Canon has released version 1.8.1 firmware for the Canon EOS R5 (buy here). Amongst the features added, one adds “IBIS High Resolution Shot”. As the name suggests, this is a high-resolution shooting mode that utilises IBIS in order to create massive 400-megapixel images using the EOS R5’s 45-megapixel sensor.
Essentially, it’s a Pixel Shift feature similar to that found in some cameras from Fujifilm, Olympus/OM System, Panasonic, Pentax, Sony and Hasselblad. It’s about time it came to Canon, and I’m quite surprised it’s taken this long to implement, but now it’s finally available.
While many users may not need such a function – and even those that do probably won’t need it all the time – it’s a valuable feature for things like landscape and product photography, where you may often need to print big or get very detailed with a subject. There’s been no word on how effective Canon’s Pixel Shift implementation is. Do you need to be locked off on a tripod, or is it still able to compensate for camera shake when shooting handheld?
Right now, this question remains unanswered – as I don’t have an EOS R5 here to test and I’ve yet to see an answer elsewhere. If you have an EOS R5 and update to the new v1.8.1 firmware, let us know your experiences in the comments.
For now, here’s the complete firmware changes list from Canon:
Firmware Version 1.8.1 incorporates the following enhancements and fixes:
1. Adds [IBIS High resolution shot] to the camera menu. By utilizing the in-body IS mechanism, it is now possible to record images with higher resolution.*
*Use EOS Utility/Digital Photo Professional to check the images. EOS Utility/Digital Photo Professional will need to be upgraded.
2. Adds [Save/load comm. settings on card] to the camera menu.
Network settings can now be transferred between cameras of the same model.
3. Adds the ability for images to be cropped and resized during transfer to the FTP server.
4. Adds Protect Images During [FTP Transfer] to the camera menu. Images transferred via FTP can now be automatically protected. The user can determine if images have already been transferred via FTP.
5. Fixes minor issues.
This update leaves basically just Nikon and Sigma without a Pixel Shift feature. Sigma’s fp and fp L don’t have IBIS, so I wouldn’t expect it to come to those any time soon. Nikon, however, has a number of mirrorless cameras with IBIS, including the Nikon Z7 II and Nikon Z9, both at a ~45-megapixel resolution similar to the Canon EOS R5. No word if they’ll be introducing it, though.
If you’re an EOS R5 shooter, though, you’re in luck. You can download the new firmware from the Canon website.
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