Most Canon cameras are capable of shooting stills and recording videos, but the latter function often pales in comparison to actual cinema specialised shooters. In its latest efforts to offer its users the best of both worlds, the Japanese giant has introduced the EOS R5 C, a new hybrid mirrorless camera that combines Canon’s high quality image capture and Cinema EOS-level video production in a DSLR-sized package.
As its name suggests, the new camera is equipped with most of the same hardware as the original Canon EOS R5 that launched last year. To quickly recap, it comes with a full-frame 45MP sensor with Dual Pixel CMOS AF II, a Digic X processor, and the same LP-E6NH battery. Similarly, its specs enables it to deliver continuous burst shooting at 12 fps via mechanical shutter, or 20 fps through its electronic shutter.
What separates the EOS R5 C from the base model is the addition of an active cooling system, which gives the camera a chunkier side profile, sans the handgrip. The system utilises an air intake vent on the right side of its built-in 3.2-inch 2.1m-Dot TFT LCD vari-angle screen to channel in cool air, which is then blown out from the exhaust vents located on the left side of the camera. As you’d expect, this allows the camera to record 8K footage for long periods without overheating.
Canon says the EOS R5 C is capable of recording 8K at 30 fps when relying on its battery, and could actually go up to 60 fps when plugged to an external power source. In addition, onboard are three different 8K 12-bit RAW modes, and a 4K 10-bit XF-AVC mode. Videos shot in 4K or 1080p are oversampled from 8K resolution for improved quality and reduced noise.
Unfortunately, not all of the features from the original EOS R5 made their way to the hybrid variant. Most notably is the absence of an in-body stabilisation system, which the camera instead relies on a 5-axis electronic stabilisation that can be used together with lenses that come with and without their own stabilisation system. Furthermore, the EOS R5 C is expectedly heavier than the base model, coming in at around 680g.
It is also worth noting that you’ll need to switch between the standard R5 mode and the Cinema EOS mode via the power switch if you wish to utilise the camera for photography or video recording respectively. Besides that, the EOS R5 C also features a dedicated timecode interface for multi-camera video shoots, a multi-function shoe, a 0.5-inch OLED viewfinder with 5.76m-Dot resolution, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 support, CF Express (Type B) and SD UHS-II memory card slots, a single USB-C port, a micro HDMI terminal, as well as microphone and headphone jacks.
The new Canon EOS R5 C hybrid mirrorless camera is slated to ship out in March at a price of US$4,500 (~RM18,848) for body only. Its availability in Malaysia has not been confirmed by the company at this time.
(Source: Canon [Global website])
