Canon EOS R5 Image Quality vs R6, R, 5D Mk IV, 5DS-R & Sony a7R IV 

PLEASE READ: I misspoke and said the R5 has 10 FPS with the mechanical shutter. The specs show it has 12; that's a theoretical maximum when it's not tracking autofocus. In our testing with the RF 70-200 tracking continuous AF for sports, it captured 8 FPS max. With our 500mm f/4 EF lens tracking AF, it captured 5 FPS. Note at 11:52 I accidentally showed the wrong image for the R5 (it's at f/8 instead of f/2.8) but comparing the f/2.8 images side-by-side it's still all the same conclusions.

Finally a comparison for photographer. Most reviewer only focus on video.

Hi Tony, it would be interesting to compare the image quality of the Canon R5 to the image quality of the Nikon D850 or the Nikon Z7.

This is the comparison video I've been waiting for. Thanks for making it.

Excellent review, would love to hear similar comments on the R6 versus the R.

The sharpness comparing between R6 and R5. The R6 image was shot with f/2.8 and the R5 at F/8.0 for the comparing.

I am really happy to see this, although I did have to check the calendar to make sure it wasn't April 1st. I am looking forward to your R5 testing video, while I understand your point of the shadow recovery, it would be more realistic to see it in a real world type scenario instead of a gross over exposure of the image. Hopefully you will do a landscape photo and correctly recover the shadows as you would in a real photo. I have no interest in the video capabilities of this camera (in fact I wish they offered a version without video). From this review and the other video you did, this looks like a winner to me. Now if they would just be available for purchase somewhere.

Thanks for your great work. I think there is an error at 9:57 and 10:17: 5DS-R apparently had 2/3rd of a stop less light than the R5, so the comparison of low light and dynamic range might be invalid. Please check: 5DS-R is at 1/1600 at f2.8 and the R5 at 1/125 f8.0, both iso 6400. f2.8 to f8.0 are 3 stops of difference, but 3 stops difference from 1/125th would be 1/1000th. The 5DS-R had 1/1600 and therefore 2/3rd of a stop less light than the R5. Although, I don't understand why they appear to have the same captured brightness, if the exposure has not been raised in lightroom, but my math seems to be correct?

There is some "exposure pulsating" in the introduction and conclusion outside shots, shot with the a7sIII. Probably some automatic exposure parameter that needs to be less sensitive. Great video for photographers.

So forlow light the Canon R5 will do great ? I have heard clickting things on the low light. I am primary a still photographer so wanted to make sure it was the best option.

Nice review - Thanks so much for getting these out so quickly - Very helpful!!

how would the dynamic range of the r5 compare to the Nikon d750, I'm considering making the switch and that is the one and only thing I'm not sure if the r5 is better or not? thanks!

Thanks for bringing up flickering issue. I’ve been pulling my hair out trying to find info on that.

Thank you for your video. I would also like to know how well the improvement on the battery, also the FPS when using continuous AF and does FPS went down when battery power getting low or using the older batteries from my 5D4. How is the buffer if I don’t use the fastest cfexpress card. And when using the silent shutter on fast moving subject does it has a fast readout? Thank you

Wish you would’ve downsampled the higher MP to match the lower MP before going 4 to 1 zoom. Increasing the size and makes the lower MP seem even less crisp at 4 to 1.

So..after all this long talk.. is it a camera to buy? Is it an upgrad e coming from the 5D Mark3? Is it good for action sports? Thanks!

Tony, I have not looked at the comments to your videos before today, when I looked at them to see your pinned comment to your video about noise not being caused by high ISO. As an aspiring photographer who enjoys learning about the technical (what you refer to as the nerdy) aspects, I very much value your teaching videos. I see that you receive many comments of a less appreciative nature, but since you march on with the teaching I trust that you are giving such comments the treatment they deserve, which would be to ignore them. Thank you for providing me with a trusted source of information and inspiration, and I hope you are rightfully rewarded for what you do.

Thank you it’s great video, can you help me please 🙏 what to buy the Sony a7riv or the new canon R5 ? For landscape and travels. Thanks

Thanks for another great Vid Tony, Quick Question When i owned my 1dx mk1 although it had fewer megapixels, only 18 the pixels were larger and i found it to be a fantastic low light camera and with no flash took some spectacular images, i swapped to the 5D4 and have never been able to create the same image quality, with noise killing nearly every shot, Why have canon been unable to capitalise on the 1dx mk1's great low light advantage, i almost feel like taking a backward step and going back to the 1dx mk1. I have no experience of the 1 dx Mark 2, is this comparable to the mark 1 Please Many thanks

Awesome work as per usual. Also heartbroken they don’t appear to be updating the 5d series. Have to wonder why you didn’t pull in the highlights in the ‘dynamic range test’. Any thoughts on the highlight recovery compared to the same cameras? Keep up the great work

Will I be able to use my canon lenses that I used with my 5D mark 4 with the R5?

Thanks for the video! Can you talk about the controls for sale when I change settings it’s instant soon as I turn the dial it changes do canon mirrorless have any lag? Also do the newest gen Sony’s still have lag? When changing SS ISO Aperture

Hi Tony, could you do a tutorial video for the R5/R6 pretty please? Thanks 🙏

Forgive me if I missed something, but would it be possible to eliminate banding with these cameras fight not using the electronic shutter or not using the electronic first curtain shutter?

3 sec. This Moment When you Watch a Video over the Canon R5 is Filmed With the Sony 7S 3😂

Thanks .Great review.Does the R5 have the abilty to shoot Multiple images in camera and Blend light and dark modes in camera please?Thank you.

Hi Tony, thanks for this comparison. If you were to recommend a system for someone to adopt from scratch that wanted a premium full frame experience would you recommend the Sony A7RIV or the Canon R5 as the body to collect lenses for?

I can’t seem to figure out what lens were used for R5 vs A7R4? Cheers

Great and most welcome video - viewed from the other side of the pond. So timely since delivery of R5 starts today! I have an order for the R5 and 3 RF lenses! So very glad that my faith in Canon turned out to be right! One very happy camper today! Well done Tony - a great well balanced review!

Thanks so much for this terrific video and all the wonderful work you guys do - it’s so helpful and much appreciated. Can you please explain/compare how the electronic first curtain shutter works regarding image quality versus the mechanical and electronic shutters? Thanks again!

What lens did you use to film this episode? is it the 24 GM? The 3d pop looks good.

I love quality of this video. What did you use for taking the first part of it?

I am confused as I am looking for a replacement to my Canon RP and thought the R6 would offer better high ISO. When looking at the raw files from dpreview the R5 seemed to have more detail but more noise. I am just trying to find the best camera for the active family. I do crop and shoot in all kinds of light. 4k uncropped for short clips is a must but I cannot find an answer on the 4k oversampled compared to r5 4k HQ as for which is better. Any input helps. Thanks

How about the anti flicker setting? Does that help?

Can the DT 24mm f/1.4 SAM resolve 61mp of the A7rIV? The 24mm f/1.4 GM might have given better results. Just my thoughts.

Sorry if this has been asked before but does the R5 have banding when using the mechanical shutter and if so under what conditions?

Tony & Chelsea I have commented a ton and don't expect an answer but I have a serious question. Today I and going to either buy the Eos r or order the R5 if I order the R5 it will be ruff on my bank account as I am not made of money BUT I shoot portraits and currently shoot on the EOS RP. My simple question is is image quality from the RP to the R a huge jump that i could see or will i need the R5.

Hi Tony what do you think about lightroom subscr... for amateurs? Isnt it too costly? Capture one, you can buy it and done....

Wow. Amazing. A camera review that actually considers the camera part. Thank you. Finally!

sir i need your advice in buying cameras we were looking to upgrade from mid range camera to full frame with in the budget for studio, wedding and other short videos... even though we use shoot both photos and video mostly , a little higher preference for quality photos. one of our senior suggested us to go for mirrorless in canon or sony both for video and photo shoot.. when compared the difference inbetween eos R and eos R5, R6... i observed that the number of focus points varies from camera to camera... where eos R have 5655 focus points 5D mark -vi have 61 focus points and eos R5 have 1053 focus points I dont know how far having more focus points plays key role irrespective of having 15 mega pixel lesser than eos R5 After watching your video is it right to got for eos R rather than going to eos R6 or eos R6 or need to look at Sony a7R IV pls give us your valuable opinion which can help us ...

(sorry for my english) please tell me Tony, if you are setting the r6 on manual mode, is it still possible to set iso on auto? (sometimes canon disable this if you dont buy the top camera)

Tony what is Sony A7r4 true FPS with CAF? Also on A7r4 u have to slow down to 8fps to maintain EVF live view. What about R5?

Can you guys do compare all sony A7 series ? how much is improvement there. As a fujifilm shooter i am very interested in Sony, always wanted to have one but lenses and bodies were so expensive. Seen A7S II for 950eur and A7R II for 1050eur, which is better deal ? should i consider Sony at all? currently have Fuji X-T20 with XF56 F1.2 , XF18-55,XC50-230, Samyang 85mm f1.4 and 7artisans 55mm f1.4. Maybe i shouldn't look at sony at all ? and get used X-T3 or wait year so X-T4 get's cheaper ?

Thank you Tony, most appreciated! I like your reviews!

Hello Tony and photo collegues . Does the A9 mark 1 has minimal banding in ES like Sony A9 ii Canon R5/6? Thank you

I am wondering if using a sharper lense will give you some different results when comparing details

I suggest controlling for white balance using a WB card in the photo unless you're specifically comparing the auto WB capability of the camera. I think the test would be more objective.

This is the video I have been waiting for. Thank you so much for your comparisons and addressing the things us stills photographers are thinking about. Most of us looking to go Mirrorless for the first time are torn between SONY's R series and the new R5/R6. I am torn between the R5 and the Sony A7R IV. But this is helping me figure out which way I want to go with my first mirrorless camera. I am very impressed with the Canon

Thank you so much for this!!!!! I wish I had the budget for the R5. I am eyeing the R6 and upgrading from a T7i. I would love a comparison of the R6 and R! I have learned so much from your books!!!!

I have a question for high ISO test, if dynamic range much better on A7r4 what the result will be if it got 1-2 stops of ISO less and adjusted exposure in post? Will it be better or worse?

Does the adapted glass on the Sony mean anything to the sharpness?

Got my R5 today, the image quality is better than my 50Mpx 5DS R, at least I thought so! 50 Mpx to 45 Mpx you are only losing -328px Height x -496px Wide in image dimensions. The auto-focus shooting my dog today was insanely accurate!

Hey Tony, could you do a sensor comparison of the EOS RP to the EOS R6 in regards to stills? That'd be swell. Also please include the "budget" lens options in your comparison from EF to RF. Im interessted in the EF85mm 1.8 to the RF 85mm 2.0. Anyways I am really looking forward to this series. Keep it up!

When you compare these FF cameras with different MP counts, what effect is the upsampling to the higher MP body having on the results?

Tony, what did you shoot this video with? Looks amazing!

Your reviews are SO in depth and you think of everything. I think that also leads to a bit of dramatic comparison/conclusions but 95% of everything you say covers SO much of what analysis is needed. Hellava job with your videos.

Thank you for your video. I found the same problem with banding on raw images using the electronic shutter. I was going to return the R6...I converted a raw image to black-and-white and brought down the blue channel in the HSL, The entire sky had banding across the frame. This video put some light on the issue and help me figure out what was causing the banding...Much gratitude.

just the comparison I was looking for. R% seems to do it all. Thanks. Curious why you used different apertures and shutter speeds when comparing the 5Dsr to R5 starting @ 9:19 ?

Does anti-flicker mode not work with the electronic shutter?

Great test, thanks! Exactly what I needed! High ISO and banding looks better than Sony, and that's mainly what I use it for. Add a great IBIS, and the R5 looks perfect for stage performances, concerts etc.

Had you chance to make comparison of DSLR and RF lenses as you mention in 10:40 ? Thinking to trade in 5D MKIII and 7D MKII but dunno if it's worth if I keep using DSLR L lenses specifically 16-35 2.8 II, 70-200 2.8 II and 100-400 II

I've heard elsewhere that the mechanical shutter is very quiet - it was a problem for the photographer because the model didn't know when to change pose, but it might be useful for some. Does the R5 have the anti flicker option? If so, does it make a difference when using the electronic shutter?

Can you do a low light & dynamic range comparison in photos & videos for a7sIII vs a7rIV?

For banding, did you test a smaller part of the sensor? APS-C?

Is the banding with the electronic shutter under artifically lights better or worse compared with a Sony A9 ?

A much appreciated and thorough review. Thanks

Can't wait for the rest of the review and comparison!

tony if Idont shoot video and only take pics. is the R5 a better choice over a7riii and do i need to worry about over heating

Are you recording with the a7iii or a7siii at the end.

Great video! Does anybody know what the “small or medium” size RAWs will be on the R5?

I believe the banding can be eliminated by turning on anti-flicker detection. This should allow the camera to adjust to frequency of the light source and thus eliminating this issue or atleast reduce it to a large extent.

Great efforts from you tony are very appreciated . always helpful . thanks a lot .

so I can’t use the cobalt version of pro grade in this camera?

Hi, Nice comparison, can you please compare R5 and Nikon Z7. Thanks

Dear Tony, Thanks for the video. I noticed that when you compared the high iso images with the Sony and the R5. I know that the Sony doesn't have an AA filter and it noticable sharper than the Canon R5. Did you try lowering the sharpness of the Sony to match the softness of the Canon? Just curious if you found the test more readable or if this 'short comming' is something that would be fixable in post.

is there a solution for rolling shutter. I love the idea of silent shutter but with banding and rolling shutter I cant confidently use silent shutter. Be it film stills, conferences or sports. It seems all the environments you would want to use silent shutter the actual shutter works against you.

Thank you Tony - this answers most of my questions about the R6 in one small clip. Still i wonder how much damage the AA filter does to the 20mp but ... everybody was trying to tell me that the dynamic range of the R6 is SO MUCH better due to it being 20mp and my gut told me "lets see" ... and my gut was right. I own a 6Dmkii and 26mp are fine - i do mostly landscape and wildlife but i crop a lot. I cant always carry every lens around with me, nor do i have the time to switch all the time so i utizile crop, and with 26 you can easily crop in at least 20-30% (unless your doing a large 60x90cm print and even then... i printed 10mp images and they looked fine) ... if the R6 had really "bombastic" dynamic range it might have been an option but knowing that... 20mp is just a wee bit too little for me. So i probably have to save up for a year or two until i can afford the R5 eventhough i dont need cf express im fine with sd cards so i mostly will only use one slot.

There is something overlooked here and it is that RF glass is just superior in some situations than GMaster. I shoot with both systems and the RF glass is better, period. You are going to see similar advantages shooting with and EOS R and an 47R3 even though they are different MP resolution.

Great review, thank you! I sold my 5D4 about a year ago and have been shooting Fujifilm. But I still have about a dozen EF lenses. I think an R5 may get those off the shelf.

Tony, great content, but what's up with the pulsating brightness in the intro shot by the A7Siii? I watched this on an Imac & an OLED TV and both clearly showed this odd pulsating brightness in your intro.

@TONY, will you please clarify... The card you show is not THE Cobalt. It's the Gold card. The cobalt should work but the Gold does not. Can you clarify if in fact colbalts don't work? Or if it's Gold? Thanks!

Finally someone explaining the banding issue! I could not understand what was going on with my camera for a while at first. I shoot dance performance photography which is low light, fast motion and also requires silent shutter but then my photos end up with annoying banding...but I also cant switch to mechanical shutter during the performances. Thankfully its a very small black box theater so I’m close to the action or shooting from the wings but it’s still such a pain and I haven’t figured out a good solution. (I shoot on Olympus mirrorless)

How’s the IQ and low light compared to the Fuji GFX 50R/S and 100? I just ordered the 50R, considering getting the 100 later too.

So basically as I am a landscape photographer I don’t see anything in this review that sways me over to the R5 . It’s lots more expensive than my current 5DSR in fact nearly twice the price , so for using the R5 for stills in landscape photography I don’t see the major benefits of going towards the R5 .. thanks Tony for putting up this review and finally we get to hear the pro’s and con’s in both cameras .. your review is as always honest and realistic .

Is it such a hassle to perform a manual white balance and match it between cameras when pixel peeping and making world-class camera inspections?

DSI Pictures on RU-vid put up a new video today shot in 8K on the R5 and it's stunning! He also added he didn't even get an overheating warning after a day of shooting in Australia. He ALSO added that he found that fast SD cards were able to work with 8K and 4K HQ modes. I'm starting to wonder if the overheating is being caused by the CF cards, now, especially since a few people say the R5 doesn't even get hot (body) but the CF cards really do.

Hello sir, I do only bird photography, no vedio. I want to buy canon r5 or sony a7r4. Can you plz suggest me one of them. I m really confuse.

How does banding due to light flicker compare to the in built flicker reduction feature that is built into some cameras that tries to delay the shutter to non flicker times in the light. I guess this would only work with high speed shooting where the flicker is slower than the shutter so the shutter can finish before the lights change on the next cycle.

Hi can you please do astro stills and 4K60P at night time in the Sony A7S III.

I loved to see the 5DIV - R5 comparison as this is the realistic upgrade path for me. I’m a photographer first and I love my 5D but am ready for the AF and some of the video features of mirrorless. But yeah - it would be hard to justify if the image quality wasn’t a step forward

Excellent comparisons, very helpful. Surprised the R5 low light performance was better than the R6, as the R6 has been promoted as being a great low light camera. It is still a great camera, but didn’t expect the R5 to perform so well in comparison.

Would be interesting to see what happens if you activated the “anti-flicker shoot.” Under tab 2 in camera settings (red screen).

Might have been interesting to include the A7r3 along with the A7r4 in these comparisons... we know it has better high ISO performance than its 61MPix brother so the differences you see may just be a natural consequence of comparing a camera with more but smaller pixels to a camera with fewer but bigger pixels...sensor generation being comparable... also, once you get to 61MPix, I'm thinking you have to be careful which lens you pick for the test... many lenses that worked fantastically and super sharp on my A7r3 have become blah on my A7r4.... I think you yourself, Tony, where amongst those warning that using FF lenses on APC-S size sensors with smaller pixels more densely packed together was sometimes a problem.... could be much the same effect here for the A7r4 if you are not careful of lens used on it.

Hey Tony! I hope you're still doing a EF vs RF lens comparison. I'm still using a 5Dmk3 and I'm finally considering making the plunge.

Can we get a comparison between the R5 and the 1dx3?

Tony, there's a rear mechanical shutter when shooting with the electronic shutter? I'm confused.

Thank you for pointing out the banding. I shoot dance and sports on low light or stage lights and always have a problem with LEDs used inside the venues. As much as I love to totally go mirrorless, banding is the drawback.

Great review & comparison. Thanks, Tony.

..... what lenses you used?

Great information. Great review thank u so much