Canon R5 vs Canon R100: Can You Really See the Difference?
When photographers discuss gear, the Canon EOS R5 and the Canon EOS R100 sit on opposite ends of the spectrum. One is a flagship full-frame mirrorless powerhouse aimed at professionals, the other is Canon’s most affordable entry-level APS-C body designed to lure beginners into the RF ecosystem. The price gap is enormous — roughly $3,000 for the R5 body compared with about $480 for the R100 with kit lens. But the real question is: how much difference do you actually see in the final images?
To find out, let’s run through three everyday scenarios — landscapes, action, and low light — and weigh where the R5 truly justifies its premium and where the R100 holds its own.
For landscapes, both cameras can deliver very similar results under the right conditions. If you shoot at f/8 on a tripod with a low ISO, the image quality from the 24.1MP APS-C sensor in the R100 and the 45MP full-frame sensor in the R5 can look remarkably close when viewed at smaller sizes. Sharpness in this kind of shot is much more about the lens than the body. Pair the R100 with its kit 18–45mm or a budget RF 50mm, and you’ll get solid results. The R5’s advantage here only really emerges if you crop deeply into the image or print at very large sizes, where its higher resolution and better dynamic range reveal subtler detail in highlights and shadows.
In action photography, the difference grows. The R5 is built for speed, with advanced Dual Pixel CMOS AF II tracking, high burst rates, and professional-grade reliability in keeping subjects sharp. The R100, by contrast, has a much simpler autofocus system and lower burst speed, which means it can capture action but will miss more shots and produce fewer “keepers.” If you’re photographing sports, birds in flight, or fast-moving pets, the R5’s capabilities shine. But for casual family moments outdoors, the R100 can still bring home enjoyable images, especially if they’re destined for social media rather than large prints.
Low light separates these two cameras most dramatically. The R5’s full-frame sensor is built to handle higher ISO with less noise, richer color, and smoother gradations. Shooting astrophotography, indoor events, or night street scenes shows a clear benefit from the R5’s larger pixels and broader dynamic range. The R100 can manage at moderate ISO settings but quickly produces grainier files and loses detail in deep shadows and bright highlights. Pairing it with a fast prime like an RF 35mm f/1.8 helps, but it still won’t equal the R5 with an f/1.2 or f/2.8 lens.
So does the gear matter? It depends. For controlled conditions like landscapes, the R100 competes surprisingly well, and for everyday casual shooting, it’s more than enough. But for demanding genres — action, low light, or professional work where reliability and detail are critical — the R5 clearly justifies its place at the top. As always, the most important factor isn’t just the body or lens but the photographer’s vision. A striking moment or a powerful composition will always outshine the price tag of the camera used to capture it.