new Canon EOS R1 and Canon EOS R5 Mark II cameras are two beasts of photography and video that I have been able to test: which one is better depending on what you are going to use them for?
I have been able to test the new cameras of the EOS R series from Canon for a very intense day, two beasts that notably improve their specifications with respect to previous generations of the family.
I’m talking about the Canon EOS R1 and the Canon EOS R5 Mark II. In this case, the ones I tested were pre-production models, so the final results you get with them may be different.
In any case, without having advanced knowledge of sports event photography (or breakdance photography, as you will see in this comparison), both the images and the videos have impressed me in a very positive way.
However, if you are looking for a camera of this style, you have to think about two very important things: whether you are going to pay it off (it is a big investment) and whether you are going to get the most out of it. Here I will tell you which one I liked the most and the differences between them, with images from the official presentation.
Autofocus, action modes and people tracking
One of the great new features that Canon has incorporated into these 2 new photographic beasts is an improved autofocus compared to the previous generation, Dual Pixel CMOS AF II.
In this sense, the automatic tracking and focusing of moving subjects is spectacular in both devices, managing to identify where the ball is and, additionally, where it is going to go, all by calculating probabilities thanks to the integrated machine learning.
As you can see in the following images, these cameras are very much aimed at portraying sporting moments, so they could become optimal alternatives for journalists who dedicate their time to immortalizing soccer, basketball and other ball sports.
Here you have a gallery with the results of shots (in RAW + JPG) during a basketball game and a breakdancing session (all the photos have been edited directly from the JPG format, for technical reasons of this text editor):
As if this were not enough, they allow the recording of people. For example, if Lamine Yamal is playing a game, you could take a photo of him from the internet itself; the camera will always focus on the player during a live game, even with numerous defenders around.
Compared to the EOS R3, the Canon EOS R1 considerably improves all these aspects, including up to 100 changes compared to the first, so if you come from that one.
On this point, I should mention that Canon has lent me the RF 28-70 mm lens, one of the best zooms and one that I have loved using. After all, you will get more out of a good camera with a lens to match.
Portrait mode and video recording
Of course, the cameras don’t leave aside the more traditional modes for photography, such as portrait.
Similarly, you can easily select shooting modes according to the scene you want to capture, from landscapes to models. As you can see in the following images, when you select portrait mode, the camera adjusts everything to make your job much easier.
On the other hand, in terms of video recording, both cameras do a very good job of tracking whatever you are filming. In this case, I have tested its stabilizer to the maximum level, as I have not used a tripod.
In this sense, bear in mind that I was holding a camera weighing approximately 2 kilograms (with the lens) by hand; here I have to mention that my pulse is not the best and, even so, I was delighted with the results.
As an important note, the recording is in 4K at 60 fps, since video platforms compress the result notably, even though I have not edited it, so you can see the final result as it would be in a live shot.
Here is a video example with both cameras. The first 2 clips are from the Canon EOS R1, while the last 2 are from the Canon EOS R5 Mark II
If you are a photography lover, the Canon EOS R1 or Canon EOS R5 Mark is for you
Unfortunately, both cameras would need at least a month of testing to fully understand all the features they offer.
Despite this, both the Canon EOS R1 and the EOS R5 Mark II will not let you down at any time: they are top-of-the-range cameras that help make the work of a photojournalist much easier.
In this sense, these new models are very much aimed at sports journalists, due to the preset modes that come with them, as well as the people register, something essential if you want to follow the same player or politician during a game or press conference.
That doesn’t mean you can’t use them if you decide to photograph landscapes or are an amateur photographer, although you will always have to think about whether you are going to recoup the large investment they represent.
Thus, the Canon EOS R1 can be obtained from November this year for 7,519.99 euros; the Canon EOS R5 Mark II will be available from August at a price of 4,779.99 euros.
Finally, Canon has confirmed that new tools will arrive through firmware updates next year, so both models will have new features available to users.
