Canon EOS R5 Review for Wildlife Photography

A 45-megapixel sensor, 8K video recording, 8-stop in-body image stabilization, Dual Pixel AF, and 12 frames per second shooting; What do these things have in common? They are all present on the seemingly wildlife-prepared Canon EOS R5. Here’s a hands-on look at how well it pulls it off.

This refreshing review of the Canon EOS R5 comes from the perspective of accomplished wildlife photographer and long-time Nikon shooter Isaac Spotts. He spent a week with not only the new EOS R5, but the EF 600mm f/4L III as well to photograph and record bears, elk, moose, and more. Much more valuable than looking at arbitrary number ratings and side-by-side comparisons, Spotts offers us an inside look to what actually using the camera is like and the art it can help to create. Rounding off the review period is a look back at what he liked and didn’t like about using the camera, including points of interest for wildlife shooters such as the animal eye autofocus, image stabilization, and low-light competency.

Released earlier this year, the EOS R5 has been heralded as the comeback camera for Canon as they begin taking their mirrorless cameras seriously. In 2020, no longer are people giving quizzical looks when someone declares they are switching to Canon. If you’re on the fence about switching too as a wildlife photographer, this review is for you.

Ryan Mense's picture

Ryan Mense is a wildlife cameraperson specializing in birds. Alongside gear reviews and news, Ryan heads selection for the Fstoppers Photo of the Day.

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5 Comments

Wow! I didn't think such high ISO's were necessary during daylight!

it is to show the capacity of the Canon R5 at high Isos and I can assure you that it is impressive I am the happy owner of this DSLR

I just got mine a few days ago and can't wait to get out there!

congratulations excellent choice

I’m a d850 shooter myself like you and looking to going mirrorless. I’ve been waiting for Nikon to try and catch up but think it’ll be a few years before the gap closes. Damn I believe this is hands down the best camera made at the moment. The image stabilization is insane . Canon as a company has been doing image stabilization for a long time now and it shows . Fujifilm has been too . Nikon needs to step up they have the means especially with the big Z mount opening. This is something that holds the Sony system back .
Next Canon has made some huge strides in their sensor tech and it looks good . Look out Sony !
I went into the camera store years back to buy me a Canon camera and walked out with a Nikon d7000. One I got the most camera for the money . But the big kicker is the camera felt so so good in my hands . Like it was made to shoot . The buttons and controls were just where I thought things should be . So ergonomics and menus mean a lot . I think Canon is killing it over everyone at the moment.
Congratulations Canon