This article is part two of a special interview with two professional photographers who have taken test shots using the EOS 5DS and EOS 5DS R. The following summarises the conclusion they arrived at after using the cameras. (Reported by: Rika Kasai, Photos by: Hiroyuki Kato)

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Thorough measures against camera shake needed

- I think you need to be very careful in handling camera shake when using the EOS 5DS and EOS 5DS R. What do you think are effective measures to prevent camera shake?

Nomachi I take snapshots most of the time, and they were basically taken handheld.

Ishibashi Doesn’t handheld shooting give you any problem?

Nomachi Not when I am using a wide-angle lens. But as a measure to prevent camera shake, I would release the shutter at a considerably fast shutter speed. Besides, I can make use of the image stabilisation (IS) feature, so the EOS 5DS and EOS 5DS R might in fact offer greater stability compared to the EOS 5D Mark III in terms of shake prevention.

Ishibashi I was quite careful when it came to preventing camera shake. I basically made use of a tripod, and when I was using a telephoto lens, I would mount it to a telephoto lens support. Even then, the shots still turned out blurry in some cases. The problem was resolved when I enabled the Mirror Lockup feature. Even when I tried to compose a shot and establish focus with the optical viewfinder, I realised I still could not achieve sharp focus sometimes after magnifying the Live View image to check the focus. Right then, I really felt how important it was to have an accurate idea of where to set the focus on within the composition. You need to have good compositional sense.

Nomachi In my case, half of my shots were taken handheld. When I was photographing at locations where it was hard to get a stable footing or where the wind was strong, I increased the shutter speed to compensate. With a shutter speed setting of 1/120 second or faster, I didn't encounter any problem if it was a wide-angle or medium telephoto lens. In fact, the image would be stabilised after locking the mirror in the upright position and waiting for one to two seconds. I believe the camera shake issue can be addressed by making good use of the rules of thumb that we have accumulated through experience.

* Click on the image to enlarge.

EOS 5DS R/ EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM/ FL: 241mm/ Manual exposure (f/6.3, 1/60 sec)/ ISO 640/ WB: Daylight (Photo by: Mutsumi Ishibashi)

Said to be 320 years old, this cherry blossom tree inside an ancient temple is still in full bloom. Excellent in depicting fine details, the EOS 5DS R was able to reflect my photographic intention by capturing the alluring expression of the flowers at dusk. An aperture setting of f/8 or lower is recommended in order to maximise the resolving power offered by the 50.6 megapixels. However, depending on your intended expression, you can also choose to ignore this point and narrow the aperture to gain a deeper depth of field.

Breathtaking expressive power in landscape photography

- How did the AF accuracy fare? What do you think of the new [Fine Detail] Picture Style?

Nomachi I took all of my shots with AF, and there wasn't any problem at all.

Ishibashi I mainly used the [Landscape] Picture Style in the past, but I used [Fine Detail] this time. The LCD monitor of the camera alone wasn't enough to allow me to check the details in the images because of their high definition, but when I did so on a PC monitor, I realised that the fine lines were excellently reproduced.

Nomachi Looking at the 50.6-megapixel photos, I was really amazed to see just how much detail was captured. With the pictures taken by the EOS 5DS and 5DS R, I couldn't help but notice minute details of subjects, while I wouldn't have paid much attention to them had they been taken by other cameras. I was really impressed because I could tell that the details were sharply resolved simply by enlarging the image slightly.

Ishibashi You can tell it when the image is enlarged to 100%.

Nomachi Nonetheless, I do not think such a high pixel count is needed for photographing snaphots. By the way, I often make use of the silent shooting mode, and I find it very useful. The feature is silent and helps to prevent camera shake at the same time. I think it comes in very handy too when capturing portrait shots.

Ishibashi The EOS 5DS and EOS 5DS R require you to choose an area or a subject that can be expressed in high resolution. They are not cameras that you can employ for all scenes. The EOS 5D Mark III is also an excellent model, and I am still trying to figure out how I should employ them for different purposes. At any rate, I am planning to include the EOS 5DS or EOS 5DS R as a part of my shooting gear.

Nomachi Their expressive power in landscape photography is breathtaking. They are easy to use, and prompt you to pay close attention to the details of the subject and light when taking a shot. In this respect, I have a feeling that a truly excellent camera has just entered the market.

* This article is created based on a trial model. Aspects such as the appearance and image quality may differ slightly from the actual product.