The post Weekly Photography Challenge – Darkness appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sime.
This week we’re focussing (see what I did there) on the dark areas in a photograph. Shadows, but intentional shadows. Using shadows and darkness to focus in on your subject – The three examples below are all photographed in the daylight or generally light scenes, In two cases I positioned myself so there was enough shadow around the subject that the only light was used to highlight the subject. The third is a self-portrait while I was shaving, I liked the way the shadow fell, creating some interest in the image. Happy to dig into the details of each image if you’d like, leave a comment and we can work through them
Mel Ghionis on stageBola Bee on a Tamron product shootMe, shaving haha
Shadow, darkness, lack of light is imperative in photography, it defines edges and shapes images, so get your camera out, look at things around you with a critical eye and find some interesting shadows or better still, create some!
Great! Where do I upload my photos?
Simply upload your shot into the comment field (look for the little camera icon in the Disqus comments section) and they’ll get embedded for us all to see. Or, if you’d prefer, upload them to your favourite photo-sharing site and leave the link to them. We’re interested to see how you revisit the images that you’ve taken before now in this re-edit challenge!
Share in the dPS Facebook Group
You can also share your images in the dPS Facebook group as the challenge is posted there each week as well.
If you tag your photos on Flickr, Instagram, Twitter or other sites – tag them as #DPSDarkness to help others find them. Linking back to this page might also help others know what you’re doing so that they can share in the fun.
The post Weekly Photography Challenge – Darkness appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sime.
The first trailer for the forthcoming Pete Souza documentary, The Way I See It, has been released, providing a glimpse into what we can expect from the feature-length documentary.
Pete Souza has served as Chief Official White House Photographer under two presidents, Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama. Between his tenure at those positions, as well as his time as a photojournalist, he’s captured some of the most iconic shots of life in and beyond the Oval Office, with unrivaled access to two of the most iconic presidents from either party.
The official movie poster for The Way I See It
The Way I See It documentary is based on the New York Times #1 bestseller book of the same name. It provides ‘an unprecedented look behind the scenes of two of the most iconic Presidents in American History, Barack Obama and Ronald Reagan, as seen through the eyes of renowned photographer Pete Souza,’ as shared in the trailer’s description. ‘As Official White House Photographer, Souza was an eyewitness to the unique and tremendous responsibilities of being the most powerful person on Earth. The movie reveals how Souza transforms from a respected photojournalist to a searing commentator on the issues we face as a country and a people.’
The film is due out in theaters September 2020, but we’ll see if that comes to fruition amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. You can find out more about the film by visiting The Way I See It website.
ProRes Raw is finally here for the Panasonic S1H. Find out why Jordan says ‘This is absolutely my favorite image from any of the cameras I’ve got right now…’
Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week.
Winners of 2020 Creative Photo of the Year by Siena Awards
The Creative Awards is part of the larger international competition put on by the Siena International Photography Awards. The aim is to encourage photographers to experiment with the subject matter they capture as well as their post-processing techniques. There isn’t any limit to how much an image can be digitally manipulated.
11 jurors selected winning and runner up images from 12 different categories including Fine Art, Abstract, Nature & Landscape, Open Theme and Architecture. The Overall Winner, and recipient of the ‘Pangea Prize,’ along with € 50,000 in photography gear, is Hardijanto Budiman for his image of ping pong players competing in Indonesia.
Typically, winners and runners up attend the annual Siena Awards and their works are displayed in the ‘I Wonder if You Can’ outdoor exhibition. For now, they can be viewed in this online gallery.
Overall Winner and Pangea Prize Recipient: ‘Ping Pong Training’ by Hardijanto Budiman
Location: Jakarta, Indonesia
Artist statement: Ping pong or table tennis is my favorite sport. When I was young I used to be a ping pong player in my home town club. So when the idea came up, I straight away started the project. This picture is about daily activities of ping pong players in a club. I made the concept look different and unique, representing my signature style.
Creative Runner Up Winner, Fashion: ‘Borderland’ by Gerard Harrison
Location: Houston, Texas, United States
Artist Statement: A photograph of a fashion model in a couture bohemian design is merged with a a fine art painting to create a walk through a garden in an alternate reality.
Creative Runner Up Winner, Abstract: ‘Delta Abstraction’ by Manuel Enrique González Carmona
Location: Huelva, Spain
Artist Statement: Minerals, water and water currents are the ingredients with which nature creates these ephemeral landscapes. This canvas is actually a raft of toxic waste from a copper mine, located in the province of Huelva, Spain, having been captured by aerial shots. These ephemeral formations will disappear with the next intense rains.
Creative Runner Up Winner, Nature & Landscape: ‘Silky Hat’ by Takashi Nakazawa
Location: Lake Yamanaka, Yamanashi prefecture, Japan
Artist Statement: When the clouds cleared, there was Mt Fuji with a silky hat. To make it even more impressive, I used a long exposure and then made it black and white monotone.
Creative Runner Up Winner, Architecture: ‘Achieve Dream’ by Min Ying
Location: Zhoushan, China
Artist Statement: The image was shot at the Zhoushan Sea Bridge, which is a great construction area in China.
Creative Runner Up Winner, Animals/Pets: ‘Black Friday’ by Pedro Jarque Krebs
Location: Spain
Artist Statement: Flamingos have eyes that are bigger than their brains. But this doesn’t make them animals without a conscience. They have great vision, and although their ability to interpret what they see is limited, their way of associating in groups allows them to develop a collective consciousness to cope with their environment. Climate change is increasingly affecting their habitats.
Winner, Portraiture: ‘The Same Sky’ by Carloman Macidiano Céspedes Riojas
Location: Argentina
Artist Statement: This goodbye does not mask a see you later. This never does not hide a hope. These ashes do not play with fire. This blind man does not look back. To this noise so fatherless I will not let you drill. A rotten heart of beating. This fish does not die through your mouth. This crazy man goes with another crazy. These eyes do not cry anymore for you.
Creative Runner Up Winner, Experimental: ‘Chicago Station’ by Carmine Chiriacò
Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Artist Statement: This is the classic example of how I like to interpret what I capture with my camera. Through photography I try to communicate the emotions that I am feeling in that moment to the observer. My aim is to tell a story each viewer can experience, and allow him to see the world through my eyes.
Creative Runner Up Winner, Open Theme: ‘Celebration of Sitti Mariam’ by Hisham Karouri
Location: Sudan
Artist Statement: The annual celebration of ‘Sitti Mariam’ the nobel sufi lady of Khatmiyyah sect in Sinkat town in east Sudan; a three days feast ending by the first Thursday of Rajab (month of Hijri calender). During Sitti Mariam lifetime, (1870-1952), the celebration was an annual meeting to assist the followers of the sect, and especially the needy, whom she cared mostly about.
Creative Runner Up Winner, Beauty: ‘Inner’ by Renat Renee-Ell
Location: Saint Petersburg, Russia
Artist Statement: From the series ‘The Room Of Sound Distraction.’ The feelings of the heroine are rolled up like bud petals. At the heart of the fragrance is the soul. Sly hands stretch to take it away.
Creative Runner Up Winner, Product: ‘Speed Freak’ by John Grusd
Location: Long Beach, California, USA
Artist Statement: This image is one of a series of compositions about automobile racing and the driver’s relationship to the distractions and danger inherent in motorsports. The driver remains focused and calm while the world hurtles by at tremendous speeds. In this image, the world around the driver becomes streaking color at streaking speeds.
Creative Runner Up Winner, Food & Beverage: ‘The Broccoli Forest’ by Yuliy Vasilev
Location: Bulgaria
Artist Statement: This is the pilot image of my ongoing project ‘Miniature World.’ The image was taken in my home studio in Bulgaria in August 2019.
Atomos has announced the full firmware update for its Ninja V monitor/recorder that enables 5.9K ProRes Raw video capture from a Panasonic S1H.
It’s been just one week since the pre-release beta firmware was released alongside Panasonic’s S1H 2.1 firmware update, but the full version is up and ready to go. The full firmware update enables Ninja V units to record 12-bit ProRes Raw video over HDMI at up to 5.9K/29.97p in full-frame, or 4K/59.94p in Super35. Also new is a 3.5K Super35 Anamorphic 4:3 RAW mode that makes it easier to record footage shot on anamorphic lenses.
To accompany the new recording options, Panasonic has released a new LUT that can be downloaded for free on its website. The Atomos Ninja V firmware update (AtomOS 10.52) can be downloaded from the Ninja V product page, under the ‘Support’ tab.
AtomOS 10.52 press release:
Atomos releases full free Ninja V update to enable 5.9K Apple ProRes RAW recording for the Panasonic LUMIX S1H
August 7, Melbourne, Australia: Atomos is thrilled to announce the dream of ultra-high resolution RAW video from a full-frame mirrorless camera is now a reality. Last week Atomos launched a Pre-Release Beta for Ninja V users to try out on their Panasonic LUMIX S1H. Today Atomos announces the full firmware update for the Ninja V.
From today Ninja V & Panasonic LUMIX S1H users will be able to record:
Simply stunning 12-bit RAW
The Ninja V captures the unprocessed highly detailed 12-bit RAW signal files directly from the full frame sensor of the S1H over HDMI at up to 5.9K/29.97p in Full-frame, or 4K/59.94p in Super35. These unprocessed files are extremely clean, preserving the maximum dynamic range, color accuracy and every detail from the S1H. The resulting ProRes RAW files allow for greater creativity in post-production with perfect skin tones and easily matched colors, ideal for both HDR and SDR (Rec.709) workflows.
Anamorphic RAW
More and more cinematographers are now choosing to shoot with anamorphic lenses and the Ninja V and S1H combination caters to them with the new 3.5K Super35 Anamorphic 4:3 RAW mode. An even bigger world of cinematic opportunities opens up as the Ninja V and S1H can now be used as an A-camera or smaller B-camera on an anamorphic RAW production.
Improved color pipeline
LUMIX S1H ProRes RAW files recorded to the Ninja V can now benefit from an improved color pipeline in Apple Final Cut Pro X. Panasonic have published a new LUT based workflow that allows the enhanced potential of ProRes RAW files captured from the LUMIX S1H to be realised in the NLE software.
Ninja V advantage
The Ninja V allows users to accurately monitor the RAW signal on its daylight-viewable 5” 1000nit brightness HDR screen. Setup is simple when the camera is attached with perfectly tuned color settings applied automatically. Users can then view the RAW image accurately in HDR in a choice of HLG and PQ (HDR10) formats. The Ninja V offers touchscreen access to tools like waveforms, 1-1 magnification and focus peaking, allowing them to perfect their RAW video. The Ninja V then records the ProRes RAW data onto a removable AtomX SSDmini or other SSD drive. When shooting is complete the drive is removed and connected to a computer via USB for immediate offload and editing.
ProRes RAW the new standard
In addition to their ground-breaking combination of flexibility and performance, Apple ProRes RAW files are smaller than other RAW files – simplifying and accelerating file transfer, media management, and archiving. Even with the new higher 5.9K resolution, ProRes RAW files from the S1H can easily be edited on most modern Macs. ProRes RAW is fully supported in Final Cut Pro X and Adobe Premiere Pro along with a collection of other apps including ASSIMILATE SCRATCH, Colorfront, FilmLight Baselight and Grass Valley Edius.
This is available immediately; Ninja V users can download the free AtomOS update for their monitor-recorder directly from the Atomos website.
Over the past few months Atomos has created a series of content pieces with the Ninja V and Panasonic LUMIX S1H, from test footage, to setting up your Ninja V and S1H with PhotoJoseph, to hearing from creators like Stuart Morgan and Krzysztof Sieniawski and their experiences with the great combo of Ninja V & S1H. Please see recent examples below.
Unsplash, a website that enables anyone to share high-quality images under a Creative Commons Zero license, has announced the release of what it says is the ‘most complete high-quality open image dataset ever.’ The dataset contains more than 2,000,000 images, according to Unsplash, which sourced the images from more than 200,000 photographers around the world.
An image dataset is a collection of images that can be downloaded as a full batch; they contain relevant details, such as EXIF data, location information and more. In this case, Unsplash says that its dataset includes data on AI- and community-generated keywords for the images, landmark details when relevant, image categories and subcategories, download stats, the number of image views, groupings of images, user-generated collections and ‘keyword-image conversions in search results.’
All data included with the dataset is anonymized and private, with the only exception being attribution to photographers. Unsplash says that it sourced the data from ‘hundreds of millions [of] searches across a nearly unlimited number of uses and contexts.’
The ‘complete’ nature of this dataset distinguishes it from other open-source image datasets, which Unsplash notes often have various issues, such as relying on mass image labeling from third-parties, the use of low-quality images, size limitations and other issues that may limit their usefulness.
In its present form, the dataset is 16GB in size, but Unsplash says that it will continue updating the dataset with additional images and fields as its online library grows.
The dataset is available to download from a dedicated portal on the Unsplash website, where two download options are available: the full high-quality 16GB dataset, which is offered only for non-commercial use, and a ‘Lite’ version that is only 550MB and available for both non-commercial and commercial use.
The full dataset contains more than 2,000,000 images, 5,000,000 keywords and 250,000,000 searches. The ‘Lite’ data is limited to 25,000 images and keywords, as well as 1,000,000 searches. Whereas the Lite dataset is available for anyone to download, the full dataset requires users to request permission to download.
The company requires certain details from the user as part of their request, including name, email and the intended use of the data. In addition to the dedicated download website, Unsplash has published the related documentation on Github.
Unsplash remains as controversial as it is popular. The website has been integrated into a number of services, including Adobe, Trello, Wix, Medium, Facebook and thousands of other platforms. The service is distinguished from other free photo platforms by the high-quality nature of the images available to the public under a CC0 license, making them available for non-commercial and commercial use.
Professional photographers have criticized the platform as undermining the profession and photographers who contribute images as devaluing their work, among other things. Back in 2017, Unsplash founder Mikael Cho attempted to address these concerns in a blog post, stating, ‘We didn’t start Unsplash to reinvent an industry. We started Unsplash because we thought it might be useful.’
We’ve been putting together a 35mm SLR beginners’ guide, aimed at photographers who may be starting out in medium, whether on their own or through some sort of intro to darkroom photography course.
To be considered for this forthcoming guide, we felt cameras should meet the following criteria:
Offer both full-manual and some sort of auto exposure mode, to help beginners wet their feet
Be a manual focus camera
Use readily available batteries (no mercury cells)
Can easily be found in good working order, with lens, for under ~$ 200
After some research and much chatting with other fellow analog nerds, we’ve settled on the following list of cameras, all of which are shining examples of our criteria. Now it’s up to you to help us decide which of these cameras deserve to be featured in our final guide; we’ll lean on your opinions heavily as we whittle the contenders down further.
Please vote only once for your favorite beginner-friendly camera. We’ll share the results of our poll when it closes, and our final guide thereafter.
Is your beginner-friendly SLR choice not listed? Does it meet our criteria? If so, please mention it in the comments below and vote for the next closest model.
About Film Fridays: We recently launched an analog forum and in a continuing effort to promote the fun of the medium, we’ll be sharing film-related content on Fridays, including articles from our friends at KosmoFoto and 35mmc.
The post TourBox Review: A Controller to Revolutionize Your Creative Workflow? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kav Dadfar.
What is the one thing that all photographers hate? Maybe selfie sticks take the top spot. But close to the top has to be editing.
It is the one part of my workflow that I least look forward to. Like most photographers, I would much rather be spending my time taking photos than sitting in front of a monitor.
For any given assignment, I may come back with between 4000-6000 photos to edit. The quicker I can get through these, the better. So, over the years, I have looked at many ways of speeding up my workflow efficiency. I try to get my pictures as close to the final version as possible in the field. But there will always be some editing needed.
So, when I first learned about the TourBox controller, I was extremely excited to test it out.
About TourBox
TourBox is a controller for digital creators, designed so you can use creative software such as Photoshop and Lightroom more efficiently. TourBox is compatible with Mac and Windows, and works by adding the shortcuts that you might use in your workflow to dials and buttons. This makes it quicker and easier to access software tools and features, which in turn speeds up your workflow.
The company behind TourBox was founded in 2016, and they spent two years developing this console. After a successful Kickstarter campaign, the first finished versions were shipped in July 2019 to 58 countries.
First impressions
The controller arrived in a stylishly-packaged box which would look at home on the shelf of a high-end department store. Inside the box was an instruction manual, a console, and a USB cable to connect the controller to a computer. There was no power cord, as the controller uses power directly from your computer.
One of the first things I noticed about the TourBox controller is how heavy it is. This is great, because it stops the controller sliding around on a desk. There are some grips underneath the console, but the weight helps. I also liked the slick, matte black finish, which is less slippery than gloss.
The controller is approximately 11 cm x 8 cm (and around 4 cm high to the top of the center knob).
Installation
TourBox is quick and easy to install. You simply to go to the TourBox website. Download the drivers and the software for the controller and follow the steps. In all, it took around four minutes for me to download and install everything needed for the console to work.
So, within a few minutes, you are ready to start using the product.
How does TourBox work?
In simple terms, the console replaces the shortcuts that you would type on a keyboard. By using the different dials and buttons, you can replace up to 42 different shortcuts. So, there are plenty of options (depending on how efficient you are with using keyboard shortcuts).
Selecting a shortcut is then a case of clicking different combinations on the controller. For example, in Lightroom, Command/Control+Alt+V is the shortcut for pasting settings from a previous photo to the one you are on. But you can achieve this with one button using the console if you wish.
Perfect for Lightroom (and Photoshop)
One of the great things about this console is that it comes with functions for Lightroom and Photoshop already programmed in. You can literally open Lightroom and start using the console as soon as it is installed.
You might be asking: Aren’t there more than 42 shortcuts in Lightroom? What the people at TourBox have cleverly done is program shortcuts for the most commonly-used functions.
Things like temperature, tint, exposure, and contrast are controlled by pressing the relevant button. You can then turn the controller dial to adjust the slider. The other nine sliders in the Lightroom Basic panel are controlled by holding a button and clicking a direction on the Dpad.
So, as an example, if you wanted to adjust the saturation, you would hold the top button and tap the “right” arrow on the Dpad. This selects the saturation slider, which you can then adjust with the dial. Once you have selected the slider, it remains selected until you choose something else. So there’s no need to keep the buttons pressed down.
But how will I remember all the combinations?
First, no need to worry. There is a handy Dpad guide that stays on the screen to show you the different functions. It will change to different combinations when you press any of the buttons on the console.
Even though the guide is on the screen, in reality, you will learn the combinations really quickly. Because let’s be honest: It is much easier to remember to click one or two buttons than four different ones.
Keep in mind that the vast majority of the editing you will do is in the basic panel. So you will be clicking these different combinations all the time. After around 15 minutes, I noticed that I began to use the console without needing the guide.
Customize TourBox to your needs
The console has plenty of space for your own shortcuts (i.e., settings that you might use often). So you can change any of the preset shortcuts to fit your most commonly used adjustments.
For me, one of the most used functions of Lightroom is copying the develop settings from the previous photo to the current one. I programmed this into the Tall button + C1. I have also programmed next photo and previous photo (normally the left and right arrow on a keyboard) as C1 and C2.
So I can use the console without even needing to take my hand off of it.
Faster and more efficient workflow
You may be thinking: What the point of all this is? After all, your mouse and keyboard can do all these things.
For me, the benefit of a console like this is three-fold. First, it makes it much easier and quicker to edit through photos. This is because you are not moving your hand from the mouse to the keyboard all the time, which cannot be avoided for shortcuts that need many keys to be pressed. Plus, the controller makes it easier to remember shortcuts; I struggle to remember any shortcuts which are more than two keys, so this is ideal.
The second benefit is that you have much more control when adjusting the sliders with the TourBox console (compared to the mouse). You can fine-tune the sliders in a way that’s difficult to do with a mouse.
The third benefit of TourBox is that you can use it in conjunction with a tablet (and pen) for editing. This makes using a tablet quicker, as you can switch between commands using the console.
TourBox is designed for left-handed use but can also be used right-handed.
Other software
99% of my editing work happens inside Lightroom. But you can also use TourBox with other creative software such as Photoshop, Capture One, Final Cut, and more. You can create different presets for each of these programs, and TourBox automatically detects the software you are using and switches to the relevant settings. So switching your editing from Lightroom to Photoshop becomes seamless and happens without interruption.
Conclusion
I often get excited about new photography gadgets. But over the course of a few days and months that enthusiasm wanes, and I usually stop using the new gadget altogether. I always revert back to the old way of doing things.
But I must confess: Having had the TourBox controller for a few days now, it might become a permanent fixture in my workflow. I am finding that I am going through my editing much quicker than usual. Either I have become considerably quicker in a few days, or it is due to the TourBox console.
The post TourBox Review: A Controller to Revolutionize Your Creative Workflow? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kav Dadfar.
The $ 400 Viltrox 85mm F1.8 lens is a popular choice for Sony E and Fujifilm X users due to its compelling blend of performance and value. Owners have remarked that the lens delivers sharp image quality even when shot wide open. It now appears that wide open can be made even wider with a firmware update allowing the lens to become an F1.6 prime.
Photographer Stefan Malloch has published a video tutorial, seen below, which shows how to use the USB port on the lens to update the lens. This update allows the lens to open its aperture wider, changing the maximum aperture from F1.8 to F1.6. With a simple firmware update, you can get an extra one-third of a stop of light gathering capability.
As PetaPixel notes, there are conflicting reports as to the origin of the firmware. Sony Addict reported that the firmware was released officially in China. FujiRumors, on the other hand, reached out to Viltrox and was told that firmware to turn the F1.8 lens into an F1.6 lens had not been released. All this is to say that installing (possibly unofficial) firmware into your lens is a risk with unknown consequences.
Supposing you still want to update your lens using Malloch’s video above, what can you expect from the Viltrox 85mm F1.6 lens? Malloch also published an overview video of the lens, including sample images.
As mentioned earlier, the Viltrox 85mm F1.8 (or F1.6) lens is available as a full-frame lens for Sony E mount or for the APS-C Fujifilm X system. The fast, autofocus-capable prime lens can focus as closely as 2.62′ (0.8m). The lens includes 10 elements across 7 groups, including 1 ED lens element and 4 ‘short-wavelength and high-transparency’ lens elements. The lens has a 72mm filter thread and weighs 636g (1.4 lbs.). You can learn more about the lens on Viltrox’s website.
Testing conducted in Seattle by our Technical Editor Richard Butler. Real-world production experiences by Jordan Drake: the director and editor of many of our ‘DPRTV’ videos.
Originally published Aug 3, updated Aug 6: conclusions and analysis revised based on additional experience with the camera
If you have any interest in cameras, you may have witnessed the heated discussions lately around the new Canon EOS R5 and R6’s tendency to overheat when capturing video internally. The Internet tends to amplify the most extreme version of any story or phenomenon, which might have lead to you getting the impression that the cameras are unusable.
Jordan’s EOS R5 experience
We shot for 10 hours at a variety of locations, which I thought would give the camera ample opportunity to cool down. I planned to shoot the episode in the 4K HQ mode, with occasional 4K/120P and 8K shots peppered throughout. Quickly I realized that setting up a shot and menu-diving would reduce the amount of record time I had for HQ, so I found myself spending far less time previewing the shot before rolling, adding a layer of stress.
Eventually, I realized couldn’t record all the talking points in 4K HQ, and settled on using 4K HQ for wide shots and standard, line-skipped 4K for closeups. This made shooting sustainable, though I found myself avoiding trying to capture any spontaneous establishing shots or cutaways, lest I drop the dreaded overheating clock a bit lower. While our host Chris took it in his stride, I can only imagine how frustrating it would be for the talent to not know if the camera will last until the end of a take.
I also found myself heavily rationing the 4K/120P as it really chews up your remaining shooting minutes. I spent two minutes capturing the seagull footage in the episode: beforehand I the camera said it would shoot 15 minutes of 4K HQ, when I returned I had only five minutes remaining!
If the quality difference between 4K HQ and standard 4K capture were not so dramatic, this would bother me less. However, once you start viewing and editing the gorgeous 4K HQ footage, it makes it that much harder to go back to inferior line skipped 4K, and that’s a type of disappointment I don’t want to be dealing with on a shoot.
After extensive testing of both cameras, our conclusions with regards internal recording are:
From a cold start, the Canon EOS R5 and R6 perform in line with the company’s video performance claims.
Non-video use cuts into available shooting time, adding significant uncertainty for video shooters
We tested a pair of R5s and an R6 in a variety of warm conditions and found they consistently performed in line with the limitations that Canon acknowledged at the point of launch. However, the practical implications are that the cameras are prone to overheating if you shoot for extended periods and if you have crew or talent waiting to re-start shooting, they may take too long to recover.
It should be noted that Canon did not design either the EOS R5 or R6 to be professional video tools, nor does it primarily market them as such. But based on our testing and real-world usage we would caution against using them as a substitute.
So why is YouTube saying the sky is falling?
Our testing suggests that the cameras perform in exactly the way that Canon said they would. However, there is an important caveat that Canon’s figures don’t address: although the cameras can repeatedly deliver the amount of video promised, they may not always do so in real-world usage.
Even set to the mode designed to limit pre-recording temperature build-up, the clock is essentially running from the moment you turn the camera on. Video recording is the most processor-intensive (and hence most heat generating) thing you can do, but any use of the camera will start to warm it up, and start chipping away at your recording times. Consequently, any time spent setting up a shot, setting white balance, setting focus or waiting for your talent to get ready (or shooting still images) will all cut into your available recording time, and you won’t reliably get the full amount Canon advises.
Not only does this make R5 a poor fit for many professional video shoots, it also means that you can’t depend on the cameras when shooting video alongside stills at, say, a wedding, which is a situation that the EOS R5 clearly is intended for.
Even when left in direct sunshine, the cameras continued to record for the duration Canon promised. However, this is only true when you’re not using the camera for anything else.
The one piece of good news is that the camera’s estimates appear to be on the conservative side: every time the camera said it would deliver X minutes of footage, it delivered what it’d promised. You can also record 4K footage for much longer if you can use an external recorder but again, this probably isn’t going to suit photographers or video crews looking for a self-contained, do-everything device.
Click here if you want to see our test methods and results.
EOS R5 suggestions:
Expect to shoot line-skipped 30p for the bulk of your footage
Only use 8K or oversampled HQ 4K for occasional B-Roll
4K/120 and 8K will cut into your shooting time quickest of all
Be aware of your setup time and cumulative usage (including stills shooting)
EOS R6 suggestions:
Don’t expect to be able to shoot for extended periods
Be aware of the need for extensive cooling periods between bursts of shooting
Analysis: Why hadn’t Canon thought about this?
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking this means Canon didn’t put enough thought into thermal management for these cameras. Our testing suggests this isn’t the case, but that the cameras’ specs are rather over-ambitious.
Jordan’s EOS R6 experience
I had done some testing prior to my shoot, and was comfortable that overheating wouldn’t be a problem if I stuck to 4K/24p. Unfortunately, my experience on a warm day was quite different to that room-temperature test. There’s no line-skipped 4K mode on the R6, so if the camera overheats, you’re back to 1080P, which will be a jarring transition for viewers watching on larger screens.
While I was able to record much longer with the R6 before encountering the overheat warning, once it appears the camera takes far longer to cool down again than the R5. Our regular drives in an air conditioned car allowed Chris and Levi’s R5 to function throughout the day, but at one point I was left sitting in the car, babysitting a hot R6 while they went out to shoot. During a one hour lunch, the R5 had returned back to normal, but the R6 had a twenty minute warning still on.
This was hugely disappointing as, rolling shutter aside, the R6 video quality is excellent, and I’d be perfectly happy using it over the R5. However, the longer cool down times would probably lead me to use the R5, dropping to line-skipped 4K from time to time.
While I enjoyed most aspects of using these two cameras, I have no intention of using either of them as a primary video camera. They would be great for grabbing occasional, very high quality video clips, but I’d never want to rely on them for paid work.
With the exception of specialist video models, most cameras that shoot 4K are prone to overheating, regardless of the brand. Some companies let you extend the recording time by ignoring overheat warnings (and risk ‘low-temperature burns’ if you handhold the camera), while others simply stop when they get too hot. This should make it clear that shooting 4K for an extended period is difficult. For instance, Sony says the a7 III will shoot around 29 minutes of 4K video with the temperature warnings set to ‘Std,’ while the Fujifilm X-T4 promises 30 minutes of 4K/30 and 20 minutes of 4K/60.
The cumulative heat is constantly counting against you
8K is four times as much data as natively-sampled 4K and seventeen times more than the 1080 footage that older cameras used to capture so effortlessly. Perfect 2:1 oversampled 4K (downsampled 8K) requires this same amount of data, which is still 1.7x more data than is used to create 4K oversampled video from a 24MP sensor. Data means processing, which means heat.
What’s interesting is that the exterior of the cameras don’t get especially hot when shooting for extended periods. We’re only speculating, but this could indicate that Canon has tried to isolate the camera’s internals from external temperature fluctuations, with the down-side that they can’t then dissipate internally produced heat.
This would be consistent with us getting the full recording period out of the camera, even when tested well above the 23°C (73°F) conditions specified by Canon. And with the fact that leaving the camera’s doors closed and battery in place didn’t change the recovery time. However, while this appears to be workable for the line-skipping 4K mode, the added workload of the higher quality settings seems to present a problem. Dealing with 1.7x more data than the a7 III and X-T4 is a step too far: the R5 will match them for promised recording duration but only from cold. This leaves it much more sensitive to any other use beyond video recording.
The EOS R6 is a slightly different matter. It can shoot 40 minutes of 4K taken from 5.1K capture, which is a pretty good performance and may be enough that you won’t often hit its temperature limits. However even after a 30 minute cooling period, it has only recovered enough to deliver around half of its maximum record time, whereas the EOS R5 recovered nearly its full capability. The more extensive use of metal in the construction of the R5 seems to help it manage heat better than the R6 can.
And, as both Jordan’s and Richard’s experiences show: if you don’t have time to let the cameras cool, that cumulative heat is constantly counting against you.
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