OK, I know you want this and you know you want this. So let me start by trying to talk you out of it; or at least make sure you’re ready for it. The resolution is as amazing as you’ve heard. Sure you can make big prints, but you can also manipulate and filter the images way more than you can a smaller file and not worry about losing detail. For detail-critical photography, like landscapes and wildlife work, there’s nothing even close.

But make sure you can handle this. RAW files are around 60Mb and processing on anything other than a fast computer with lots of RAM can be really slow. Really. Slow. The 5Ds and 5Dsr have more robust autofocus than previous 5D series cameras, but you absolutely need it. The increased resolution will show slightly missed focus more than you are used to.

It will also show flaws in your lenses you might not have noticed before. While every lens will benefit from the increased resolution of these cameras, only better lenses will really show all the resolution available in that 50 megapixel sensor. The resolution in the center of the lens will be obviously better even with an average lens. The corners and edges, though, may not be as good as you’d expect with wide-angle lenses that aren’t excellent.

Finally, the images you get will depend a lot on meticulous technique. It does give near medium format quality, but you have to have near medium format technique to realize the camera’s potential. You aren’t going to shoot at high ISOs, pull out missed exposures by 3 stops, or hand hold 1/focal length exposure times with this camera.

All of that being said, if you just carry it around and shoot it like any other camera, technique and lenses be damned, you’ll still realize a lot of the benefit of all those pixels. The resolution can be breathtaking and literally you will see details in your photographs you’ve not noticed before. If you want resolution and the most detail in your images you can possibly get, this is the camera for you.

Whether you get the S or the S R version is a minor detail. I think most people want all of the detail they can possibly get, so the R is their first choice. But if you’re doing portraits or weddings, I think you might find the S a better option. Moire does happen with a lot of fabrics and it’s still hard to get rid of. The resolution difference between the S and S R is minor compared to the huge leap from the Mk III to either of these.

June, 2015