Canon EOS R5: still worth it in 2026?

When Canon announced the EOS R5 on July 9, 2020, it put a new 45-megapixel full-frame sensor, the DIGIC X processor and five-axis in-body stabilization into one weather-sealed body. Canon rates the stabilization at up to 8 stops with a coordinated RF lens. Dual Pixel CMOS AF II covers the frame with 1,053 automatically selected zones and detects eyes, faces and heads on people and eyes, faces and bodies on dogs, cats and birds. Bursts reach 12 fps with the mechanical shutter and 20 fps with the electronic shutter.

Video was the headline at launch: uncropped 8K RAW recorded internally at up to 29.97 fps, plus 4K at up to 119.88 fps in 10-bit Canon Log or HDR PQ. It pairs a CFexpress Type B slot with a UHS-II SD slot, and Canon describes its sealing as on par with the EOS 5D series. The 5.76M-dot viewfinder and 3.2-inch vari-angle touchscreen still hold up. Canon rates the LP-E6NH for about 320 shots through the viewfinder, so plan on spares.

Our gallery comes from six photographers: a ruby-crowned kinglet and a bullfinch on the RF100-500, an Airbus A320neo at 1/2500 s, the Taipei skyline on a Voigtländer Nokton 40mm, a plumbago shrub and a town library in Japan. Still worth it in 2026? Yes, if you want 45MP stills with strong stabilization and pro video. If 20–24MP is enough, look at the EOS R6 or R6 Mark II.

Canon announced the EOS R5 on July 9, 2020 at $3,899 body-only, or $4,999 with the RF24-105mm F4 L IS USM, for availability at the end of July 2020 (Canon U.S.A.).

It sat above the EOS R6, announced the same day, as Canon's high-resolution full-frame mirrorless body.

Six photos taken with the Canon EOS R5 by six photographers, shared on Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons licenses or in the public domain. Each caption names the lens where the file records it. Select a photo to enlarge it.