My Rocky Start with the Canon R5

[@ProTechShawn]

I had the same issue with my R5. I put it back in the box to return it. Then, right before it was time to return it, I decided to take it out the box and tested it again and what do you know, it was sharper all of a sudden. I also initially thought it was me. Still don't know why, but glad that it's working correctly now. Glad I wasn't the only one that experienced this! Great camera now!!!!

[@NicholasHornbrook]

Oh wow, that's weird @ProTechShawn. Glad it had a happy ending for you. And agreed, it's nice to know I wasn't the only one.

[@Pitcha_Mann_81]

For some reason I was having the same issue. Glad you brought this video out. I think I’m going to do an exchange on mines as well, I’m glad that I wasn’t the only one having this issue because for some reason I thought my expectations were unreasonable. I’m going to go do an exchange today. Thank you so much for making this video.

[@nicedward7544]

Something was definitely up... not the glass. I use that 200 prime on my 42mp Sony and it's tack sharp. One of my favorite lenses ever. It's got to be a tolerance problem somewhere. The adapter maybe? Sensor placement off? I have no idea lol. Glad you returned it! I had a bitter sweet removal of Canon from my life because of the rf lens lineup and prices although I still use some EF L glass. Enjoy the new one that works!! Lol

[@bangerasiddharth]

Could you mention your classic DSLR wishlist. Even I am scouting for classic DSLR’s. Got a 5D classic and simply love it.

[@zoltantolgyesi3891]

I have the same with the R6 II. It seems to be the shutter shock on the moving sensor. Fully electronic shutter is sharp af, first curtain and mechanical are all blurry garbage.

[@sauravmazumder6762]

I had the same problem when I got my R6 and then I lived with it for 4 months and then got the R6 ii. Voila. Night and day. Sharp as a pin. Some camera and lenses have tolerance errors and defects. There's just no way around it. Hope you recover from that induced OCD.

[@DennisK47]

I actually wonder if the sensor itself was installed "crooked" or too far forward or backward from the expected focal plane. If off by a millimeter, it would never focus properly, and probably would never be sharp. Glad you got a proper one at the end. What a nightmare.

[@NicholasHornbrook]

Right, yeah. That definitely makes sense with the results I was seeing @DennisK47. Sucks that that's a thing one has to look out for when buying a brand new camera. Thanks!

[@milkyISO]

I wonder if it was dropped during shipping or something like that... I'm glad he found the issue!

[@DennisK47]

@@milkyISO That's actually more likely than "installed wrong". And judging by the way UPS/Fedex treat my packages...I'm surprised any of the camera's I've had shipped to me take sharp images.

[@milkyISO]

Holy shit that was a cool video. You made it into a really cool suspenseful story. I really enjoyed every second of it. Besides that, I'm glad you got the body you paid for....

[@NicholasHornbrook]

Hey thanks @milkyISO, I appreciate it.

[@ToxicChillz]

Glad you managed to swap it out, there is a definite issue with the one you had, not entirely sure what, but considering the price difference, the R5 should definitely be giving better results, which it is now you have one that works. Its worrying that, that was the case on a brand new camera... Im wondering if it had been bashed about in shipping or something... Either way glad it sorted, there is a clear difference in quality between the old one and the new,

[@Chrispitchwildlife]

That's smart to shoot raw in case of you get a master piece by accident. That made me smile, and at the same time.. It is smart. I had the same problem with my RF800 F11, during 1 month I thought it was maybe normal that this lens was not very sharp. After 1 month it was too late to send it back to the US... I fixed it in the Philippines for 80 USD, then it comes back to me f.. finally sharp. Great video. I like the style.

[@NicholasHornbrook]

Oh nice. Glad you were able to get it fixed for a reasonable price. I'm very interested in that RF 800 F11 @Chrispitchwildlife. How do you like it? I've never rented gear before, but I'm thinking about renting that one, rather than just buying it and hoping for the best, which is usually my strategy, but it's not a very good strategy.

[@Chrispitchwildlife]

@@NicholasHornbrook as long as you have the light, you will fill the frame with a rat at 25 meters without problems. At a shutter speed of 1/2000th, under the sun, your ISO should be 500. Only 1,260kg, good IS, compact for a 800mm. The IQ is good enough for me. At F11 you start to get diffraction so we are not at the RF100-500 level. Some say the sharpness is excellent though. Without sun you have to lower your SS at 1/100th to keep your ISO low. The good news is that the R5 should handle better the high ISO and the slow aperture of the RF 800 than my R7. Anyway, this is really a different kind of lens, and you should rent it if you can.

[@RodrigoVazquez91]

I bought a used Canon 6D back in 2022, no matter how hard I tried, AF, MF, all the focus points, different lenses, fast speed, all the pictures were kinda blurry, it made me feel so frustrated, even my M50, an APSC camera had much better picture quality. I never knew if it was the sensor, or if it actually had an issue, I just didn't want to know, I ended up selling it and replacing it with a Canon RP. I know the 6D is nothing compared to the R5, but I think I know how you feel.

[@NicholasHornbrook]

Super frustrating @RodrigoVazquez91! Hope you had better luck with the RP.

[@The_Idea_of_Dream_Vision]

6d is a dslr so there is a setting u can set to control back focus and front focus. I had one lens that didnt focus properly and i changed the setting and things changed. I rarely use my 7d but m50 and r6 by being mirror less dont have that issue.

[@MykeBatez]

Do you think the disparity you’re seeing between cameras could be due to the R5’s IBIS? If it’s acting up that could definitely impact overall sharpness/clarity. Edit: Ah, I see you mention this towards the end. How strange! I’m glad you were able to swap it out for a sharp one!

[@NicholasHornbrook]

It's a good thought @MykeBatez. I still wonder that myself, because the images have that motion blur look to them. Maybe the sensor literally is moving, or rattling around, not locked down or something. It's entirely possible I ruled IBIS out too quickly. My testing methodology started out kind of casual, but got better each time I went out. Anyway, I feel sure that there was a problem, but the only test results I am completely confident in, based on my methodology improving over time, was my final test with the new camera.

[@u2571man101]

Well that's good to know not to buy from Best Buy. I suppose directly from Canon, Amazon or B&H would be better.

[@NicholasHornbrook]

Yeah, I got lucky, got a manager willing to listen @u2571man101, but Best Buy's return policy is trash. Definitely going to look elsewhere for the next camera purchase. I've bought a lot in the past from Canon, Adorama, B&H, never had a bad experience, but also never returned anything, so I don't know.

[@nicofuentes7149]

I just lost it at 20:01 hahaha, I'm so sorry this happened to you but that bit after all that happened was great jaja

[@NicholasHornbrook]

It was honestly SUCH a relief @nicofuentes7149! I really kind of thought I was going crazy before those first shots with the new camera.

[@nicofuentes7149]

@@NicholasHornbrook having never used a full frame cam, I'm considering an R5 or wait till the MK II, so this real world review is awesome. I'm working with strobes mainly so the 1250 sync speed is eye catching

[@TheRealTonyCastillo]

I think what you are experiencing is atmospheric distortion. Ground is always cooler in the mornings as is the atmosphere, once the sun gets out and getting to mid day you are going to experience the waves more toward the ground when shooting long distances, also viewing the video it was hazy(smokey) as heck just about everywhere you were in the hilly areas. You tend to see that distortion on the highways as you're driving, which means it's actively all around you even if you can't see it the camera might. I tend to see the same softness when shooting birds around lakes and even some Sandhill cranes recently only 75 feet out at 200mm the dissertation was horrible in a cornfield. When the lakes were thawing around my area is the best time to see Eagles and lake was partially thawing but it was a 58 degree day and the heat distortion was 20' above the lake so a lot of my Eagle shots were as you say Sh!t, but Eagles flying higher I had no issues. It's a weird thing but real annoying to deal with. I mean both those lenses are older and the 24-70L 2.8 is known to have softer edges and not the best IQ it seems with newer Higher MP cameras, version II is noticeably sharper. Closer shot photos with that 200mm prime look really good but it again is a pretty old lens designed for lower MP bodies, I know I had a hard time with some lenses with the 90D and even the R7 with the higher MP, I tend to have less issues it seems with the R6MII as my really old 28-70L 2.8 USM is sharp as a tack. I haven't looked at your channel to see what you tend to shoot but am going to go explore it and see what ya got. I'm kinda waiting to see what the R5MII is going to be spec wise and price. I contemplated an R5 recently, but the overheating issues just stuck in my brain when I became more serious about getting a FF camera. Canon is trying hard to off load the referbed ones now, less than a new R6MII and you get a 1yr warranty and can get a 4yr carepak for the refeb R5 for less than a new R5 from BB. I'd be curious your results going out before the sun rises over the hills and see what you experience then.

[@NicholasHornbrook]

That’s a lot of great information @TheRealTonyCastillo. I am relatively new to doing landscape-esc photography (about two years in). Just kind of figuring it out as I go. While I know in a general sense that the farther away something is, the hazier it looks, I will admit I definitely hadn’t considered things like temperature as being a factor. That is very eye-opening. Still though, I feel pretty confident the camera had a problem beyond smoke and atmospheric haze and those sorts of considerations, based on the A/B comparisons I did with an EOS R. Anyway, thanks for taking the time. And yeah, next order of business is to upgrade some of those lenses I’ve been hanging on to for a long time.

[@jbide7178]

Good lord u have bad luck buying cameras! Those images look just like mine did when I had canon replace my shutter on my 5d mkiii and they bent my CMOS sensor. I really think you had a warped sensor on your R5. Not an unheard of issue. Your new cam she b fine from here on out.

[@NicholasHornbrook]

Yeah @jbide7178! It’s a relatively new development in my life though. Until recently, I guess my luck was way too good. Now I'm paying the price. Super interesting, definitely never considered a bent / warped sensor as a possibility. There's just too many ways in which a good camera can go bad. It's a little disheartening, I must admit. But cool, hopefully you're right and everything goes smoothly from here on. Every time I download a shot that doesn't quite look as sharp as I expect, I internally freak out a little bit now. I'm going to have to practice some breathing exercises or something. I'm definitely way too hyper fixated on sharpness now.

[@kclarkeadventures]

Need to use slow f stop f11 in environmental.

[@alisonandguywildlifephotograph]

Heat haze ???… do a controlled test indoors on a magazine at 300 mm

[@NicholasHornbrook]

I exchanged it @alisonandguywildlifephotograph, but yes, that would have been a good idea. Thanks for the suggestion. Looking back, I do think you're right, and I was getting heat haze in some of the shots. But on top of that I do believe there was also an issue with the sensor.

[@DennisK47]

I too considered this at first but heat haze is only an issue for me at around 150+mm. I live in an area that regularly gets above 37C/100F. Seeing "heat haze" on his RF 50mm too made no sense. I have an A7RV and A7CR and I've never seen any noticeable heat haze at sub 100mm even pixel peeping 61MP images hard.

[@kclarkeadventures]

Your shooting in an environment that is not sharp. Environmentally haze.

[@daryl0063]

I laughed, I felt for you and then I was happy. Good video and the honesty was appreciated. I like how you talk like the rest of us if we had this issue.....fucking finally lmfao

[@Adogcallednoortje]

I hope they didn’t just put your old one on the shelf. They probably did….

[@NicholasHornbrook]

Agreed @Adogcallednoortje, they probably did. The second camera came with older firmware than the first, which made me a little suspicious, as though maybe somebody had updated the firmware and then returned the camera, and then they sold it to me.