Although this article focuses on the Canon R5 and R5C, most of the mods apply to almost every other brand and camera out there.
Long ago I wrote an article about how I modified my Canon C100. Well, it’s been a while and I swapped over to the RF system when the EOS R came out. I have been shooting with 2 Canon R5s since their release and recently I swapped one of them for the R5C.
So, as always, I try to find ways to make the cameras work better for my needs. I am a solo shooter doing both stills and video, not at the same time, but sometimes on the same day.
As I’m based in Tokyo, most of the time I ride the subway to get to my destination, so I need a system that stays compact and uses the same lenses, batteries, and accessories. Redundancy is very important to me.
With past cameras I used, like the EOS 5D Mark IV and the EOS R, I used to remove the cages when shooting stills, but with the new cages for the R5 series, I find them ergonomic enough to keep them on all the time and the flash and remotes can be used without problem. I’m using the Tilta cage on the R5C and a Small Rig Black Mamba cage on the R5.
So what have I done to my cameras? Well, let’s find out.
Battery Solution
Both the R5 and R5C can be powered by PD delivery using the USB-C port.
On the R5C, you can hot-swap both the external battery and the internal battery while recording. This means you can keep rolling indefinitely. The R5 allows you to hot-swap the external battery, but not the LP-E6 in the camera.
The USB-C power delivery method is safer, as even if the cable gets disconnected or the battery dies, your recording will not be affected. This is why I prefer this method to the dummy battery one, as that solution does not offer redundancy. Also, in the case of the R5C, you need USB-C power in order to run Auto Focus in 8K mode.
There are different battery solutions and several mounting options on the market, some more compact than others.
