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The R6 V offers no-compromise video options, matching many pro cinema models feature for feature. You can shoot up to 7K 12-bit RAW video either in 3:2 open gate mode (6,960 x 4,640 at 30 fps) or 17:9 (6,960 x 3,672 at up to 60 fps) using RAW or RAW light codecs. 4K DCI RAW is also supported with a 1.5x crop, though I preferred shooting RAW at 7K to give myself cropping options and the sharpest possible video.
If RAW footage takes too much card space, you can also use Canon's much lighter XF-HEVC S or XF-AVC S 10-bit formats in open gate 3:2 at up to 6,912 x 4,608, or 4K DCI at up to 120 fps with no cropping. If you do shoot RAW but also want a lighter option for editing, you can capture RAW on the CFexpress card and HD proxies on a UHS-II card simultaneously.
With active cooling, overheating is mostly a non-issue with this camera unless you're filming when it's really hot outdoors. I tested the R6 V in demanding conditions, filming 7K light RAW at 60 fps at about 85 degrees Fahrenheit with the fan set to "high." Capture continued for 80-plus minutes with no issues until the battery died.
Video autofocus is excellent, on par with the AF in Sony's new A7 V. In normal mode, the AF can quickly and accurately switch from one subject to another, thanks to the Dual Pixel AF II system. Subject tracking automatically detects people, animals and vehicles. Like the R6 III, you can register specific people if you want to prioritize them for autofocus. Another setting is "AF for close-up demos" that will quickly focus on a product put in front of the camera, much like Sony's "Product Showcase" feature.
To test the subject AF, I found some ducks and other waterfowl at a park. The R6 V was swiftly able to detect and stay locked on the birds' eyes. When some ducks swam under a bridge, it instantly picked them up again when they emerged on the other side. It worked even better with people, locking tenaciously onto faces. I took closeup video portraits and it kept the eyes (not the eyelids or lashes) in sharp focus, even at a shallow f/1.4 aperture.
Stabilization is also a strong point. The 7.5 stops of shake reduction is slightly less than the R6 III's 8.5 stops, but engaging the digital IS makes it highly effective for things like panning or even walking.
There is one downside: The 33-megapixel sensor isn't stacked, so rolling shutter distortion can be an issue if you jolt the camera or pan too quickly. However, the sensor readout speeds are among the fastest for any non-stacked sensor, so I saw very few skewed and unusable shots.
Video on the EOS R6 III was extremely sharp in the 7K RAW and the 4K HQ modes, though other 4K modes weren't quite as detailed due to pixel binning. When shooting people, wildlife and landscapes, Canon's color science was on point, delivering warm skin tones and accurate colors. In one tricky sunny day scenario, shooting birds on a pond and under a bridge, the RAW video allowed me to reduce bright areas and boost shadows with no noticeable loss in sharpness or color accuracy. Low-light shooting was also top notch, with noise under control up to ISO 6,400 and (provided exposure was correct) ISO 12,800.
English (US) ·