July 10, 2015
Canon 5DSr – First Impressions in the Field
(Monolith No. 50 – NOT created with the Canon 5DSr!)
I’m on the road in Utah and Nevada with my 5DSr and I wanted to report in with some first impressions. Unfortunately I cannot post any images until I return home.
The new camera looks, feels and handles like the 5D Mk III and so I was able to get up to speed relatively quickly. That was nice. However to take full advantage of the many new features, I will have to spend some time going through the menus. As always, the number of features is overwhelming.
There are two new features that immediately caught my eye and got me excited for long exposure work, they are:
Delay After Mirror Lockup: You can set the shutter to trigger after the mirror has flipped up and settled down, making sure the vibrations are gone before the shutter opens. I have mine set to 1/2 second.
This means that mirror lockup can now be a one button press just like a regular shutter! I cannot tell you the number of times I had forgotten to turn off the old two-button mirror lockup and then pressed the shutter once thinking I was taking a picture, when I was not. This new feature will help avoid that mistake.
Bulb Timer: You can now set the length of your bulb exposure in the camera! No more using your watch (and forgetting where you started) and I can now ditch the digital kitchen timer that was always going off in my camera bag just as I was going through security.
Now let me combine these two features and show you why I think this is so great for long exposures. I can now press the shutter button once and the following occurs:
- The mirror flips up and settles down
- A half second later the shutter opens
- The shutter stays open for as long as I’ve programmed it for
- The shutter closes by itself
I can still choose to shoot with a cable release, but now if I forget to bring one, lose or break it, I can still shoot long exposures. I had this problem on Easter Island when both of my cable releases went bad and I was really in a pickle.
These new features means that I no longer “need” a remote shutter release (although I still choose to use one for convenience) but the important thing is that I’ll never be stranded like that again.
One issue Canon did not address is the light entering into the camera through the eyepiece which caused internal reflections on the left and right sides of the 5D Mk III images. I had suggested to Canon that they put a small shutter on the viewfinder that automatically triggered during long exposures…but they didn’t.
To address this I had been using a hat to cover the camera during exposure, but in wind this didn’t work too well. So I build a “flap” that mounted to the hot shoe:
Unfortunately the flap doesn’t seal well enough around my Hoodman HoodEYE eyecup and so I ended up using the hat trick again. I’ll need to work on this contraption some more.
Note: Many people point out to me that Canon provides a small viewfinder block that you can slip into the eyepiece. Unfortunately this block does not work with the Hoodman HoodEYE installed and the eyecup is required to get an accurate long exposure meter reading.
Summary: I purchased the 5DSr so that I could print my images larger and so it was an unexpected treat to find some new features that makes long exposure work easier. I like these new features very much!
I’ll not know what the images look like until I get home. I’m curious how the new 50mp sensor does with noise during long exposures since I found the Mk III to be noisier than the Mk II.
Cole
Cole, this is really interesting information, and fun, too. Hope the new images turn out well!
Would be interested to see if the 5DSr body is light-proof with exposures of 3min+. The MkIII will bleed light so I fit a thinsulate balaclava over the camera. The lens pokes through the hole in the front while the viewfinder is covered by the hood. It works well but a lightproof camera would work better.
John, can you describe what you’re seeing with your Mk III? I’ve seen others with what they thought were light leak issues, but it was actually light entering the viewfinder and bouncing around.
Hi Cole,
I’m looking forward to your first impressions about the image quality.
I’m using the original viewfinder. I have cut a piece out of an old credit card which I can slip between the eyepiece and the camera. For me, this works great and costs nothing.
Cole,
I have been on a wait list for this camera and glad you were able to get one. I can’t believe for the price of this camera that Canon wouldn’t put built in shade on. Other brands have been doing this for years. The best fix is a piece of duck tape to lay over the viewfinder window. I also cover the ports where I plug in my cable release because they will leak light. I store my duck piece on my tripod leg and it is surprising how long i can use one piece of duck tape for this purpose. I like the other features you mentioned about the camera but Canon really should have addressed the light leak issue.
John, I guess that Canon just doesn’t appreciate how many people are shooting very long exposures and the issues we face. They did sort of acknowledge it with the bulb timer however, which is very nice.
Cole,
I have just the thing. I also have a Hoodman eyecup on my 5DSR and designed and built a very simple item myself that holds itself on and contours to the eyecup and springs back to flat when not in use. Slips on and off the Hoodman in a second. Slips into your pocket. (BTW I’m a former industrial designer and designed hardware stuff for the computer industry.) I’ll send you one.
Mo, I would be so grateful for such a device, thanks! You’ve been to my house, do you still have my address?
Cole,
I keep a piece of black tape on my tripod. I just put that across the view finder when needed and when done, put it back on my tripod.
Jim, it’s amazing how many people are using tape! It reminds me of that saying that anything can be fixed with duct tape and WD-40: If it’s supposed to move and it doesn’t, use WD-40. If it moves and it’s not supposed to, use the duct tape.
Perhaps Canon should supply a roll of duct tape with each camera. Can you imaging the publicity that would follow that?
Hi Cole, just reading yr post re eyepiece light leakage. First thing that comes to mind …could you make a slip on device that makes use of the hotshoe plate and supports a cube of sponge foam covering the eye piece, ie when you slide it onto the shoe it covers up the hood. If I could figure out how to attach a sketch I would but I am sure you get the idea. Good luck and I will keep following.
Ray from Oz
Ray, the features and qualities I need are: It it attached so I don’t lose it (important!), it is fast and easy to use, it seals off all light and works regardless of the angle of the camera. My first attempt (pictured in the article above) worked in all respects except sealing off the light! Not a good first attempt, but a learning step.
Pardon the interruption… but, this is boring.
Anything that works for you, that’s the ticket, whether it’s hand made or bought.
No one cares how you got there. Only that you did.
Did anyone ever ask Rembrandt what kind of brush he used? Please don’t let this become a tech forum.
Not much to add, here, but scratching my head over why Canon would produce such a pro-grade, expensive camera, and leave it to their customers who shoot LE’s to jerry rig duct tape solutions for a problem that could have been so easily fixed.
As a Nikon shooter, the D800 series has a simple, up/down flip switch to darken the window. Also, wondering when Nikon will come out with their equivalent. How can I spend more money on new gear if there isn’t any?
Very enticing. Amazing the things that get added on to each model. (And what gets left off!! Aargh.)