Canon EOS R5 in concert photography

Canon EOS R5 in concert photography

First of all I want to thank Canon Portugal for lending me an EOSR5 for this test in concert photography, and also to Mariza and her team for giving me the opportunity to test the EOS R5 during their concert.
The model was Pre-Production, but it would already be close to the final model.

This article is not sponsored or commissioned by Canon, this article represents what I really felt when using the Canon EOS R5 at concerts, and I don’t even intend to convince anyone to agree with me or buy the camera, it’s just my opinion. 

How I did the test
Despite knowing that RF lenses would help me get even better results, as I was able to confirm when I used the EOS R, I chose to do this test with my EF lenses, because one of the questions that I’ve heard a lot, when talking about the EOS R system is precisely if the compatibility of EF lenses is really good, and also because I believe that many of those who are going to switch to the EOS R5 or R6 still have many EF lenses that they will continue to use, until they can change, all, for RF lenses.
As the EOS R5 is a recent machine that is only starting to be distributed, the main image editing software still cannot open the EOS R5 Raw files, so it would not be possible for me to use the EOS R5 inside the my normal workflow.
My workflow in concerts is to photograph everything in RAW, choose the images, make a few adjustments on the levels and export to Jpeg to send the images to the band the same night, moments after finishing the concert.
For this reason I decided to take my normal equipment, the Canon 5DMkIV and Canon 5DMkII to do my job within my workflow, in order to be able to quickly deliver the images, while making images with the Canon EOS R5, this way  i could choose and edit the images of the EOS R5 calmly.
As you can see, my goal was to test the EOS R5 in photography, I did not made video, only photography.
For this test I don’t care about the numbers, the tables, the theories, I just care about how I felt the EOS R5 and understand the final result, which I know would be much better if I had some more time with it.

Canon EOS R5
EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
ISO:2000 | 1/200s  f/4

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How I edited the EOS R5 RAWs
First I tested a beta version of Adobe DNG converter, which honestly did not please me, I got the idea that DNGs lost a lot of quality, so I downloaded the Canon Digital Photo Professional 4 application and the result is far superior.
I made minor level adjustments and exported as a jpeg.
With the EOS R5 I photographed in RAW but also in Jpeg, and I can’t remember seeing any jpegs, direct from the camera as good as these.

Canon EOS R5
EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
ISO:2000 | 1/200s  f/4

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Ergonomics
In my opinion the ergonomics of the entire Canon range is the best on the market, the bodies fit well in the hand and in a comfortable way. The main buttons are accessible and it is easy to change the settings in a quick and comfortable way, if we add to this the great flexibility of configuring the buttons to our liking, then everything is even better.
The body is small and light, but for those who have a big hand or who, like me, are used to DSLR, the grip will help to balance the set, in addition to improving ergonomics when you want to do portrait photography.

Canon EOS R5
EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
ISO:2000 | 1/200s  f/4

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What impressed me the most
Coming from the SLR system, the size and weight of the EOS R5 was the first thing that impressed me, it is a light body, which allows me to shoot for hours without feeling the weight of the camera, excellent for long festivals.
The articulated screen was another thing that fascinated me, there are SLRs that have it, but I never had any body with this particularity and, in concerts, this screen allows me to choose perspectives that were not possible before, mainly because if we add the fantastic focus system we can shoot from any angle with the certainty that we will have a focused photo.
The focus system was, perhaps, what impressed me the most, when we chose tracking, the EOS R5 has a list of priorities, which starts with the eyes, if it does not meet the eyes, moves to the face, if it does not find the face, seeks the head shape, if cant find the head it looks for the body.
In concerts, with the lights, with the smoke, with the microphones, the focus does not have an easy job, however, during my experience there were very few times when the camera was unable to find the face, even in low light conditions or even in backlight.
On the few times when she couldn’t find the face, it focused on the body, here I didn’t have the quickness  to change the focus point manually, although it was quick and easy to do so I still didn’t have the process automated, in me,  to be able to act without thinking, this process needs practice and time, I was also unable to choose the point of focus on the screen, which is touchscreen because my aiming eye is the left and I get the screen almost blocked by my face.
With this focus system we can pay more attention to the composition knowing that the system will search and find the eye, even when it meets two eyes, when we have several musicians together we can choose which one we want in focus using the joystick, which is practically the same as I have in 5DMkIV.

Canon EOS R5
EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
ISO:2000 | 1/250s  f/4
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Image Quality
The image quality is fantastic, and dont forget  that I used the Canon EF 70-200 f2.8 L II with the adapter, with the RF lenses I would have better results, however I think I never got images so sharp with the EF 70- 200 as in this test, I can’t explain why, maybe its the way the light reaches  the sensor.
The communication between body and EF lens works perfectly, I cant feel any delay to focus.
IBIS did its job and I didn’t even notice it, it is able to work together with the lens stabilizer, including some EFs, but that would take another article dedicated to this subject.

In this concert I did not raise the ISO beyond 2000, some of the images I took at  1/200, with the EF 70-200 f2.8 L II, even at 200mm, I always photographed at f4, but the night before I did some tests of ISO, with my son, and I made images at ISO 12800, also with the EF 70-200 f2.8 L II that surprised me.
You can see an example here, the face is blurred because as you understand, I don’t want to publish images of my son.

Canon EOS R5
EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
ISO:12800 | 1/200s  f/2.8

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When the editing software that we usually use get updated with the codecs for the EOS R5 RAWs, I know that we will be able to get the maximum quality out of these files, I am not used to work with Digital photo Professional, and as such I cannot get the best results of the files.

Canon EOS R5
EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
ISO:2000 | 1/400s  f/4
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Conclusion
The best I can do to explain what I feelt with the EOS R5 is by showing the images, the images are the most important thing, however I can say that I am completely in love with the EOS R5, it is a camera that opens up many new possibilities while photographing concerts , and with a superb quality.
I loved the EOS R5, for me this is the ideal camera for my work, both for concerts and studio, in product photography, in my opinion this is the best mirrorles full frame camera in the market.
It is an extremely capable body, handles high ISOs without any problem and has enough resolution for studio work, in my case I also do product photography, so this resolution is important.
It is a body that can work under dust or rain without any problem, which is important for concerts.
And it has a fabulous focus system, which together with IBIS allows us to make images perfectly focused, even in low light or when we need to use lower speeds.
It is a camera that keeps Canon’s DNA, the entire menu system is within what we already know from other models, which facilitates the change.
When software manufacturers update  theyre products, soon, so they can recognize the EOS R5 RAWs, we can integrate the EOS r5 into our workflow without any problem, the learning curve is short and fast.

Canon EOS R5
EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
ISO:2000 | 1/200s  f/4

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