Canon R3 vs R5 | SURPRISING Results! | Are 24mpix ENOUGH? | In the Field Review & Image Samples
The R3 is Canon's BEST camera, yet I don't use it much for photos. How is that possible & what role does the R5 play in this decision?
Can the R3 image quality stack up against the R5's 45mpix sensor?
Could you simply upsize the R3 files & have the same results as an R5?
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TIMESTAMPS
0:00 R3, The best Camera, BUT
0:55 Body & Specs
2:28 Speed & RAWs
3:19 Optional Shutter Sound & Flash
4:04 Sensor & Rolling Shutter & Buffer
5:12 EVF
6:08 Batteries
6:54 RF vs Older EF Lenses
7:49 Autofocus
10:38 IMAGE QUALITY
12:08 Crop Example
13:17 HIGH ISO
14:24 Upsizing R3 Files
15:56 Editing Matters
16:32 VIDEO
21:45 And Here's the Problem
I’ve had the exact opposite experience, since owning the R3 I’ve barely used the R5 and it’s really only come out in situations where I can take my time and set up. The R3 is just a workhorse and it really feels like there’s no limit to what you can do with it while with the R5 there’s things like rolling shutter that you have to be mindful of. Sure the R5 has more resolution but 90% of the time we’re posting stuff to Instagram at 1080px wide and honestly, the lower resolution pushes me to be a better photographer because I have to get closer to the subject.
Not to mention the dynamic range improvements on the R3. The camera definitely does resolve higher than a 24mp.
My thoughts exactly, I have both and since buying the R3 I havent used my R5.. But I do get close to my subject via hides and the like.. The 1DX cameras of the last 10 years have barely gotten over 20 MP in there time and have been the workhorse of many bird and wildlife photographers.. Not sure why we say 'ONLY' 24 MP!! Its plenty.. after all most of our imagery only ends up on social media and printing to say A3 only requires 10 MP...
@@GazFoto me three 🙂 I went from the DX2 to DX3 and now R3 and never been limited by pixels, not sure why there is this huge obsession with high pixel cameras, my R5 hardly gets used since the R3 came along. Never been a fan of huge crops, and all that detail is only seen in processing when pixel peeping, most social media and web all that detail is not visible, you would be hard pushed to see the difference in most cameras. The other thing I don't understand is our eyes don't actually see all that fine feather detail, why do we need to see it enlarged in a photo?
@@tonyesposito9602 Couldn't agree more, I dont expect anyone could look at a picture and tell you what camera was used, certainly not in the places we view images today, social media, web etc... Think we get to obsessed with gear in some ways..!!
@@tonyesposito9602 I agree also. I own the R6 and use it with my EF 600mm II lens. Even with the 2x extender the resolution is so good. Definitely much improved over my 1DX that I quickly sold once I went mirrorless. For me, although I haven’t used an R5, I honestly think the smaller file sizes and (arguably better) low light performance of the R6 is perfect since I don’t crop much either. I haven’t experimented with heavy crops with a 45mp camera. If the files look as if they weren’t cropped at all, that would be an advantage, but I never try to look at it from the crop later perspective. The R3 would be a great camera, I just ran out of money haha
The best comparison between these two cameras I’ve seen. Thank you!. I use the R5 with the 100-500 combination for birding and landscapes. I rarely use the video. Totally agree with the low light focus issues and the locking on the background. High megapixel is a must for me given the extensive cropping on most images. I’ll stay with the R5 and will consider the next iteration of the R5.
I have an R5, mostly for out in the field bird photography & video. Your review (much appreciated) confirms for me that I’ll wait for a higher (45Mp or so) enabling 8k video capability, allowing the sometimes significant cropping I need in far-away bird videos, which my R5 & Premiere Pro allow. I haven’t run up any overheating experiences with the R5 in the (still) temperate climate I’m in, fortunately.
Excellent and detailed video comparison of these two bodies. Dense with solid info and fair side-by-sided. Learned a lot from this. Thank you!
Nice video! I spent most of the past year shooting birds with an R6 and using Topaz to upscale the images. I came up with a workflow using Gigapixel in the low resolution mode. Then I would run the resulting file through Topaz Sharpen suing the motion blur mode. Somewhere between 25% to 55%. This results in files that look very nice. I just got an R7 and even though I don’t need extra pixels with it I find that I still am using that workflow occasionally.
I have an R3, and I live in an area that is frequently overcast and where photography in dim forests is common. The low light performance of the camera is exactly why I got it, and I've been very pleased with that decision. I do think about getting an R5 sometimes as a second body, but I think for me the R3 is best as a main body.
Go for the R5 if you want better image quality....R3 should be a back up camera. IMO
The advantages of R3 over R5 are enormous but my R5 and RF 100-500mm cost $600 more than just the body of the R3. I don't do action photography and as you illustrated, cropping in on a small bird like Goldfinch or Bunting still ends up being very good. Coming from 7D2 straight to R5, there are no complains when using the R5. I appreciate your work as always❤️😍
I can’t justify an R3 while knowing an R1 is coming which will blow both out of the water. These camera companies have “money milking” down to a science and I think I’ll wait a year or two before I move from the R5.
@@KruiserIV are we really gonna have a global shutter? That sounds crazy and exciting
I own the R3 and so wished I got the R 5 before I dropped $6K on it, I don't care about features, bells and whistles, it all bold down to image quality because that is what the client cares about. And it is hard to compete with image quality with another photographer shooting the same things with the R5....clients are going to buy that level of quality over the R3's measly 24 pixels...I mean the R5 blows the R3 away with image quality. Wish I could return my R3, it cost twice as much as the R5. I considered trading it for an R5
@@HollywoodConnection-JAST "It's kind of hard to compete on image quality when another photographer is shooting the same thing with an R5..." Maybe that's the problem? It's kind of like the difference between a 1080p and a 4k television. It's not the resolution of the TV I am watching! It's what's playing on the TV I am watching!
I like the video. I rarely shoot video. For Bird Photography I love the R5. The large files give great image quality when cropping small birds. If I shot sports I think the R5 might be better. I also shoot events and again the R5 is excellent.
The best side by side review I have watched on KZhead - and I watched many. Well done!
Great!
Very thorough and methodical review -- excellent! Thanks much for this info!
Thanks Jan! I really did enjoy this video. I shoot with the R5 after "upgrading" from the R6 in March. I mainly shoot birds. I really.don't care about video. At times, I'll shoot a 15 second clip to record a bird singing or calling. I watched one of your previous videos that taught me to save the settings to C3. Now I just hit the red record button to get my short clip. I think overall that the R3 would just be too much camera for me technically, plus the size. One thing you didn't mention for consideration was the price difference between the two cameras. I would think that many of us, even though we might want the more expensive camera with the additional features, just can't swing it because of the cost. We make it work with what we can afford. As always, another great review.
This was an awesome review and real-life comparison. Scientific, yet easy to understand. I'm surprised that you don't have more subscribers, considering the content and production quality, not to mention the amazing bird photos and videos.
Yes, Jan definitely deserves more followers but he'll get there. He's putting forth the kind of content that will hopefully accelerate him faster. I don't even shoot BIF or wildlife (recently retired news media photographer) but I'm very appreciative of his analysis and, of course, the beauty of his work.
Thank you! Let's spread the word then :D
The knowledge and ease of understanding is there. He just doesn’t have the personality that can add to the entertainment factor. He’s a brilliant teacher but he doesn’t hold your attention like a Peter M. or Jared P.
@@edwinclark1493 I understand why many (I guess, most) people prefer the jazzy style and frequent interruptions with video flairs of those other youtubers, but my preference is for a no-nonsense approach. I appreciate the plain-spoken, almost academic, delivery.
Really like your video. The perfect mix between technical aspects and real world implications. I have two R5 bodies and was considering to get the R3. I was holding the R3 in my hand and have been impressed about the perfectly designed body. However I will stay with my R5 bodies which are just wonderful cameras. There is only one function I am really missing which is build in GPS. However I can imagine that the eye control AF of the R3 is another thing which is great once getting used to it.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Jan, I’m a camera enthusiast currently have a old! Sony A65 which I’m now having issues with. Currently tossing around the idea of either a Canon R5 or a Sony A7iv. I’m an all rounder when it comes to still photos family, kids sports, sunsets but I enjoy my motorsports bikes, cars etc. at 300km/h. I’m starting to lean towards the Canon R5. The more videos I watch and the more I read is heading me that way.
Thanks for the comparison video Jan, your experiences with both camera bodies are very interesting. I've recently upgraded from the R6, mainly shoot wildlife with a bias for birds. I was thinking of the R3 when upgrading but after your video I'm convinced I made the right choice to go with the R5. Cheers.
Thank you for another great video. I'll wait for the R1, and keep using my R5 based on your review!
Great video, Jan. Excellent comparison with fine examples.
Many thanks!
Great review. I really enjoyed hearing your take on both these cameras. Thank you for sharing! All my best from Michigan, USA.
Awesome, thank you!
I'm gonna watch it! My fav videos are this type!
Jan you are da man. Excellent video - I really look forward to your content. Your explanation of - you know- everything (ergonomics, file quality, workflow, video) is superb. We are headed to Alaska for Brown Bears/salmon run in a couple weeks. Shooting 85% video with primarily Canon cinema cameras but bringing a mirrorless for “B” video cam and to grab some stills. Leaning towards the R3 for action and (probably) low light. Really love the video AF on the R3. Thanks as always. And BTW love the tweaks you made to your intro!
Thank you!
Amazing review. Clear, concise, and incredibly full of useful information. Thank you for such a great, objective review.
My pleasure!
Great video. I totally agree with you on your findings. I am waiting for the R1.
Thanks for the video, Jan!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Jan, I love your videos. From here at around 8:00 (and other pro reviews are similar) I think you may have missed that the R5 can in fact do what you claim is new to the R3 - initiate tracking at a point or limited area that you specify. I set up both R5 & R3 functionally identically with triple back-button focus, but the setup method is slightly different. Let's call the 3 back buttons from left-to-right BB1 (AF-ON button), BB2 (*), BB3 (AF point). I have the main AF mode initiated by BB1 usually set to Spot-AF, with BB2 and BB3 initiating tracking-AF in two different modes. ( Doing it your way around with BB1 set to tracking-AF disables the Magnify button. For a still subject I like to be able to magnify to manually fine tune focus. ) On the R5, the next thing you need to do is go to menu AF5.1 "Initial Servo AF pt for tracking". Select the second option - this tells the camera to initiate tracking AF at the point/area you last specified in a non-tracking AF mode like Spot-AF. In other words, if there are multiple possible faces/eyes in frame, it will try to initiate tracking at or close to wherever you were pointing the Spot-AF box. Now go to Customize Buttons, and set BB2 (the * button) to "Metering & AF start", and in the Detail Set specify AF method = Tracking. Set BB3 (the AF point button) to "Eye Detection AF". I discovered by trial and error that if you set it up this way, BB2 will respect the setting in menu AF5.1 and initiate tracking at wherever you were pointing Spot-AF using BB1. But BB3 will ignore the setting in menu AF5.1. BB3 will ignore where you were pointing Spot-AF using BB1, instead it will use AUTO tracking-AF initiation to evaluate the whole screen to choose what it thinks is the subject. You can prove this difference in behavior if you have a wall poster or something with multiple faces. Position one face in the center and one on the edge of the frame. Use BB1 to point Spot-AF at the face on the edge of the frame. BB2 with start tracking the face on the edge, whereas BB3 will ignore your Spot-AF point and prefer the face in the middle of the frame. So shooting wildlife goes as follows: usually I'm starting with BB1 and first directing Spot-AF at the subject I want to track. Then I go to BB2, and tracking-AF initiates from I where I was pointing Spot-AF. This reliably starts tracking exactly what I want it to track, even if the image is complex or there are multiple possible targets. However, if things are moving very quickly and I don't have time to pick out my subject, I will just go straight to BB3 and let the software pick out what it thinks is the subject from the whole screen. I would use BB3 for a bird returning to a perch that I want the tracking-AF to jump to when it comes in frame, or for a bird that I expect to lift from behind ground cover where I cannot first pick it out with Spot-AF on the ground. Setup on the R3 is similar, but the menu AF5.1 has disappeared. Instead, in Customize Buttons when you set BB2 (* button) to "Metering & AF start", the Detail Set allows you to specify Tracking-AF and also the AF area. If you specify anything other than Whole Area, Tracking-AF will initiate using a spot or an area that is centered on wherever you were last pointing the focus in a non-tracking AF mode. For BB3 (the AF point button) you do the same as the R5, select Eye Detection AF. This has no Detail Set, it will always use Whole Area. This then gives you a triple back-button focus arrangement that replicates what I described for the R5.
I love the combination of my R3 and the R6... Thanks for your wonderful work here
Great real World comparison. Thanks. Would like to see a similar comparison between the R3 and R7, especially fine detail , AF accuracy , RF and EF lenses, and video.
Terrific video. I first had the R5 which shoots really beautiful still images, but my main purpose is as a hybrid shooter and the overheating and noise in the R5 video was unacceptable for me. Now i have the R3 and i absolutely love the 6K Raw video without overheating issues and how clean the still images are. Anyways a few more megapixels for stills shooting would be nice so when the R1 comes out it will be a clear buy for me :D
Really helpful Jan. Thanks. Having just sold my 5DIV, I’m tempted by the R5 . The R7 is more in my budget, however, and is an action sports upgrade from the MkIV so although not the best, it will be an improvement in AF and reach.
Thanks for detailing the pros and cons of these two cameras, Jan. I have had similar experiences, although I mainly photograph sports, events, and headshots rather than wildlife. I use an R5 and an R3 together for sports and the R5 for headshots. I have a 1DX Mark II as a backup and I find I don't use it much at all because I like the autofocus capabilities of the R3 and R5 so much. My quibbles are similar to yours - I wish the cameras used two CFExpress cards instead of a mix of CFExpress and SD cards and I am annoyed by the placement of the multifunction controller on the R5 grip. Since the R1 is not out yet, these two cameras together make a phenomenal combination. Personally, I feel very lucky that I have one of each.
Videos like this are why I subscribed. I’m lucky enough to have both cameras and appreciate your diving into it like this. I really appreciated the thoughts on low-light photography, as I have not had the chance to do that yet. A bit beyond the scope of this video, but the R3 is also superb for aviation photography. And for me at least the eye control focus is go-to for taking pictures of jets.
Awesome! Thank you!
YESSS! I needed this comment. I'm between the R3 and R5. I shoot a lot of aviation/car racing pictures. I love all the features of the R3, but that MP/cropping ability of the R5 has me burning too many brain cells. I so want to make a strong case for 20ish MP being enough, though... Ugh...
@@clientcentricmassagetherap354, I've used the R3 with he 100-500 at an airshow and to take pictures of airliners on approach to Dulles and National Airports in the Washington DC area. For aviation, I've found there is plenty of room for cropping. Especially for bigger aircraft.
Another one of your fantastic videos, always interesting and totally unbiased. Thank you
My pleasure!
I use the R5 and have zero complaints. A couple of tweaks here and there would be nice but not essential plus the way they keep rolling out improvements via firmware updates it just keeps geting better. The R3 looks amazing but I think I will stick with the R5 and wait for the R1. I believe that will be a excellent combination able to do it all whether it is high end portrait/fashion work, wildlife, sport, journalism and everything in between.
Amazing Explanation sir Thank you
The best review/compare I have seen for R3 vs R5. Thank you so much
Glad you liked it!
Great review Jan. You really laid out the differences between these cameras. 😀
Thanks for watching!
What a brilliant comparison.
Jan, another great and fair review. I went with the R3 as I often shoot (sports) action, and not solely wildlife / birds. I also do some flash work too and have a longer prime lenses when reach is required, although not an RF 600 (yet!). As a retired / amateur I enjoy the shooting process most of all, and for me a good quality 9 MP file is fine to print to A3 size and frame for my wall.
Thanks for sharing!
Great review Jan, I use an R5 for bird photography hardly ever use video or photograph in very low light, so it is the R5 for me, keep the reviews coming. Ian.
Great practical real world use comparison! 👏🏾👍🏾🙏🏾
Thanks for watching!
I've got the R5 and this was a great review of these two cameras. I don't shoot video but my husband does along with stills on his R5. I'm looking forward to your review of the R7 and the comparison of its stills and video capabilities. I'm thinking about one of those as a back up camera. Catherine D.
Great video, thanks. I'm going to switch my main, full-frame body to mirrorless when I replace my 5DIV and you've pretty much explained why I'm not willing to make the move just yet and will carry on just using the R7 as a backup crop sensor body. I don't do video so that's not an issue. At the moment, the R3 is a little light on pixels for me because I photograph a lot of small birds. I was also surprised to see in your video how poorly the files compare with the R5 in terms of fine detail. On the other hand, the R5 doesn't have the stacked sensor that comes with the R3 and the files are 12 bit in electronic shutter (something I hate on my R7 but I can live with it there because that camera is a compromise in many respects). Like you, I'm waiting to see what the R1 will bring (apart from an eye watering price tag!) If it's basically an R3 with 40-50 megapixels, then I will buy it in a heartbeat, but if the rumours of something around 100 megapixels are true, then I'm probably done with Canon after 20-plus years of using their gear, unless they upgrade the R5 to a stacked sensor and fix a few other issues in the meantime. I think 100 megapixels will be very difficult for any kind of action work.
The best review ever on r5 and r3. Thanks 🤩
Glad you liked it!
Always a pleasure Jan! As wonderful of a camera as the R3 is, particularly for wildlife and sports, it seems like a compromise in other ways. That was the appeal of the R5 for me (besides price), it just did so much well and was so versatile. It’s really been a pleasure to shoot with, but also the most expensive body I have owned.
yep!
R5 for macro, both video and stills. As you said in your video, the larger sensor makes a huge difference on the editing side! The ability to crop in even further on miniature subjects has been amazing. Great video Jan thanks for sharing!
Thank you!
Thank you for an outstanding and informative video.
Excellent comparison. It allows viewers to think about the type of photography they do and make informed decisions about which (or both) camera best suits their needs. My experience with the R5 has been much like you describe. I love the image quality, autofocus capability, stabilization and ergonomics. I rarely do video so its limitations there are not a concern for me. I live in a hot and humid environment (coastal South Carolina in the US) but have never had an overheating warning when taking stills, even when repeatedly using high FPS for birds in flight in the heat of the summer. For me, it has been a first-rate camera. I looked at the R3 but was hesitant due to the lower resolution. Your comparison of the image quality was very helpful. Thanks for this terrific video.
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for this detailed comparison based on experience in the field. I have the R5 and am considering the R7 as a second body. I just wish the control points were more similar on the R7. The R3 would be total overkill for my uses.
Many thanks, Jan. For me, this is the best comparison between R3 and R5 on YouToube 🙂. Well done!
My pleasure!
Brilliant review
Keep doing great works friend.
Thank you, I will
Excellent comparison! Thank you.
Very welcome!
The best review I was ever wondering of.... Thanks you bro,,, you got a like and a subscriber....
Awesome, thank you!
Great video Jan. This is what I noticed when testing both cameras. I think In this days we are used to see everything On 100% preview and this is our main problem. We see all the problems. When there is 45mpix we see slighty movements and the noise. When seeing a 24mpix file - lack of detail that sometimes is needed, especially when cropping. We shouldnt forget that 5 years ago almost every camera had around 20-30mpix and everything was perfect. I even used to use mraw when shooting with 5d3, 5d4 and now? :).
Yes, the problem is not being able to unsee those amazing 50mpix files :D
@@jan_wegener for me from one side the files have more details but sometimes i see that the shutter has to be faster for the same situation
Informative video - thank-you! Hope you do a 4 minute vid on today's R3 and R5 FW updates... Cheers ~
Super helpful Jan. Great Video
Glad you think so!
Excellent video as always! I love my R5, but am often frustrated by that problem of focus getting stuck on the background. I look forward to seeing if the R1 will be be the best of both worlds, and then some.
Glad you liked it
This video helps quite a bit. I'm strictly amateur, but the R3 seems to be a better fit. I photograph quite a bit of wildlife action with a Canon 5D MIII. I can see the advantages of more megapixels, but the higher frame rate will probably result in more keepers. I also shoot night photos, so the better low light performance should help greatly. Thank you for your perspective.
Very interesting how "flat" the R3 files look (although that ISO is insane! I was happy in a way that the R3 was only 24mp.....because I couldn't afford one anyway :D (And yes, the placement of the R5 battery grip joystick is ridiculous! I have missed many images because of it!!!)
With the question at the end of the video, I don't have an R5 or R3 and im currently happy with my Sony kit, yet I still watch these videos because i'm still learning something no matter the camera brand :) also helps me with ideas for a future camera purchase, which will be at least a few years from now.
So no comment :-) excellent video thanks Jan. I like all your details and helps me for now being very glad having a R5 and the C70. ;-) Like very much too that you clearly give a no nonsense opinion about the details like image quality. Greetings from the Netherlands again. Onno.
Thank you for the review. That was very interesting (thank you too for showcasing some great Aussie birds!). If I ever upgrade my 1DXii it will be to an R3 or better yet an R1. I'm happy to sacrifice the higher resolution sensor for the better autofocus, EVF, and pro body.
For wildlife and bird photography you have to try the new OM-1 with Olympus 150-400 f4.5.I moved from Sony a1 just for this lens, no system letting you to take handheld photos with the 1000mm-2000mm range like the OM System.It is not perfect but the optic quality if it is not better than the Sony 600mm f4 GM it is same quality.
Perfect! I commented on your last video that I sold my R3 last week, while I could still get top dollar. I loved the R3, I truly did. But you covered all the reasons why I kept picking up the R5. I used to do a lot of low-light and night photography, and I can confirm that the R3 excels. I bought the R3 with that in mind, but I realized I'm just not going there as much these days. Unless I'm on safari (figuratively) and carrying multiple bodies, I pick up the r5 for the images I get, and ability to crop and print larger. Assuming the R1 comes out with a stacked BSI sensor and at least 40mp, I will buy it and probably start doing more low-light work again. The R3 is great for certain needs, I just couldn't justify keeping that much money tied up in something that I was using spradically.
Yes, it's a tough one
Great review!
Glad you enjoyed it
Thanks for all your hard work, Just picked up your Presets
Awesome, thank you! Hope they will help you
Hi Jan, Thanks for this very helpful and interesting video 🙂
Glad you enjoyed it!
One of the best R3 reviews. Thnx.. subscribed ur chnl.
Thanks!
Hi Jan, I see that first clip was Moran's Falls up at O'Reilly's so you must be a local to me and I love your work, top class, and so glad to have stumbled upon you. I am in the Logan area and being retired love my natural history photography and aren't we so lucky to live in this part of the world!
Yes, Sunny Coast now :)
Great comparison and all good points. Your thoughts on using the internal 1.6 crop on r5 in situations where small images would result in cropping full frame to the 1.6 image size. I note a faster more accurate focus with the larger 1.6 cropped image in the viewfinder. Any negatives to this use besides being over cropped if a larger subject occurs?
Excellent video as ever Jan. I have both and completely agree with your conclusions. The R3 excels for fast action (motorsport for me) and low light (especially indoors with no flash). Other than that, for stills, I always reach for the R5; the files are beautiful. I don’t take much video, but have found both great (not much overheating in the UK & my clips are usually short). If I’m travelling and need to be light, I won’t hesitate to leave the R3 at home. The R5/100-500 combo is excellent for this. For ultimate wildlife, I use the R5 and EF600 (II) - the wife won’t let me upgrade yet & the IQ I get from that combo is superb in any event. Unless you’re a pro, you’d really struggle justify the expense of an upgrade to the RF600. I’ve adopted your back button set up and after some initial struggles, am now a firm convert - many thanks!
Awesome, thanks for sharing
Hi Jan, very instructive video. I own the R5 and I love it !
Great to hear!
I really liked your video. I have the R5 and shoot Bird Photography and Weddings/Events. The image quality for fine detail in Wedding Dresses and small birds is excellent. The autofocus is why I sold my 7D II. For what I do the R5 is a better choice than the R3. Waiting for the R1 to replace the 5D IV I use for backup and flip it with the R5
Great comparisons. As usual. I gulped and made the switch to the R5 from the R6 a while back. I find the R5 meets my amateur needs extremely well. I'm sure the R3 would as well. I'm not shooting a lot of video, mostly stills. But, it was a tough thing for me to spring for the R5 and the R3 is just too rich for my blood. For me, the money I spend on photography gear at this point needs to be focused on lenses, computer equipment, trips, etc. I'll just have to suffer through with the R5. :). I'm going to settle in with my R5 and work on skills.
Maybe an ignorant question, but what prompted you to switch from r6 to r5? I'm considering switching to rf finally (from 6d), but as a photographer, what is the extra $1200ish really for? Is there an answer besides megapixels
@@jrbling25 Everyone is different. I'm an amateur gettting back in the game after a long break. I will retire soon. I'm at a point in my life where I have the resources to get what I really want to have to take me to the end. That is my situation. So, for me, I decided that I want to have the megapixels for cropping. Also, the R6 does not have a way to put favorite video settings on a custom C memory setting. Also, on the R5 you can set the camera up so that you can switch from photo to video shooting with the press of a single button. I like that feature. Less important to me but still factors are the superior weather proofing in the R5 and my sense that the R5 might hold value a bit better than the R6 (could be dead wrong on that?). Honestly, I might like to have both. But, right now I am going to try to focus my dollars on becoming a better photographer.
Thanks for sharing
Thanks for the comparison! I've come from a 1DX II to an R5 on launch day and I find that the R5's lack of cross-type AF really hit me in low light. I tend to shoot a lot of event/hospitality/esports images where I am sitting at ISO 12800 and I find my 1DX II images come out far better than even downsized R5 images - I would say the 1DX II has a full stop advantage in these circumstances over the R5, so it's interesting that you've made a similar observation with the R3. Looks like I need to pick up an R3 at some point! If I get better performance out of eye detect AF speed and tracking in low light, then it's going to save me a lot of heartache!
If you are used to the 1Dx series and don't need the mpix, the R3 will be your preferred camera for sure. It focuses much better in low light
Good video Jan. Very much interested to see a comparison video with R7 since it’s cropped 32 MP.
Thanks Jan for another brilliant analysis. Do you have a video that shows how you programmed your back buttons or any other short cuts?
kzhead.info/sun/YNKngtWfj6dthIE/bejne.html
Many thanks for your prompt response, really appreciated.
Thanks for your videos Jan. I've been following your evaluations with interest, as I am a hybrid photographer coming from a 1Dc and then 1Dx mk2. I don't do birds and rarely crop into my images. I ended up going with an R5C for now (but I was considering the R3 for a long time) as I wanted to experience the higher-resolution sensor. That said, I sooooo wish the R5C was based on the pro R3 body, as the current R5/R5C body is too small for a proper tool. Maybe I need to go back to a 1-series camera again when the new R1 comes out. The R5C is interesting with its dual firmware modes, but I think the switch between photo and video would take too long for your use case. At least it doesn't overheat!
can you use the battery grip on the R5C? Yes, the switch definitely doesn't make it work for me
@@jan_wegener In theory I could use the battery grip. But to be honest, it makes for an ugly solution in my eyes (by only ALMOST following the camera lines and it doesn't have the C-lines red button). I get that there is the benefit to be able to strip the camera down for gimbal use, so OK. But the R3 size is still the sweet spot for me... OR, they could have based the R5C on the C70-that would have been interesting. The built in NDs would have been nice.
Nice comparison Jan. I have been using R5 almost a year, the more I use the more problems I discovered. The camera FREEZE is the most annoying issue even with the latest firmware. One day it froze more than 10 times, as soon as I pressed BAF button, it froze. The overheat issue, I set video C3 for 4K 120p, outside temperature 30C, camera is under the sun for a little while then the overheat warning is on. I only shoot stills, no video at all. I recently see the banding issue on ISO 4000 up in dark area when zoom 100%. I don't use e-shutter.
It's great, but not perfect
This was a very thorough and comprehensive review. I learned a lot about both my R5 and R3. As for me, I’m selling my second R5 and grabbing a second R3. I shoot weddings and events and the lowlight is unbelievable.
Yes, for that it will be great
Great videos you have. I have 1R5 body and 1R3 body. I am using it together with 600 mm Rf glas,and 1-500 mm Rf. What i am hoping,is it possible you could make a video of settings on R3 for Birds and Birds in flight? Then mostly for stills,and settings for autofocus.
Thanks Jan, good review of both cameras. I really wish Canon had given us a few more megapixels in the R3...I really like this camera and use it more often than the R5 but I often regret not having more pixels to play with especially for small distant birds. Oh well start saving for the R1 I guess.
You and me both!
My R5 has had hot pixel issues. I sent it to Canon for repair, and all they did was clean the sensor, but the issue persists. So, I have since gotten an R3 primarily for video; I'm very impressed with it; what a workhorse the R3 is!
Having an R6 I too feel that I’m lacking resolution, and it’s even less mp.. you just don’t get the versatility to crop when you want/need.. My choice to go for the R6 was purely budget wise.. 🙃 Nice video Jan! Let’s hope that R1 can unite all the best from both into one 👌🏻
Exactly!
never get tired of your videos, thanks Jan. As expected in the area that matters to me the R3 under deliver which is why even though I waited for the R3 release I opted for the R5 and I have no regret. I'm surprised Canon didn't manage to deliver a R3 with at least a 35MP count or something, now we kinda have to wait for the R1 I guess but I'll stick to my R5 anyway, it's a great camera, I just wished the body was better like the R3, bigger battery, and more button like the 1DX to switch modes and such.. I hate going through menus to change stuff while I could do all that with button press on 1DXII
I’ve seen so many people saying that the R3 should have been like 30-36MP and I just don’t get it. That’s such a negligible amount compared to 24MP, it’s only like 20% more resolution. You could scale an R3 file to that resolution in basically any program with little to no degradation.
@@anthonybarsotti2723 no the R3 should have been 45 but at least a 35 or so would have smoothed things out. Also 30MP would have been a 25% increase, which is 1/4 more and 36MP would be a 50% increase, that's significant and could have been a good compromise since the R3 brings a lot of good things like better readout speed and such to the table. So yeah the R3 is a weird body to me, it's mostly only for sport (for still I mean), yet the 1DXIII is probably still relevant since you want to use mechanical shutter in many occasion anyway and the MP count is too low compared to bodies like R5 or Alpha 1 to compete for animal photography.. I guess it has its uses, it's simply not for me though
@@seraphin01 I have been doing Wildlife photography with a 1DX2 then a 1DX3 for the last 8 years, finally swapped the 1DX3 for the R3 and I have no regrets, I have never thought I don't have enough pixels, most of the professional I know use the pro bodies with low pixels and they are getting stunning wildlife photos and making a good living out of those bodies, so I am not sure why are people moaning and moaning about pixels, we had beautiful wildlife photos before these high megapixel cameras came along. I am lucky I have the big primes and I try to get close, the trick is don't crop from 2 miles away.
Sorry but your math is incorrect, resolution needs to be multiplied in both dimensions so a 25% increase over the R3’s 24MP would be 37.5MP. If you wanted to double the resolution you effectively have to multiply the resolution times four so in the R3’s case you’d be looking at a 96MP sensor. I own both the R3 and R5 and I can tell you that while the R5’s resolution is nice, there are no shots I’ve taken with that camera that I couldn’t have taken with the R3. I’ve gotten frame-filling shots of Barn Swallows in flight with the R3 and had zero need for more resolution. People act like great photos weren’t possible before 40+ MP sensors and it’s just not true.
I bought an R3 because I mostly wanted a fast action camera with good low light performance. Because of how many opportunities left me wishing I that was able to capture the moment with less noise. I've hardly ever looked at an image and wished to crop in further, that just tells me I need to be closer next time so I try to think of how. To me cropping tightly feels like cheating, I don't find it rewarding to share an image that is heavily cropped.
love this take, completely agree.
I find the delay in focussing when using the viewfinder on the r5 very frustrating . I have learnt to keep my finger on the shutter button so I can wake the viewfinder before taking the shot. The time it takes to focus on foreground from background is also very annoying! Thank you, Jan, for such a thorough comparison.
Sounds like you need to tweak your settings.
Thanks guys!
thank you, very nice comparison.
Thanks for watching!
Good video once again. I have done some crazy things with my camera gear in the past 4 months. For one I sold 99% of my Nikon DSLR camera gear. I purchased a Canon R6 but found as good as the camera is it did not give me the WOW factor I was looking for. I upgraded to a R5 with the 100-500, 24-105 and the 70-200, f/4. I wanted the 70-200, f/2.8 but gosh those fast RF lenses are priced out of sight for this retiree. I have since repurchased my Nikon D810 and the D4s. I enjoy the R5 for birding and almost everything so far. The D810 I will use mainly for portraits indoors and just to change things up a bit. My favorite is the lowly 16MP Nikon D4s. If I have to absolutely get the shot the first time or if the weather is bad or I am in the woods, on the street I will take the beast, D4s. I am now rebuilding my collection of Nikon F mount glass. Fast glass, used but in near like used condition and at 1/3 the price of Canon RF, L, lenses. I am liking the R5 more and more but the FR glass is too expensive and for MY needs I should have kept my 12 F mount lenses or some of them and maybe bought a D850 and a Z7II. I guess I am a slow learner at 70. I know the newest and greatest tech cameras are wonderful but the final product for my needs is sometimes made with the older and more reliable cameras. The R5 is the best camera over all that I will ever need and then some. I have no interest in a R3. Your videos are awesome.
Thanks for sharing! :)
Awesome video Thanks ♥ 🙌🏼
Glad you liked it!
This sort of 3D tracking function a la Nikon you mentioned is something I really miss on my R5.
The R5/6 can also start tracking where the AF point is, but I suppose the difference to the R3 is that it sticks to the "object" if it can't find an eye in the area? I noticed my R6 jumping to a different person if it fails to find the eye at the location of the AF point.
Some of those 'differences' are either software bugs in R5/R6 or purposefully crippling the camera. Soon will find out in the coming updates if Canon fixes the focus hunting and some other problems with the R5/6 or leave them there to laugh at its clients. Like the missing 'Save Settings' on the R6.
@9:42 thanks for comparing their low-light AF performance, and thanks for this video.
I had a brand new R5 and on first day out it froze twice taking 300 photographs! I had to switch camera off and on but froze again after 3 shots. Camera body very warm. I returned the camera and got a R3 and no issues with R3. Really fast eye tracking and the photos are stunning with lots of detail. Using R3 with RF 100m-500mm lens and easy to hand hold
the r5 never made any problems in my hands...and i use it very intensivly every day...strange
It's strange that you say that you get lots of details from your R3, when the vlogger says the opposite about the R3????
16:05 - He said "DxO PureRAW" and that is the name of the software he used to remove the noise... just in case you also had a hard time understanding what he said. 🙂
Good comparison! I like my R5 and the images are great. I'm hoping that the R5 Mark II will fix some of the annoyances that you mentioned with the Overheating and the Autofocus quirks. (Or better yet! A firmware update! ;-) As always, great video and I look forward to seeing more!
I'm hoping for an R5 mkII to show up fall 2023. Probably a little early for a mkii, but we'll see.
I found raw images taken with the R6 and R5 taken at the same time, with the same lenses (RF 85 1.2. basically the sharpest lens Canon makes). I upscaled the R6 in Adobe Camera Raw using the Enhance feature, then output using Adobe Camera Raw to 45 MP. I then overlayed the images over the R5 files. I pixel peeped at 100% on a 5K monitor and guess what? The R6 files looked sharper on most of the files (landscape, outdoor portrait and studio portrait). I then sent these files to a graphic designer buddy (I'm a graphic designer too and photographer for 15 years btw), and didn't label the layers. He picked the R6 files as more detailed in 9 out of 10 photos I sent him. Crazy. The great thing is that the Enhance feature doesn't take that long to run (though the files are massive). Even without using the Enhance feature, when I upscale the output of ACR to 45 MP, it's VERY hard to tell the difference between R5 and R6 files. The lens will make more of a difference than the camera.
Well done and great points. I really would like to wait for he R5 Mk2 but I think I am going to go with R6 Mk2 for upgrade from R7. Any thoughts? I can not handle the R5 30 min record limit.
I’ve been waiting for this video even though I haven’t used Canon since I stopped using my FD equipment in the early 2000’s. I currently use a Nikon D850. I appreciate the detail of the 45MP sensor but would like better ISO performance, which seems so critical in wildlife photography where many of best light and wildlife opportunities seem to occur when the light is low or even just to allow for higher shutter speeds. Do you think the R3 might still have a niche when the higher megapixel R1 is released?
The R1 won’t be release for another 2 year at least. Canon has said they want to complete their RF lens lineup before the R1. Thought is they might wait until 2024 Olympics to announce. So plenty of time to sell these R3s. Additionally the R1 will probably be considerably more expensive and will truly be a professional’s camera. IMO still leaving a market for R3.
For me the R3 will likely remain as video camera
I like both but love the all purpose versatility of the R5. I also have found that in low light situations when I downsize the R5 files I get very good results up to ISO 6400. As long as I am close, the quality of an ISO 6400 image is very nice after dxo pure raw and topaz denoise. I need the megapixels so patiently waiting for the R1 or R5 Mark II down the road!
me too!
Try changing the auto focus sensitivity settings on the R5 so it wont hunt as much. Hope it helps!😀