# Using the 5DSR for wildlife, a field review



## Grant Atkinson (Jun 16, 2016)

I have enjoyed using the Canon 5DSR full-frame body for photographing African wildlife. Whilst the 50mp camera might not be the single best, all-round wildlife camera, it does a pretty good job in many aspects, and in some things it excels. I have shared some thoughts on my experience with the camera so far, including lots of actual images taken with the camera, and just where and how I think it can best be used. The link is here:
http://www.grantatkinson.com/blog/using-the-canon-5dsr-for-photographing-african-wildlife

I did not get around yet to shooting night skies with the camera.
Cheers
Grant


----------



## Click (Jun 16, 2016)

Hi Grant,

Thank you for this excellent review.

Cheers


----------



## candyman (Jun 16, 2016)

Great report with some fine images
Thank you for sharing some insight on the use of the 5DSR


----------



## Eldar (Jun 16, 2016)

Excellent review Grant and fully in line with my own experiences. I find the combination of the 5DSR and a 1DX/1DXII to be outstanding and cover pretty much anything we come across. 

The real world examples you provide in your review is worth a lot more than all the half qualified semi lab environment reviews we see.


----------



## Sabaki (Jun 16, 2016)

Grant Atkinson is one of South Africa's best wildlife photographers and a fantastic person too. He took time to share some tips with me when I was having issues with a 7Dii (it was returned). 

Nice review and images Grant. The 5DSR's repertoire has grown quite a bit from being just a studio body. The detail rendering is superb.


----------



## Click (Jun 16, 2016)

Sabaki said:


> Grant Atkinson is one of South Africa's best wildlife photographers and a fantastic person too.



I totally agree with you.


----------



## dak723 (Jun 16, 2016)

Your real world experiences are truly appreciated for folks who want to know what cameras are like (and their photos) in actual use.


----------



## Larsskv (Jun 16, 2016)

Click said:


> Sabaki said:
> 
> 
> > Grant Atkinson is one of South Africa's best wildlife photographers and a fantastic person too.
> ...



Great review, and pictures. I love the one with the cheetah chasing the small buck. Thank you for sharing!


----------



## TWI by Dustin Abbott (Jun 16, 2016)

Excellent review, Grant. I am finally getting around to ordering in a 5DsR for review. I wanted to be familiar with it before the 5D4 comes out so that I can adequately compare/contrast.

You have a good attention to detail and a lot of great images to back up your observations. Well done!


----------



## East Wind Photography (Jun 17, 2016)

Used a 5dsr for about 5 months. Put it through its wildlife paces and decided to sell it in favor of the 1dx2. The 5dsr is a great camera if you have still subjects and don't need it for in flight or action. 

Other than that I was abysmally disappointed. It was too slow in every respect, including AF. I often found that it had a tough time keeping up with subjects moving toward and away from the camera. The 7d2 has a much faster AF system but is overshadowed by the amazing 1dx2.

You just have to keep your expectations in check and realize it's not great for everything.


----------



## AlanF (Jun 17, 2016)

dilbert said:


> What I love about reviews like this is that it quite clearly shows that with only 3fps, you can get really amazing bird and wildlife shots. Great stuff!



It has 5 fps, not 3. Why do you so consistently get easily verifiable facts wrong?


----------



## Mikehit (Jun 17, 2016)

East Wind Photography said:


> Other than that I was abysmally disappointed. It was too slow in every respect, including AF. I often found that it had a tough time keeping up with subjects moving toward and away from the camera. The 7d2 has a much faster AF system but is overshadowed by the amazing 1dx2.



What do you mean by 'slow'? There are two aspects IME that are rarely distinguished:

response time to capture the moment
speed for tracking focus



As an example, one of my obsessions at the moment is the local kingfisher and I realised that I am less interested in capturing it in flight and more interested in capturing the dive and it hitting the water.
The latter needs quick reactions by me (and the camera) when I see it diving and about to hit the water, the former relies on tracking which is a different skill. 

Also I can imagine that if you are into animal behaviour pretty much the same thing applies to catch an interesting moment.


----------



## Eldar (Jun 17, 2016)

Mikehit said:


> East Wind Photography said:
> 
> 
> > Other than that I was abysmally disappointed. It was too slow in every respect, including AF. I often found that it had a tough time keeping up with subjects moving toward and away from the camera. The 7d2 has a much faster AF system but is overshadowed by the amazing 1dx2.
> ...


Having used 7D, 7DII 5D, 5DII, 5DIII, 1DsIII, 1DIV, 1DX, 1DXII and 5DSR extensively, I find it difficult to comprehend your "abysmally disappointed". As many have pointed out, including Grant in his review, you have to pay attention to your technique, to really benefit from the high resolution and there is an ISO limit. In general I lose one stop, due to a faster shutter speed and yes, the 1DX and especially the 1DX-II has a better AF system and a much higher fps. But compared to the other cameras listed above, the 5DSR equals or beat them (except for 1DIV and 7DII with regards to fps).

So if your problems were for real, they must have been caused by one of two; Either finger trouble on your end or a faulty camera. My 7DII works well and I am happy with the AF system, but the 5DSR is better. The 5DSR is also better than the 5DIII. Besides Grants excellent review, you can also check out Art Morris. I believe their images of both wildlife and birds (also in flight) are proof good enough.

Mikehit; For your Kingfisher dives, I would rather recommend a 7DII (or preferably a 1DX or 1DXII), due to the fps performance.


----------



## photojoern.de (Jun 17, 2016)

Grnt, I absolutely agree with your assessment. It´s a great camera, and combined with the stunningly sharp Canon 100-400 IS f4-5.6 II it´s ideal for many situations, wildlife and sports. When photographing Snow Polo, I absolutely loved the flexibility it gave me: shoot a little wider in angle and then crop. Because sports like Polo is so fast that with a non-zoom lens you will often miss the shot. I loved this flexibility the 5DSR offers. See some results here (mostly in hi res): http://photojoern.de/sports/polo/


----------



## Grant Atkinson (Jun 17, 2016)

Click said:


> Sabaki said:
> 
> 
> > Grant Atkinson is one of South Africa's best wildlife photographers and a fantastic person too.
> ...


Thanks so much for the feedback and response, Click, Sabaki, Eldar and Mikehit, also photojoern.de. Currently in the field and only have some internet access at night ..
It is very nice for me to be able to share with other Canon enthusiasts like you guys


----------



## Grant Atkinson (Jun 17, 2016)

Thanks to Dustin Abbot, dak723, AlanF, dilbert for your guys feedback..appreciated.
Cheers
Grant


----------



## Grant Atkinson (Jun 17, 2016)

Thanks Larsskv, Candyman and East Wind too
Cheers
Grant


----------



## Pookie (Jun 17, 2016)

dilbert said:


> AlanF said:
> 
> 
> > dilbert said:
> ...



Verifying facts is total nonsense... just ask Dilbert : 

Canon's newest Explorer of Low Light photography... ask Dilbert about his DR?


----------



## East Wind Photography (Jun 17, 2016)

Eldar said:


> Mikehit said:
> 
> 
> > East Wind Photography said:
> ...



In slow i refer to just about everything from shutter lag to post processing. In particular i thought this might be a good camera catching eagles in flight. Its fine as long as they are flying across the field but in a slow sequence of shots when they are flying toward you, maybe one or two are in focus with clear sense the focus shifted behind the target. The AF cannot keep up. This has nothing to do with technique. Ive been doing this for 30 years. The camera was really not designed for this kind of action. It was designed with studio use in mind. The processor has quite a bit more to do on this model and i think thats more of a design issue than a fault of the camera.

Most of grants shots are of static subjects and birds crossing the field. The only one in the sequence that comes close to what i am talking about is the antelope running toward the camera. I wonder how many in the sequence were rejected? Probobly only got 5 or so off before it was over.

The other thing is i think this camera has the worst weather sealing in its class. I spend a lot of time shooting outdoors and i was constantly worried about that. I used sleeves and other means to protect it from rain but even so the body does tend to get wet just from needing access to it. Its an indoor or fair weather camera and one needs to be aware of that when you are out for extended periods of time.

so im not bashing the camera or the review. I think both are exceptional. Im only saying that pushing this camera beyond its design limits is a limitation and for someone that shoots wildlife and sports, this camera got less and less use because of that.


----------



## Eldar (Jun 17, 2016)

East Wind Photography said:


> Eldar said:
> 
> 
> > Mikehit said:
> ...


I see what you write, but I still don´t understand your conclusions.

A lot of bird and wildlife photographers are shooting with a 5DIII and this camera receives a lot of positive reviews for the AF systems performance. I was one that was/is very happy with it. The AF system in the 5DS/DSR is an improved version of the 5DIII and my personal experience is that it really is. That´s why I find your issues with the camera strange. 

As for weather sealing, I have had no issues with it (I live in Norway, not exactly the most hospitable climate you´ll find), so how you end up concluding "this camera has the worst weather sealing in its class" is beyond me. Here is what Bryan at The-digital-pictures says in his review: 
"Weather sealing is part of this camera's package and the level of sealing is the same as the 5D III. The level of weather sealing incorporated into the 5D Mark III was referred to as superior to the 5D II, lesser to the 1D X and equivalent to the EOS 1N film SLR. "The weather protection provided by this design is high enough to endure exposure to rain of up to 10mm of rain per hour for a duration of up to approximately three minutes" according to CPN."


----------



## Larsskv (Jun 17, 2016)

I'm with Eldar on this one. I own the 7DII and the 5Ds, and I'm more satisfied with the 5Ds AF tracking. The 7DII is more noticeably more responsive, in regards to both shorter viewfinder blackout time and shutterlag, but the AF has more misses than the 5Ds. 

Further, you need to back up that lack of weather sealing claim. Have you had any issues with it?


----------



## stochasticmotions (Jun 17, 2016)

Thanks for doing this review, I have been looking at the 5DS for a while now. You have covered many of the types of shooting and shooting conditions that I encounter regularly. I have been looking for that extra cropping capability (and the extra detail when I can get close enough) with the more consistent AF than the options I have now. Hard to beat the Sony A7RII for the detail but the lack of native long lenses (that will likely not be solved sufficiently for another year or two) means that I still rely on the canon for anything that moves too much in which I need longer than 300mm.

I think I have decided on my birthday present since I still haven't found a good used 500 f4 to play with.


----------



## Rob Wiebe (Jun 17, 2016)

Excellent review, and although I haven't been out shooting wildlife with mine, I did shoot a Powwow two weeks ago and was very happy with the results. Your assessment mirrors mine but with much better content and detail than I might be able to compose!


----------



## AdamBotond (Jun 17, 2016)

Grant, first of all, thanks for the much detailed review. Having only a single rig, I was wondering though how often you find yourself in a low light situation, when you are forced to use a better low light performer rig instead of 5DS(r) ? As most of my wildlife photography takes place in the dusk/dawn, I feel I should rather stick with a lower MP body, which has better high iso quality than vice versa. I do believe one can get wonderful results with the 5Ds as long as there is enough light, though.
Inputs of any 5Ds(r) users would be appreciated.


----------



## Mikehit (Jun 17, 2016)

East Wind Photography said:


> I spend a lot of time shooting outdoors and i was constantly worried about that.



Why were you worried about it? What experience made you have concerns about the degree of weather sealing?
Or is it that your preconceptions about it being a 'studio camera' led to those concerns?


----------



## East Wind Photography (Jun 17, 2016)

Mikehit said:


> East Wind Photography said:
> 
> 
> > I spend a lot of time shooting outdoors and i was constantly worried about that.
> ...



Oh yes. Had the main board replaced under carepak just before selling it. Used it during an event with light rain and a rain sleeve. My 7d2 has been exposed to torrential downpours without a sleeve and keeps on working. Canon told me that it was water corrosion damage and they were replacing the main board. To me the amount of rain it was exposed to was nothing. Tells me that the weather sealing is not that great.

REALLY glad canon started offering the carepak coverage. That was a 500.00 repair with the CPS discount. Ended up costing me nothing other than the shipping back to canon.

A lot of factors went into me letting it go and that was one of them.

Could have been a fluke or an assembly line error but water corrosion meant it had a straight shot to the guts...not like button malfunctions that many experience. Anyway don't expose the 5ds series cameras to much rain or keep your carepak coverage active.


----------



## East Wind Photography (Jun 17, 2016)

Eldar said:


> East Wind Photography said:
> 
> 
> > Eldar said:
> ...



Actually the 5diii had better af performance. I let that one go for the 5dsr and sorely missed the higher iso capability. Had I still had the 5diii I probably would have let that go for the 1dxii.

Glad you are happy with the 5dsr. It didn't suit my needs or expectations after 5 months of use.


----------



## Eldar (Jun 17, 2016)

East Wind Photography said:


> Mikehit said:
> 
> 
> > East Wind Photography said:
> ...


So we're back to my initial assessment. Either finger trouble on your end, or a faulty camera. I carry my gear in all kinds of weather and I have never had an issue with a 5D body, including the 5DSR.


----------



## East Wind Photography (Jun 18, 2016)

Eldar said:


> East Wind Photography said:
> 
> 
> > Mikehit said:
> ...



Elder don't presume you are an expert in my experience. If you read the message I sold it right after it was repaired. It seems you are more interested in being argumentative than constructive. My experience other than the water failure was less than enthusiastic. 

On the other side, since acquiring the 1dx2 I can say it is flawless in just about every way. A complete opposite experience than what I had for 5 months with the 5dsr.


----------



## Grant Atkinson (Jun 18, 2016)

stochasticmotions said:


> Thanks for doing this review, I have been looking at the 5DS for a while now. You have covered many of the types of shooting and shooting conditions that I encounter regularly. I have been looking for that extra cropping capability (and the extra detail when I can get close enough) with the more consistent AF than the options I have now. Hard to beat the Sony A7RII for the detail but the lack of native long lenses (that will likely not be solved sufficiently for another year or two) means that I still rely on the canon for anything that moves too much in which I need longer than 300mm.
> 
> I think I have decided on my birthday present since I still haven't found a good used 500 f4 to play with.


Thanks for the feedback Stochastic Motions!
Cheers
Grant


----------



## Grant Atkinson (Jun 18, 2016)

Rob Wiebe said:


> Excellent review, and although I haven't been out shooting wildlife with mine, I did shoot a Powwow two weeks ago and was very happy with the results. Your assessment mirrors mine but with much better content and detail than I might be able to compose!


Thanks for that Rob Wiebe!
Cheers
Grant


----------



## Grant Atkinson (Jun 18, 2016)

AdamBotond said:


> Grant, first of all, thanks for the much detailed review. Having only a single rig, I was wondering though how often you find yourself in a low light situation, when you are forced to use a better low light performer rig instead of 5DS(r) ? As most of my wildlife photography takes place in the dusk/dawn, I feel I should rather stick with a lower MP body, which has better high iso quality than vice versa. I do believe one can get wonderful results with the 5Ds as long as there is enough light, though.
> Inputs of any 5Ds(r) users would be appreciated.



Hi Adam
I think there are a couple ways to look at it. If you dont mind the extra time that is consumed when processing to downscale 5DSR images, then it has low light performance very much on par with the 5DMark 3. With the added bonus of enjoying its resolution advantage fully when the light is better. On the other hand, if pixel level image quality is important to you, then it is probably better to use camera with less res and bigger pixels, for lots and lots of low light work. I do think the 5DSR is quite capable in low light, but for me, becomes less capable if you start increasing the subject motion in low light.
I am very lucky in that I have a 1DX and a 5D Mark 3 to pair with the 5DSR, so that makes it easy. 
Hope that helps
Cheers
Grant


----------



## Act444 (Jun 18, 2016)

Thanks for sharing this review, very insightful. Especially considering that hovering in the back of my mind is the possibility of picking up one for animal shooting...after being underwhelmed by the 7D2 in IQ and the lack of AF consistency, the 5D3 (when enough pixels can be placed on the subject in question) is far superior in IQ.

That said, it would be nice to have just a bit more reach than 400mm on FF/300mm on crop. It's tempting to think of using the 5DSR to make up the reach deficit while keeping the FF IQ, but the lack of good high ISO ability (as in the experience of the 7D2) is a drawback/disincentive. Otherwise, I look for ways to get to ~600mm on the 5D3, whether it's picking up a super-tele (like the 400 DO) and putting an extender on it or waiting for this rumored 200-600...


----------



## AlanF (Jun 18, 2016)

Ok, the 5DS R is not good enough for you. But, it is now the mainstay of Art Morris, the doyen of bird photography, often paired with the 100-400 II, and used with glee by many of us. If it is not good enough for you, then spend a fortune on a 1DX and 400 DO II, but you might not do any better than Art, Grant and the rest of us and you will miss opportunities waiting for them.


----------



## Eldar (Jun 18, 2016)

East Wind Photography said:


> Elder don't presume you are an expert in my experience. If you read the message I sold it right after it was repaired. It seems you are more interested in being argumentative than constructive. My experience other than the water failure was less than enthusiastic.
> 
> On the other side, since acquiring the 1dx2 I can say it is flawless in just about every way. A complete opposite experience than what I had for 5 months with the 5dsr.


I am not an expert on your experiences and I never will be. I have no interest in being argumentative either. But I find your conclusions, based on your subjective experiences with one copy, a bit too bombastic and contradictory to some rather simple objective facts. I also find them contradictory to the subjective experiences expressed by lots of qualified reviewers and users. And they are certainly contradictory to my own experiences.

Objectively, the weather sealing of the 5DSR is equal to that of the 5DIII. This weather sealing is rather good and it has been tested, verified and praised by loads of photographers and reviewers. I don´t doubt that yours leaked, but I believe you had a bad copy. 

Objectively, the AF system of the 5DIII is very good. It has been tested, verified and praised by loads of photographers and reviewers. The 5DRS has the same system, with some improvements. I know you know what they are, because you stated them in one of your post after you got the camera back in October last year. (I remember that, because I was surprised you bought the camera, given your very negative attitude towards it after it was released). Since you apparently had issues with the AF system, I believe it relates to your copy, unless it was finger trouble, since all these other qualified reviewers and photographers conclude that it is very good and an improvement over the 5DIII.

As a sidenote I can add that I had my 5DSR in with CPS, because the AF system appeared to be a bit inconsistent. They adjusted a minor internal offset, apparently a mechanical adjustment and it has performed flawlessly ever since.

I lot of people read these posts during their to-buy-or-not-to-buy processes. And they rely on experiences posted by other users. You seem to be an experienced photographer and people will take a note of what you say. So, again, I am not trying to be argumentative, I just find your generalised conclusions, that AF performance is poor and weather sealing is crap, a bit too bombastic, I believe they are wrong and I believe they represent poor advice to those who wonder if this is the camera to buy.

I am glad you enjoy the 1DXII. So do I. It is a perfect combo with my 5DSR.

I know this will not convince you, but this gull was flying full speed straight at me. It is a heavy crop and the area the AF system has available to lock on to is very small and the contrast in the scene is rather flat.


----------



## arthurbikemad (Jun 18, 2016)

Love reading your stuff! Great review.


----------



## AlanF (Jun 18, 2016)

Eldar, your 100-400mm II is from the same batch as mine, 2700005560 vs 2700005036, according to exif data. On the 5DS R, I prefer using it without the 1.4xTC. If I want longer reach I now use a Sigma 150-600mm C, my copy of which is as good at 600mm as my 300mm f/2.8 II + 2xTC III. The level of detail can be phenomenal. Here is a chaffinch on my feeder, at 500mm, hand-held at 1/200s.


----------



## Act444 (Jun 18, 2016)

AlanF said:


> Ok, the 5DS R is not good enough for you. But, it is now the mainstay of Art Morris, the doyen of bird photography, often paired with the 100-400 II, and used with glee by many of us. If it is not good enough for you, then spend a fortune on a 1DX and 400 DO II, but you might not do any better than Art, Grant and the rest of us and you will miss opportunities waiting for them.



It's not a question of whether it's "good enough" - people are getting results with it - but just trying to work out my options. What yields more detail, specifically at higher ISO - 600mm on 5D3 or 400 on 5DSR cropped? The review touched on this slightly, but I'd be curious in a situation that you have a high-res sensor at a wider focal length vs. a lower-res sensor at a longer length so the image is framed identically, is there a difference quality-wise? Particularly since they are both FF sensors.


----------



## AlanF (Jun 18, 2016)

Act444 said:


> AlanF said:
> 
> 
> > Ok, the 5DS R is not good enough for you. But, it is now the mainstay of Art Morris, the doyen of bird photography, often paired with the 100-400 II, and used with glee by many of us. If it is not good enough for you, then spend a fortune on a 1DX and 400 DO II, but you might not do any better than Art, Grant and the rest of us and you will miss opportunities waiting for them.
> ...



In my experience:
600mm + 5DS R>600mm +5DIII>400mm + 5DS R>400mm +5DIII


----------



## Mikehit (Jun 19, 2016)

East Wind Photography said:


> Oh yes. Had the main board replaced under carepak just before selling it. Used it during an event with light rain and a rain sleeve. My 7d2 has been exposed to torrential downpours without a sleeve and keeps on working. Canon told me that it was water corrosion damage and they were replacing the main board. To me the amount of rain it was exposed to was nothing. Tells me that the weather sealing is not that great.
> 
> REALLY glad canon started offering the carepak coverage. That was a 500.00 repair with the CPS discount. Ended up costing me nothing other than the shipping back to canon.
> 
> ...



Thanks for explaining it, Eastwind. Always good to hear personal experience (good and bad)


----------



## TWI by Dustin Abbott (Jun 19, 2016)

I've been using a 5DsR the past few days (review copy) and have a quick question for the experienced among you. What are you using for AFMA with it? I've tried my usual software (Reikan FoCal), and I'm not impressed with the initial results. I didn't feel that it selected enough points or dialed it down quite enough.


----------



## AlanF (Jun 19, 2016)

TWI by Dustin Abbott said:


> I've been using a 5DsR the past few days (review copy) and have a quick question for the experienced among you. What are you using for AFMA with it? I've tried my usual software (Reikan FoCal), and I'm not impressed with the initial results. I didn't feel that it selected enough points or dialed it down quite enough.



FoCal worked fine for me. You can tell the software to take more points. Or, if you are an anal scientist like me, repeat the test a few times and take the mean value. Or, if you are as anal as Neuro, you can take a set of images yourself and get FoCal to analyse them. I even checked a couple of my lenses using Bob Atkins chart (#2) taking images +/- AFMA around the FoCal one and found the FoCal to be the best.


----------



## Eldar (Jun 20, 2016)

TWI by Dustin Abbott said:


> I've been using a 5DsR the past few days (review copy) and have a quick question for the experienced among you. What are you using for AFMA with it? I've tried my usual software (Reikan FoCal), and I'm not impressed with the initial results. I didn't feel that it selected enough points or dialed it down quite enough.


I have had the same thoughts you have with FoCal, but not just with the 5DSR. I have often done several reruns and, in some cases, ended on different results (not much deviation though). I also use a manual LensAlign rig, to qualify the proposed setting. The results I am getting with the long whites, especially combined with extenders looks a bit like a lotto, so the values I am using for the 600 f4L IS II, both alone and with extenders, are from using the LensAlign rig, not FoCal.


----------



## AlanF (Jun 20, 2016)

Eldar said:


> TWI by Dustin Abbott said:
> 
> 
> > I've been using a 5DsR the past few days (review copy) and have a quick question for the experienced among you. What are you using for AFMA with it? I've tried my usual software (Reikan FoCal), and I'm not impressed with the initial results. I didn't feel that it selected enough points or dialed it down quite enough.
> ...



It's the very nature of experimental measurement that repeat runs give a spread of results around the mean value, and so you repeat the experiments and take the average. You can measure the focus consistency on FoCal and find it is never 100.0%, and it is the variations in that as well as small differences in conditions of each measurement that give the spread of fits. As I wrote, whenever I check the FoCal results with more laborious manual methods, they always agree.


----------



## TWI by Dustin Abbott (Jun 20, 2016)

AlanF said:


> Eldar said:
> 
> 
> > TWI by Dustin Abbott said:
> ...



thanks for the feedback. I did a couple of runs with the lenses I want to use for testing in my review but haven't yet felt that field results were dialed in.


----------



## Hector1970 (Jun 20, 2016)

AdamBotond said:


> Grant, first of all, thanks for the much detailed review. Having only a single rig, I was wondering though how often you find yourself in a low light situation, when you are forced to use a better low light performer rig instead of 5DS(r) ? As most of my wildlife photography takes place in the dusk/dawn, I feel I should rather stick with a lower MP body, which has better high iso quality than vice versa. I do believe one can get wonderful results with the 5Ds as long as there is enough light, though.
> Inputs of any 5Ds(r) users would be appreciated.


I think the 5DSR is very good when there is good available light. Once the light drops its a bit more difficult. You are restricted by the default ISO range. I don't like the noise pattern myself. Outside the default range I don't like the noise at all and I guess Canon must also have had concerns. I prefer the 5D III in this regard. I find it's noise pattern acceptable. 
Some of this is such small detail that it's in my head and maybe not real. I don't like the 7DII at high ISO and the noise in the 7DII and 5DSR look very similar (more or less the same sensor I believe).

I think the 5DSR is a good camera but the 5D III is a better all round camera if you were buying your first full frame. It was designed to win the race to 50MP.
It's very good in a studio, the detail is incredible (but you often have to smooth out / hide some of its results). It wouldn't be the first camera I'd think of to bring on a Safari to capture animals but they are often they are static so I'm sure it's quite effective. 

For Landscape on a tripod at low ISO it's a great performer.
Good Technique is very important with it. You can recover good detail from shadows with it. 

File size I still think is a pain in the butt. Yes I knew this in advance but you've got experience it to appreciate it. Yes memory is getting cheaper but most laptops sold are 4GB Ram and 500GB to 1TB storage. The files are slow to process and will fill up a hard disk in no time (at least at the rate I shoot at).
The timelag between photo and appearance on screen is that little bit too long not to be a bit annoying

Overall it is a very good camera but it has some notable downsides. I'm using mine more and more so I guess I am a happy customer overall (but I love my 5D III - I think its a great all round camera).


----------



## East Wind Photography (Jun 20, 2016)

Hector1970 said:


> AdamBotond said:
> 
> 
> > Grant, first of all, thanks for the much detailed review. Having only a single rig, I was wondering though how often you find yourself in a low light situation, when you are forced to use a better low light performer rig instead of 5DS(r) ? As most of my wildlife photography takes place in the dusk/dawn, I feel I should rather stick with a lower MP body, which has better high iso quality than vice versa. I do believe one can get wonderful results with the 5Ds as long as there is enough light, though.
> ...



Yes as you noticed the noise is similar to the 7d2 if you crop the image down to the equivalent pixel size. The benefit is that you don't have to. If you can get close or use a longer lens to use more of the frame then the noise gets smaller and can be down sampled to even less. There are ways to improve the image iq where you are mostly stuck with what the 7d2 can achieve natively.

I think it's an awesome studio or landscape camera and as you noted, for some maybe a good wildlife camera.


----------



## chauncey (Jun 20, 2016)

I've held off a purchase of the 5DSR because I've been ecstatic with the AF of my BIF images 
which I then photomerge into one huge image using my elderly 1Ds3...it would usually 
capture 9-10, in focus, images as the egrets traversed a pond before the buffer filled.

Will the 5DSR do that.


----------



## Act444 (Jun 20, 2016)

AlanF said:


> Act444 said:
> 
> 
> > AlanF said:
> ...



Thanks. That, coupled by another informal test I ran a couple days ago in store with a (regular) 5DS, seals it for me. 5D3 and 600 it is!


----------



## AlanF (Jun 21, 2016)

Thanks for saying "thanks"! 600 on the 5DIII is very good. I happen to prefer 600 on the 5DS R but I am sure you will be satisfied with it on the 5DIII - I had some great shots with that combo.


----------



## bholliman (Jun 21, 2016)

My wildlife and bird photography experience is somewhat limited, but as the former owner of a 5D3 and current owner of a 5DsR, I prefer the 5DsR for wildlife and almost everything else. I owned both 5D's for several months and at times had a 300 f/2.8 with 2x extender mounted on one and my 70-200 on the other to catch close in birds. I have found the AF of the 5DsR to be slightly better and my keeper rate was higher, despite the smaller, less forgiving, pixels. When down sampled, higher ISO shots look just as good to me as 5D3 files. I ended up selling the 5D3 as I found I was never using it.


----------



## Act444 (Jun 22, 2016)

Yup...now to figure out the best way to actually GET to 600!


----------



## nc0b (Jun 23, 2016)

As to noise with the 5DsR, the sun was setting and there was cloud cover. I had to really push everything for the following killdeer shot. 560mm, 1/125, f/8, ISO 3200, (100-400mm II @400mm with 1.4X TC III) The original is a JPG, contrast and brightness adjusted moderately. All 5DsR settings default, apurture priority. I usually shoot at ISO 400, and occasionally 800, so is the first time I have observed this much noise at "actual pixels". The full frame file size was 17 mb, the crop before adjustments was 1.4 mb. I would have liked to have stopped down one stop due to the TC, but there just wasn't enough light. Initially I tried a few shots of the killdeer without the TC, but I needed more reach. I could only get within about 20 feet of the bird before it would move further away.


----------



## AlanF (Jun 23, 2016)

nc0b said:


> As to noise with the 5DsR, the sun was setting and there was cloud cover. I had to really push everything for the following killdeer shot. 560mm, 1/125, f/8, ISO 3200, (100-400mm II @400mm with 1.4X TC III) The original is a JPG, contrast and brightness adjusted moderately. All 5DsR settings default, apurture priority. I usually shoot at ISO 400, and occasionally 800, so is the first time I have observed this much noise at "actual pixels". The full frame file size was 17 mb, the crop before adjustments was 1.4 mb. I would have liked to have stopped down one stop due to the TC, but there just wasn't enough light. Initially I tried a few shots of the killdeer without the TC, but I needed more reach. I could only get within about 20 feet of the bird before it would move further away.



You have to use RAW and a program such as DxO with PRIME noise reduction if you you are under difficult conditions as jpegs are pretty hopeless if you have to crop (in any case I never use jpegs for bird photography). Further, I would never use the 1.4xTC under such conditions as any extra reach is more than negated by loss of IQ and additional noise. The 1.4xTC should be reserved for when there is plenty of light, and I have given it up altogether on the 5DS R although it is OK on low mp FF such as the 5DIII. At iso 640 and using DxO the noise is basically negligible on the 5DS R. At 1600 IQ does deteriorate slightly and 3200 is for when you don't crop much.


----------



## East Wind Photography (Jun 23, 2016)

Act444 said:


> Yup...now to figure out the best way to actually GET to 600!



Consider used lenses from someone reputable with a good return policy like b and h or adorama if you are in the states. You pay a bit of a used premium but returns are pretty easy if you are not happy with it. I started out with a used 300mm f2.8 IS and extenders until i could save a bit more and trade it up to the newer mark ii. The big whites hold their value pretty well. I still use a used 600mm as well...still saving for the mark ii upgrade. Recent 1dxii purchase has now set me back a bit on that.

As much as i use both lenses, the loss on trade up is considerably less that what i would have to pay to rent them. Depending on your GAS fund, sometimes you do what you have to do.


----------



## stochasticmotions (Jun 23, 2016)

Picked up a canon refurb 5DS a couple days ago, here are a few shots from the first couple hours out with it. Using canon 100-400 LII for these shots, will try the teleconverter and the sigma 120-300 f2.8 as soon as I can get a day out that isn't 100 degrees in the shade.

So far pretty happy, very similar to the 5dIII but I'm still more used to the 1DIV so there will be a little muscle memory to re-teach. All shots below are crops of the originals and then resized for the net. I'm still using only jpegs since I am going to have to upgrade lightroom or find another raw tool (not a big fan of subscription software so I have been sticking with lightroom 5.7 as long as I can).



Red-tail crop by Barry Scully, on Flickr



The underside by Barry Scully, on Flickr



Bluebird crop by Barry Scully, on Flickr


----------



## Click (Jun 24, 2016)

Very nice pictures, stochasticmotions.


----------



## serendipidy (Jun 24, 2016)

Click said:


> Very nice pictures, stochasticmotions.


+1...I like the blue bird best


----------

