Canon R5 for Sports Photography

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Recently, I shot a high school water polo game with the Canon R5 and the RF70-200mm lens. I loved the results and wanted to share why the Canon EOS R5 was a good choice for sports photography: speed, autofocus, full frame 45 megapixel resolution, compability with the RF 70-200mm lens, and the easy rating system.
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[@CrisConstantin]

Good video, Wes. As photojournalist who shot sports primarily, here is a few other good tips. Keep your non-dominant eye open when you have the camera up to your dominant eye, align with the action meaning that you have to move around a lot, shoot both landscape and portrait orientation, never loose take your eyes of action (1sec can be the crucial, especially if you shoot a very fast pace moving game). And one to laugh about, be aware of your surroundings so you won’t make it on AFV 🤣👍😂

[@thecryptohour4107]

Ok Wes, I see you! Channel is super official, i'm impressed. Great content 👍

[@WesKriesel]

Thanks, man!

[@tsangpatsangdrenjongsk8445]

Good to see you again. Amazing👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@WesKriesel]

Thank you for watching and for leaving a comment!

[@jimtipton8888]

Thanks for the tips Wes! I think the brilliance of the R5 is in the fact it does everything well. Best camera I've owned.

[@WesKriesel]

Thanks for leaving a comment, Jim! I think I agree with you, outside of the overheating challenges, which I've just been avoiding by shooting 1080p etc. It's a joy to shoot with the R5.

[@jimtipton8888]

@@WesKriesel I should have added that I am only a photographer and my comment was from that perspective. The video overheating is a non issue for me. I get for some that could be the deal killer. Have a great weekend Wes! Thanks for being a part of mine!

[@WesKriesel]

I wholeheartedly agree - I bought the R5 for stills only. Any video use I get out of it is a bonus.

[@beetlebuggs]

I have an R5 with an RF100-500 which i use for motorsports .. the eye tracking is fantastic it will focus on an eye through a clear visor. just one question did you use a polarizing filter when shooting to into the pool? also 20fps in electronic shutter. also subbed and followed on instagram

[@WesKriesel]

Thank you for watching and for leaving a comment!

[@snakechmr5191]

Hello Wes. Good job with the video. I'm getting back into the hobby after a long hiatus and it was good to be reminded of some key tips for sports photography. I'm using the R6 which shares most of the R5's key features. I was wondering what tips you have for shifting the focus from player to player quickly. I was experimenting at a recent "pickup" soccer game, and got some good pics, but often missed truly great opportunities due to poor focus. I'm looking to seriously increase my "hit rate" Thanks!

[@WesKriesel]

Are you shooting using the backscreen or the viewfinder?

[@snakechmr5191]

@@WesKriesel Viewfinder.

[@cctknight84]

Set up your camera for back button focus. Use AF-ON button for servo/autodetect/eye detect, and use the * button for single point servo. In a crowded scene, in order to make sure you lock onto the correct player, use the * button. Also use your green custom functions to allow you to quickly switch between shutter type (mechanical or electronic) and people/animals (if you do both sports and wildlife.)

[@ukejem]

@@cctknight84 can you tell me- if I use touch and drag to tell the camera where I want to focus, do I need to push back-button focus to make the camera focus ie. change the white box to blue? I’m having trouble getting my R5 to focus on a particular player in a group 🙃 thanks

[@cctknight84]

@@ukejem I assume the touch and drag just moves the focus point - you still need to focus using whichever button you have programmed to do so. In my case, I have the * button set for single focus point.

[@pulemetmaxim6523]

Hello, great review! Does the RF 70-200 huge zoom throw bother you? The EF had a much better design for this matter.

[@WesKriesel]

It doesn't bother me because the lens is lighter than you'd expect and when extended the lens still feels well balanced.

[@leonzeta78]

Hello. great video. 1 question ..R5 can be good also for tennis sport? My fear is I can have problem with rolling shutter and bending raquet. thanks

[@stevebzz839]

don't use the electronic shutter and you wont get rolling shutter,

[@smsmultimedia424]

I’m shooting with the R5 and in football I’m getting back focus a lot - focusing on the pursuing player during high speed action instead of the ball carrier. My centering and focal points are right but I feel like it’s missing too many that should be on the player with the ball. Are the eyes doing it? What setting would you try?

[@WesKriesel]

Thank you for watching and for leaving a comment. You might check your AF tracking settings and do some tests. A few other considerations: Are you tapping on the screen to direct the camera where to track? Is the camera picking up the lead athlete with the ball then switching? Which lens?

[@critchmoore4720]

Is that a peipro L bracket for the R5? If so, does the bracket have any side to side play? I didn’t see the same high locking pins like are on the smallrig selection. I like the extension on the handgrip that the peipro offers, but I want to make sure it doesn’t move around!

[@WesKriesel]

Sorry for the delay in responding. I thought I answered this earlier. Yes it is a Peipro.

[@laurielarue]

I currently have a 7D Mark II, I am more of a hobbyist and use it a lot for high school football. I am trying to decide between purchasing the R5 or the R7. Do you have an opinion regarding which would be better?

[@WesKriesel]

Good question! Both of these will feel like an upgrade - easier to use, faster to acquire focus, reliable, great image quality. The R7 is much more aligned to your current camera in terms of price point, so I'd say that's the natural choice. I bought the R5 for my client photography and though I love it, I sometimes think I overspent. If you have the $3800 to consider the R5, consider investing in a great RF lens and the R7. What is your go-to lens now?

[@laurielarue]

@@WesKriesel I have a 70-200 f2.8 II. Lighting during high school football games can be challenging at times, I was wondering if having the full frame sensor would really be better? Also, depending on where I am standing on the sidelines etc., sometimes when I crop pictures, I feel like I lose some image quality. I wondered if having more megapixels, 45 vs 32 , would make a significant difference with cropping. Would using a RF lens really make that big of a difference versus buying the adapter and using my current lens? Or are you specifically referring to investing the the RF 100-500 lens?

[@WesKriesel]

@@laurielarue Great lens! I find the resolution on the R5 stunning - it satisfies every need for cropping in! If I'm not mistaken you should be able to adapt your EF-S 70-200 lens to the RF system, so you have a solid zoom lens. However, I think 200mm, great for most event photography like weddings, receptions, etc., is really challenging for most sports - I'm always wanting more reach. I don't really have an exact comparison since I haven't shot APS-C for sports but I know there's a noticeable difference between the EOS R and the R5 when shooting sports. R5 is more capable. That would be my vote. But I justified spending the money on the R5 because I'd make it back through client work. I think either would make you happy but the R5 would likely not leave you wanting in any category or application. The R7, I'm not sure about. Hope that helps! I do think with the full frame and the increased resolution of the R5 you'll get better results in low light - not just more pixels, but larger pixels across the full frame sensor.

[@danc3746]

Test shots and especially white balance when shooting indoors.

[@WesKriesel]

Thank you for watching and for leaving a comment!

[@bahaatamer1245]

Tried my first ever sports shoot today with my 90D. Images were awful, but I learned a hard lesson

[@WesKriesel]

Oh no. If we can look for the lesson out of every experience, that leads to growth! Thanks for sharing your experience. What type of sports were you shooting?

[@bahaatamer1245]

@@WesKriesel basketball. It was a battle between 2 of my friends. All my images ended up out of focus because the camera was unable to keep up with the fast motion (had the wrong settings set up) After going home, I found out the 90D has a 'Sports' Custom Scene, that is preset by Canon to make the camera function for Sports scenes. I want to try that out next to see if the results improve next time. I'm still studying this Camera, and honestly I'm loving it more and more. Ironically, I shot the entire thing on a Sigma 18-35. I'm still new to DSLRs and Mirrorless cameras, but I still can't afford a 70-200 at this moment in time :)

[@M4TR1X]

@@bahaatamer1245 Don't use "Sports" custom scene, it will automatically decide your shutter speed, aperture and iso for you. just try to get what's the best for you for that certain situation, aperture wide all the way, iso 100, shutter atleast 1/2000 for freezing the motion and then crank up the iso if you dont have much light, or viceversa increase your shutter speed that will freeze more the action and cut up the light

[@mjphotos]

What about using the 20fps electronic shutter?

[@WesKriesel]

Yes, the electronic shutter is amazing. I rarely use it because you have so many images that you have to sort through after! But definitely at weddings I use it for the bride and groom's first kiss and the bouquet toss. Using it then, you're going to get that great shot for sure!

[@mmc5261]

Can you rate from 1-5 stars

[@Holliday96lol]

James hetfield does photography?

[@WesKriesel]

He does now! Lol

[@WesKriesel]

Do you shoot sports? If you do, leave me a comment and let me know. What's your top sports photography tip? If you like this video, please like it and leave a comment. And, be sure to subscribe: bit.ly/subtoweskrieselphoto.

[@LuBrown]

why are images blurred if I'm on auto focus spot focus on eyes using back button for focus

[@WesKriesel]

That could be a couple of factors. For example, if your shutter speed is too low for your subject. What's your shutter speed, and are your subject in motion?

[@shack109]

12 fps is with the mechanical shutter, 20 fps with electronic.

[@WesKriesel]

Thank you for watching and for leaving a comment. Good input. Thank you.

[@sylviezi9600]

is this the 70-200 f4 or f2.8?

[@WesKriesel]

Sorry I missed this comment earlier. This is the F/2.8.

[@chesterjohnson4504]

I am shooting mainly rodeo with a few indoor volleyball of the grandkids. Using the RF 70-200 f/4. I am guessing the f/2.8 would be easier to isolate. A whole lot more money for the f/2.8 @@WesKriesel

[@philipjames7374]

I must admit I dont like my R5 for sports. If you have older EF lenses it only shoots about 6 FPS with the mechanical shutter. It shoots 20FPS electronic shutter but that's too fast for me and it also bends soccer balls. It looks awful. Not very good high Iso performance either compared to my 1dxii. A decent second camera.

[@WesKriesel]

Thank you for watching and for leaving a comment! Interesting feedback! I don't shoot a lot of sports but compared to the EOS R, hands down, it's the R5 for me.

[@balla2172]

Hard to complain about how slow camera is when you don't have correct glass.. look at competitors old glasses only works at all 50% of the time

[@balla2172]

Z9 120 is only jpeg 11meg files

[@WesKriesel]

👍👍👍Thank you for watching and for leaving a comment!

[@mbismbismb]

Nikon 120fps in low resolution jpegs hahaha

[@WesKriesel]

Ok, sounds good

[@michaelsteingraber9866]

This video was stolen(?) by a chanel zoomy.

[@WesKriesel]

Hi. Thank you for the comment. I found it. Thank you for the information. I will report this to KZbin and see if they can assist!

[@nilamthapa632]

Too much talking

[@WesKriesel]

Thank you for watching and for leaving a comment!

[@clickme9553]

Thank you for awesome tricks. Do you provide online tutorials. I need to fime tune my R5 for marathon shoot. Focus point. Correct F and shutters speed. Can you do a video about Auto focus function.

[@WesKriesel]

Thank you for your kind words! I'm glad you found the tricks helpful. As of now, I don’t have specific tutorials online, but creating one to help fine-tune settings like focus points and shutter speed for marathon shooting with the R5 sounds like a fantastic idea. I’ll definitely consider making a video about the autofocus function and other settings that are crucial for capturing dynamic events like marathons. Stay tuned, and thanks for the great suggestion!

[@clickme9553]

Thank you so much❤️