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| Don't these birds read the warnings about cigarettes ? Canon EOS R5, RF 24-105mm f4 lens. |
All modern cameras including the EOS R5 are complex devices which do work decently well straight out of the box but do not reveal their full capability until they are set up optimally.
The R5 has an extensive range of high level video functions which I do not discuss in this post. Setup for movie mode is separate from stills mode with different settings.
When I approach the task of setting up a camera I try make the user experience as smooth, streamlined and enjoyable as possible.
If you search “Canon EOS R5 setup” on Youtube, you will find many videos, each describing one person’s setup recommendations.
And, lo and behold, they are all different. Don’t panic, well, not yet anyway…………..
Here is the thing: each of them could be ‘right” or at least “serviceable” for the photographic circumstances envisaged by that particular presenter.
The wonderful thing about the R5 is that it brings a very high level of capability to any use case.
The challenge for the user is getting it set up optimally for each of those cases.
This post will describe my suggested setup for general hand held photography with additional recommendations for tripod, panorama and action via the C1, C2, C3 shooting modes.
Just a bit of housekeeping about dial names:
In this post I will refer to them as
* Top front (Canon Main dial)
* Top rear (Canon Quick control dial 2)
* Back (Canon Quick control dial 1).
The reason for this is that Canon’s dial names don’t convey any readily understood meaning to me.
I suspect the names are a carry over from the typical Canon DSLR control layout which lacks the top/rear dial.
EF lenses also lack the lens control dial which can be found on RF lenses, this being one of the benefits of the RF mount which has 12 electrical contacts while the EF mount has only 8.
First steps
Lens
The best all round high quality, no-too-large-or-expensive lens for many types of photography is the RF 24-105mm f4 L IS.
The R5 will work with all RF lenses and also EF lenses using the appropriate adapter.
There is a list on pages 897 and 898 of the user guide of EF lenses which enable 12 fps frame rate.
Memory card
The camera has two memory card slots.
The rear slot takes SD/SDX cards and is Type II compatible. So if you have a bunch of SD cards they will work just fine in the R5. If you use a fast card it will support high speed (12/20fps) continuous stills shooting.
The front slot takes a Compact flash express type B card (CFEB). These cost a bit more, but not a lot more, than the nearest equivalent SD card but permit much faster read/write speeds.
You also need a CFE card reader. Note that CFEB cards have the same form factor as XQD cards but are not cross compatible.
Battery
The camera comes with an LP-E6NH 2130 mAh battery. I recommend at least one spare battery, preferably the same type. The older LP-E6N 1865 mAh type has the same form factor and works just fine in the R5 but gives fewer shots per charge.
Carry bag
Not much to say here, there are so many options available. It’s an expensive kit though and good protection is very desirable.
Advanced User Guide
Download this 920 page !!! PDF from your favourite Canon regional site or
https//cam.start.canon/en/C003
I strongly recommend users who are not very familiar with Canon mirrorless cameras ( and maybe even those who think they are) to read the first 128 pages with the camera in hand to gain familiarity with the features and basic operation.
Getting started
Charge up a battery, attach a Canon RF lens, insert battery and card (SD or CFE), Press the Q menu button and check that the camera will record to the card you inserted, switch on, adjust eyepiece diopter, set date and time, then go to the Custom menu (orange) > screen 3 > Customize buttons > scroll down to Multi-controllers (that’s Canon-speak for the thumb stick) > Set to direct AF Point selection. I have no idea why the default is OFF, the whole point of the thumb stick is to enable fast, accurate placement of the active AF area.
Now go to the Setup menu (yellow) > screen 5 > bottom item, Firmware. As of 2 December 2020 the latest FW is 1.2.0. Another FW update is due early in 2021. Make sure you have the latest firmware installed.
Anyway these actions will have you ready to use the camera and become familiar with its handling and characteristics.
Now we take a voyage through the menus. I will describe my recommendations about these in the order they appear in the Advanced User Guide starting with [Tab menus: Still photo shooting] from page 129. I call this Camera menu (red) because that is what you see on the screen.
The user guide is very well written and presented with plenty of graphics and explanatory notes. I will only refer to items if I believe that a setting other than default could give the best user experience.
Camera (red) menu
* Image quality. The basic choice is between Raw and JPG. JPG shooters will get best results from the highest JPG quality available. (far left option) I see little point in bothering with any of the smaller options.
Raw shooters can use CRAW for everything. I have and others have run tests to see if there is any penalty for using CRAW instead of the standard full size Raw. There is no penalty.
* Dual pixel RAW, This is a subject for a separate post. Leave this at Disable.
* Expo.comp./AEB. Copy this to My Menu for easier access.
* ISO speed settings. Copy this to MyMenu.
* HDR PQ settings, Auto lighting optimiser and Highlight tone priority: Raw shooters can set these to OFF. JPG shooters need to experiment with various settings in different conditions to evaluate the effect achieved.
* Anti flicker shoot. Disable this for most use cases. Experiment with Enable in various types of discontinuous artificial light.
* White balance. Raw shooters just leave this at Auto. JPG shooters need to experiment with settings in different lighting conditions. Copy this to My Menu.
* Color space. I just leave this at the default which is sRGB. Some users prefer to use Adobe RGB. I suggest experiments to determine if you can see any difference in output files.
* Picture style. This affects JPGs only. I use Fine Detail but there are many options. You will need to experiment to decide your personal preference.
* Clarity. This is a new one to me from Canon. There is a reference to it on page 208 of the use guide but no discussion. I just leave it at the default and adjust in Adobe Camera Raw, where I can better see the effect of any changes.
* Lens aberration correction. For Raw capture I set all these OFF. For JPG you might wish to experiment with them all ON. This may slow the frame rate in some conditions.
* Long exp.noise reduction. I leave this off and correct for noise in post. Note that if Long exp. nr is ON all exposure times will be effectively doubled which could be a nuisance if you are photographing fireworks or similar, requiring repeated exposures.
* High ISO speed NR. I set this OFF and deal with noise in post. The problem is that NR smears detail and I don’t want that baked in to my files.
* If you do close up work including close landscapes, copy Focus bracketing to MyMenu for easier access.
* Shutter mode. I use Elec.1st-curtain (EFCS) for everything. There are some technical reasons why this could potentially impair some aspects of image quality but I have not seen this yet. See pages 248-149 of the user guide.
Fully mechanical shutter has been reported to cause shutter shock with some lenses at some focal lengths and shutter speeds.
Fully electronic shutter has many issues, precluding its routine use. (good for completely silent operation and the highest possible frame rate).
* Touch shutter. Disable this or the shutter will fire every time you touch the screen.
* Image review. Select OFF. You don’t want image review slowing down the camera’s responsiveness.
* High speed display. This item is greyed out until you set drive mode to High speed continuous. Then set High speed display ON.
* Expo.simulation, ON unless you are doing studio flash work.
* Shooting info.disp. There are many options under this heading, starting from page 263 of the user guide. Just follow the prompts on screen and in the guide. I would just suggest as you go through this process giving consideration to keeping the viewfinder (and monitor) de-cluttered and free from items not really necessary.
* VF display format. Disp1 (large) generally suits users without spectacles, Disp2 (smaller) might be better for spectacles wearers.
* Disp.performance. This is about the EFV refresh rate. Smooth uses the fastest rate and consumes a bit more power but gives the best result with moving subjects and high frame rates.
To keep the flow of this post synchronised with the User Guide as far as feasible I will run through some of the setup items from page 277 of the guide.
* Metering mode selection. This is accessed via the Q button. I use and recommend evaluative metering for everything all the time. What you see in the EVF is a good guide to the appearance of the output image and whether some exposure compensation needs to be applied.
Note that the camera will automatically bias exposure to the in-focus area.
* Exposure compensation. By default this is located on the back dial. My practice is to allocate exposure compensation to the top rear dial for easier access by the right thumb.
This is done in Customize dials in the Custom menu.
* Exposure lock. I allocate this to the AF point button in Customize buttons in the Custom menu.
Now we skip over the movie sections of the guide to page 379, Tab menus AF (still photos)
On the camera we see the purple AF submenus with 5 screens.
The R5 has a very advanced autofocus system for single and continuous image capture with many options. I think most users will want to experiment with these over a period of weeks or months. This is not a set-and-forget exercise, more a voyage of discovery.
* AF operation is Canon-speak for one shot/servo selection. One shot is what it says. The camera will focus and lock focus as long as you hold the shutter button half pressed.
Servo is Canon-speak for follow focus on a moving subject. The camera will keep re-focussing on a moving subject while you hold the shutter button half pressed, or keep pressing the AF-ON button.
* AF method is Canon-speak for selecting between tracking, spot, one point….and others.
AF operation and AF method appear in the menu system but you never access these items from the menu while using the camera.
They are accessed via the Q button or another button to which Q function has been allocated or other buttons which allow more direct access to these parameters.
We will discuss this further in the section on Customize buttons in the Custom menu.
* Subject to detect. Copy this item to My Menu. You get to choose between people, animals or no priority. I hope that in a future FW update it will not be necessary to make this choice because it’s a nuisance and I keep forgetting to switch from one to the other.
* Eye detection. You don’t select this from the menus. From Q, scroll to AF method then press the Info button to toggle between eye AF ON/OFF. Note that the screen prompts are a bit obtuse. When it says info/eye symbol/enable it means “enabled”.
* Continuous AF. Disable this. In Canon-speak, continuous AF means the AF system will drive itself silly trying to focus on anything all the time and in the process flatten the battery real quick.
* Touch and drag AF settings.
Note Canon recommends, and it is my practice to use the camera with the monitor screen facing the user to enable touch screen operations when required.
I use Enable, Relative, Top right.
* MF peaking settings. I turn these off and never use peaking at all because Canon has a better MF guide in the form of
* Focus guide, which works like a charm and doesn’t swamp the whole screen with peaking color. Set this ON.
* AF-assist beam. Turn this OFF, AF works fine in low light without it.
* On screen 3 we have a bunch of options for Servo AF. Leave this at the default which is Case1 until you have done a lot of tests to be sure any other setting will be beneficial.
* Limit AF methods and AF method section control.
So here is the thing: you really want to be able to switch AF method quickly in Capture phase of use, especially from tracking/face/eye detect to spot or single and back again as your human/animal/bird/whatever runs about all over the scene.
So here is my current practice bearing in mind all these AF settings are an ongoing work in progress:
I limit AF methods to tracking/spot/single (can’t delete that one) and Zone. Some users also take out zone.
I go to the Custom menu > screen 3> Customize buttons, and allocate to the M-Fn button (the little one between the shutter button and top front dial) [Direct AF method selection].
Now when I press the M-Fn button I can toggle quickly between the four available AF methods. I don’t have to go through Q to get there. This is an approach to changing AF method which requires few actions each of minimal complexity. (The M-Fn button is only 6mm from the shutter button).
* Orientation linked AF point. Set this to Same for both vert/horiz for landscapes or Separate AF pts for general photography and people/animals/birds.
* Initial Servo AF pt for tacking/face/eye detect. Set this to the top one of the three options.
Here is how it works:
If the system picks up a face and/or eye right off, you are in business.
But sometimes it doesn’t so you can prompt the system.
In One shot AF operation:
when looking through the viewfinder you can either
a) touch the screen and you will see a little orange square/ball shape which you can direct with your thumb to the face/eye you want to be in focus. Half press the shutter button, see focus goes there.
b) press the thumb stick in. The system will start AF tracking from the center of the frame. You will see the AF markings on the screen.
When looking at the monitor screen, touch the screen where you want the camera to start tracking a face/eye.
In Servo AF operation the on screen AF indicators are different:
When viewing with either the EVF or monitor there is a big white box which indicates the area over which AF is possible, plus a small white box which starts in the center of the frame. This can be moved when EVF viewing with the touch and drag AF feature or when monitor viewing by touching the screen right on the desired point.
I tried to move the AF box with the thumb stick but that did not work out very well. Pressing the thumb stick is good to return the box to the center however.
When focus is achieved the in-focus box(es) turn blue to remind you we are in Servo. (They go green in single AF).
I know this all sounds complicated and it is but practice and familiarity with the camera help to make the workflow more streamlined and confident.
Leave the other items on screen 5 at default.
Now we jump to page 450 in the Guide for Drive mode.
This is usually accessed indirectly via Q but it can be allocated to a button for more direct access. The third way to change Drive mode is together with a group of other settings which can be allocated to one of the custom shooting modes.
Now we jump again to page 460 and Tab menus: Playback. (right pointing arrow, blue)
I leave most settings in this tab at default but a few are worth mention.
* Screen 4 Magnificatn (apx) I set to Actual size. After taking a shot, press the playback button (near the bottom of the camera) then the magnify button and the image will jump to full size at the in focus point so you can check focus accuracy, sharpness etc,
* Image jump. I set this to 1 frame. Default is 10.
* Playback information display. I tend to leave all the many options here in place. You don’t have to see them unless they are required.
* Highlight alert (blinkies) Enable.
* AF point disp. Enable. This one is important as it shows you where the camera actually focussed.
** Here’s a hint: Don’t erase images in camera. Doing so raises the risk of disappearing the ones you wanted to keep.
The Guide has extensive discussion of wireless features starting on page 579 of the guide. I have nothing useful to contribute to this section.
So we jump to page 724 of the guide and the Setup menu (Wrench, yellow).
* The first item is Record func+card/folder sel. The camera has two card slots one for CFEB the other for SD. There are lots of options for the way the camera will write to the cards. I suggest setting standard initially then experimenting later.
* Format card. Copy this to MyMenu for easy access.
* Auto rotate. I have this On for both camera and computer.
* You should have the date and time, language and Video system already set.
* I leave Eco mode Off to prevent the screen going dark 2 seconds after any action.
* Screen/viewfinder display. Auto 1 is generally the easiest to live with. Viewing will switch automatically from monitor to EVF unless the monitor is swung out to the side, when the EVF is disabled.
* Leave screen/viewfinder brightness at default for at least the first few thousand exposures so you don’t find yourself fiddling with this setting to no useful purpose.
* Touch control, Standard.
* Shutter at shutdown, closed.
* Sensor cleaning automatic on shutdown.
* Now we come to the Custom shooting modes. User Guide Page 787.
These are a very useful way of re-setting the camera in Prepare phase of use for a new photographic situation.
The explanation of the procedure in the user guide needs no help from me. Movie custom modes can be saved separately.
I have Tripod on C1, hand held panorama on C2 and sport/action on C3.
Get all your ducks in a row before committing them to a Custom Mode. Most but not all camera settings are saved to the Custom mode.
If you want to change things , no problem, just go through the process again.
I disable Auto update set. The reason for this is that I want the Custom mode always to have the same settings on opening so I know what to expect.
* Check firmware of body and lens and check for any updates available.
Now we come to the Custom menu (camera sign, tan color),page 803 of the guide.
* Exposure level increments 1/3 stop.
* ISO speed setting increments 1 stop.
* Speed from metering/ISO Auto, Auto.
* Bracketing auto cancel ON, unless you want to do a lot of auto bracketing.
* Most of these Custom items can be left on default until we come to
* Customize buttons. And this is where things start to get a bit complicated due to the huge number of options available. The best I can do is tell you what function I allocate to each programmable button and why. Button function allocation is likely to be a work in progress anyway with much experiment required.
* Shutter button. Here you have to decide whether you prefer back button focus or front button focus. There is a little brigade of YouTube promoters who swear by back button focussing. Others are more likely to swear at it.
For the record I use standard, old fashioned front button focus even for sport/action/BIF for the simple reason that making the picture requires me to press only one button, not two. I can get the effect of pressing the AF-ON button by simply half pressing the shutter button and holding it half pressed.
So I just leave shutter button function at default which is metering and AF start.
* Movie button, movie. It can be used for other things.
* Mode button, Mode.
* AF-ON button. Since I don’t need this for AF-ON I use it for easy access to the Quick control screen (Q). You may question the wisdom of this as the (non programmable) Q button is only 25mm lower. But the AF-ON button is easier for my thumb to locate by feel and press. This might not sound like much but in practice having access to Q right under my thumb allows me to get there with more precision and less fumbling.
* AF Lock (*) button. I allocate [Dial function settings] to this button and AE lock to the AF point button just to the right.
The logic of this is a bit convoluted but here we go:
What I really want is quick access to ISO via a button which easily located by feel in Prepare or Capture phase of use.
My thumb can reach the AE-L button more easily than the AF Point button.
One of the many options available for the AE-L button is ISO, BUT this option only enables a fixed ISO setting, not Auto ISO. So that doesn’t work for me at all.
However the first item on the [Dial function settings] list is ISO and this does enable selection of Auto ISO as well as a fixed number.
Recall that earlier in this post I referred to workarounds. This is one of them. I use the AE-L button as my ISO button via the [Dial function settings] operation.
I infrequently use Autoexposure lock (AEL) so I allocate that to the AF point button. Note that AEL will self cancel in 8 seconds if the camera is idle. This can be reduced to 4 seconds if desired. Go to Menu > Camera (red) > screen 7 > metering timer.
What I have now is a row of buttons readily located and pressed by my right thumb with which I can control most of the settings I need to make in the Prepare phase of use.
* I allocate Servo AF/One shot AF toggle to the DOF preview button on the front of the camera body.
* I have the lens AF stop button OFF. This can be used for a variety of things (if the lens has one) but the main thrust of my approach to setup is to create a control layout which is as simple and streamlined as possible to facilitate finger learning and reduce the likelihood of mistakes.
* The most easily accessed button other than the shutter button is the Multi-Function (M-Fn) button to which I allocate [Direct AF method selection] as previously described for fast access.
* LCD panel illumination button, default.
* Set button, Set AF point to center. Press the thumb stick also returns AF point to the center.
* Multi-controllers (Thumb stick). Direct AF point selection.
Now we come to Customize dials which is a considerably less complex process.
* Front top dial, Tv.
* Rear top dial, Exposure compensation. By default exposure compensation goes to the back dial but I can use the top rear dial with fewer actions each less complex than the back dial.
* The back dial does Av in M mode.
* The lens control ring I have off to simplify proceedings and prevent accidental activation.
I leave the remainder of the Custom functions at default.
My Menu
The procedure for allocating items to MyMenu is easily figured from the on-screen prompts.
* On MyMenu1 I have: Expo.comp./AEB, ISO speed settings, Focus bracketing, Shutter mode, IS and subject to detect (people/animals).
* On MyMenu2 I have Format card, Sensor cleaning and Image quality.
And that. Folks is yer lot.
The process of getting everything set up can be a bit tedious but when done well the camera is a pleasure to use.