VERDICT
We haven't been able to test the image quality yet, but if the 5DS lives up to its specs, design and build quality, it's a classic in the making.
PROS:
- Solid build quality, classy finish Control layout Jaw-dropping resolution
CONS:
- Reduced battery life compared to 5D Mark III Headphone socket dropped
The EOS 5DS is actually based on the existing EOS 5D Mark III. In fact, if it weren't for the logos on the new camera, you might find it pretty hard to tell them apart.
But that's OK, because the 5D Mark III has proved itself an extremely capable, versatile and robust camera for professional stills and video photography, but at a price that won't break the bank. Well, not quite.
It's interesting that Canon chose this product line for its new 50-megapixel sensor rather than the top-of-the-range EOS-1D X, but good news for consumers because it keeps the price down to a level that could tempt well-heeled amateurs, not just professionals.
Size and weight
The 5Ds is bigger and thicker than the average consumer D-SLR, but not by as much as you'd expect. Serious pro cameras like the 1D X have big fat battery packs integrated into the base of the body, which makes them both taller and heavier, but the 5DS uses a regular LP-E6 battery - the same as the 5D Mark III - which slides up into the grip in the normal way.
Canon EOS 5DS
Interestingly, this doesn't give you as many shots with the 5DS - just 700 shots rather than the 950 shots you get from the 5D Mark III. This suggests that the 5DS's 50-megapixel sensor and twin DIGIC 6 processors are gobbling up a good deal more power.
But even though the 5DS is comparatively compact (for a pro SLR), it feels solid as a rock. On the inside there's a magnesium alloy chassis, and on the outside a tough-feeling matt finish that's also easy to grip.
Controls
The 5DS uses the same control layout as the 5D Mark III, and it's going to be familiar to anyone who's used Canon's high-end DSLRs before. A trio of dual-function buttons on the top control six key camera functions - metering pattern, white balance, AF mode, drive mode, ISO and flash compensation - in the simplest way possible. You press the button and turn either the front dial or the rear dial depending on which one of the two settings you want to alter.
Canon EOS 5DS
The front dial sits on the top plate just behind the shutter release. It's not that big but you can find it straight away with your index finger and it has the perfect firm, click-stop feel.
The rear dial is more unusual - it's more of a large, circular 'dish' that you spin with your thumb. But forget all of those lightweight and hard-to-use combined four-way controllers and dials you get on smaller cameras. This has no secondary functions you can click accidentally - it's just a control dial plain and simple, and it works brilliantly.
Just above is a small 'thumbstick' used for navigating menus and other on-screen options. This has a slightly vague feel, but it works perfectly well.
Canon EOS 5DS
Between them is a 'Q' button which activates a Quick Control screen - and on the 5DS you can customise this to display only the settings you want. We didn't have time to explore this properly, but it looks like it could be a really useful option for photographers who use their cameras all day long in their own particular way.
If you currently use a 5D Mark III (or any other high-end Canon DSLR, probably) you could pick up the 5DS and start using it straight away because all the controls are exactly where you're used to finding them.
Canon EOS 5DS
The controls and the finish are the real stand-out features when you pick this camera up. It feels super-solid with a nice finish and all the external controls you need arranged so efficiently and neatly that they just don't get in the way.
Quiet please
The shutter sound - or lack of it - is striking. The EOS 5D Mark III was already uncannily quiet for a camera with a full-size mirror and shutter mechanism, but the new mirror control system built into the 5DS makes it softer still. We've used mirrorless APS-C compact system cameras that make more noise than this.
The 5DS can't quite match the frame rate of the 5D Mark III, offering 5fps continuous shooting rather than 6fps, but that's really impressive given the huge size of its files. Canon says it can capture 14 RAW files in a row before the buffer fills up - again, very impressive - though you'll need a UDMA 7 card for this.
Canon EOS 5DS
The autofocus system is unchanged - it's the same high-tech 61-point AF system used in the EOS 5D Mark III, with 41 cross-type sensors and 5 dual cross type. It's fast and powerful, though the customisation options can leave your head reeling.
Early verdict
The 5Ds is almost identical, externally, to the 5D Mark III, and that's a real plus point - it's a solid, neat design with really well thought-out controls, and all of this has been retained in the 5Ds. You lose the headphone monitoring socket, so it's not as good for video, but Canon says the 5D Mark III will carry on alongside, so videographers can carry on using that instead.
But the 5DS doesn't just have all the good physical qualities of the 5D Mark III, of course, because it also adds that incredible 50-megapixel sensor with more than double the resolution. Wow. We can't wait to get one in for testing.
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