Canon EOS R5 C revealed with 8K video and hybrid intent
Canon has just unveiled its upcoming Canon EOS R5 C hybrid camera, set to release in March 2022. The camera is said to offer equally good performance in terms of taking still photos as it does in video recordings. With 8K video recording capabilities and a 45-megapixel photo resolution, it just might be quite the powerhouse of a camera.
Canon introduces the camera as the next go-to for content creators, including YouTubers and indie filmmakers. It also pairs well with a drone or a gimbal thanks to a variety of features that optimize shooting fast-paced videos with lots of movement. However, the biggest selling point for the camera is, according to Canon, the fact that it's meant to be a sort of hybrid-use device.
Many cameras excel at either video or stills: You may have to go with a high-end model to get the best of both worlds. Canon suggested this week that their new EOS R5 C as a solution for modern creatives who can no longer settle for just one form of media creation.
Tatsuro Kano, the Executive Vice President and General Manager of Canon USA, spoke about the need to keep up with an ever-changing world: "Imaging professionals are living in a multimedia world. Gone are the days of only needing to be sufficiently equipped and skilled at video or stills." A deeper dive into the camera's specifications offers some insight as to whether it really is the key to content creation in 2022.
Multi-purpose powerhouse
On paper, the camera does sound pretty great. It offers 8K cinematic full-frame video at up to 30 frames per second (fps) if using the base power supply that it comes with. If you use an external power source, you may be able to hit as high as 60 fps while maintaining the 8K resolution. However, 4K is still the current top standard, so many users won't even fully utilize the 8K capabilities provided by the Canon EOS R5 C for now. In the future, the focus on 8K will definitely pay off as more users switch to 8K content.
The camera can also shoot high frame rate slow motion videos with up to 120 fps at a 4K resolution. Canon claims that this makes shooting action-filled videos much easier to do and prevents blurriness or fuzz. In addition, EOS R5 C records audio separately from the video, so you can still capture audio even in slow motion.
To top it all off, EOS R5 C is the first Canon camera that provides Cinema RAW Light recording at 8K. According to Canon, the resulting footage should have a cinematic, HD-Ready look compressed into a smaller file size than that provided by Cinema RAW technology. The image should always be clear thanks to Canon's built-in coordinated image stabilization software.
Super lightweight tool for professionals and hobbyists
Moving on to taking photographs shows plenty of bells and whistles inside a portable package: It only weighs 1.7 lbs. Powered by Canon's 45MP high-res, high-speed CMOS sensor, the hybrid camera should be capable of taking some beautiful pictures. It's easy to use thanks to 13 clearly marked buttons.
Canon offers high-speed non-stop shooting at up to 20 frames per second for shooting moving subjects, and it also provides eye, face, and head detection when taking photos of people. If you're more into taking pictures of your pets, the camera detects the whole body, face, and eyes of dogs, cats, and birds, automatically focusing when one is in frame.
Canon EOS R5 C seems like a good deal. A continuation to a highly-successful Canon EOS line, it's pretty much set to succeed with its various video, photo, and connectivity features. Unfortunately, Canon still hasn't disclosed how much the camera is going to cost — all we now is that we can expect to see it sometime in March.