What if... the Canon EOS 5DsR was released one year earlier?

The Canon EOS 5DsR never made the shortlist of possible replacements for my then EOS-1D Mark II/Ds setup simply because it wasn't announced, let alone produced, at that time. Neither did de Pentax 645Z, which was announced by then but not yet in production.

Me and my Canon EOS 5DsR. Image: Joeri van Veen.

The holy grail: a large-resolution image sensor without anti-alias filter

By then, several brands offered cameras with large megapixel image sensors without an anti-alias filter for optimum sharpness and I decided that my next camera would have such a sensor. After evaluating the Phase One P45+ and P65+, the Pentax 645D, the Sony A-7R and the Nikon D800E I in the end went for a Pentax 645D augmented with a second-hand Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II for my aviation photography. 

All selected cameras had what I considered to be the holy grail, a large megapixel image sensor without an anti-alias filter. Superb machines as they are, both Phase One options were just too expensive for me to be considered as a replacement for my then-current cameras. The introduction price for the Pentax 645Z was expected to be quite high - although significantly lower than the Phase One options - but going for the Z version of the Pentax 645 digital camera meant waiting at a time when the D version was getting an attractive price because of the announcement of its successor and was readily available. 

In the end, my choice for the Pentax 645D was partly explained because I already owned a number of lenses for it. At that time, I had already invested in Canon EOS and Pentax 645/67 cameras and lenses. All other options meant I had to obtain new lenses too, adding to the cost of such a purchase. That choice however also meant that I had now de facto two digital setups as the Pentax 645D wasn't able to take over the action part of aviation photography. I had to keep my Canon gear and ending up buying the EOS 1Ds Mark II to gain resolution there. Don't get me wrong, I was quite happy with this arrangement and it worked quite well for me. I briefly considered the then new EOS-1DX too but as that wasn't adding enough improvement on the sensor front it didn't make the selection.

Enter the Canon EOS 5DsR

And then, a year after the purchase of my Pentax 645D, the Canon EOS 5DsR was introduced. What a contender that would have been. It ticked all the boxes: a huge 50,6 full frame megapixel sensor, no anti-alias filter, compatible with all my Canon EF glass and thus usable for not only my landscape photography but also my aviation photography. In other words, very hard to resist!

Upgrading from the 1D series to a 5D series would have had a few drawbacks too. I really love the way the 1D series cameras work, feel and fit in my hands. That built quality had to be given up. I would also lose my 10 frames per second shooting ability as the 5DsR only manages 5 frames per second. Being able to shoot 10 frames per second is very useful when shooting fast jets. But that sensor...

So, what if...

The Canon EOS 5DsR has a lot going for it. Really a lot. The only thing it isn't, is a medium format camera. With a medium format camera you win a lot of extra sensor space and that means a lot more detail. So I guess that had I been forced to choose between the Pentax 645D and the Canon EOS 5DsR that would have been the deciding factor in favor of the 645D. As I said earlier I already owned lenses for both cameras so no issues there. The prices would have been comparable at that time. So there you have it. Option number one: The Pentax 645D, optimum image quality but at the same time the need to operate two systems or option number two: The Canon EOS 5DsR, no need for two sets and an increase in megapixels but not that lovely big medium format image sensor. My guess is that I would have gone with the 'sane' choice of the EOS 5DsR and that I would have continued to work with medium format 120 film cameras as well until I could obtain a 645D at a later date.

In real life

As you know, I bought the Pentax 645D and that really made an impression on me. Those gorgeous photos full of detail. That was something I wanted but lacked in my aviation photography so when the Canon EOS 5DsR was introduced a year later I did the only 'sane' thing I could do. I bought one...

The Pentax remained my go-to camera for land- and cityscapes and I used both as a set for my aviation photography. Despite the lower megapixel count I found I preferred the Pentax images for the 'slower' aviation shots and being able to use the EOS 5DsR for the fast aviation stuff I really had the best from both worlds.

Oh, and did I really buy that EOS 5DsR on a whim? Well, not exactly. At the same time Canon introduced their second installment of the EF 100-400mm L lens which I had been saving for and in the end I was able to make a good deal on the 5DsR and 100-400 combo.

Interestingly, the Canon EOS 5DsR has never been replaced with an updated model. With its 50,6 megapixel sensor without anti-alias filter it still reigns supreme in Canons line-up in 2024. Although Canon has introduced its R5 mirrorless model as sort of a replacement that model "only" packs a 45 megapixel sensor and is still equipped with an anti-alias filter. That means that I will be happily using the EOS 5DsR in the years to come, now in combination with my Pentax 645Z. 

Wait, is that a Fujifilm GFX 100MP camera? Oehhhhhhh... ;-)

[I actually wrote this post in July 2021 but for some reason never published it. Now, with my quest for a new digital camera it suddenly seems relevant again so I finally pushed that 'publish' button.]