Is the Canon EOS R5's high-resolution option any use?

Friday 21 April 2023, 20:40 by Nando Harmsen | 4,883 views | 7 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

In March 2023, Canon introduced a high-resolution function for the EOS R5 mirrorless camera. Using the IBIS system, you can create a 400-megapixel photo. I tested how well this system works, with both stationary and moving subjects.

Canon announced a high-resolution function for the EOS R5 through a firmware update. This was the manufacturer's response to demand for this option. This function had already been available for some time on selected Sony, Olympus, Panasonic, and Fujifilm cameras.

Canon has gone one step further, though. The increase in resolution on the other models is by a factor of four. The EOS R5 has doubled that again. Its 45-megapixel sensor can produce a 400-megapixel photo. That is 24,576 x 16,384 pixels.

To give you an idea, the small photo in this large photo is a 45-megapixel file, while the large photo is a 400-megapixel file.
The increase in resolution is achieved using the IBIS system. The system shifts the sensor, allowing a higher resolution to be achieved after the photos are merged. In Canon's case, no fewer than nine photos are processed in the camera.

The IBIS high-resolution function looks promising, but turns out not to be that fantastic after all.
You don't need separate software for the high-resolution mode. But the result is a JPEG file, not a raw file. The 400-megapixel JPEG file can be as large as 150 megabytes, or more.

Because several photos are taken one after another, this affects any movement between the images. This applies both to a moving subject and to your own movement. Since the IBIS system is no longer being used for stabilisation, you don't have that available either.

A test

I put it to the test with the new Canon RF 135mm f/1,8L IS USM. I took several photos handheld and examined the result. And what do you know, the small movements I make while taking photos result in a blurry photo. The software in the Canon EOS R5 therefore does not align the photos at all.

Taking photos handheld immediately leads to images like this. A tripod is essential.
I then also took several photos of our dog Bruc to see how moving subjects are handled. That was not even necessary, in fact, because if hand tremors already cause motion blur, you know what a moving subject will do.

As expected, moving subjects cannot be photographed with this high-resolution option.

Comparison

What does a successful high-resolution photo look like compared with a normal photo? For this purpose, I put the camera on a tripod and photographed a stationary subject. By zooming in on a detail, the increase in detail is clearly visible.

Nando eos r5 test normal res 100procent crop

A 100% crop of a 45-megapixel image.

Nando eos r5 test hi res 100procent crop

The 100% crop of the 400-megapixel high-resolution image.
How much better is the quality of an IBIS high-resolution photo? To see this, I enlarged a normal 45-megapixel photo in Photoshop. When I then look at the same part of the image, the difference is clear.

Nando eos r5 test normal res enhanced 100procent crop

For comparison, a 100% crop of a 45-megapixel image enlarged to 400 megapixels in Photoshop.

Conclusion

The IBIS high-resolution function of the Canon EOS R5 delivers an unprecedentedly high resolution. If there is any movement in your image, even just a little, it is immediately visible.

This means that the IBIS high-resolution function of the Canon EOS R5 has limited uses. There must be no movement, either from the subject or the photographer. What's more, you end up with a JPEG photo, which severely limits any post-processing.

Unfortunately, I cannot consider this IBIS high-resolution option a serious one. To make it genuinely useful, Canon would have to add alignment and motion-blur compensation, just as with the Panasonic Lumix DC-S1. The image would also need to be saved in raw instead of JPEG.

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About the author

Nando Harmsen has been photographing for more than 40 years. He specialises in wedding photography and landscape photography. Nando also gives talks, workshops, masterclasses and photo trips, and regularly reviews new and interesting equipment.

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7 comments

RAWShooter wrote on Tuesday 25 April 2023 at 10:14 | reply
En dan nog: het extreme detail van de 400mpix foto bevat wel wat meer details, maar is ook onscherper. Zoals ook bij de andere merken het geval is. En dat is dan een JPG met minder mogelijkheden. In dat ene hoogst zeldzame geval dat je daar iets aan hebt ben je toch vergeten om die mogelijkheid in te schakelen.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

fotosvanrob wrote on Tuesday 25 April 2023 at 12:04 | reply
Dit is een beetje appels met peren vergelijken. 100% van de twee foto’s vergelijken vertelt niet veel, omdat je een andere uitsnede krijgt. En dan vergelijken met een foto die (mogelijk met AI) vergroot is in Photoshop is ook geen zuivere vergelijking. Waarom niet de 45 mp en de 400 mp naast elkaar met een zelfde uitsnede? Bij voorbeeld bij 100% uitvergroting van de 45 mp.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

Nando wrote on Tuesday 25 April 2023 at 12:27 | reply
@fotosvanrob: Er is een 100% uitsnede van een 45mp en een 400mp. En dan heb ik bovendien de 100% 45mp in dezelfde uitsnede als het 400mp beeld getoond. Precies zoals jij noemt.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

fotosvanrob wrote on Tuesday 25 April 2023 at 12:52 | reply
Maar bij dezelfde uitsnede is het 45 mp beeld vergroot in Photoshop schrijf je. Daarmee heeft PS er wat mee gedaan, mogelijk AI verscherpt. Dan is de vergelijking niet zuiver. Best denk ik: 100% van de 45 mp, en de 400 mp vergroot naar dezelfde uitsnede. recht toe recht aan.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

Nando wrote on Wednesday 26 April 2023 at 09:31 | reply
Je zegt zelf, laat een 45mp en 400mp naast elkaar met dezelfde uitsnede zien. Dat kan alleen als je de 45mp foto vergroot, anders kan je simpelweg niet dezelfde uitsnede krijgen.
Wil je beide op 100% zien, dan kan dat. Die staan in het artikel. Maar beide op 100% en dan dezelfde uitsnede kan niet. Ze hebben een andere resolutie.
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Marcel de Bruin wrote on Tuesday 25 April 2023 at 17:34 | reply
Voor mij dus niet echt zinvol. Ben trouwens met de 45 Mp al dik tevreden!
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stefanflos wrote on Wednesday 26 April 2023 at 19:06 | reply
Sony in de A7R serie vanaf mark iii (2017) doet al aan pixel shift. Nu tot 240mp. Daarbij is de focus niet alleen op resolutie maar ook op kleur.

De toepassingen zijn echter beperkt, zoals in het stuk goed aangegeven: binnen fotografie (veel detail - grote ruimten) maar ook MACRO opnamen - en dan een serie van 240mp stacken... lijkt mij een leuke uitdaging (maar ik heb nog de A7Rii...)

https://www.sony-asia.com/microsite/alphauniverse/ilce-7rm4/alpha-7r-iv-pixel-shift-multi-shoot-review-by-mobile01.html?cpint=SG_OUT_OF_FLOW_SEC-TOUT-OOFM-TOP_PAGE-EN_GL-2020-11-M01-REVIEWALPHA-TOUT01-REVIEWALPHA
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