Canon’s best camera yet :: EOS R5 Mark II

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This is probably Canon’s most value driven camera to date. Yes it’s pricy, but not flagship pricy. In fact I don’t understand why this camera is being announced at the same time as the flagship EOS R1. But it is. And I’ve been very impressed.
The Canon R5 Mark II is an impressive upgrade to its successor. Featuring a BSI, stacked CMOS sensor and DIGIC X processor, the R5m2 will do 30fps stills shooting with pre-capture, up to 8k 30p RAW video and many of the autofocus functions of the R1. But in a smaller footprint and a cheaper price. This is the most value driven camera in Canon’s lineup.
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On my channel you will find videos about photography, cinematography, post processing tutorials for Capture One, Lightroom and Photoshop, photo assignments that YOU can participate in, the Artist Series and more. The Artist Series is an ongoing set of videos I produce as documentaries on living photographers. I am extremely passionate about photography and video and my goal in making these videos is to share my passion and enthusiasm with you! Don’t forget to subscribe and make sure to hit the like button and share this video if you enjoyed it!
Ted Forbes
The Art of Photography
2830 S. Hulen, Studio 133
Fort Worth, TX 76109
US of A

[@TheBigBlueMarble]

I think describing the sensor in the original R5 as "okay" is allowing yourself to be caught up in the hype of a new camera which is only an iterative improvement. Most of the features you described in the R5 Mark II are nice, but not something most shooters want. Upscaling and noise reduction are always going to be better done in post where you can actually see the image on a larger screen. I just can't see myself ever using those in-camera options.

[@joelnormann]

Fully agreed. The main advantage of this camera to the average person will be the reduced price of the original R5 on the second-hand market. The one thing Canon could do (and Nikon) to persuade me to buy any of their bodies is properly open up their mounts to third-party lenses. Canon are releasing more and more L glass that's reliant on in-camera distortion correction, and Nikon seem reticent to release 'pro' f/1.4 glass.

[@TheBigBlueMarble]

@@joelnormann Absolutely...I have (and like) the Canon 14-35mm f4L, but without distortion correction it is almost unusable at less than 20mm.

[@joelnormann]

@@TheBigBlueMarble I think it's a symptom of the shift to mirrorless. We no longer look 'directly' through the lens like on a DSLR, we instead look at the sensor's interpretation of the image. This allows manufacturers to created highly distorted optics, and Canon are one of the worst offenders in this regard unfortunately.

[@robert_may]

One area in which the MkII should be a pretty big step up, sensor-wise, is for wildlife photography. Having a stacked sensor with a fast enough readout speed to shoot electronic shutter-only is a big benefit for AF tracking, and I'd expect it to be quite a notable improvement over the (already decent) R5. I think the addition of in-camera ML noise reduction is a potentially nice improvement too, but I'd have to see the results and compare them to the software options 🤔

[@joelnormann]

@@robert_may Sure, but even then the old model was no slouch. Most people's budgets would be better served on lens investments or on trips.

[@kennethlui2268]

The R5 sensor is very good in my opinion.

[@Soul_Visuals_Photography]

It's absolutely incredible

[@ErwinvandenBosch]

I love my old Canon EOS 5D Mark II. At ISO 100 and with the center focus dot everything works just fine!

[@SuomiFinland78]

R5 is a great camera, this R5 II with a sensor stacked and a better autofocus seems to be even better. Great job by Canon.

[@nubscrub]

He’s not off the mark, when the R5 came out, with the sensor development of that time, it was surprising that it wasn’t backside illuminated like the competiton- simple fact, not an attack. It may not have held it back ultimately, but the point he’s making is that the leap to a BSI and stacked design now is notable.

[@heikogehrig]

For stills shooters, what do you estimate the dynamic range to be for stills? Much better than the R5?

[@damon-burton]

The Canon R5 Mark II looks like a game-changer. The specs are impressive: high resolution, fast shooting, excellent low light performance. The improved autofocus system is a huge plus for tracking fast-moving subjects. I'm curious to see real-world performance tests, especially in challenging lighting conditions. How does the video quality compare to the original R5?

[@andreasoberg2021]

Would be nice to know how much better low light perf is

[@ralphgeronilla]

Is the dynamic range better than the original?

[@gurpreetsandhar]

No

[@GrainOnTheGo]

Honestly I’m more hyped for used R5s going down in price.

[@whiterock1865]

Could you tell us more about the lowlight capability as far as how far were you pushing the iso to get cleaner images versus the R5?

[@kernzilla]

Sounds like the ‘unreported’ dual base is iso4000 on this. I know we were all Hoping for higher, but from what I’ve seen 4000 looks phenomenal, and things like 12800 appear to be a great upgrade over the older version. Yay BSI!

[@leel4671]

Thanks, good first thoughts on both new cameras. I am NOT a professional but need (want) a second body to go with my R5. Until the announcement and early reviews I was willing to get the R1. I ordered the R5 II. The 45 mg was a must for me as I crop a lot. Disappointed that the R5II does not have 2 CFExp cards. Someone buying the R5II does not have as a 0:03 high priority saving on storage and larger cards. Maybe the R3II will be the big brother to the R5II and we will get a true R1 in the MkII. Also hopefully Canon will finish playing catchup in far less than the historic 4 year wait.

[@JerryC25]

Really pushing the R5 aside huh?

[@kenandcamera]

Appreciate the review.

[@notdisclosed7053]

Any haptic feedback when shooting with electronic shutter? 30 fps can give an awful lot of images if you cannot tell when you are actually taking them. Sadly seems still to be no in-built GPS.

[@kernzilla]

I *think I saw it’s just audible, don’t think there are any physical haptics

[@Burritosarebetterthantacos]

Im going the opposite direction. Im trying to sell all my modern canon stuff so I can just go to a rangefinder style camera. I took so many documentary style shots when I had a Leica but my Canon is just so boring to carry daily. Chasing specs really hurt my photography.

[@charliipresley]

Yea the KZbin photography community obsession with gear is so obnoxious. Ive been shooting film and going back to my 5D MK II. So much more enjoyable than this constant gear talk. And a lot of the film community on KZbin is people actually taking pictures and not sitting in a living room talking about 40 fps vs 30 fps

[@christophercarlimages9003]

@@charliipresley so true. Most of the "influencers" and "content creators" are mediocre photographers. And that's for the small percentage of them that actually practice the craft

[@RobberZhi]

Believing you’re just some less capable equipment away from being a more soulful photographer is its own kind of GAS.

[@timothyplatt6053]

@@RobberZhi It's like saying you'll become a better driver by driving an older car.

[@tayloriginals999]

I can imagine that the eye tracking focus feature could theoretically be used as an identification tool, not unlike a fingerprint on a smart phone to unlock the camera, only it would be retina scan. This could be used to lock the camera and help dissuade theft.

[@Soul_Visuals_Photography]

any record limits?

[@AnaloguePhoto]

Would be great to see if the EOS R5 mk.II eye AF control is better than on my EOS 3.

[@frontstandard1488]

2024 Bought a lumix s1r, sigma 40/1.4 + 28/1.4, and Voigtlander apo 50/2. Also Hasselblad X1D original with 45/3.5. Coming from film photography last 30 years. These cameras are incredible and will last me a long time, at least 10 years or more. I barely know how to use the Panasonic still, it has functions I'll never use, but for the money it makes beautiful files. KZbin photography has become so gear obsessed that photographs seem forgotten. I would like to see a camera manufacturer make a simple high quality stills camera only with manual functions. Imagine the battery life! No video. Maybe just IBIS which is probably the best new technology in photography imo. The Hasselblad X1D is a bit like a film camera with a sensor hence why I got it.

[@Luke-tofusandwichtraveling]

So r3 vs R5 mark ii? What's better now, are they basically the same?

[@wildwedding]

Can you tell me if you can do 4K quality while using the cropped mode, or does it change to HD only.

[@naysaikolo]

Does the flash work in the electronic shutter?

[@adventure9606]

Yes but it may be with a Canon only flash. It may work with other brands if they update their software.

[@mcandelacom]

In case I missed it, does it have flicker-free shutter speeds and a curtain shield to protect the sensor from dust?

[@adhi_atma]

Curtain shield.... Canon already done it since original R.

[@JohnDrummondPhoto]

The R5 II and R1 both have mechanical shutters.

[@charliipresley]

KZbin’s digital photography community is like 99% “gear” now.

[@DayumMarq]

Agreed! it's so hard to find street pov's or behind the scenes photoshoots now a days.

[@charliipresley]

@@DayumMarq there is some good stuff out there like Mike Gray or Sam Elkins. But so many “photography channels” is like “40 fps vs 30 fps,” “45 megapixels vs 50” like my god, do you guys even take pictures. Back in the day I watched a lot of Jason Lanier (??) and it was all shooting and lighting, etc. He was to me the OG Sony mirrorless guy but the photos seemed to come first and the gear he used was just part of it

[@charliipresley]

@@DayumMarq also, the film photography channels have a lot of really good content of people actually out shooting. Though I know film isn’t for everyone

[@DayumMarq]

@@charliipresley Its funny you mention those because ive been rewatching both of their content recently. It is a shame tho. a lot of these things KZbinrs talk about matter not to most photographers. it just seems like the community on here just gets more and more detached from the everyday photographer. It used to be the opposite, I would watch photo KZbin because the real life community around me was so caught up in gear and KZbinrs seemed to be creating something. now not so much lol

[@axelbuecker3678]

I would have loved to have an updated flip-out screen a.k.a. Sony A7v or A9iii, Zebras in photo mode, and dual-CFExpress cards ;-) ... nevertheless, I pre-ordered right away.

[@alphaandomega2709]

“Okay”? The Canon Eos R5 top selling mirrorless that takes out Nikons whole mirrorless lineup in autofocus “okay”? 😅

[@stubones]

Did you have that conversation in your own head? lol

[@shade599]

True

[@scottw6960]

Great video and overview, thanks! Curious if you know...can you do a one-button custom white balance in video mode?

[@kernzilla]

Saw this topic in a different review, and sounds like no 😢

[@timothyplatt6053]

Way to go Canon, you done made your flagship obsolete already.

[@NumberOneBlackGuy]

Agreed

[@costafilh0]

Way better package than the R3 Mark II. A.K.A "R1" 😅

[@muhdshukriabdhamid7043]

That’s their aim.

[@mrcandybares4177]

I would really like to buy the r5 mkii, but I can’t find information anywhere whether Canon has finally enabled focus bracketing with a flash :( I mainly work in macro photography and this function should have been available in cameras for $4000+ for a long time.

[@jeffkernen1554]

Do you happen to know if this camera has a proximity sensor (for the EVF) that works like the R3, where it isn't constantly coming on every time something brushes past it, like the R5 and R6 does?

[@kernzilla]

I certainly hope they’ve fine-tuned this, too many times on my R5/R6 II the screen goes out at the most inopportune time when doing waist-level video clips 😤

[@Donx2Pac]

will the mark 2 be better at astrophotography than the mark 1 is?

[@MarkCarline]

Great review! Thanks Ted! I've preordered mine in the UK, looking forward to an uplift in low light performance from my 5D Mk4 and I was thinking I either go R5 or R5 Mk2 but your comment at 4:20 made the decision for me :) thanks! btw - what would you say would be the top end of ISO? For my 5D Mk4 it used to be 6400 but curious for the R5 Mk2 ?

[@christophercarlimages9003]

If this is Canon's best camera, they definitely need to up their game

[@snakechmr5191]

To what?

[@christophercarlimages9003]

@@snakechmr5191 it's second tier in every metric to the R1 and probably the R3 as well

[@snakechmr5191]

@@christophercarlimages9003 I now understand what you meant (thanks for clarifying as I thought you were comparing to Nikon, Sony, or others). I'm not sure I agree as the video and autofocus specs are better than the R3. Even if it were "2nd tier", that would fit given its price point.

[@e11apak]

I wonder how the colors improved. I feel like my r6 has better colors than the r5

[@Old-School-Liberal]

Canon the Camry of cameras

[@snakechmr5191]

..... More like the Apple of cameras!

[@NumberOneBlackGuy]

Only if

[@timothyconner3474]

Yeah the original R5 sensor deserves more than "OKAY"

[@MrKILLIANSMITH]

TBH, I'm "skundered" with all of these "influencers" ... they've cost me umpteen thousands of pounds over the last few years ... I had serious GAS because of these people. However, I have finally settled on my A7R5 kit and my Leica Q3 ... I don't care about the chase to achieve absolute perfection anymore ... I'm keeping my money for trips to actually get using my gear!

[@KaneAndPia]

I like any camera shooting 8k. How’s the rolling shutter at 8k?

[@TheBigBlueMarble]

I think the future of mainstream 8k is doubtful. Besides the huge files and required bandwidth, the human eye struggles to see any meaningful difference from 4k.

[@seansims2475]

@@TheBigBlueMarblethe point of 8K is not to deliver 8K but to be able to reframe or stabilize in post and deliver 4K.

[@TheBigBlueMarble]

@@seansims2475 ?

[@jw-lk1pe]

When a camera has too many features that you cannot even remember them all.....that's what irritates me. I just want a high megapixel camera that feels like a film camera in it's operation. Alas, I cannot afford a Hasselblad

[@makmak69L7]

Leica M system is the best.

[@AllCarsUnited]

I think were living in a era of simulations, luts and AI editing. As much as i love all my cameras i cant see myself buying anything new from this point on.

[@timothyplatt6053]

Probably why so many people have gone back to film and the darkroom. Something unique again, not generated from a algorithm.

[@Owlbot]

Great hanging with ya last month buddy! Great review -Kenny

[@ErwinvandenBosch]

I'm sure Canon will make a better camera in about 10 years. That wil cost twice the money. Maybe then I can create my best pictures! :)

[@suatsekil]

Still using 5d m4 😂😂

[@paulharding7282]

I'm still a film head and glad as I am not a digital native and got confused .

[@sbai4319]

I spent so much time waiting for Canon (my brand of choice for over 15 years) to catch up that when the opportunity came up, it was cheaper to go to Sony for less cost! In the end I am happy!

[@mcelliot]

I like your channel but thought this sounded like a paid ad. And then you said ‘we have improved’ in reference to Canon At this price, when i have exhauseted my R5 i think i will move across to medium format. Less tricks and more sensor real estate

[@aciek]

And the things to which you attach the strap looks way worse than in original EOS R. ;)

[@billx4266]

What? This camera has the same amount of megapixels so its NOT a step up from a R5 on the resolution front....

[@kbarrett1844]

What amount of megapixels do you need?

[@tnglator]

Dont want more

[@makmak69L7]

I wish they upgraded the sensor resolution to be 50mp similar to the 5DSR. It won’t be significant by any means, but from marketing and psychological point of view, it will make a difference.

[@kbarrett1844]

@@makmak69L7 - I get what you’re saying that it will lose a bit of ‘Halo’ effect from a marketing standpoint. Hard to be viewed as the top gun in the lineup by anyone except for the intended users.

[@lesnayalesichka]

best if it costs 2000$ for sure

[@ozzozz3529]

No battry life.

[@TheChadWork2001]

Gear Acquisition Syndrome is so sickening.

[@TheRickurb]

“VALUE”???

[@crazyKurious]

Nothing new on this cam. I mean I can do better processing and deep learning in my A6000 GPU vs this tiny body.

[@user-Thanakorn2514]

💖💖💖💖💖

[@billrhea]

Sorry but at the $4300 price point it’s not their best. $2900 for an R5 is a better camera.

[@jamesmonahan9408]

Subject face registration? About time Canon.

[@munckmb]

Even my A7III has this feature!

[@jamesmonahan9408]

@@munckmb Yep. I use it on my A7III many times as well. Great feature. Canon is WAY behind.

[@murlidhr]

if only i had the freedom to choose lenses. i want choice.i want competition. always good for development of better lenses.

[@mtnman1984]

Gonna be a bit

[@murlidhr]

@@mtnman1984 i doubt it. they opened only for cropped sensor cameras.

[@mtnman1984]

@@murlidhr they did that because the lens cost was a wall for potential crop body customers. There will be a point where sales of their lenses taper off as the EF holdouts finally transition and the R mount enters the typical cycle of body upgrades being a majority of their sales. It will happen then.

[@juniorwalter9083]

For months and months i'm hearing how A.I. is bad and all that.. funny how everybody's jumping on a wagon when a new shiny toy is in their hands. Hypocrsy at its finest.

[@nameredacted6926]

10% price increase despite the yen being garbage is unreasonable

[@davisone76]

NO OVERHEATING, CLOG2, 8K, IN BODY PROCESSING! Eye focus, etc…. This is huge! So many haters. This will go perfect with my C70. I have been waiting for a match because I am shooting a ton of photos too and the C70 won’t shoot high res photos whereas this camera will WHILE SHOOTING VIDEO….. ah ha hah hah hah!! Wooo Hooooo

[@lovewithoutborder6051]

Still overheating

[@ultrasonicradiation]

One tip, point the lens at the camera, not your face. Nobody wants to watch a talking head, the entire video should be pointed at the camera.

[@kheankimhong]

🎉🎉🎉😊😊😊❤

[@Pablo-px3ct]

I want an R1s with more resolution - 80 megapixels