[mst]

Please do tell, how does a sportsphotigrapher switch on a camera?
My experience is that the camera is switched on, then brought up toeye level. That easily takes 0.6 s to 1 s or even more with a heavy lens. Between switching a camera on and actually operating it, 1 s is absolutely negligible.

Especially with a long lens, the camera is usually resting on a monopod. So either switched on by default (draining battery in case of a ML) or in standby. Where startup time is similar.

I, personally, switch off the camera regularly. On the Nikons, the On/Off switch is at your index fingertip anyway.

As to getting 5000 shots out of a battery: that is without chimping, I assume.

No, that is with regular chimping.

I also wonder how many of those are usable, as in, sharp - with the R5, when you have set it up for your purpose, that is about 99.8 %.

No difference to a D5. There has been reliable AF before mirrorless cameras happened

I really do think you need to reset your frame of reference here . Looks like you are still set in the old way of thinking .

Maybe, but we're discussing very specific pro photographer needs. Any sports shooter will probably have the same frame of reference, old-fashioned or not. Press photographers have similar, but not identical needs. To adress that group first with a rugged pro ML body might be the smartest approach. Could be a slightly easier target. See Sony's recent Ap deal, for example. It's a move in that direction.