First “Hollywood" Test of the Canon R5 in 8K RAW

The Canon EOS R5 will be rolling out this week, and I was lucky enough to get my hands on a production model of the camera to test. I teamed up with cinematographer Lukas Colombo of Moai Films in a production sponsored by Kondor Blue to put the highly-anticipated camera to the test in a real-world cinematic shoot. 

Designed to show how the camera performs from production through post-production and across a variety of different settings, two completely different production styles were chosen for the test. The first, a tripod-mounted, feature film style, with a re-creation of the most iconic courtroom scene from the classic film A Few Good Men originally starring Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson. The second, a fast-paced, hand-held style production mirroring that of a leading hospital-drama television series.

These scenes are the first real world “Hollywood” test this camera has undergone where a full production cast and crew comes together to professionally light and stage a narrative scene, and the results are impressive. Both scenes were filmed on the EOS R5 internally at 8K RAW as well as 4K All-I. Can you spot the differences between the two formats? 

Colombo adapted the R5 native RF lens mount to a PL mount to accommodate the MasterBuilt Soft Flare Lens Series created by his friend and highly respected Hollywood camera operator, Tim Arasheben, who also joined the set. "These lenses are magnificent and the perfect balance between that coveted vintage look and high-quality optics,” said Colombo.  MasterBuilt is quickly gaining notoriety all across Hollywood with elite cinematographers in film and tv using their impressive series of lenses.

The camera rig featured supporting gear and premium camera accessories by sponsor, Kondor Blue, a US-based company with a mission to design high-quality production accessories with the filmmaker in mind. Kondor Blue provided a prototype cage for the Canon R5 and a myriad of shoulder rig accessories such as magic arms, v-mount plates, and hand grips. 

Get an early look at the test and the comparison in the first of a series of videos that are live on YouTube.  Throughout the next week leading up to the release of the camera, we'll share two additional 8K scenes filmed with Colombo with a full BTS episode documenting the entire process, looking at the on set tools used, the production process, and of-course, an in-depth analysis of the new camera.

What do you think of the footage? Tell us know in the comments below.