The Canon EOS R5 and EOS R6 have experienced a wave of adulation since their arrival last week, but Canon has been forced to quash the hype with a dash of cold reality with confirmation of the limits of 8K and 4K video recording from Two cameras. Neither the EOS R5 nor EOS R6 have an internal fan to aid in cooling, a decision Canon says was made to "maintain the level of weather resistance and maintain a compact design." In an official response to recent speculation about video recording limits on the two cameras, Canon added that "at higher frame rates and resolutions, heat builds up due to best-in-class resolution, frame rate, and capability autofocus, which may limit the length of continuous recording."
Feeling the heat
Canon added that "various measures have been taken to control this; magnesium alloy is used in the body to dissipate heat from the internal components and there is an 'overheat control' feature to reduce heat generation when the camera is on." on hold ". Despite this, there are pretty strict video recording limits on both cameras, which Canon has officially confirmed. As you can see below, the slight disappointment is that the Canon EOS R5 can only shoot oversampled 4K/60p or 4K/30p video for about half an hour before overheating and requiring "recovery time." Canon EOS R5 Resolution / frame rate Maximum recording time at 23°C Recommended scene 8K / 30p20 minutes 8K productions where the full image without mirroring can be used with a main camera.4K / 120p15 minutes Shorter bursts of slow motion 4K / 60p35 minutes High-res high-speed productions and .4K/30p independent films Not limited by thermal interviews, longer duration capture like weddings. 4K/30p (8.2K upsampling) 30 minutes When additional resolution is required with 4K30p production. These "recovery times" are also quite significant, especially for those looking to use the Canon EOS R5 in a professional setting. According to Canon, when shooting 8K/30p, a 10-minute break will get you just three minutes of recording, while letting it cool down for an additional 20 minutes will give you an extra eight minutes of recording.
Reach the limits
If you're recording in 4K/60p on the EOS R5, a 10-minute break will give you another 10 minutes of recording time. So for the EOS R5's two more demanding modes, it would be wise to take photos in relatively short bursts. This was to be expected for 8K, although it's a bit disappointing that 4K is also affected as competitors like the Panasonic GH5 have unlimited recording. That said, Canon has also provided use cases for each mode in the table above, showing that the EOS R5 is much more of a tool for specific tasks than a main camera. What about the Canon EOS R6? This camera is less video-focused than the EOS R5, but still packs powerful features like 4K/60p recording and in-body image stabilization. Your registration limits are listed in the table below. Canon EOS R6 Resolution / frame rate Maximum recording time at 23 ° C Recommended scenes 4K / 60p30 minutes Standalone films in action shot or with the option of slow motion at high resolution 4K / 30p40 minutes General purpose. As expected, since it has the same body as the EOS R5, the EOS R6 is also limited to around half an hour when shooting 4K/60p. Canon says that if you give it a ten minute break after that, you can continue shooting for about five minutes.
![Canon EOS R5]()
(Image credit: Canon)
What does it mean?
So what does this mean for the Canon EOS R5 and EOS R6 as camcorders? The most obvious conclusion is that they naturally could not defy the laws of physics. While other cameras like the Panasonic GH5 offer unlimited recording times in 4K, they also have smaller sensors than Canon's newer full-frame models. Adding a fan to the EOS R5 and EOS R6 would have made them DSLR-like, negating some of the benefits of mirrorless mode, and overheating issues are also a slightly unavoidable side effect of video functionality. like Dual Pixel AF. It certainly would have been nice if Canon produced one camera to rule them all, but all that really means is that the EOS R5 and EOS R6 are tools for special jobs. Looking to do a lot of continuous shooting? Both can still do it at 4K/30p, it's just that they also have higher frame rates and resolutions available for piecing together short clips in different scenarios. As always, the truth will be in the tests, which we'll be doing very soon with the Canon EOS R5 and EOS R6, so check out our full verdicts in the very near future.