Editors’ Picks: Best Photo Gear 2020

Our annual selection of the best photo gear for 2020 includes the top cameras and lenses introduced this year that we feel represent the advancements made in the art and technology of nature photography. While not a comprehensive collection of all of the noteworthy gear released this year, each of our Editors’ Picks has some unique quality or capability that made it stand out for us as among the best of the best.

Camera of the Year 2020: Canon EOS R5

Canon EOS R5

The Canon EOS R5 is the new flagship of the Canon EOS R full-frame mirrorless system, and the 45-megapixel camera excels in both still and video capabilities. Of all of the impressive full-frame mirrorless cameras introduced this year, it represents an important benchmark in the development of Canon’s EOS R system and full-frame mirrorless cameras more generally.

The EOS R5 can capture stills at continuous shooting rates of 12 fps using its mechanical shutter, or up to 20 fps with the silent electronic shutter, ideal for wildlife photography. It offers a 5-axis in-body Image Stabilizer system that can coordinate with the Optical Image Stabilizer in compatible Canon RF lenses, enabling up to 8 stops of correction depending on the lens used.

It’s also the first camera (along with the 20.1-megapixel EOS R6, which was introduced with the R5) to include Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF II, which covers approximately 100 percent of the AF area with 1,053 automatically selected AF Zones. New AF algorithms, “deep learning” technology and advanced subject tracking enable the cameras to follow humans, dogs, cats and even bird eyes—a bonus for photographing birds in flight.

The EOS R5 features dual card slots, one CFexpress and one UHS-II SD. The CFexpress card supports the impressive video capabilities of the camera, which include uncropped 8K RAW internal video recording at frame rates up to 29.97 fps.

For a deeper look at the Canon EOS R5 and its performance in use, see George Lepp’s field test in this issue. List price: $3,899 (body only); $4,999 (kit with the Canon RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM lens). 

Check the current price of the Canon EOS R5 at B&H