Canon 5DS and 5DS R officially unveiled with 50.6-megapixel sensors

Canon has officially announced the 5DS and 5DS R as DSLRs with the highest-resolution full frame image sensors on the market.

There was a point in time when people stopped believing that Canon would ever release a big-megapixel camera. However, after years of countless rumors, the Japan-based company has finally introduced such device. Moreover, it is not just one camera, there are two of them and they are offering the highest-resolution full frame sensor on the market, as the brand new EOS 5DS and EOS 5DS R are powered by a 50.6-megapixel sensor.

Canon 5DS is now official with a 50.6-megapixel sensor that employs an anti-aliasing filter.

Canon finally issues a big-megapixel response to Nikon: the 5DS and 5DS R

Canon 5DS and 5DS R have been designed in order to maximize image sharpness. Both DSLRs come packed with a 50.6-megapixel full frame CMOS sensor, 61-point autofocus system, and a 150K-pixel RBG+IR 252-zone metering sensor.

The 61-point AF system includes 41 cross-type points and EOS iTR AF technology, which makes the focus even more precise.

The company has reinforced the chassis, which is built around the one found in the 5D Mark III, in order to reduce camera shake. The mirror vibration control system has been redesigned as well, so the whole system is stable and vibrations are reduced.

Furthermore, a so-called Arbitrary Release Time Lag Setting has been added into the Mirror Lock Mode, so that the vibration of the camera fades away before the shutter is triggered.

On top of that, Fine Detail is a new Picture Style that further increases the sharpness of both photos and videos.

Canon 5DS R features a similar 50.6-megapixel sensor as the 5DS, but it does not have an anti-aliasing filter.

It is worth noting that the Canon 5DS and 5DS R are identical in almost all aspects. The only difference between the two is that the 5DS has an anti-aliasing filter, while the 5DS R does not have an AA filter, thus further increasing image sharpness, albeit at the risk of moiré patterns. Nikon has done the same thing when it stepped into big-megapixel territory, but later abandoned it by choosing the AA-less D810 as replacement for both the D800 and D800E.

There are two crop modes available, one of them consisting of a 30.5-megapixel 1.3x option and one being a 19.6-megapixel 1.6x option, for photographers who do not want to take shots at full resolution.

Canon 5DS comes with a built-in optical viewfinder and a 3.2-inch LCD screen on the back.

Canon 5DS and 5DS R DSLR cameras come packed with anti-flicker technology

Just like rumor mill has previously revealed, the Canon 5DS and 5DS R come packed with the anti-flicker system first introduced in the 7D Mark II. It detects the flickers of artificial lighting and reduces the risk of getting photos with different exposure levels, color, and white balance, which are more common in gyms and indoor sports arenas.

As expected, the DSLRs come with an integrated intervalometer and bulb mode, which helps creating time-lapse videos and long-exposure photos, respectively, the former being “a first for EOS cameras”. The cameras come with built-in optical viewfinders that provide 100% frame coverage.

Canon has designed a new Customizable Quick Control Screen, which is also said to be a “first for EOS cameras” and which allows users to switch between frequent settings faster and easier.

The company’s fans hoped that the EOS 5DS and EOS 5DS R would capture 4K videos. However, they are capable of shooting full HD videos at up to 30fps.

Both shooters feature dual memory card slots, with support for SD and CF cards. In continuous shooting mode, the cameras will send up to 5fps to their memory cards. It appears that that burst speed will not get faster in either crop mode.

The shutter has been tested up to 150,000, which is roughly the same durability as you would find in the 5D Mark III.

Do not stop shooting when it is raining! Canon 5DS and 5DS R are weathersealed.

Both new big-megapixel EOS cameras are weathersealed and feature WiFi

The Canon 5DS and 5DS R DSLR cameras will be able to capture M-RAW and S-RAW file sizes, according to the company. Their ISO sensitivity will range between 100 and 6,400, but it can be expanded up to 12,800 using built-in settings.

The shooters will offer a minimum shutter speed of 30 seconds and a maximum shutter speed of 1/8000th of a second.

On the back, users will find a fixed 3.2-inch 1.04-million-dot LCD screen with Live View support. On the top, there is a hot-shoe for external accessories, such as a flash, and there is no built-in flash. The flash X sync speed stands at the regular 1/200s.

The DSLRs feature a USB 3.0 port, a microphone port, and a miniHDMI port. Despite all these ports, both models are weathersealed, so you can take them out in harsh conditions.

Another thing worth mentioning is that the miniHDMI port cannot output clean HDMI, which could be a major downside to videographers.

Their battery will last up to 700 shots on a single charge. Nevertheless, the battery life decreases when photographers take advantage of NFC or WiFi connectivity, which are built-in.

Canon 5DS and 5DS R will be made in Japan. The DSLRs will be released this June for $3,699 and $3,899, respectively.

Canon 5DS will be $200 cheaper than the 5DS R

As both the Canon 5DS and 5DS R are built around the 5D Mark III body, they will each measure about 152 x 116 x 76mm / 5.98 x 4.57 x 2.99-inches, while weighing 930 grams / 2.05 lbs with the battery included.

The Japan-based company will release the world’s highest-resolution 5DS this June for $3,699 and the 5DS R during the same month for $3,899, respectively.

As usual, Amazon, Adorama, and B&H PhotoVideo are offering the Canon 5DS for pre-order.

If you want the AA-less version, the Canon 5DS R, then you can also pre-order it at Amazon, Adorama, and B&H PhotoVideo.

Last but not least, on the bottom of the cameras, we can see that the 5DS and 5DS R are made in Japan.