The Canon EOS R5 is Canon's top of the range full-frame mirrorless camera, and not only features a 45mp full-frame CMOS sensor, but also offers 8K 30fps video recording, 4K CINE at 60fps, 4K high-speed at 120fps, 4K High-Quality at 30fps... and a whole host of photography features as well. The Canon EOS R5 is priced at £4199 body only.

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Canon EOS R5 Features

The Canon EOS R5 is Canon's flagship full-frame mirrorless camera, and has the following camera features, which are impressive enough on their own, with the electronic viewfinder also being particularly impressive, with a high resolution of 5.76m dots, there's also the dual pixel CMOS AF sensor, which as 5,940 autofocus points. Continuous shooting gives an impressive 12fps using the mechanical shutter, and up to 20fps using the electronic shutter, at full resolution.

Camera / and Photography Features:

• 45mp Full-frame CMOS sensor
• Sensor-based image stabilisation (IBIS) - works with any lens
• 5.76 million dot electronic viewfinder (EVF), 0.76x magnification
• 3.2inch vari-angle touch-screen, 2.1m dots
• 12 / 20fps continuous shooting (mechanical / electronic)
• ISO100 to ISO51200, Low ISO50, High ISO102400
• 5940 autofocus points/positions
• Dual Pixel CMOS AF
• Face and Eye-AF tracking
• Built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
• CFexpress and SD card slots

Video features are also a key element of this camera, and the EOS R5 is a significant leap forward in terms of what's possible with a mirrorless camera, so here are some of the key video features:

Video Features:

• 8K DCI (17:9) 30/25/24fps (12 bit 8K RAW), 8192x4320pixels
• 8K-UHD 16:9, 30/24fps
• 4K DCI 60/30/25/24fps (4K UHD 24fps not available)
• 4K DCI/UHD High-Quality 30/24fps
• 4K DCI/UHD High-speed 120fps

The camera uses the RF-mount, and Canon have been introducing new lenses rapidly, giving a wider choice of lenses, in addition to letting you use an EF-RF adapter so that you can use your EF lenses with the camera. However, it's worth noting that there are still a relatively limited number of smaller lenses, with most being aimed at the professional market.

You won't find a traditional mode dial on top of the camera, however, you can still switch between the standard P, Av, Tv, M shooting modes, giving you manual controls, and in addition there is Canon's Fv (Flexible Priority AE shooting) mode, Bulb, Automatic, and three custom modes.

Dual-band Wi-Fi and low-power Bluetooth are built-in letting you connect the camera to your smartphone or tablet, to transfer images and video or control the camera remotely. You'll need to put Canon's Camera Connect app on your device.

Key Features

• 45mp full-frame CMOS sensor
• Dual Pixel CMOS AF II
• Upto 20/12fps continuous shooting
• In-body Image Stabilisation (up to 8-stops)
• ISO100 to ISO51200 (ISO50/ISO102400 extended)
• 8K video, 30fps, 12-bit Raw
• 4K 120/60fps video recording
• 5.76million dot EVF, 0.76x magnification
• 3.2inch 2.1million dot vari-angle touch-screen
• Top OLED screen
• Dual card slots (CFexpress/SD UHS-II)
• Wi-Fi (5GHz), Bluetooth

Canon EOS R5 Handling

Handling - For those hoping and wishing that their full-frame mirrorless camera system was going to be significantly smaller and lighter than their DSLR equivalents, well with the Canon EOS R5, it depends heavily on the lens used with the camera, as the 24-70mm f/2.8 lens is noticeable in being larger and heavier than the DSLR (EF II) version, at 878g vs 805g.

The camera weighs in at 738g with battery and memory card, giving you a total of over 1.6kg for the R5 and 24-70mm f/2.8 lens. You can find some smaller RF lenses available for the RF-mount, but many are large and heavy lenses. So, switching for size and weight benefits isn't particularly much of a reason, at least not when looking at Canon full-frame mirrorless cameras.

Having said this, the Canon EOS R5 has great ergonomics, with a large, comfortable handgrip, as well as a plentiful covering of rubber grip. This makes the camera easier to hold with one hand, although, with a large lens like the 24-70mm f/2.8 attached, you will want to use two hands. Build-quality is excellent, with the camera feeling extremely solid and well-made.

The mode is switched using the Mode button on top of the camera, you then turn the dial to switch the mode. To switch between photo and video modes, you press the mode button, and then you press the Info button. Not the most intuitive way to switch modes, especially when a dedicated switch is found on many other Canon cameras (DSLRs).

You'll find the M-Fn button on top of the camera, and this multi-function button can be customised, as well as a number of other buttons, so that you can setup the camera to your own personal preferences.

In terms of controls, the EOS R5 looks very similar to other Canon EOS cameras, and you'll find all the main controls in all the usual places, including a handy joystick near where your thumb lands when holding the camera. There's nothing really to complain about here, everything is where you expect it to be, if you're a Canon user.

The camera includes animal (cats, dogs and birds) and people detection for autofocus, and you can select what you want the camera to prioritise. With this, the camera can also focus on the subject's eyes, whether it's a human or an animal you're pointing the camera at. There are 5940 focus areas, covering almost the whole sensor, meaning you can get your subject in focus throughout the frame.

What is the AF-EV range? With an excellent autofocus EV range, down to -6 EV, the camera can focus well in low-light, and indoors. You also get numerous AF menus full of options to customise your focus, with Canon's AF Cases available, with further customisation of tracking sensitivity available, and acceleration/deceleration tracking. If this is all a bit too complicated, then you can also use the new Case A - Automatic setting where the camera will automatically decide on the best settings for you.

Displays - The screen is listed as a 3.2inch screen, but it's actually a 3.15inch tilting, vari-angle touch-screen, with 2.1million dots. It looks great, and makes it very clear and easy to see what you're shooting, and the options are also very clear. If you're using the screen to change settings, or adjust the focus position, then this can leave fingerprints on the screen, however, there is an anti-smudge coating, so this isn't as bad as some camera screens. Viewing angles are good, and as you can tilt the screen when needed, it makes it easier to position to reduce glare when outside in bright conditions.

There's a good amount of space on the side for the ports, however, if you do use them, then it's likely the cables will block your view of the screen, if you're using it for vlogging. The top display gives you key information at a glance, including the shooting mode, shutter/aperture speed, battery status, exposure compensation and ISO.

The Electronic ViewFinder (EVF), has a very high-resolution of 5.76million dots, with 0.76x magnifications, and dioptre correction. There's an eye-detection sensor so the camera will automatically switch between the rear screen and the EVF when needed. The EVF is excellent, with a high resolution, a good refresh rate, and great colour reproduction. You can still tell that it's an electronic viewfinder, as your eye will still see more dynamic range through an optical viewfinder.

Side note: Stop saying that EVFs are as good as or the same as an OVF people. They are different, an EVF gives you the view as the camera's sensor sees it, and you get a "What you see is what you get" in terms of what is produced in the photo, but it is still entirely different to what you see through an optical viewfinder. Your eyes can still deal with bright and dark areas of a scene, whereas an EVF often will not.

The menus are clearly laid out and will be familiar to anyone who has used another Canon camera in recent years. Each section is colour coded to help aid navigation. You can use the touch-screen to select options in the menus. If you switch to the video mode (using the INFO button, after you've pressed the Mode button), then you'll get a set of video-focused menus and options.

Battery life is rated at 490 shots when using the LCD screen, however, this drops down to 320 shots when using the electronic viewfinder (EVF). So it'll be important to watch your battery if you mostly use the EVF. You can connect a USB-PD power bank, using the USB Type-C connection to charge and power the camera, as long as you're using the provided LP-E6NH battery. If you're concerned about battery life, then the optional BG-R10 is available and supports two batteries.