Well, I've finally done it, and ordered a new Canon R5.
Some of you may have seen my comments about looking into new cameras and gear in another post, A couple of days by the River Deben in Suffolk, and my apologies to Dave for the unintended hijack so I've set up a new thread to keep folks updated.
To continue from my comments, as many of you will be aware, I've been grounded by my falling apart body, but i've nothing but praise for the nurses, consultants, doctors and anyone else involved it working hard to resolve the situation.
We've all heard the old saying, the devil makes work for idle hands, well, include computer and mouse into that, and I've been researching into mirrorless cameras, which is the future, whether we like it or not.
Me, I'm intrigued and like the concept, but not the costs.....
Why the Canon R5?
Well, first and foremost, my son said go for it!
Some of you may be aware his partner walked out on him eighteen months ago, which almost rendered him homeless. While we would happily have taken him back, after a chat with my wife, his mother, I gave him a large chunk of my savings and agreed to be guarantor for his mortgage. I never gave any repayment terms, but he did ask how much, and has transferred some of the money back to me, enough to cover the R5.
I've been using Canon cameras for many decades, and I feel they are on a par with Nikon and the other big brand names, the only problem is, if you change to another brand, then you need to change all your lenses and other associated kit as well.
My research started with the cost of upgrading and also, many camera manufacturers also offer conversion kits, or adapters, so you can use your existing lenses on the new breed of cameras.
Also, my research shown that could I use my existing lenses, the cable and wireless remotes would work, so will the Speedlite flashgun. The only extra items required are the lens mount adaptor, and the memory cards, which are still the existing SD Card, or, the faster and more capable CF Express card, whereas the 5D4 will use a Compact Flash card.
Also, the battery pack for the R5 is the same is the 5D4, which I understand is the same as the 5D3.
This appealed.
However, the cost was still going to be steep.
My local postie, who we had for 20+ years, a very friendly chap, I never realised he did wedding photography, and offered to show me his cameras, which are Nikon, and how he managed to make the change to mirrorless.
We both agreed, Nikon, Canon or any of the other big names, you can't really go wrong.
After a very interesting three hours and numerous cuppas, and some time handling his cameras in the garden, and to play safe, I sat down to use them rather than stand and risk falling or dropping them, I was nicely impressed with what I saw.
There are some trade offs and caveats with electronic view vs live view, but I'm not one to be negative. Obstacles are there to be beaten, not beat you.
The one big downside, if it is a downside, is video. The final quality is good, however, when panning a moving subject, there is a noticeable lag. But then I don't do much video, and to be honest, my current 5D4 has some lag, because that in video mode uses the large TTF screen and not the optical viewer, which is live view.
I said obstacles are to be beaten, not beat you.
The video quality is superb, and a bigger plus, the electronic viewfinder shows the same as the large TTF screen, but the big bonus with the EVF, is you block out all the viewing intrusions that using a TTF screen came impose.
There will be more to this no doubt, as I start a new journey mirrorless, and I will be happy to share.
However, it is costly, and to make things more costly than desired, my nearest emporium haven't stock of the R5, so I've had to order from elsewhere, and not being able to go far, that means no trade in of my 5D4, which if I'm honest, I am reluctant to part with.
The new camera is on order, and should be with me in the next couple of days, all I need is for my leg to sort itself out.
Mike
Flickr: Peak Rambler
Cin J
Moved over myself a couple of years ago, Mike, took me a little while to set it up but I am very happy with it now, took it down to the canal today with the 5DMk4 found a Common Darter and took some picture, I wanted to get some better one's so changed to the 5D4 and after a few pictures put the R6 back on its a different world and if you want to capture that moment 20fps will do it, I myself have two SD cards in it and once I take a few I transfer the best over to the second card and format the other and do the same again so after a days take I only have the best and not to many :)The 5DMk4 will be staying as a back up or for other things.
Jim
My Pictures
My Fbook Group
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.
Germain said:I look forward to the learning process and fingers firmly crossed that things start to improve for you
Thank you Cin, I think the fact that I can sit and use a computer, has to be a progressive sign.
Things are very slowly on the mend, and after this mornings hosp appt, they've decided the practice nurse is more than capable to continuing the work. BTW, the practice nurse has had heaps of praise, not just from me but the consultants as well. She is a true professional and a credit to the profession.
I've told her she can't leave until I'm feeding the daisies LOL.
As for the new camera, I'm expecting a learning curve, especially if my move from cropped sensor to full frame is anything to go by, but I'm looking forward to the challenge. All I need is to be able to get outside, even just the garden.
James G said:Moved over myself a couple of years ago, Mike, took me a little while to set it up but I am very happy with it now, took it down to the canal today with the 5DMk4 found a Common Darter and took some picture, I wanted to get some better one's so changed to the 5D4 and after a few pictures put the R6 back on its a different world and if you want to capture that moment 20fps will do it, I myself have two SD cards in it and once I take a few I transfer the best over to the second card and format the other and do the same again so after a days take I only have the best and not to many :)The 5DMk4 will be staying as a back up or for other things.
I know there are a few here who have made the move to mirrorless, one of the most recent is Bob aka Bobs_Retired.
I did look at the R6, which has a very nice specification, but me being me, decided to push the boat out that bit further, and looking forward to getting out and playing with it.
I'm sure you'll be more than happy with the R5 Mike - it's a good upgrade from the 5D4. I did a Getting off Auto thread on mirrorless a while ago, comparing the pros & cons - it can be found here for anyone looking for extra info.
I think your worries about video are unfounded - indeed, video with mirrorless is MUCH easier than with the DSLR I've found. The R5 has an extra little button on the top which will record a video whilst you're in photo mode - so you can easily take Pic, Pic, Pic, Video clip, Pic without changing switches or settings or even moving the camera from your eye. It's a real game changer when shooting wildlife.
As you've already commented, you don't need to buy new lenses, EF ones work perfectly fine with the converter, making the upgrade simple. The memory cards are expensive (don't get cheap SD, make sure you get one with sufficient spec to cope - and if you want to do 8K or high frame rate video (for slo-mo) you'll need a CF Express card to handle the data throughput). Check the Canon site - they have a list of compatible cards on there somewhere.
Your old batteries will work fine, but won't last quite as long as the newer one that comes with the camera. Old batteries won't charge in-camera from USB either (which the new ones will). Definitely get yourself a PD capable powerbank - mine cost me £40 for a 20Ah capacity whilst a genuine Canon LP-E6NH is over £100 for a tenth of that. Whilst not ideal if you're wandering around, if you're sat in a hide (or like me doing insect videos sat on the ground) you can plug in the powerbank and top up the in-camera battery.
Regarding a lack of trade-in - https://www.mpb.com/en-uk are normally pretty reliable for buying & selling 2nd hand kit should you decide to sell the 5D4 (and WEX do trade-in without you having to visit too as an fyi). Personally I've kept the 5D4 and use it regularly. Currently, with the Minsmere Digger Alley stuff for example, the R5 is on the probe lens doing videos and the 5D4 is on the macro lens for pics. It's still an excellent camera after all!
___
Find me on Flickr / All about your camera - The Getting off Auto Index
Bobs_Retired said:A good move, one I did a couple of months ago when I opted for the R3. Still using my EF lenses but it's a whole new world - especially the ability to do everything you want through the viewfinder and not have to keep looking for spectacles when you want to review a picture or check a menu setting.
Thanks Bob.
I recall asking which mirrorless you had soon after you made the move, and your picture quality, something I aspire to, in a positive way that is.
Though I've yet to get my hands on the R5 (less than 24hrs to go as I type) if the Nikons I played with on Sunday are anything to go by, then I won't be disappointed. The onscreen info was second to none, and I've no doubt the Canon won't be any less so.
I will also add, to my initial post, I commented on the a trade off with the lag in the viewfinder and on the TTF screen when panning, and I feel that may have been an unfair comment. After looking back at some video I took of a kestrel back in July 2020, hunting its prey using a dedicated camcorder, which was less than a month old at the time, there was no noticeable lag when panning to follow the dives, and the final video came out far better than I anticipated.
I think my only disappointment so far, and it is a minor one, is the fact that Canon see fit to supply a "micro-c to micro-c" download lead, rather than one end being a USB 3.0 connector. Not many desktops or laptops will have "micro c" sockets, and I'm not keen on adaptors because they can incur data speed losses.
However, I've sourced a cable that will get me started, and will see how things progress from there.
So I'm looking forward to getting to grips with the R5.
Clare Bailey said:Limpy has also gone mirrorless and is using the R5. It has been a long learning curve, which is far from over - he still uses his 5D III for things like flight shots. The R5 is clearly a very good camera but don't expect to be mastering it in five minutes.
There's a lot to be said for a good traditional camera, without many of the fancy features that seem to breed faster than rabbits on smartphones....
I'm under no illusions as to there being a learning curve, and the possibility that it will be a steep one at that. I haven't forgotten the learning curve I experienced when moving from cropped sensor to full frame.
But I'm looking forward to the challenge.
One thing I am discovering, is how many R5 and R6 users have retained their Canon 5D's, and virtually all for the same reasons, which makes it comforting to know I'm not alone in my decision to keep the 5D4.
As for a technical requirement to use mirrorless, with modern cameras and that includes DSLR's, all you need is an eye for a good picture and leave the camera to do the rest on auto. I sometimes feel many of these so called intelligent scenes offered on many cameras, particularly compacts and smartphones, cause more confusion than the resolve.
With my 5D4, I use mainly three settings, P, TV and M, just occasionally I'll use AV for landscapes, though P tends to do a better job.
Unknown said:
Many thanks for your input Joe.
I've been interested in making the move to mirrorless for a good while and while the tech was around when I bought the 5D4 three years ago, the cost was way beyond my reach.
I've noted the link for selling camera gear.
I was also racking my brain cell as to where I'd seen something about mirrorless on here, so many thanks for the reminder. Wex is my nearest emporium, and have used them many times, both visiting the shop and also online.
Good advice on the memory cards, my 5D4 has a San Disk compact flash and for backup also a San Disk SD card. It will be the same for the R5, a San Disk CF Express and a San Disk SD for backup.
One thing I did learn quite quickly with the 5D4 was using the compact flash card was a lot quicker in handling the required data speeds than the SD, so I would more than expect that to be the case with the higher resolution and 20fps burst.
Because I'm keeping the 5D4, I've opted to buy a second battery pack, because each camera will have its onw camera bag, and I'm not very good with making sure spare batteries are transferred from one kit bag to another.
I've also noted the powerbank info. I'm familiar with powerbanks from my mountaineering and camping days for keeping mobile phones charged. Though it wouldn't have been powerful enough, I sold off my Powermonkey one, which also had a solar panel (often left dangling from my rucksack to catch the sun and top up the powerbank while walking on a sunny day) to top the charge up with. It was damned handy for a long weekend or weeks camping.
My only disappointment with the R5, if it can be classed as that, is Canon see fit to supply a micro-c to micro-c lead for downloads, not many desktops or laptops will have micro-c sockets and I'm not keen on adaptors because they can induce data speed loses. While not a major issue, I sourced a USB3.0 to micro-c lead.
But I am looking out for a better data speed cable if I see one or someone has one they are successfully using.
The cards and link lead arrived this morning, the camera bag is an existing one that's hardly been used and will take the 5D4 or R5 comfortably. So the only things I'm waiting for are the camera, batteries and lens mount adaptor, and then it's time to play.