Canon is now revealing that it knew about the video overheating issue all along, and have designed the EOS R5 and R6 to deal with it as best as they could, though they kept it all very quiet and let users find out by themselves. Canon engineers apparently took that overheating into consideration and decided to use magnesium alloy “to dissipate heat away from internal components,” and even went as far as programming an “Overheat Control Function to reduce heat generation when the camera is in standby.”
Canon’s solution to deal with this overheating issue is for you to 1) avoid shooting in the sun and 2) to, literally, “use an external fan to dissipate heat,” I kid you not. In addition to a Boom Operator to hold the boom microphone near the action, you now also need a Fan Operator to hold an external fan to cool the R5, if you decide to use the R5 to shoot movies. Media Alert: we’ve got some newbies in the PR/Marketing department.
Weatherproofing is good, light construction is good, influencing people to make an advertorial video about the need for small aperture telephoto lenses before introducing them can be forgiven, 20 min of 8K video clips may even be sufficient for some photographers/videographers. But then having to wait 20 mins cooling period for just an additional 5 mins of video is not going to cut it for most serious video work. I don’t believe a firmware update can fix this overheating issue. However, judging from user feedback, we believe that Canon will listen to its pro users and we might not have to wait too long for the EOS R5 Mark II to come out, slightly larger, and with an internal fan to address the overheating issue.
Or, Canon’s engineers may be hard at work coming up with something like Sony’s forthcoming A7S III’s new passive cooling system that promises no overheating and no (4K) video recording time limits. Sony, no stranger to video overheating issues itself, may this time have an ace up its sleeve. We’ll know in a couple of weeks if it was worth it for them to postpone the A7S III announcement until after the EOS R5 announcement. I hear snickering in the background.
CANON U.S.A., INC. MEDIA ALERT
Subject: Details Regarding Canon EOS R5/EOS R6 Overheating During Video Recording
The EOSR5, one of the latest additions to Canon’s full‐frame mirrorless camera line, offers class‐leading autofocus with high‐resolution and high framerate video recording options using the maximum width of the full‐frame sensor at high bit rates. Inevitably, this combination of features has potential to generate some significant heat, which will limit recording time.
Canon has taken several steps to manage the potential for overheating, including:
- Magnesium alloy was used in the body to dissipate heat away from internal components
- An “overheat control” function to reduce heat generation when thec amera is in standby
In regard to the installation of a fan: The decision not to install a fan within the body was made in order to maintain the EOS R5’s compact size, lightweight construction and weather resistance. Before recording starts, the EOS R5 and EOS R6 display an estimate of the recordable time based on the current camera temperature and the set recording mode. Canon has published and included below the approximate recording and estimated recovery times for 23°C/73°F environments and ensure that the camera will warn users when it is getting too hot. Additionally, tips to reduce over heating as well as recovering time are listed below. If you have any questions, please contact the Canon U.S.A. PR team at:pr@cusa.canon.com
How can you reduce heat build up in the EOS R5?
- Set Overheat Control function to “ON” (default). When the overheat control function is enabled, the movie size and framerate are automatically changed while the camera is in standby mode to suppress the rise of the internal temperature
- Between recordings, it is recommended to turn off the camera
- Position the camera out of direct sunlight
- Use an external fan to dissipate heat
How long will it take for the camera to recover?
Estimated camera recovery times are indicated below. The time until full record time is available will vary with ambient temperature, continued camera operation and the selected shooting resolution.
What about the EOS R6?
Like the EOS R5, the EOS R6 offers powerful movie recording and stills capabilities within a compact body design. At the highest framerates and resolutions heat is inevitably generated. We believe the EOS R6 offers best in class performance, especially for enthusiast photographers and video content creators. The EOS R6 can record up to the 29 minutes 59 second recording limit in the 5.1K oversampled 4K 60p mode at (23°C/73°F) before encountering any heat related issues within the camera and up to 40 minutes of 4K at 30p.
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