Photography News issue 19

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Hands on: Canon EOS 5DS&5DS R DavidNoton’s photography has taken him theworld over, but on two of hismost recent trips to SouthAfrica and Iceland the landscape photographer got to test out the very latest in Canon’s cutting-edge cameras: the EOS 5DS and the 5DS R

Watch and learn

I was aware that to achieve the best results andmake themost of the incrediblyhigh resolution sensor, I had to be super careful withmy camera technique, inparticularwith focusing and stability

“In the field there is no difference between the EOS 5DS and the EOS 5DS R,” he begins. “I’ve not yet had the opportunity to test the two new cameras side by side, but my gut feeling is moiré is unlikely to be an issue in landscape photography so the EOS 5DS R will be the one for me.” Always travelling and on the move, to David it’s important that his kit is not only super high performing, but that he can easily pack up and get moving without having to lumber around heavy gear. To him, the new EOS 5DS and 5DS R DSLRs offer all that versatility. “Over the three decades that I have been a professional I have seen many profound technical changes come and go, but one consideration all photographers have consistently grappled with is the trade-off between ultimate image quality and system portability,” he says. “Now we have available in the EOS 5DS and EOS 5DS R the versatile flexibility of a portable DSLR system that’s capable of delivering the kind of razor sharp image quality previously associated only with large-format photography. Couple that with the versatility of the full range of Canon EF lenses from fisheye to super-telephoto and I would have to conclude these exciting cameras are real game changers.”

“I was very aware that to achieve the best results and make the most of the incredibly high resolution sensor, I had to be super careful with my camera technique, in particular with focusing, depth-of-field considerations and stability,” said David. Seeing the images on the back of the screen is one thing, but it was only when David got back to base and really started to delve into the Raw files that the quality achieved became more than apparent. Admittedly a little sceptical initially about all those pixels (“I mean how many pixels do we really need?”), the landscape shooter was immediately won over when looking at the results of his South African shoot. “The proof is in the pudding; the fine detail in the 5DS images when viewed large is astounding,” he reveals. “The clarity and depth has to be seen to be believed; the images positively sparkle when printed large.” The difference between the EOS 5DS and the EOS 5DS R is that the former has a low-pass filter to avoid moiré whilst the latter has a low-pass cancellation filter for the ultimate resolution for organic subjects. But after using the 5DS in South Africa and the 5DS R in Iceland, David rated both equally highly.

Being one of the world’s most renowned landscape photographers has its perks and recently David Noton got to jump the queue and be the very first to get his hands on the new Canon EOS 5DS. Not only that but he also got to test out its sister camera, the Canon EOS 5DS R, on a shoot in Iceland. Relying in the most part on his EOS 5D Mark III for the majority of his work, the similarities between that and the EOS 5DS made it really easy to get to grips with, so when trialling the new camera in the Western Cape of South Africa, David was able to get on with photographing right from the off. “I was able to start working productively with the EOS 5DS immediately,” David explains. “All the controls seemed very familiar and that continuity was a reassurance.” With eight days in the Western Cape with the camera, the South African destination promised good weather and stunning views making it the perfect place to put the EOS 5DS through its paces and find out what it was really capable of. Both cameras’ biggest boast is the incredible 50-megapixel sensor but not accustomed to working in such high resolution, David had to alter his technique to make sure he reaped the full benefits of all that detail.

For more tips, David’s DVD Photography in the Raw offers practical advice on all kinds of subjects, from how to read the light to how to capture the best picture in any situation. Copies can be purchased from his website, at prices starting from £24 and going up to £32.40 for a Full HD edition. LEFT Sand dunes on the Stokksnes peninsula, eastern Iceland, shot with the EOS 5DS R. RIGHT Kogel Bay, Western Cape, South Africa, shot with the EOS 5DS.

π To find out more, go to www.davidnoton.com.

Issue 19 | Photography News