the long view Canon EOS 5DS

Three pros give their real verdict on the latest arrival EOS 5D series, having had some time to use it

For the past decade, Canon’s EOS 5d series of cameras has provided professional photographers with a lightweight yet highly capable alternative to the company’s EOS 1d selection. The line took a diversion earlier in the year with the arrival of two new cameras, the EOS 5dS and 5dS R, each sporting a 50.6mP full-frame sensor and nestling between the Canon EOS 5d mark iii and EOS 1d X models in Canon’s line-up, rather than serving as a replacement for either.

Aimed at studio, fashion, landscape and architecture photographers among others, the pair only differ by the low-pass filter cancellation effect in the EOS 5DS R, allowing the professional user I’ve found that using the Canon EOS 5DS R has changed my

shooting behaviour.

to choose the model befitting their particular discipline. With a sturdier construction than previous EOS models, new internal anti-vibration technologies, extensive weather-sealing and 5fps burst shooting at full resolution as just the tip of their spec sheets, each camera has far more to offer than the impressive pixel count – but it was the sensor that attracted the most interest after DxO concluded back in July that it was Canon’s best performing to date.

But what’s the verdict from the pros? Are the headlinegrabbing specs matched by stellar performance? Or have users found the need to compromise in any way? We speak to three professional photographers working in various genres about their upgrade to see what they’ve discovered, having had the chance to use it for a while.