Should You Buy the Canon 5DSR in 2023? 

I could not agree more on every single argument made in this video. Being an amateur photographer who used a Canon80D for most part of my life, I shifted to the 5DSR a few years ago & have enjoyed seeing the game change. It's an absolute beast of a camera. Have to also agree that I'm not switching till this one bites the dust.

How wonderful are these words. Bravo. Bought a 5Ds in January (2024). I still use my 5D mark I; so this is a major change. As you said, the old school methods never change regardless of the toys. A kiss is still a kiss.

Great review... as a Canon shooter and having shot all of them, new and old, at this point in my photo journey I prefer the 5D MK III and this 5DSR. I also prefer film. I highly recommend to all those shooting today if you havent shot film to go buy one and start shooting. Todays cameras in my opinion are too 'clinical' and making lazy photographers. There is a ton of talent out there, so before yall go nuts remember that shooting in genres like film or older cameras make you work for each shot. Keep the new R5 or R6 II or A7RV, just pick up an older version and shoot with it as well to polish your composition and skill set. You should be at a point where youre only shooting in Manual mode. If youre not comfortable with that then maybe you should rethink your work flow and consider some time re introducing yourself to photography. Just my humble opinion and I hope everyone has a blessed week and keep on shooting!

It's good to see you again, Lewis! Subscribed!

Many thanks. Great review

thank you for your inspiration, we need more motivation like this as a photographer

Wonderful insightful review. Thank you!😊

Great review. Thank you. 😊

Yes iam Using 5DSR,I love this camera any camera can't beats this picture quality

Thank you for your excellent review.

I have an R5 and several other cameras. I throw up a little every time I think of the fact that I sold my 5dsr. Being the only Canon camera to have no AA filter, it completely smokes my R5. It had the most incredible RAW files ever. I used it primarily for Sports, but my focus did play on your comments, as it was Sports Candids and Composites and predictable action, not fast-focus. I loved the video out of the camera. I loaded in a flat profile that was incredible. It looked so "cinematic". Up-rez'd it looked better than my EOR-R, 90d, and the regular 4k on the r5, as I loved the rendering. I miss it soooo much! Thanks for the video. Love some of your shots btw.

Yes I bought one in 2023 and I love it. I also have a mkiii

Great review. Thank you.

Bought my 5DS a few months ago with a 6K shutter count for $625. Some people need the latest and greatest but I’m happier finding deals like this and spending my money on premium lenses.

I am considering an eos 5ds for shooting headshots and portraits in a studio environment, and I want to say "thank you" for helping me decide this camera for that work!

I have a canon 5dsr and I use it with a 100-400 telephoto lens and a 24-70 zoom lens, both L series and with the telephoto lens I use it to photograph birds and it's a real beast!!!! It's a marvelous camera for me!!!

Great video, I have to say that I’ve been trying to get back into landscape photography initially looking for a 5D Mark four, but one of these cameras came up on eBay as a steel price so I went for it, definitely agree with the limitations of the camera as I am at Tour Guide in London and often shoot customers for souvenir photographs, but as far as landscape is concerned, it’s incredible! I have to say I managed to pick up 5D Mark four a great price, and now I have Best of both worlds

Very nice and informative video 👍

It is always strange to hear people complain that their lenses don't resolve on 50MP sensor. You will absolutely get more details even out of your worst lens!! Pick any vintage lens to adapt to 5ds r and it will resolve more as opposed to 30MP sensor!

Amazing look at a camera that just happened to answer every question I had in excellent detail. Thank you, from a new sub!

Great video I heard so many great things about this camera my first full frame camera was Cannon EOS R

Thank you for the video. I use multiple Canon DSLRs for various purposes as a hobbyist. Contemplating a used 5DSR for wildlife photography especially when I need to crop a lot but still want to retain good details and megapixels.

Fully agree with your conclusion! I have had my 5dsr since December 2015 and am always impressed with the image quality. Nevertheless, I bought an R5 in 2021 because it is more universal with the same image quality. Is that why I am selling the 5Dsr? No, because firstly it is still a top backup camera and secondly the used prices are so low that I prefer to keep the good old 5dsr 😊

Best camera in my backpack for macrophotography, makes the Canon EF 100mm 2.8 and particularly the MP-E 65mm scream of joy! So when using premium light like diffused flashes for macro, this is THE camera you want to have in your backpack. I have the R5 as first choice but the 5DS R is never far away for the comfort of its mirror viewfinder (I find the electronic viewfinder a bit difficult to get used to) and robustness. A must buy!

Still available new in june 2024. Just bought one for € 970. It's my second 5DS R, love it!

through the viewfinder, it can track faces using iTR technology. not eyeballs, but it's pretty smart anyway.

Thanks for this awesome tutorial about this beast. I have this camera for four years and the results I am getting from this camera it’s incredible…

I didn't get a 5DSR when the first came out, though I've had several mid-level and pro camera bodies over the years. About 6 months after I bought an R5 in 2021, I became aware that B&H (and probably others) was selling the 5DSR new for $1500. A 50MP camera for only $1500? Hell, yeah! I bought one immediately, and to be honest, I like the images from it better than the R5 even though it doesn't have as good an AF system. But for walk-around stuff, street photography, landscapes and general portraiture, It offers really nice files. I have ended up using the 5DSR way more for still than the R5. I have basically relegated the R5 to mainly video work and I still use my 1DX for fast-action photos. When I really need the top-tier AF for tracking, I'll use the R5 for still. That said, I feel like I'm much happier with the 5DSR overall. Maybe that's because of the price I paid and the value I feel like I'm getting for the dollar. Either way, it's a fantastic camera and I don't regret purchasing it one bit.

5DSR is still Canon's best camera for still images (image quality). End of discussion. Their marketing department won't tell you that and people buy into the BS. Maybe the rumored R5-S will finally outdo the 5DSR and I will upgrade. I passed on the R5 due to inferior image quality.

I bought a Cannon 5DS and I’m pleased with it.

This video had me salivating for one. So that’s what I did. I bought one used. Only has 2000 clicks. For cheap a literally less than 1/3 the price of it when new or R5. It’s supposed to be here within the hour. Now do I buy the 24-70 you recommend in your other video!! Keep up the great work.

A very pragmatic review of the 5DsRI bought one in 2016 and have never regretted the choice. I only shoot landscape images & the results are fantastic! All of the newer cameras with lot of auto functions are irrelevant, i only shoot in M & RAW. All of your points re focusing, exposure bracketing it’s part of the ART of photography., I love the process…. it may outlive me (68yo) 😎📷🎞

Excellent!

I having been using this camera last 7 years and it been on some rough trails and has never failed. I totally agree on all you said except one aspect, that is the dynamic range, it could be better. I often have to use bracketing to get the contrast in the clouds as well as colour saturation of the landscape. I have used a Canon R3 and enjoyed the extra dynamic range but really missed the resolution of the 5DSR, being able walk through the image and crop the image is important to me.

Im so glad I picked one up a few months ago. For macro photography this thing is an absolute beast IMO. Great video BTW!!!

One other possible thing I might have mentioned is camera shake and mirror slap. I have mirror delay set at 1/8 S at that certainly works great in the studio handheld as I tend to move a fair bit when shooting. The slightest amount of shake if very noticeable on that big sensor. Like you it has never let me down and I have owned it since the first came on the market. I don't think it has ever been out of the studio due to the points I mentioned and the low ISO and more light needed to shoot in. Great camera thought and I certainly would not part with it for studio work.

Amazing camera, love shooting with that camera. That said I recently upgraded to an R5, the eye autofocus is not necessary but not worrying about focus let’s me be more creative. Thanks for your input

I remember when this camera’s price cratered. That’s when pros should have grabbed one up. Was told it’s sublime as a portrait/landscape camera using a tripod (no IBIS). If I were a pro, I’d get one for that purpose alone. 👍 Great camera & good video

Good video sir..strait to the point I waited till it went on sell I purchase it for events and portrait photos

This is a thorough and comprehensive review of a not so new camera by a very experienced photographer who does not chase after the newest and greatest like most RU-vidrs. The Canon 5DSR is still a powerful camera if you know how to use and get the best images from it. Sub-ed and like.

Hey, I just found your channel and your overview is fantastic. I got mine at the BNH sale about two years ago and have only used it a little but the images are just so nice. It almost feels like film. In fact, I try to approach it as a film camera due to the so-called limitations which I think actually make that shooter. Take better photos.

Great video! I am a hobbyist photographer and critically evaluated my own photography. I do mostly still life and macro with, time permitting, zoo photography. I currently have a Canon 80D with 100-400 version II L lens, and I am able to get very sharp and close up images especially with the 1.6 crop factor. When I saw this camera selling brand new for $1500, I could not pass it up at this price. I agree with all your comments about this camera. I was lucky to buy it a few months before it was discontinued. With my L lenses, it produces amazing images.

I used to own one of these, before changing to the 5D mkiv for a wedding job I did in a dark church. I did miss the camera. And now I have stopped my 5d4 back to the 5DsR for my landscape images. I tried the new R5 camera but did not enjoy using it. But a plus is with the new battery for the mirror less systems can also work in my 5Ds R super cool

Nice video. I have a 5dsr and I agree with everything you said. It's the perfect camera for me as well. I don't mind if it's not the fastest camera or the best at everything. I just need it to do one thing, and that's take nice high resolution pictures, which it does.

I bought mine from B&H during the second half of 2022 for $1499.00 after ditching my Fujifilm X-T4 . Probably one of the last few left. It is an awesome camera. It can achieve the same or better results than anything new today, you just might have to work harder to do it.

Love this video! Great , honest take. I see a lot more new 5DS available on the market than 5DS R. Would that be a good way to go if the 5DS R becomes hard to get new

Completly agree with you about eye af not beeing needed, I own an r5 and I have quit the eye tracking. I played around a lot in the biginning with the af settings but even if I set it up to case 2 and target priority it still changes a lot to something on the background or foreground after I put the point on the eye I want. Other than mugshots (and even then I had trouble sometimes when I used it) eye af doesnt work for me. I use traditional method and even using large apertures in very dim light shooting candid lifestyle portraits, my images come out sharp where I want them to be, not the camera.

I bought it used today to only photograph architecture. I am excited. Thanks for the report!

Great camera, notwithstanding the resolution, the colours are excellent as well.

Excelent video. I wish you had explored Architectural photography, for which this camera is great.

I have a 5DS R and at first, I hated it, however, learn to use it and it really is a remarkable bit of kit. Yes, low light performance aint great but other than that, can't fault it. I have just ordered a 5DS to run along with my 5DS R, only a shutter count of 19727! It blew me away doing a sunrise and the ammount you can crop in is outstanding. The 5DS R produces some very sharp images, the best DSLR ever? for me, not far off at all.

I wanted to watch this out of interest. I very recently bought a brand new 5DSR from B&H (August 29, 2022) so I was a bit surprised to see that it has now become discontinued because when I last checked they had a few pieces left with "more on the way" and it was classified as one of their best sellers. I digress, I really wanted this camera to see how far I can push my L (and non-L) glass. The dynamic range and ISO performance are two of the prime reasons why I ditched Canon almost completely in favor of Nikon, even though my 5DMKII at the time was a lower resolution sensor with larger photosites, it still was very noisy at higher ISO or when I tried to recover shadows in a high dynamic range situation. I am still to take the 5DSR out on a shoot, and I'm curious to see how well I can do handheld. I'm also very interested to see what results I can get in a macro setting. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Very comprehensive reviiew. I wish there was more quality like this available on YT. Can you just tell me if there is auto focus tracking in the video mode. I am hopeing to switch from my 1DX i mainly due to video capabilities.

Still a beast of a camera.

Great video about 5Dsr, I paid three over thousand dollars when it came out, and now only cost one third of the price, this camera still my work horse produce high-res photo for me and must know how to use it as told in the video, still enjoy seeing through the optical finder instead of the EVF of now-a-days mirrors.

I have r6 and r6 mkii and i love them beyound belief. Went from 5d mkii to r6 and blew me away. But i have just started macro and loving it alot and find i crop alot, so going back i time to to 5dr just for my macro stuff. I. Hoping the 50mp will really really bring sharpness and help if crop. Wont use it for anything else as r6 and mkii have spoiled me but hoping for macro this will be my macro beast

I’m a studio photographer this camera is my fav . Still using it !

Did my best milkyway shots ever with this cam 😊😊😊😊 and the EOS 11-24 lens!! CPS gold/gold member....

I am gonna get this camara!

Bought one early Jan. 2024. Body had never seen light outside, it was used in studio only. Also not the latest firmware was installed. Price € 1250 including original Canon battery grip BG E11. Recently bought a 2nd hand EF 11-24L F4 USM. Great combo both. Power supply by LP-E6 battery dummy or adapter to a V mount battery (DC plug or USB-C, own both versions). Wireless control with Godox TX with Canon N3 plug. Put all together on a Smallrig rig with lens support. Next job, shooting landscape / timelapse photo's for example The Alps mid Europe. Forgot to mention also the use of an old FD 17mm lens with adapter on the 5Ds R body. Btw don't forget the tripod.😊

I miss my 5DSR! I use this camera for all my commercial photography works print purpose.

A pro choice amidst hyped speed features in new cameras.

I've always wanted that camera.

A very important aspect is the question what lenses one uses ... The 5DS R has no IBIS - but with IS-Lenses one can easily select longer exposure-times, to get good pictures even unter low-light conditions. Also a tripod can be quite helpful.

I bought this camera when it first came out to use in aerial photography, which is what I do professionally. In aerial photography, resolution is just everything - Clients want to see a beautifully framed overall image, but then they immediately want to zoom in to the tiniest detail. Sometimes in aerial photography you don't even know what you are shooting a picture of - You are hired to do a progress report on a construction site, but the client will want to zoom in to see the logo on the door of a cement truck to be sure it is the contractor they hired. Lawsuits are frequently resolved through aerial photography, and I have had to testify. Prior to the 5DSr I was shooting analog on 4 x 5 inch film (and I still do sometimes) but this is the first and still the only 35mm-size camera to be able to play in that league. Unfortunately, soon after buying it I became aware of its limitations - as depicted so well in this video. All my aerial work is done in bright daylight and in perfect weather - anything less and it's just not worth the cost to fly at all, and this camera is beyond excellent for this, but when I wanted to start to shoot other subjects - particularly low-light, I realized I needed another camera. I bought a 5D-Mark IV to share lenses and ergonomics, and it is fabulous, but it becomes my "backup" camera when I'm in the air, because the 5DSr is unbeatable. All this to say, mine is a highly technical specialty use case, for which this camera is Summa Cum Laude - best there is, but I would definitely not recommend it as an all-rounder or as an only camera for someone doing lots of different things. Even before I bought it I understood this, and I was always surprised to see people buying it when their use was general and varied.

Superb video and thanks for your honest opinion 👍

I bought dis Canon 5DSR brand new just last week here in Nigeria, I never found a camera that doesn as well for produc especially in the studio portrait. Super clear, sharp.a revolution in resolution and the "limitations" of dis camera are no-issues, one of day best DSLR camera in canon line-up some people need the letest and greatest but I'm happier finding deals like dis and spending my money💰on premium lenses.

Great video but I had trouble focusing with 5Ds. Could you poease make another video on how to shoot with shallow deprh of field and have a decenr success rate on 5DSR ? Thank you!

I use this camera for wildlife photography with a Canon 100-400mm II lens. Although the lens hasn't got the distance of 500-600mm with the 50mp sensor I can pull in and crop the image a long way and when published for the internet you would never think my image was taken with only a 400mm reach and the quality of the 100-400 glass allows this superbly. As for high-speed bursts, if you can't capture a good picture of a bird in flight with a 6-frame-per-second burst you are not much of a practised photographer IMO. I am still producing images on FaceBook that easily equal the quality of pictures taken with some of the latest mirrorless cameras. Shooting RAW and using Photoshop to edit I have no intention of moving away from this camera yet and I would say YES buy it in 2023 it is now an absolute bargain!

i still use canon 5dsr for fashion shooting ,portrait ,best sharpness,quality machine

Another great benefit of this camera (indeed all Canon full frane DSLRs) is that Canon EF lenses are getting really cheap. A 5D i or ii, some L primes or zooms and one of Canon's EOS 35mm film cameras and all your bases are covered. You can even use the 5D to scan your negatives.

I think I'll have to buy one because I have a Canon R since I like to photograph in Raw but the problem is that the images don't look like these that are too beautiful without problems

Hhmm, i have this camera too and in liveview mode you have face tracking. With liveview and facetracking the eyes are always sharp, if you shoot portraits (but the AF is slow in LV). The camera is also ideal for wide angle astrophotography because the sensor has a small pixel size. The sensor is well suited because the sample rate is better then sensor with bigger pixel. You will avoid square shaped stars. The lowlight performance is not bad at all. My EOS R is not substantially better. Regards Andreas

Thank you for the video, dear author. I would like to ask you - have you ever compared your 5dsr camera with Nikon d700? I have a d700 and 1d mark III. I want to understand if it makes sense to buy a d700 5dsr instead? Will there be a noticeable improvement in the quality of the final image?

I could have bought the 5D Mark IV for the same price as the 5DR and in simmilar conditions. But I picked the 5DR because of the extra pixels and because of the lack of AA filter. I am happy with it so far, but it does however struggle in low light. And of course it would have been nice with the R5 but its on a completely different pricepoint. Also its got its disavantage as you discribed amongs others. Filming is not very important. Its hard to film with non Cine glass anyways, and if you really do want to film you can do it today with your mobile camera that can deliver 4k/120 fps with autofocus.. Sure it does not have the glass for it which makes it less pro but who cares. A mobile phone is also lighter and can be held up high and in different angles. Also GOPRO is also an alternative for that. Unless you are shooting static movie scenes, its hard to use the R5 too for filming. You need a bunch of extra equiment to make it look professional..

Thanks🙏, I'm going to take Canon EOS 5D Mark IV Body. tell me which lens is better to take?

I hired the R5 but did not like the flip screen. So swopped my 5D mk4 for the 5DS R love the camera, like having the Anti Allasling filter removed and have 3 cameras in 1 full frame 1.4 crop and the 1.6 crop like my old 7D had. I use it in 30 megapixel setting most of the time & have 50 megapixel on tap when shooting landscapes.

I have a 5DS and it is my favorite camera. I do use it for wildlife and find it's fast enough for me. I won't upgrade to mirrorless until I am somehow forced to do that. A lot more money for the mirrorless stuff, and I don't see the benefit. I agree that sports is right out with the 5DS(R), but I don't do any sports photography. So, as you said, it's right for me. If Canon still made them, I would probably buy a new one every 8-10 years. But if wishes were horses then beggars would ride.

What camera did you use to shoot this video?

The 5ds is perfect for me for landscapes, weddings and anything else outside of the fast FPS requirements such as action. Bracketing and 50mp will ensure the camera will serve me well for many years. I perhaps would prefer lesser file size for everything, especially weddings. I use a 1dx and 7dii for sports and action and not swapping them either. I guess I can use the 1dx for Astro and I'll try later with a bit of moon photography. My only issue is fast eye autofocus would be great, but photography is about skill and that's what I enjoy. The 1dx is loads heavier than the 5ds though.

Speaking of "eye autofocus", the EOS 3 had an autofocus system based on the shooter's eye. It's an amazing "mind reading" ability and I kinda wonder why it wasn't continued in later models..

i have both the 5ds and 5dsr, and i love them both! I will use them til they die. What you didn't mention, but what I use mine for almost as much as Landscape and Nature, is studio photography. I still haven't found a camera that does as well for product and studio portraits. Super clear, sharp, and the "limitations" of this camera are non-issues when you are using studio lighting. Definitely not a sports camera, but still so versatile and such amazing resolution. Plus Canon colors. 💖

Hello thanks for your video because of it and other reviews I decided to purchase one, however, only used ones are available! My concern is the shutter actuation/life which is stated by Canon as 150000. If I find a camera with high count should I avoid it? Also do you know what your shutter actuation count is?

I would love to see a comparison between images taken with the 5DS and EOS R3 Flagship under conditions the 5DS is meant for... I want to see the actual pictures. Unfortunately, I don't think anyone will ever take the time to post this type of thing.

And what's the best lens to use with it for the landscapes?

If you shoot outside "premium light", can you just fix it in post processing?

Is this camera good for wedding pictures

Hellooooo! I’m looking to use the 5ds in a black background studio scenario with about 150-200 watts of flash. I’m slightly concerned about noise in my images with the huge amount of pixels this camera offers. I probably won’t be shooting more than 1000 iso. I have used the 6D and 7D and loved the image. Is it going to be that different as far as noise when compared to 6D or 7D?

I love your voice.

I would like to hear your comments on the 5D MkIV...thinking of buying one.

Getting a high resolution sensor to record 4k is a bad idea. You either need a lot of wasteful processing for downsampling or skip lines, which gives trash image quality. You can also crop, but your angle of view will be tiny.

Depending on what you do or need, there is no reason to "upgrade" from this camera if you have it. It is completely more than fine for what it is. I have one and some other Canon DSLR's and frankly this is a very specialized camera which most people will not need. I think once you get much beyond 26mpix few need more than that. In fact most people don't really need more than even 12mpix of the original 5D. As for shadows and highlights and such, bracket or choose what you really want. I will say I think the accuracy of the focus on my 5Dsr is better than some of my other Canon DSLR's like the original 5D or the 5DII, or possibly MY 6D. My advice is if you want one get one new while you can, if you can. I bought mine used and it works fine. Don't chase gear. If you think you need the dynamic range, think again, you would probably want to bracket if it comes to that, with any camera. At least for landscapes. Don't make the camera companies rich, their prices are too high already.

Nice review , I think the R5 basically replaces 5dsr , with a huge amount of benefits and R lens

Probably the best stills camera around for what it is intended for. I have way too many cameras and I think my favorite combo is this and the 1dx mki. You can grab BOTH these bodies for like 2k now and have an absolute POWERHOUSE of photographic capability.

Wonderful Video! Thank You! I have just purchased a used 5DSR in immaculate condition after lusting over it for years. My reason for making the purchase was simple, my criteria was one thing - image quality. It’s why I only have L glass. I’m not in need of many of the well hyped technical advances, certainly not high frame rates or video. Improved auto focus capabilities are nice, by I’m happy with the 5DSR’s focusing capabilities. Truthfully, my dream camera would be the Fuji 100s, but the economics of switching to a new system was out of my budget. Thanks again for the video!

What About This 5DSR for fashion or portrait photography in a studio ?

I do product photography and I'm upgrading from Canon 80D to a full-frame DSLR. I am heavily considering Canon 5DSR as my first choice due to having 50MP for prints. Is this a good idea?

Here is a quote that perfectly fits 5DS/SR, from the film "Terminator Genisys": It's old, but not obsolete. ❤

My question is does this camera use EF or EF-S mount? Because I’ve been looking for a camera that takes video and photos

As someone who has had the pleasure of owning an A7RIII for a year the mega pixels were amazing and pixel peeping when editing was awesome. Seeing all the detail it could catch was always a treat. But I am not a professional. I shoot photos for myself and to remember places i go to. I don't need all of it and no one is going to be pixel peeping my instagram compressed photos. To this day a lot of the photos I value the most were caught on a canon xsi, 70d, a6000 and a6400. They were all small cameras that I could take everywhere and they were all sub 30megapixel cameras. Megapixels don't make you better at photography or produce photos that you will be happy with.