From time to time I share answers to question from blog readers, since I think that the answers might be of broader interest. Here is one from Gareth, who writes:
Hi Dan, I’ve been reading your reviews on the canon 5DSR (big help) and just wanted to ask you, if your were buying a full frame camera today would you still buy this camera for landscape photography? Just to add at present I use a GH5 with metabones adaptor, great camera but I want to do large fine art prints, I also have a range of canon lenses. You thoughts would be much appreciated, Many thanks Gareth P.S. wonderful images you have done.
Thanks Gareth.
A few years ago my answer would have been pretty straightforward — basically, if you wanted a high resolution full-frame camera for landscape photography and potentially rather large prints… the Canon 5DsR would be an obvious choice, especially for someone already owning Canon lenses.
It still is a fine camera for this purpose, and it works admirably for this purpose and many others. The 50MP sensor is capable of producing highly detailed images, and the camera works especially well on the tripod for landscape photography. I’m still using mine, and I have no plans to replace it at this point.
However, the market has changed since I got mine and the market is still undergoing changes that will play out in some significant ways in the next year or two. So, while the 5DsR still works great for the purpose your describe — and is probably available for lower prices, especially on the used market — it may be worth thinking about some matters of timing if you aren’t in a hurry to get something.
Back when I got my 5DsR, this camera’s 50MP sensor provided the most sensor resolution then available in a full-frame body. The nearest competitors at that time were the 36MP sensors from Sony found in their bodies and in Nikon cameras. But since that time other brands have come out with higher resolution sensors, such as the 60MP Sony A7rIV. In truth, the difference between 50MP and 60MP doesn’t really amount to much, but it is a competitor.
Perhaps of more interest to a photographer owning Canon lenses, it is quite likely that Canon will introduce a higher MP mirrorless body successor to the 5DsR before too much longer. We don’t know when that will happen, but it is virtually certain that it is coming. Rumors suggest a 75MP (or possibly a bit higher) sensor resolution. The Canon mirrorless bodies work with the existing EF lenses via adapters.
Is it worth waiting for this? The answer is quite subjective. For me, as a person already owning a 5DsR, I’ll happily keep using that and see what comes from Canon in the future before I make any moves. My 5DsR is not holding me back in any way, but if the new camera is compelling enough I might consider getting it.
Of course, it will likely cost more. And it really is designed to use the newer RF lenses, so there would be pressure to get some of them, too — and this leads toward some fairly hefty costs for upgrading.
So, where does that leave you?
If you want a camera now for landscape photography, you plan to print large, and you want Canon… the 5DsR is still fine choice and it works very well for a landscape camera. If you aren’t in a hurry and you aren’t daunted by potentially higher costs, you could wait and see what the high MP Canon mirrorless body brings.
Good luck!
