Canon has announced the EOS R5C, a full-frame mirrorless camera that effectively combines the EOS R5 with a Cinema EOS motion picture camera, all in a single body. It’s physically similar to the EOS R5 with the notable additions of a bulge on the rear of the camera to accommodate a fan, and a red shutter button on the front.
The power switch on top of the EOS R5C provides the option to start the camera in either photo or video mode. What sets the EOS R5C apart is that each mode provides a completely different, and use-case-specific, user experience.
Canon says that it combines the “best of both worlds” melding the EOS R5 and EOS C70 cameras into one – which you can see as soon as you turn the camera around to see how beefy it is compared to the EOS R5. The active cooling has meant that the camera is quite a bit thicker and from behind, more closely resembles the EOS C70 than its EOS R5 namesake.
When powered on in photo mode, the camera operates the same as the standard EOS R5 and provides all the capabilities of that camera. It uses the same 45MP CMOS sensor with dual pixel autofocus, the same battery, and delivers the same 12 fps mechanical or 20 fps electronic burst shooting. The only omission is that the R5C doesn’t include in-body image stabilization.
When powered on in video mode, the camera essentially operates as a Cinema EOS camera, including the Cinema EOS menu system and all the standard options found on professional Cinema EOS motion picture cameras. Video mode on the R5C also delivers a number of features not found on the standard EOS R5.
The EOS R5C can deliver unlimited recording time in any mode up to 8K/60p, thanks to its internal active cooling system. It can also capture high frame rates up to 4K/120p in 4:2:2 10-bit color, without a sensor crop, while maintaining full autofocus operation.
It’s also the first Canon camera to provide internal 8K/60p recording using Cinema Raw Light, a Raw recording format found on Canon’s other recent Cinema EOS cameras such as the C300 Mark III, and which provides more manageable file sizes than Canon’s Cinema Raw. New on the R5C, Cinema Raw Light now includes a choice of three quality settings, HQ (high quality), ST (Standard quality), and LT (light recording). All three modes capture 12-bit data regardless of which frame rate is used.
Other video-specific features include 8K HDR recording in either HLG or PQ formats (the R5 only supports PQ), simultaneous recording of proxy files to the internal SD card, Canon’s XF-AVC codec, Canon Log 3 gamma, a timecode terminal, ProRes Raw video output via HDMI up to 8K/30p, and Canon’s multi-function shoe, which is compatible with the optional Tascam CA-XLR2d-C microphone adapter for up to 4-channel audio.
To assist with operation in either mode, each function button on the camera includes two labels – one in grey to denote stills functions and the other in white to denote video functions.
With the omission of mechanical in-body image stabilization (IBIS), the R5C instead can combine electronic stabilization with lens-based stabilization to provide a more stabilized shooting experience, albeit with a minor 1.1x crop.
The EOS R5C is expected to be available in March 2022, at a retail price of $4499.
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