mm F4-6.3 IS USM | Canon U.S.A., Inc.

That is a significant difference in investment possibilities here.

As to cards and batteries:  Use only full-size SD cards (micro with adapters don't work reliably) and stick to respected brands, such as Lexar, SanDisk and Prograde from reputable dealers.  The R6II uses only SD cards, which will be much cheaper to run than an R5 variant as those use the much more expensive CF Express cards as well.  Card size: between 128 and 256GB and you will need two.  You might want to consider a BG-R20 or BG-R10 battery grip, both for the doubling of energy storage and for the duplicate controls for portrait work.  Also, with heavier lenses it helps to balance the lens and return the C of G back towards the body.  As to batteries, you would want LP-E6N batteries.

You need to spend some time with the user manual for the R6II to get to know the specs:
c012.pdf (start.canon) and the following videos may help you to answer further questions.
Canon R6 Mark ii Tutorial Training Video - R6ii Users Guide Set Up - Made for Beginners (youtube.com...  or
Canon EOS R6 Mark II User's Guide (youtube.com)

[echase]

Thank you.

[Tronhard]

Hi again:
As I understand it, you are challenged with setting a budget.  Simply put, how much money overall (to cover all items) are you prepared to comfortably prepared to spend on your photography gear?  With that overall value, we can suggest a balance between a body, lens and associated items to try to provide a balance that will work for you.

We cannot provide relevant information that is viable without that one item to start off with.  Just know that you should not put your own finances under strain to do this.

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

One of my colleagues alerted me to your post since you mentioned the R5 C.  I've owned mine since release and am very pleased with it for both stills and video.  

Let's look at your situation specifically.  Unless you have a compelling reason to purchase a DSLR, I suggest you invest in mirrorless.  All development into DSLRs and EF lenses has ceased.  It's been about 6 yrs now and mirrorless has eclipsed the performance of DSLRs.  It's a much wiser long-term investment.  

Body choices.  Based on your intended use, I think a R6mkII, R5 or R5 C would be excellent choices.  

The R6mkII will have the most advanced AF and  subject tracking.  It doesn't have all of the video capabilities of the R5 or R5 C and it's resolution is 24MP.  Your 60D is 19MP.  So a few things to  consider are: what is your intended output? Computer screen, Social media, or large prints?  If you want a big bump in resolution, the R5 or C should be considered.  Both are 45MP. 

The R6mkII shoots beautiful 4k video.  The R5 and C both shoot up to 8k.  If you want to shoot 4 or 8k video for extended periods I'd choose the R6mkII or R5 C.  Note the R6mkII and R5 have IBIS.  The R5 C does not.  Personally I don't care as all of my lenses have IS.  I purchased the R5 C to explore video.  Although it's marketed as a video centric camera, it takes beautiful photos.  It will record video for as long as you want as long as it has power and storage available.  The R6mkII and R5 are stills centric with good video capability.  When I purchased my R5 C I considered myself a stills first shooter.  Now after 2 yrs, i considered myself 60/40.  The video it takes is really stunning. 

Lens choice.  The RF 70-200 f2.8 is a good lens for sports indoor or outdoor as long as you are not trying to shoot the end zone from the other side of the field.  It also excels for indoor venues.  Paired with any of the body's mentioned above, I know you'd be pleased with the performance.  Good for action, and dimly lit venues.  Worth noting.  The current RF 70-200 is an external zoom.  This means the lens barrel extends when you zoom.  It is not compatible with a 1.4x/2.0x TC like the EF version.  For me, I like how compact it is.  It fits in a smaller bag.  If I need more reach, I'd use a longer focal length.  For others it's a deal breaker.  An RF 70-200 Z (internal zoom) will probably be announced by the end of the year.  Only a rumor, but seems very likely. 

This should give you some information to think about.  Take your time, ask questions.  The forums are staffed by Canon product experts and users like yourself with decades of shooting experience in all aspects of photography.  We are happy to share, impart knowledge and our experiences.  I'm sure we can help steer you in the right direction.  🙂

[echase]

HI Rick: Thank you for the information.  A lot to think about.  I have a few questions:

-Most of my video right not is short 1-4 minutes of my kids doing their activities and I don't post it on-line we watch it on our computer, would that sway you for any of the 3 bodies mentioned?  

-I switch from video to still frequently (I'm the only one shooting).  Would that change your body suggestions?

-Right now I'm doing more still so I'm leaning toward more still but may end up doing for video depending on my kids activities.  For video would I need (or would it be better to use a tripod)?

-What type and how big of a memory card?

-Would it be recommended to invest in the R5 because it has 4K and 8K capabilities where the 6D in case I do more video (or because thing are moving more toward high resolution...for the growth potential)?

(As information, I'm running around a softball field trying to get pictures so I'm not terrible close and a lot of the time I'm in the outfield so I want to be able to zoom in.)  Would the RF70-200 f2.8 work well in that case?  Does this lens have IS?

Thank you.