Do you have a Canon EOS R5? In that case, you’re probably already aware of overheating issues while filming. There is nothing to worry about if you will never use the video function. But what if the overheating warning occurs while taking pictures? I went through that situation, and I have the solution.
The Canon EOS R5 is a great camera. I loved it from the start, when Canon Netherlands sent me one for review. I shot a few weddings with that camera during my review and decision to replace my Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. You can find my review here on Fstoppers.
There’s a big problem with Canon EOS R5. When recording movies, the camera tends to overheat. If it does, you won’t be able to use it until it cools down. That could take about half an hour. Canon has released a few firmware updates, but the camera’s cooling capacity isn’t commensurate with the amount of heat it generates.
Overheating problem while filming
If you’re not filming, overheating won’t be an issue. That’s why I didn’t worry about it when deciding to buy this camera, until I got some assignments to shoot corporate interviews. If I use 4K 25p resolution, it works fine and for me that is enough. Most overheating will occur at 8K, 4K 100p, 4K 50p and 4K 25p HQ resolutions.
Overheating also depends on how the camera is used. Do you record inside or outside, and in the following, do you have a memory card in the camera? Ambient temperature also has a significant effect.
But when I was filming a wedding with high ambient temperatures, I got the dreaded overheating warning sign on both of them. Canon EOS R5 camera, although I didn’t shoot any.
Overheating Heats up when taking pictures
The wedding took place on an extremely warm day in the Netherlands. The surrounding temperature rose to 33 degrees Celsius. The sun burned in a corner of the sky, and there was not a single wind. I’m not worried, as I’ve shot a lot of weddings under similar circumstances with the Canon EOS R5.
But this time, I get the overheating warning icon on both cameras. It happened just before noon, after three hours of shooting both indoors and outdoors in full sunlight. It worries me, to say the least. What if both cameras stop working somewhere during the day?
Of course, I continued to shoot. And luckily, both cameras continued to work with no problems, except for the warning sign, of course. This is to be expected because the memory card gets hot and the camera grip is also warm from holding the camera for an extended period of time. But that warning sign doesn’t feel comfortable at all. What happened? What is the reason for this warning?
What does the eavesdropping symbol tell us?
In fact, there doesn’t seem to be a problem at all. As it turns out, the icon is just a warning to the photographer about the camera’s temperature. If you look closely, you’ll see a video camera in the icon, not a camera for taking pictures.
After some internet searching I found more information about this warning sign. It tells the photographer that the camera has reached a high internal temperature and that switching to video could result in overheating. The warning has nothing to do with photography.
Custom movie settings
When I asked my colleagues who also use Canon EOS R5, most of them never saw the warning sign of overheating during their work. There are a few people who also filmed the wedding on the same day as me. But those colleagues never used the video functions of Canon EOS R5.
Since I also use the camera for movie recording, I programmed the camera for three different movie settings. I used the C1 setting for 4K 25p, the C2 setting for 4K 50p, and the C3 setting for 4K 100p. It allows me to change movie settings without diving into the menus.
Two of these movie sets pose a risk of overheating. And it turns out that these programmed settings are the cause of the overheating warning signs when taking pictures. The camera is responding to these programmed settings and warning the photographer of the risk of overheating when switching to one of these custom settings.
If you have not programmed C1, C2 and C3 to record movies, the camera will not display an overheating warning if you are taking pictures.
Solution for overheating warning when taking pictures
While the camera won’t do much other than warn of overheating when taking pictures, it can be quite distracting. You might even worry too much during a wedding shoot or something like that, without realizing why the sign is showing.
To get rid of the mark, you have to clear the C1, C2 and C3 settings, or you can change the movie format to something that’s not sensitive to overheating – like the FHD 25p setting, for example. That way, the camera won’t show that overheat warning while taking pictures anymore.
But if you have no problem with the mark displayed in the viewfinder or on the LCD monitor, just leave the C1, C2 and C3 settings as they are. You don’t have to worry the camera will turn off as long as you keep taking pictures.
Have you encountered this overheat warning sign on? Canon EOS R5 during your photography? Please share your experience in the comments section below.
