- Hey guys, my name is Matt Johnson with WhoisMatt.com,
and today I want to answer the question,
will the Canon R5 overheat
when you use it to film a wedding?
So if you're a wedding videographer like me
that needs to record B-roll in the morning
followed by a long continuous recording
like a wedding ceremony,
followed by even more B-roll of a wedding reception,
I've been putting this camera through a wide range of tests
to tell you if it's capable of doing that.
And I'm going to spoil this video's conclusion now
in case you don't watch the entire video
because I think it's really important.
Will the R5 overheat if you use it to film a wedding?
Yes! Yes, it will.
It's guaranteed to happen.
And it will most likely happen
within your first hour of filming on a wedding day.
Once this camera overheats,
the rest of the entire wedding day,
you can expect it to be limited to recording
at a low quality, line skipped
4K at 30 frames per second max.
No 4K 60, no 4K 120, definitely no 8K.
Because the R5 is unable to recover its ability
to use these higher resolutions and frame rates
as long as you are using it.
Professional filmmakers should not rely on this camera.
Now if you want to know how I tested the R5
and more details as to how I came to this conclusion,
please keep watching.
And before we get into overheating testing,
there is one important thing I want you to know.
This video is not paid or sponsored by Canon
or anyone else in any way.
I'm not one of those people that was sent this camera
weeks ahead of time.
I woke up early in the morning on July 9
and pre ordered this camera as soon as I could.
And it was delivered to me on the camera's launch day,
July 30.
I spent $3900 of my own money on this camera plus
way too much money on memory cards
because I want you to know that I'm not being paid by anyone
to skew these results one way or the other.
Let's talk about why I'm making this video.
In case you haven't noticed,
there are a lot of overheating tests
that have already been done with the R5.
But here's my issue with them.
Most of these tests are people turning on the camera
and recording with it non-stop until it overheats.
They put it outside in the sun recording until it overheats.
They put it inside in air conditioning
recording until it overheats.
Oftentimes, they're recording in 8K or 4K 60
or 4K 120 while doing this, that's great data,
but I'm sorry, those tests are ignoring
half the ways that most people shoot video.
Most filmmakers that I know shoot video in two ways.
First, filmmakers shoot long 30 minute or longer takes
of people talking, like an interview, conference speaker
or wedding ceremony.
The current R5 overheating test I've seen come close
to telling you how the camera will work in those scenarios.
Even though most filmmakers that I know
are filming them in 4K at 24 frames per second.
Not 4K 60, not 4K 120, definitely not 8K.
Here's the big issue though,
I would argue that more important
than that first way of shooting
where the camera is recording for long takes,
it is more important that the Canon R5 is capable
of recording short clips of B-roll
for an extended period of time.
For me, the majority of my time on the wedding day
is spent filming B-roll.
I turn the camera on, film for anywhere
from five to 30 seconds, then I turn the camera off.
I'm also in the menus switching frame rates constantly.
With the R5, I know there are some shots
that I want to film in 4K at 24 and 30 frames per second
some at 4K 60, occasionally at 4K 120, and sure, why not,
maybe a detailed line skipped shutter or two in 8K.
Canon has marketed the R5 as a camera that is capable
of doing all these things.
All of the overheating tests I've seen have covered
how the R5 overheats when recording video constantly,
but nobody has covered how the R5 handles
the slow buildup of heat over time as you film B-roll.
So I've tested all of this for you.
Let's talk about filming a wedding ceremony
with this camera.
When considering how to set up a wedding ceremony test,
I came up with three scenarios that cover the vast majority
of how a wedding ceremony occurs.
A wedding ceremony is going to happen either
indoors in air conditioning, outdoors in direct sunlight,
or outdoors in the shade.
Out of the hundreds of weddings that I filmed,
every single one of them has occurred
in one of these three environments.
I have more good news for you too.
I live in Texas, one of the hottest states in America
and Canon, for some reason, chose to release the R5
in August, the hottest month of the year.
Temperatures this week routinely averaged
98 degrees Fahrenheit or 36 Celsius, but I assure you,
this camera got a lot hotter than that.
For all my ceremony overheating tests,
I use the exact same setup I would use at a real wedding.
The R5 was connected to a 70 to 200 millimeter lens
mounted to a tripod with a lens ring.
So the camera had free airflow around it.
IBS was turned off because you don't need that
on a stationary tripod shot
and autofocus was turned off as well.
Here's where my ceremony overheating test
takes a turn from other overheating tests that I've seen.
I chose to film these tests in 24 frames per second
because the vast majority of wedding filmmakers that I know
film their ceremonies in 24 FPS.
I also filmed all these tests in the ALL-I format in UHD,
not DCI, because most filmmakers I know shoot in UHD.
Lastly, these ceremony tests were run from a cold start,
meaning I gave the camera enough time to cool down
and reported to have the maximum amount
of recording time available before I started the next test.
I also did routine temperature checks
using an infrared thermometer
to check the temperature at the back of the camera
directly behind the sensor
and recorded the maximum temperature the camera reached
when recording.
Looking at the results, my indoor air condition tests
smeared many that I've seen from other testers.
With the camera running for 29 minutes before overheating
in the 4K HQ mode that is over sampled from 8K.
The camera then ran for two hours and 19 minutes
before the battery died in the 4K line skipped non-HQ mode.
Moving outdoors, simulating a late afternoon shaded wedding,
the R5 ran for a similar 27 minutes
in 100 degree Fahrenheit weather in 4K HQ mode.
Again, it didn't overheat in 4K non-HQ
and ran for one hour and 45 minutes before the battery died.
Lastly, in harsh direct Texas sunlight,
the R5 recorded for 28 minutes in 4K HQ mode
with an ambient temperature of the air around the camera
at 113 degrees Fahrenheit.
Trying to test again and even hotter conditions,
the R5 recorded in 4K 24 non-HQ mode
for two hours and two minutes
even with an ambient temperature of 120 degrees
and the back of the camera reading 144 Fahrenheit.
Toward the end it did show me an overheating warning
but I was shocked it didn't overheat.
What does all this mean?
This is very curious,
but it confirms what other reviewers have said
about this camera.
I believe these results show that the R5 doesn't overheat
from absorbing external temperatures
like the heat from the sun.
Instead, the R5 is so well insulated
that it is overheating from the sensor and processor
heating up inside it.
Here's the main takeaway for you.
If you're fumbling with the R5 from a cold start in 4K HQ
at 24 frames per second,
you can expect between 27 to 29 minutes of recording time,
regardless of whether your ceremony is being held indoors
or outdoors at any temperature.
But if you instead shoot a ceremony in 4K non-HQ
at 24 frames per second,
it will last until the battery runs out.
Regardless of whether you are filming indoors or outdoors.
You can record with the R5 for virtually
an unlimited amount of time,
as long as you stay in the 4K non HQ line skipped mode
and don't go above 30 frames per second.
I have really bad news for you though.
But first because I know some of you are planning
to furiously comment, "Matt, the camera records 8K,
"can you shoot a wedding ceremony in 8K?"
Don't shoot an 8K, I tried it indoors and air conditioning
and the camera recorded for nearly 20 minutes
and then overheated.
It's not worth trying to shoot a wedding ceremony in 8K.
You're ready for the bad news now?
This is where things start to get significantly worse
with the R5.
We need to talk about filming B-roll with this camera.
Remember how I said at the start of this video,
the majority of my time filming a wedding
is spent filming B-roll.
I film a few hours of B-roll of the couple getting ready.
Then up to an hour long ceremony, then immediately,
I'm back to filming more B-roll
for sometimes six hours or more of the wedding reception.
Now we've already established that the R5 will overheat
after 29 minutes of constantly filming in 4K
at 24 frames per second in HQ mode.
But what about if you aren't filming constantly?
What if you're filming B-roll where you turn the camera on,
film a bit and then turn it off.
Unfortunately, the R5 doesn't just build up heat
from constantly recording a video clip.
It builds up heat over time and heat is being generated
every time you turn on this camera.
So you may be considering the R5 and you're thinking, "Matt,
"I'm just going to film with this camera intermittently.
"I'll turn it on, film a quick clip
"and then turn it right back off."
Well, that's exactly how I film B-roll at a wedding.
So, I've tested this extensively.
Turn the camera on for the first time
on the morning of a wedding day
and you will see a number in the top left corner.
In 4K HQ at 24 FPS, it says 25 minutes.
This is the R5's estimate for how long
you are able to record with it before it overheats.
But by you even turning on the camera,
it is starting to generate heat.
You have started a countdown.
The timer on the back still may read 25 minutes,
but in the background, those numbers are counting down.
Browse the menu, the camera's warming up.
Record a clip in 4K HQ, the camera's warming up even faster.
Record a quick clip in 4K 60, it's getting warmer.
Take a photo, who buys this camera to take pictures?
Doesn't matter, it's still heating up internally.
I took the R5 and simulated filming bridal prep
on a wedding day exactly how I would normally film it.
Turned the camera on, film a clip for less than 30 seconds
then turn it off.
Wait for a short while, turn it back on, film another clip.
This test was all handheld with IBS on,
I filmed some clips in 4K 24 and 4K 30
but occasionally I would switch to 4K 60 and even 4K 120
if I thought the shot warranted it.
I also shot a few clips in 8K because come on, it's 8K,
you're telling me you're gonna get this camera
and not shoot a single shot in 8K?
Please, as I warned you though,
the camera starts to overheat over time
and even turning it off in between filming clips,
the overheating timer on the back started to go down fast.
Using the overheating timer the camera shows
whenever you select 4K 24 frames per second HQ
as my benchmark,
after only 10 minutes of intermittently recording B-roll,
the overheating timer estimate had dropped
from 25 minutes to 20.
Oh oh, do you see where this is going?
In total, I was only able to record intermittently
for 45 minutes before this camera overheated.
Now you may be thinking this isn't a big deal.
As I already said, when talking about
filming a wedding ceremony,
you can drop down to the 4K non-HQ line skipped mode
and still film but you may be forgetting one thing.
This 4K non-HQ mode only records 4K
at up to 30 frames per second.
This means no over sampled 4K HQ
which looks significantly better.
No 4K 60 footage, no 4K 120, definitely no 8K.
This camera basically becomes a glorified EOS R
or a $3900 high definition video camera.
And remember what I said about the R5 being well insulated
and not being affected by external temperatures.
Well this also unfortunately applies
when you're trying to cool the camera down.
So you may be thinking "oh, I'll just switch to 4K non-HQ
and I'll keep filming with that until the R5 recovers.
I tried that, when I filmed B-roll with the R5
to simulate bridal prep until the camera overheated
in 45 minutes,
I then continued shooting B-roll in 4K non-HQ
at up to 30 frames per second
and the camera wouldn't recover anytime
to enable me to shoot in higher frame rates or resolution,
it still read zero minutes available.
The only way the R5 will recover the ability to shoot 4K
and higher resolutions than a line skipped 30 FPS
is to completely turn it off and not touch it.
With my testing giving me erratic results that show
you'll get anywhere between four to 10 minutes
of recording time,
after 20 minutes of the camera being turned off,
and requiring at least two hours
if you want your full recording time of 25 minutes in 4K HQ.
If you turn the camera back on to check it though
or record anything at all,
you're only prolonging the recovery time
by a significant amount.
So what have we learned from all these overheating tests?
Can you film a wedding with the R5?
Yes, but if you want to record more than the first
hour of the wedding day in high quality
with high frame rates, that isn't going to happen.
The rest of your wedding day,
the couple finishing getting ready, the ceremony,
the entire reception with all of its dancing
from beginning to end, you will be stuck filming
with a line skipped 4K at 30 frames per second max,
or switching to a much lower quality 1080p
for the rest of the day
because this camera is unable to recover its ability
to film in higher resolutions and frame rates
unless you completely stop using it.
Canon has marketed this camera with specs like 8K RAW
and 4K at 120 frames per second.
After a short while, canon has also been honest
about the overheating, releasing details
on the average recording time that you can expect.
I applaud that honesty,
but I also don't want to see filmmakers deceive themselves.
I've seen people post online, things like
"oh, I'll just film a little bit in 4K 60,
"I mostly film in 24 frames per second anyways."
Take it from me, that won't work
because after a short amount of time,
you won't have the option to even film
a little bit in 4K 60 due to overheating.
A wedding is a full day event.
You need to be able to record footage
in a variety of frame rates the entire day.
The R5 is incapable of doing that.
For that reason I would not recommend
using this camera to film weddings.
A wedding is a one time event, you only get one chance
to do things right, there are no do overs.
you cannot rely on this camera as a professional filmmaker.
With that, thank you so much for watching
this R5 overheating test video.
If this video has been helpful to you,
I would greatly appreciate if you would consider
liking this video and subscribing
if you want to see more videos about cameras
for wedding filmmakers in the future.
Also, if you happen to be a wedding filmmaker yourself,
you probably want to book more couples
and film more weddings.
To help you out with that, I've created a free guide
that's gonna walk you through some practical steps
that you can take right now in your business
to book more couples and film more weddings.
Completely free gift to you, you can download it
at linked down in the video description.
Thanks so much for watching and have a great day.