Wedding photographer and Canon Watch reader Chris Giles posted an exhaustive and entirely real world review of the Canon EOS 5Ds R.
The review is particularly interesting to those who want to know how Canon’s 50MP DSLR performs at the end of the day. The EOS 5Ds R is the one with removed anti-aliasing filter. You won’t find lab scores in Chris’ review, but some very useful examples about shadow recovering and the (amazing) degree it can be pushed to. Have a look:
You can recover a LOT from 5Ds R files
There are more examples where Chris shows that you can produce a clean and good looking photo by recovering up to 4 stops in Lightroom.
Comparing the EOS 5Ds R to the EOS 5D Mark III (operation wise):
All the 5D3 issues are gone, the card write speeds are massively improved, (you can format a 128gb SD card instantly vs 3-4 seconds on the 5D3) and there is no difference in card buffer write speed either using dual or single cards
EOS 5Ds R set to ISO 12800 – Straight out of camera with no noise reduction
Chris was also positively impressed by the EOS 5Ds R’s dynamic range. He found it much improved, and from his point of view, the 5Ds R features Canon’s best sensor ever, colours are great as always but these are good straight out of the camera. Talking about dynamic range, I would like to quote Chris once more:
[…] people are screaming for dynamic range, not that they need it, it’s just the in thing right now. We have super huge megapixel sensors, great user interfaces on the cameras so there’s few gaps left to be filled…. so in comes dynamic range. Often over-looked is that at around ISO 400-800 dynamic range falls off across all sensors […]
This is the result of a +4 stops recovery in Lightroom! Go see the original pic…
Chris makes 8.7GB of sample pics available for download and for your pixel peeping pleasure. Please note that a donation is requested to get the download link. The 191 raw files are made up of ISO ranges up to 12800 from the following cameras: Canon 5DSr, 5D3, 1DX, A7ii and the Pentax 645z. Also included is a selection of images underexposed on purpose by 4 stops, so you can try on your own how much you can recover.
If you are on the fence for Canon’s new megapixel monsters, then I recommend to have a look at Chris’ review. This is especially true if you happen to be a professional photographer meditating over the next tool to buy to get the job done, or done better. Some Canon lenses and how they do on the EOS 5Ds R are also discussed
Photography Blog posted their full review of Canon ‘s new, 50MP EOS 5Ds R. The “R” version of the 5Ds is the model featuring an optical low pass cancellation filter. From the conclusion:
The Canon EOS 5DS R combines the proven design of the popular 5D Mark III with jaw-dropping image quality from the new 50.6 megapixel sensor. Slow continuous shooting speeds and a limited ISO range by modern standards means that the 5DS R certainly isn’t suited to every photographic situation, with the venerable 5D Mark III and the EOS 7D Mk II being better all-rounders, while the huge file sizes and sheer level of detail demand that you use the best post-processing setup and the latest “L-series” lenses to do justice to the camera. The sheer level of detail that can obtained from the 5DS R and a high-quality lens like the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM is difficult to ignore once you’ve experienced it, though, so if you can commit both financially and in terms of time to the Canon EOS 5DS R, we’d whole-heartedly recommend it. Read the review at Photography Blog.
Forget all the DxOMark discussion, and don’t be worried by the EOS 5Ds/5Ds R scores, since they mean very little at the end of the day. The image quality of the 5Ds and 5Ds R beats anything else out there.
B&H Photo has a discount program going on select Canon DSLR and lens bundles. You can choose between EOS 5D Mark III, EOS 5Ds/5Ds R, EOS 6D, EOS 70D, EOS 7D, EOS 7D Mark II, Rebel T6i, Rebel T5, Rebel T5i, and Rebel SL1 bundles. Saving go up to $1,100 for EOS 7D bundles, up to $550 for EOS 7D Mark II, EOS 70D & EOS 6D bundles, etc. Expires 8/1/2015.
Last week DxOMark posted their test results for the Canon EOS 5Ds and EOS 5Ds R. As usual, DxOMark’s scores on a Canon sensor start bold headlines and heated discussions, especially when compared to Sony’s A7R. Well, I guess most of my readers are smart and do not buy posts based on the uneducated interpretation of DxOMark scores, which are a mere engineering figure. No Canon sensor is “far behind” a Sony sensor, as a site titled.
However, it is always good to remind people why the DxOMark scores do not count very much at the end of the day. Tony Northrup posted an interesting article where he explains why you shouldn’t care about the EOS 5Ds/5Ds R DxOMark scores. I recommend you read the whole article, for those in a hurry (these are not the only points listed):
DxOMark doesn’t factor in the number of megapixels
DxOMark doesn’t factor in the negative effects of an anti-aliasing filter
Please note that Mr. Northrup doesn’t “disagree with DxOMark, just [with] the presentation and interpretation of the numbers“. Same here. While there is a lot to read and learn in the article, I particularly like these :-) :
The [EOS 5Ds] overall image quality is noticeably better than the D810 or a7R.
All [EOS 5Ds] images show more detail, whether using sharp, expensive lenses and less expensive zooms.
[the EOS 5Ds] is overall a far more usable camera than the a7R, with a vastly superior focusing system.
It gets the most out of our Canon lenses, including the Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS II, which Nikon doesn’t have a decent alternative for.
Hmm, noticeably better IQ, more detail, more usable camera, superior focusing system…sounds good, doesn’t it? Who wants a Sony A7R ;-) Read Tony Northrup’s article.
FroKnowsPhoto posted their Canon EOS 5Ds R real world review, entirely produced while exploring the magnificence of the Grand Canyon. Original size files (raw) are available for download (follow this link).
Says the Fro:
This is a Landscape and Portrait camera in my opinion. What separates the 5DS R from the 5DS is the first one has a low pass cancelation effected in the camera. This means if you are shooting fine patterns it’s possible that you may get some moire. The 5DS R is basically the same exact camera layout and design as the 5D Mark III. This means anyone picking it up for the first time will not have any trouble figuring out how to use it.
and
One thing I was surprised with was the 5DS R’s ability to snap off 5 FPS. Think about it, you are pushing 50.6 megapixel images through the camera at such a high rate without running into issues. On top of that the shutter is one of the quietest shutters I have ever encountered. My thinking is that is due to the new mirror mechanisms put into this camera.
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