Canon EOS 5DS R
After a high-resolution DSLR? This 50.6MP workhorse makes a fine second-hand choice
Launched alongside the EOS 5DS in February 2015, the EOS 5DS R differs in doing without an optical low-pass filter. The result is crisper images, but at the cost of more digital artefacts. It can shoot 50.6MP images at 5fps, with a sensitivity range covering ISO 50-12,800. Intervalometer shooting, a quiet shutter and user-configurable Q menu are all present, but Wi-Fi is absent. Its LP-E6N battery lasts for 700 shots and a 1.04m-dot screen is found below a large optical viewfinder. To top it off it is built around a weather-sealed magnesium alloy body with dual card slots. In a nutshell, the EOS 5DS R is a robust, trustworthy workhorse that delivers sensational high-resolution images.
What we said
● The layout is exceptionally well considered, placing everything at your fingertips’
● Landscape and studio photographers in particular will love the addictive level of detail that the 5DS R can deliver’
● Few models work quite so well out of the box’
● Colour rendition is typical Canon, with an attractive palette that’s saturated without being unrealistic’
How it fares today
As to be expected from a camera that’s seven years old, the EOS 5DS R does show its age. Its 5fps burst rate isn’t ideal for shooting high-speed action or sport, and it’s quite big and bulky compared to some of today’s smaller and lighter high-resolution mirrorless cameras. It also lacks an articulated touchscreen, which Canon has since included on all of its EOS R mirrorless models.
What to pay
The EOS 5DS R cost £3,200 (body only) when we reviewed it in 2015. Today you can find one in ‘excellent’ condition with a shutter count of around 20,000 frames for £1,679. Examples deemed to be in ‘good’ order with a shutter count closer to 75,000 frames are available for around £1,519, whereas those in ‘well used’ condition with signs of wear to the body go for around £1,390.
New alternatives
The EOS R5 is Canon’s current high-resolution offering. It accepts RF-mount lenses (EF lenses require an adapter), has a 45MP Dual Pixel CMOS sensor with a sensitivity range of ISO 50-102,400, 5,940 AF points, a 5.76-million-dot electronic viewfinder, 8K video, and in-body image stabilisation (IBIS). It’s phenomenally impressive but expensive at £4,299 body only.