Canon EOS R5 vs EOS R6

The camera industry has been buzzing lately with the recent release of the Canon EOS R5 and EOS R6. These new cameras come to a huge advantage to the Canon brand. Before this launch, Canon seemed to be late to the game with their mirrorless cameras but now they are rising to the top, especially with the new EOS R5. So what's the difference between these cameras? Let's find out!

Canon EOS R5 vs. EOS R6 Specification Chart

Resolution & Processing Power

In both cameras, you'll find a much faster sensor operation than what Canon has ever had before in a mirrorless camera. Of course, the major difference between these two cameras is the resolution—45MP with the R5 and 20.1MP with the R6. Contrary to popular belief, both cameras come with new sensors. The EOS R6 essentially comes with the same sensor in the EOS 1DX Mark III.

The processor in both of these cameras is the same processor that they incorporated in the recent EOS 1DX Mark III earlier this year, and we have yet to see a mirrorless camera from Canon with this level of processing power. With the combination of hardware speed and processing power, these two cameras have seen a huge jump in not only FPS but also in areas like the Auto Focus System and the responsiveness in camera controls.

Also, not to mention they both come with 5-Axis In-Body Image Stabilization and are even capable of up to 8-stops of image stabilization with both non-stabilized and optically image-stabilized lenses.

Continuous Shooting

In terms of continuous shooting, both cameras can shoot up to 12FPS with the mechanical shutter and 20FPS with the electronic shutter. With the electronic shutter, you can still utilize servo AF. For the burst rate in these cameras, when using a CFexpress card, you can shoot up to 180 RAW and 350 JPEG files with the R5. With the R6 you can shoot up to 240 RAW and 1,000 JPEG files.

Canon EOS R5 Camera Body

Auto Focusing System

In both cameras, the Auto Focusing System is identical in terms of performance. Both incorporate eye, head and face detection in humans, and for the first time at Canon, these cameras support animal eye, face and body detection for dogs, cats and birds. One minor difference or exception to the autofocusing system is the low light capability threshold. In the case of the R6 camera, it's a half a stop greater at EV -6.5.

Canon EOS R6 Camera Body

Camera Design and Construction

In terms of body construction, the body of the EOS R6 is comparable to bodies like the EOS R or EOS 6D Mark II with a poly carbonite exterior and good weather sealing. In regards to shutter durability, the EOS R6 exceeds either of those cameras with the capability of 300,000 exposures. To give a comparison, the EOS 5D Mark IV is durability-tested for 150,000 exposures. With the R5, it comes with a magnesium-alloy shell, more weather sealing and has shutter durability of 500,000 exposures, matching that of the latest EOS 1DX Mark III.

Anyone who is used to the handing of the traditional DSLR cameras is going to find the experience and control layout on both the EOS R5 and R6 to be simply remarkable. There is a proper quick control dial on the back for instant access to exposure compensation or aperture control if you're in manual, there is a top dial for direct ISO adjustments and lastly, they've included a proper 8-way multi-controller for moving your focusing points.

Video Capabilities

To start off, in both cameras, you can record internally 10-bit 4:2:2 video files in any resolution supported. These cameras do not require you to go to an external recorder via HDMI out. The EOS R5 can record at 8K at either 24 FPS or 30 FPS and to record internally, you'll need to record to the CFexpress card. As well, with the R5, you have the ability to record 4K at 24, 30, 60, or 120 FPS. The EOS R6 can shoot 4K at 24, 30, or 60 FPS. When shooting 4K in both cameras, the R6 is always oversampled from a 5.1K original capture, where the R5 with a high-quality option in the menu, can be oversampled from an 8K original capture.

With a 256GB memory card, RAW 8K video can record up to 13 minutes of recording. If you go to the all-i compressed video, you'll get about 26 minutes and if you go with the IPB compression, you'll get up to an hour and fifteen minutes. As for the heat issues, when starting to record at room temperature, it's about a 20-minute time limit, regardless of the size of the memory card, before the camera will warn you and then shut off. This camera is probably not going to be the camera to use if you're doing long recordings of press conferences and so on. For short bursts and for B-roll type footage, this camera is next level. Of course, you will still see a hard stop at 29 minutes and 59 seconds.

Power Capability

Both cameras use the same battery grip as well as the same battery. The battery is actually a new version of the previous LP-E6N and is now called the LP-E6NH. This new battery has 14% more power and is backward compatible with older cameras up to the EOS 60D. You can also still use the LP-E6N and LP-E6 batteries on the EOS R5 and EOS R6, but they will have less power.

Price

Obviously one of the main contributing factors is the price. For the EOS R5 body, it's MSRP is $3,899 while the EOS R6 body is $2,499. The EOS R5 will be available on July 30th of this year while the EOS R6 will be available at the end of August.