Canon has done some odd, but understandable variations with their 5-series of cameras over the years. With the Canon 5Ds, they provided an alternative that gave photographers more resolution in the form of the Canon 5Dsr. They’ve also done this with the Canon EOS R5 — there’s the Canon EOS R5c that’s designed for cinema use. But reports are coming that say that the Canon EOS R5 II could be split into two cameras: one for high resolution and another for high ISO output. But how likely is that to happen?
One of the most significant things that I’ve been told by Canon’s reps is that video users are 90% of the market these days. Knowing Canon, they’re bound to split the camera into the Canon EOS R5 II and the Canon EOS R5c II. And Canon Rumors hints that the cameras could be similar to what the 5Ds and 5Dsr were. Considering what Canon thinks about the current market, that’s probably unlikely. There’s a lot of evidence to support this in Canon’s current camera lineup and with the current market.
Let’s be very honest, camera manufacturers care more about video users right now because everyone wants to be a YouTuber and make content for social media. But social media is a bubble that’s annoying lots of people and burning millennials out. What’s more, no one needs a Canon EOS R5 series of cameras to make videos. There are only so many video formats you can shoot, and lots of the top content creators don’t need to use high-end cameras. More importantly, they’re not going to upgrade camera bodies all that often.
Canon may also take the route that both Sigma and Sony have taken. Years ago, when the Sigma 40mm f1.4 Art was released, it was primarily meant as a lens for video. And Sony has released a camera in a smaller form factor that doesn’t shoot stills at all. Could Canon do the same thing?
Then there’s a bigger problem. There are more photographers trying to create content for social media instead of trying to make actual photos. With that said, they’re not aiming to get their images in galleries or museums, etc. Again, this is a social media problem. But photographers still need a whole lot of other features to make cameras better for them. We’ve written about a lot of those features over the years, and so recapping them here feels monotonous. Instead, let’s focus on how unlikely it is that there will be three variants of the Canon EOS R5 II.
Financially, it makes more sense for Canon the keep it this way for video and for photos. If photographers want a better camera for high ISO output, they can go to the Canon EOS R6 series. It’s almost as good as the EOS R5 series in some ways while being much better in other ways. And if they want something higher end, then Canon will tell them to go for the Canon EOS R3. With that said, there will most likely be a variant of the Canon EOS R5 II that will be specifically for photographers and will be pretty great overall.
Ultimately, I think that video should be kept to camcorders and that Canon should make a small, interchangeable lens RF-mount camera that’s just for video. The ergonomic nightmare of shooting video with a camera primarily designed for stills is something we should be passed at this point. We don’t need to shoot video like it’s the 5D Mk II days anymore.
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