Canon waited a while to put forth what we would consider a “pro” level mirrorless body, but the wait is over, and I’d say it has been worth it.

On the photography side of things, this body brings a LOT to the table. To start, you’ve got a gorgeous 45 Megapixel sensor backed up by a DIGIC X processor that allows for excellent image quality at a wide variety of ISO values, including up to 102400.

The new Dual Pixel CMOS AF autofocus unit has 100% frame coverage, face tracking, eye tracking, and even “Bird-detection”. We’re still waiting for “Bigfoot detection, but feel confident they’re probably working on it. In addition, you get a dizzying number of selectable AF zones: 1053! C’mon Canon...you couldn’t squeeze in 47 more points to get to an even 1100? Slackers. Just kidding. We love you.

On the mechanical side of things, the included 5-axis in-body stabilization (IBIS) gives up to an astonishing 8 stops of correction, and is compatible with lens-based stabilizers to allow even more isolation. The mechanical shutter will give you up to 12fps and the electronic shutter increases that to 20fps. That’s nice. Real nice. There are two card slots: 1 SD and 1 CFExpress type B, and the EVF has a 120Hz refresh rate on its 5.76M-dot display. There’s no doubt this is one of the best EVFs we’ve ever used.

All these systems combine to create a shooting experience that borders on the sublime. We’ve found autofocus to be fast and accurate, and the image quality is exactly what you’d expect out of a top-end Canon body: Simply beautiful.

This body is also known for its video specifications. The primary attraction is 4K at up to 120fps, but there’s also the fact that it’ll shoot 8K footage up to 30fps. That’s a lot of resolution! Canon log in 4:2:2 10-bit is available for post-processing flexibility, as well as H.265 compression and RAW options. There’s a lot to love here.

Ultimately, we think the RF system has come into its own with this body. It’s feeling like a fully fleshed-out system that is ready to accept the torch from the EF bodies and move onward into the future. Rent it and let us know what you think!

Included with your rental:

• Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless Camera Body
• Canon LP-E6NH battery
• Canon LC-E6 battery charger
• Factory shoulder strap
• Canon R-F-5 body cap

User Manual

Canon R5 User manual (pdf download)

Memory Card Speed Requirements

Canon R5 Memory Card Requirements (pdf download)