A Few More Canon 5Ds Conclusions

Our recent trip to Santa Fe allowed me to explore my Canon 5Ds  features and capabilities under actual field conditions. Below are some of my observations and conclusions.

Power Consumption

Battery usage took me by surprise. I brought an extra battery but discovered 600-plus pictures almost exhausted both batteries! The minimum sleep mode setting is 60 seconds, which I am assuming is what took its toll. I am also sure that with the camera slung over my shoulder in sleep mode that occasionally I may have nudged a camera button which of course would awaken it for yet another minute. I used image stabilization a lot but not Live View at all. Resolution: turn off the camera when not taking pictures for extended periods of time. Bring your charger for nightly charging as well.

Low Light Usage

While walking around town at night, I took a lot of hand held storefront shots. I decided to try Program mode with ISO 12800, just to see what it would do. I was impressed with the results. The images actually cleaned up quite well with noise reduction in Lightroom. This camera is not just a Landscape photographer’s dream. Conclusion: Don’t be afraid to use it as a nice walk about camera as well. The picture above is an example.

Quick Control Button Usage

When I first started playing with the Quick Control button, my initial reaction was that it seemed redundant to the ways I normally adjusted settings like ISO, aperture, shutter, etc. But after I started using it more, I find that the menu is actually quite a convenient way to avoid having to hunt through the complete camera menu system. Although I also use MyMenu for some custom things I like to use, e.g., Format Card, mirror lockup, etc., the Quick Control button allows me to quickly (hence the name!) change other basic, common settings at a glance. This does require you to look at the LCD screen, however.

Remote Cable Not Really Needed

When I used the camera for scenic shots on a tripod, I always use mirror lockup. With the 5Ds, you have the capability of setting lockup to shoot two seconds after pressing the shutter. The option allows the camera/lens to settle down with the mirror up before the shutter is actually released. This means one less piece of equipment to have to remember to bring and then attach before use. Nice!

Resolution

Upon returning from our trip, I processed these images and examined my favorites at 100% view in Lightroom. I was amazed at the resolution! Yes, I know. That is why I bought this camera. Still, seeing the results, especially those shots taken from some distance away, produced at times jaw-dropping minute detail. But the best part, and the primary reason I bought this camera, was when I needed to aggressively crop for some unplanned feature in an image. Sometimes, you take what you thought was a poor picture, only to find out that if you could crop it differently, the real image would be revealed. Well, now I have the megapixels to accomplish this!