Four Explorers of Light Share Their Thoughts on the New Canon R5 and R6

With the release of the new Canon R5 and R6, everyone's itching for more and more details. So, I figured who better to ask than the Canon Explorers of Light who have already been able to use these cameras for months. 

Lindsay Adler

New York-based fashion photographer Lindsay Adler has had the Canon R5 for a while now. She has been able to use the camera on multiple assignments, from outdoor natural light setups, low-light settings, and then indoor studio setups. She feels that this is a good indicator of how good and well rounded the camera really is. The way the R5 has made the biggest change in the way she shoots is when shooting on location with wide open lenses. The new autofocus system gives her confidence that her images will be sharp even when shooting handheld with a shallow depth of field. 

Disclaimer: Images were shot with pre-production samples of the Canon EOS R5 and R6 cameras. 

As for a feature that she loves that isn't getting much attention, the new batteries give her a much-improved experience. She can now make it through a lot more shooting on a single battery, and it has relieved some of the traditional stresses of shooting with a mirrorless camera. Aside from that, she is simply excited about the overall package. While there are a ton of great and exciting features, the package as a whole and how they play together are what she loves about the new R5. 

Roberto Valenzuela

Roberto is an LA-based photographer that is primarily known for his work at weddings. But aside from wedding photography, he also shoots a lot of commercial fashion, is the author of a handful of photography books, and an educator. Roberto is one of the few photographers that has been able to shoot with both the Canon R5 and R6. Being able to shoot each camera for more than six weeks, he has some great insights into what each rig can do. His favorite new feature is the new flip screen paired with the new autofocus system. He explains that with weddings and fashion, he finds himself constantly shooting from odd angles. The flip screen allows him to do this more comfortably. Then, the autofocus system gives him the confidence that what he is shooting will be in focus. He says that at first, he thought that the new AF system was some type of joke because it worked so well. He didn't think it could possibly be real. 

When it comes to the R6, he finds this to be the perfect camera for weddings. He feels that the lower resolution sensor helps with the speed of his workflow. That paired with the ability to convert the R6 to a 1.6 crop factor with the press of a button expands the ability of the lenses he has with him. With this feature, he can now convert his 28-70mm f/2 lens to a 28-112mm f/2 lens. 

As for features that are not widely talked about, the EF to RF adaptor is something that he loves and uses all the time. This adaptor gives you the ability to adapt your EF lenses to the RF mount. But this adaptor also has the ability to have a variable ND filter installed. What this does is allows you to have a single ND filter applied to every EF lens no matter the differences in filter thread sizes. The main use for this is when he is working with off-camera flash and wants to dial down his ambient light while maintaining a shallow depth of field.   

Vanessa Joy

Based in the New York and New Jersey area, Vanessa is primarily a wedding and portrait photographer. After hearing about both the R5 and the R6, she felt that using the R6 would be better for her so that she could cater to the people looking to get started or those who don't have the need for a top-of-the-line model — people like DJs, vloggers, tutorial makers, etc. 

With the R6, Vanessa felt the new ergonomics allowed her to just fall right into use in a comfortable way. The thumb dial was something that she missed when going back and forth between the EOS R and her 1D X Mark III. She also loved the new EVF and even forgot she was using an EVF at times. 

When it comes to comparing the R5 and the R6, she feels people should just weigh out their needs. While the R5 is definitely the better of the two, the truth is that not all content creators need what the R5 has to offer. The R6 is the perfect answer to someone wanting to get into the R lineup but at a lower cost of entry.    

Tyler Stableford

Tyler Stableford is an Emmy Award-winning director and photographer based in Colorado. He works on things from commercials to stills projects, so the new R5 is right within his area of expertise. While Canon primarily asked him to produce a video with it, he also did his fair share of stills work with the new camera. For him, he feels that the smaller footprint of the R5 paired with the image stabilization allows him to be more creative. With this system, he can get away with more handheld shooting while maintaining smooth movement and stability while panning.  

When it comes to features that he feels are worth noting, the new autofocus system paired with the tap to focus ability has opened new doors for him. He no longer feels that his compositions are being limited by the location of his focus points. The need to constantly focus and recompose has also gone out the door.    

Conclusion

As more and more details emerge from these cameras, it’s exciting to hear first-hand experiences from people that have been able to use them in the field. While the new AF system and IBS have been amongst the main headline topics, it’s clear that working professionals still value things as simple as battery life and ergonomics. So, seeing that the R5 and R6 check all these boxes should have all Canon users excited.