Canon announces EOS R5, EOS R6 – and more

The Canon’s EOS R-system is up to five full-frame bodies with the announcement of the EOS R5 and EOS R6, while the RF lens range has gained four lenses and two teleconverters.

The EOS R5 is the flagship of the range with a 45-megapixel resolution from a brand new sensor and has 8k video capability, an 5.76 million dot EVF and a 3.2in, 2.1 million dot vari-angle monitor.  Its price tag is £4199.99 body only and sales start at the end of July.

With a 20-megapixels resolution, a top ISO of 102,400 and 4K video, the EOS R6 is aimed at the all-round photographer; this model is priced at £2499.99 body only and will be on sale from the end of August.

The two new cameras share many features. Both are the first Canons to have in-body image stabilisation (IBIS) and the claimed benefit is 8EV; there’s next generation Dual Pixel CMOS AF II with face, body and animal detect; both can shoot at 12fps (mechanical shutter) and 20fps (electronic shutter) with AE/AF tracking; and they have dual card slots: SD/CFexpress in the EOS 5 and SD UHS-II in the EOS R6. Both also feature a new longer life battery, the LP-E6NH priced at £114.99 (which replaces the LP-E6N) and it’s backwards compatible.

Two grips have been added to the system: the BG-R10 grip costs £419.99, takes two cells and fits both new cameras; while the WFT-R10 is a Wi-Fi transmitter for the EOS R5 only, and costs £1349.99.

Canon EOS R5 and R6 features at a glance

• Resolution – 45 megapixels (R5), 20.1 megapixels (R6)
• 8EV benefit in-body image stabilizer
• Dual Pixel CMOS AF II with face, body and animal detect
• ISO range – 100-51,200 (R5), 100-102,400 (R6)
• 12fps continuous shooting with mechanical shutter, 20fps with electronic shutter
• Movie settings – 8K DCI/UHD, 4K DCI/UHD, Full HD (R5), 4K UHD and Full HD (R6)
• Dual card slots – SD and CFexpress (R5), two SD (R6)

New on the lens front are the RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM at £649.99, RF 600mm f/11 IS STM at £749.99, RF 800mm f/11 IS STM at £979.99, and RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM at £2899.99.

Two teleconverters have also been added: the Extender RF 1.4x is £519.99, and the Extender RF 2x is £699.99. Availability varies so check Canon’s website for the latest news.

The RF 600mm f/11 IS STM and RF 800mm f/11 IS STM are interesting in that both feature f/11 fixed apertures, enabling them to be very lightweight and compact for their focal lengths and great value, too. Both feature optical image stabilisers, are compatible with the new extenders and you still get Dual Pixel CMOS AF on Canon mirrorless cameras.

The RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM is a fast lens giving 1:2 half-lifesize magnification, and AF is fast and smooth – ideal for still and video shooting.

Lovers of telephoto lenses will appreciate the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM. This lens boasts a 20 element in 14 groups construction and 5EV benefit image stabiliser. Autofocus is handled by a Dual Nano USM motor and focuses as close as 90cm at the 100mm setting, and 1.2m at 500mm.

As with the two long primes, this lens can be used with the two extenders, and has a 5EV benefit image stabiliser and weather sealing.

Finally, Canon has introduced the imagePROGRAF PRO-300, an A3+ pro photo printer that will be available from July. This space-saving printer uses 10 Lucia Pro pigment inks for an enhanced colour gamut, and includes new photo and matte black inks to give deeper blacks.

For more information, please visit the Canon website.