R5 II vs. R5: Is the Upgrade Worth It?

[@jayeshtopiwala3219]

I would more interested in R7 mark 2 with similar pre cap function and better auto focus.

[@basilbcf]

Me too! I have the R5 and love it. The R5ii has a lot of cool features, but none that are worth the price to upgrade (at least for me). I'd rather put my money into more RF glass. When I was shooting the EF system, I had the 5D4 and the 7D M2 and found that to be a great combo. I hope they come out with a R7 ii with the features you mentioned. That would be a killer wildlife and bird camera.

[@num1hendrickfan]

The R7 has pre capture, and the autofocus is quite stellar for when it was released. My main wish for an R7 MKii would be a stacked sensor for less rolling shutter, we'll see what happens. Also waiting to see how the R6 Mkiii looks.

[@gavthane]

@@num1hendrickfanshame the R7/R6mkii precapture was terrible. An R7mkii with proper precapture like the R5mkii would be great.

[@basilbcf]

@@num1hendrickfan I didn't realize the current R7 has pre-capture. That's interesting. I've seen mixed reviews on the AF of the R7.

[@mymusic5772]

I,m waiting to see the R6 mk3.

[@ziggggy53ify]

The Canon R5 C is the other camera to compare in this discussion. It's a true 'Hybrid' stills plus video body, and in video mode it's capable of long-format acquisition. It has a true cinema menu system in video mode, and in stills/photo mode it's basically the same as the original R5 in stills mode. The R5 C also has a built-in fan and works well in warm and hot weather, although I still recommend sheltering all digital equipment from exteme heat and extreme cold. Finally, the Canon R5 C is NetFlix Approved, if that matters for your projects.

[@randallbrander8157]

Love the R5II and the RF 200-800mm. I still like the R6II also. I have only used the Battery Grip w/Fan only once. Picked up the L's 100-500mm, 85mm f/1.2 and 100mm Macro. Two months ago I was contemplating of getting rid of my Canon Mirrorless System and decided to give it another chance. Buying these four lenses have changed my mind. I agree that on the Run & Gun Shooting the better cameras with 10 Bit or Higher Recording Settings do make the difference. Stabilization and Wireless Communication for Transferring Content or Controlling Your Devices are a must. Cheers! 😏

[@AtaBoraBasar]

The choice depends entirely on personal wishes. Personally, I do not see anything that would upgrade the R5, which meets my needs, to the R5 Mark 2 for a difference of $ 1,300.

[@edwincollins5847]

Global shutter

[@OhhhhhhhBugger]

@@edwincollins5847 Global shutter? Known for it's poor ISO performance? Aside from that, there is no global shutter on the R5mkii.

[@OrdinaryFilmmaker]

RED had figured out he global shutter with very good dynamic range.... Let's see what Nikon does next. They could upset the apple cart.

[@scotthime6928]

It's a $1,300 difference if you're considering a new purchase. If you have to sell or trade in your R5I, the difference is a LOT more than that. So the decision about whether to upgrade changes considerably.

[@stuartcarlton7939]

I am still on the fence! I shoot wildlife with my R5mk1 and so far am happy with the results, I do this largely for my own benefit and because of personal circumstances, not as often as I would like. I absolutely see some benefits in an upgrade such as the improved autofocus and precapture although I haven't really had any problems with the autofocus on my mk1. I don't shoot much video so would be unlikely to reap those benefits. I could probably afford to get a Mk2 but can I really justify it? Back to the fence!

[@charlesjames9783]

If you make money with your camera I might consider the upgrade. People aren’t paying for photography like they used to. Hard to eat the depreciation of the R5 for the few places where the mk II would be worth it.

[@phynx2006]

If rolling shutter is an issue you can still use the mechanical shutter to help reduce any rolling shutter. Personally I do not have an issue with the rolling shutter images even on the Canon R5, but that's just me. 👍👍😎

[@slot9]

Bit of an audio glitch around 4:17 mark - very loud! It's okay, just wanted to mention it.

[@taylorcollins2080]

It depends on what you want. I upgraded from R6 to R5 II, just for family and friend pictures. I chose R5 II over R6 II for several reasons: more accurate auto white balance (I don’t do much post processing as I’m somewhat color blind), can use flash in electronic mode, full HDMI, ability to crop, faster sync speed as I use flash all the time… in the future, I’m sure I can discover more features to use. The auto white balance is much improved over R6 II because it has 6144 metering zones vs 384.

[@ptenner56]

Worth it for me. I have been using a 5D Mark III for years. I skipped on the 5D Mark IV because I didn’t see anything compelling to make me want to upgrade. I also skipped on the EOS R and the R5. I needed more convincing. My 5D Mark III was now 12 years old, and I came to the conclusion mirrorless was the new future, so I bit on the R5 Mark II. It has me feeling like I went from a Yugo to a Maserati. I also invested in the following RF lenses: 24-105 F4, 100 F 2.8 macro, 100-500, and a 14-35 F4 wide angle.

[@LDBecker]

I went from the 5DIII to the R5mkI and was delighted. The only thing missing was something I wanted again since the old EOS 3 film days - eye-controlled focus. That was the main feature that would make me upgrade - otherwise, the R5 was great. Well, the R5II with its eye-controlled focus is absolutely amazing. It dies what I remember from the EOS3, but 10x better, and working in conjunction with the other auto-focus modes, it's rather amazing to see how it focuses. The pre-shooting is almost like science fiction - amazing. I don't know if I missed it, but you didn't bring up the eye-controlled focus working with the other focus modes. I guess eye-controlled focus is for some people a gimmick, or a non-pro feature, but I find it quite amazing.

[@StevenHoagland]

Precapture is a game changer! Also love the large viewfinder and fantastic focus. R5II rocks!

[@OhhhhhhhBugger]

No, the mkii is NOT worth the price premium. The mki will be sufficient for most photographers out there. Hybrid people should stick with Sony or something....though honestly, the mki is also a fantastic video camera at this point. The readout speed of the mki was not really noticeable until you take 20 FPS and see every millisecond of every action, so you don't really need a stack sensor. BSI tech apparently has some downsides as it actually reduces dynamic range and makes low light worse. The blacks do look blacker on the mkii, but that's correctable in software. The AI replacement for pixel shift is far worse. Who would even use this? The eye tracker focus is and always will be a POS. Don't waste your money. Get the mki.

[@normansuchorzewski1026]

Just checked - here in the UK I can get the R5 Mk1 for £2000 - what a steal. I jumped from the R to the R5 Mkii and of course noticed a difference, but still love the R.

[@OrdinaryFilmmaker]

Imagine goign from the 70D to the R5 ;)

[@NomadOutdoorAdventures]

Good morning I’m still rocking my 5D mark for still happy with it as much as I would love to upgrade. I can’t afford it especially with all the new lenses that would be a lot of money specially, a telephoto lens a good one is very expensive. But my camera works, and I’m still able to capture some amazing wildlife, including bird photography. May not be able to get quite as good shots when they’re taking off or landing, but sometimes you get lucky. Nonetheless I can’t afford it to upgrade to a renew camera that comes out and as long as my gear still works I’m still happy with it. I’m gonna continue using it.

[@OrdinaryFilmmaker]

A lot of people are still using the 5d4. If it delivers, then you're good ;) Not all of us need the latest, and for those that don't we get to spend the money elsewhere ;)

[@jeffreyhill4705]

It was well over a year before I bought my first RF lens. I have only replaced my 24 to 105 f4 lens. The adapter works well, and I have no plans to replace like lenses till a lens fails. I did buy two F4 lenses due to their size, weight and sharpness, but for landscapes. That was one a year.

[@drbeardo6960]

​@@jeffreyhill4705 Yes It's right time now to buy used good copies of EF 'L' lenses Better value than ever

[@scotthime6928]

@@jeffreyhill4705 You can get the EF 50mm F/1.8 for cheap now. Since you already have the adapter, I highly recommend it. Ken Rockwell has a good thorough review if you like to do homework before buying. If you're on a budget, I think it's almost a must-buy.

[@mandofan2616]

the dynamaic range of R5ii seems to have gotten WORSE as per a few reviews I've seen. Save your money and hold out for R5iii or R5iv or R5v or whenever they get it right

[@OrdinaryFilmmaker]

Except that it hasn't. For video it is much better, but for stills when shooting high iso like 12800, yeah there is definitely more noise. But that sacrifice gives you a faster read out speed reducing rolling shutter. Rolling shutter vs dynamic range in stills...

[@poolpool64]

@@OrdinaryFilmmaker Canon shill!😂😂

[@jimbruton9482]

Or wait to see what the rumored very high megapixel & fast Sony A7RVI possibly to be announced soon or certainly in early 2025. Potentially, it may totally upend Canon's and Nikon's latest offerings. Sony is the king in terms of making sensors and will try to use that expertise to create the next generation mirrorless camera. I currently use an R5 I and will not upgrade to the R5 Mk II. Part of this is to see what the new Sony camera will be and most importantly, look at the wildlife work of professionals S. d' Entremont, Brent Hall, and Jan Wegener all using the Canon R5 mk1. They are more than remarkable, they are STUNNING! If you're willing to do the work and learn what they have, your images can be as beautiful as well. What the R5 Mk II brings them is the possibility of capturing more "keepers" that they can monetize in sales.

[@philfyphil]

What, if you show it at 100% and look with a magnifying glass?

[@MichaelAnderson-l3k]

Ordered my R5II as it was in stock. For those that go R5….how will it get whatever new features Canon over the next 4 years. My R5 will be my backup.

[@nismo09nz]

Bought the R6ll as a second camera to the R5....haven't used the R5 since. Im hanging out for the R6lll.

[@novainvicta]

I’m not really a video shooter what I shoot is perfectly fine on the iPhone 15 Pro Max with the DJI handheld gimbal. I shoot almost exclusively portraits on my R5 and the only thing I would like is better AF it’s certainly not as good as the R6 MKII but all else if I’m honest I don’t need. I shoot wildlife mainly on the R10 and on the R6 MKII and the R6 MKII is my main landscape camera. Maybe further down the road when the R5 MKII has been out for a couple of years and the price drops I will consider it but for now I would rather hold on for f1.4L primes.

[@OrdinaryFilmmaker]

I think you're set. The price jump did surprise me. I wonder if it was the stacked sensor that drove the price higher.

[@bk2022]

Not having had a camera prior. I got the R5MII with the kit lense. Seems ok so far.

[@markducharme9199]

I haven't used my R5 Mark II that much since I have had it about a week, I did one engagement shoot with it. I'll use it more and share thoughts. I think it's about the same for my needs and the newer features may not be worth the upgrade for the cost. My R5 has been a workhorse since for the last 3 years. I'm a wedding photographer professional.

[@OrdinaryFilmmaker]

Registering the bride could be something that might be useful to you. But other than that, you may not notice that much of a difference at all.

[@JohnDoranski]

Is it TIME for the everyday photographer to update our R5m2 and R6m2? Has there been any concerns raised?

[@OrdinaryFilmmaker]

Should not be an issue. The only issues reported so far was one person stating they had issues with the R7. I have seen no other reports of issues with any other camera.

[@hstein27]

Pre-capture is definitely a game-changer for wildlife. It's gotten me some take-off shots of hawks I'd likely have missed without it. It makes it worth the upgrade. Somewhat disappointing that the rolling shutter is a bit obvious when panning if there are buildings in the background, but the 30fps is a good trade-off vs. the original R5.

[@heynow2880]

Decided to skip the R5II and got the R6II for $1670 used. Much better camera then that R5.

[@heynow2880]

Actually it was brand new. 0 shutter account.

[@OrdinaryFilmmaker]

It's a very solid camera for than sufficient for most.

[@alfredknodler540]

Thanks for your honest video! How do you think about the lowlight-capabilities of the R5ii compared to the R5 and the R6ii?

[@OrdinaryFilmmaker]

For video, I find it much better. For stills, if you're going to 12,800 ISO, you will notice more noise, but depends on what you're shooting. I never shoot anything with an ISO that high.

[@photobeast]

I just picked up my second R5 for 1900 with the cage six batteries Esther RF adapter and a bunch of other little trimmings oh yeah and it's got less than 16,000 actual shutters

[@kennethlui2268]

I shoot wildlife/birds, and I will say that R5II is worth every penny. Pre-capture is a game changer in Canon world in that pre-captures are in raw and they can be processed in Lightroom, instead of Canon's DPP which is a pain to use IMO. I thought I missed the shot and was surprised I got the shots when looking through the images. Pre-capture helps me getting the shot I was not able to in the past. For hummingbirds in flight, R5II is way better than the original R5. Weird looking wings (due to rolling shutter) of the hummingbirds are way less. I will say that 95% of the hummer in flight shots are good without noticeable rolling shutter effect. AF is also vastly improved. It is more sticky than R5.

[@OrdinaryFilmmaker]

Sales would back you up. I wonder how sales will compare tot he Mark 1 for the first 12-24 months.

[@Hodenkat]

I've seen enough wildlife photographers getting amazing bird shots with the R5 to be able to ignore a lot of the excitement about the improvements in the R5-II. If rumors about the R6-III are true, even at fewer megapickles it's going to be an even more attractive buy than the R5-II for wildlife. That said, the R5-I was the go-to body for most pro photographers out there for many many years. While the AF system is dated by the R5-II standards, I'll bet anybody with an R6-II with a 100-500 lens would welcome the older R5 for not much more than they paid for the R6. There's also going to be loads of used R5s out there very soon as well as Black Friday sales to make it an even sweeter deal.

[@num1hendrickfan]

Thinking at the 14:17 mark you mean to say R5 Mki and not R1. No worries though as we all would love that deep a discount.

[@johnclay7644]

informative news thanks Simon

[@genxtechguy]

I like the R5c better than both of these, but … really hoping there’ll be an R5c mk2

[@scottrogers2831]

Slightly off topic Q: is it safe to update the firmware on the Canon Rx bodies now?

[@OrdinaryFilmmaker]

I have nto heard any issues at all Scott.

[@StoicJason]

I’m waiting on the T9i

[@jeremyevans9137]

Can I start a support group for those of us still wailing for our July preordered mark ii? I loved this honest appraisal of the features but it fuelled my impatience again. I did get batteries immediately though. Still, it’s a bit galling to have lovely new batteries and no camera to put them in.

[@OrdinaryFilmmaker]

I think a support group is a good idea Jeremy :)

[@charlesjames9783]

My question is about fps. Can’t you shoot in MJPEG and get 30 fps and just pull out any shot you want?

[@FlatWaterFilms]

Still not biting for this new wizard camera.. 🙂

[@danielrandy7138]

It needs more firmware update. I’m getting black outs when ever I’m trying to see photos info.

[@77dris]

If you don't need 4k120, I'd get the R6 II. MP don't matter anymore, and the R6 II is better than the R5 in most ways and much cheaper than the R5 II.

[@nismo09nz]

So true.

[@jimbo27]

Thanks for the videos

[@OrdinaryFilmmaker]

Thanks for watching Jim!

[@jimbo27]

@@OrdinaryFilmmaker how do I get a camera badge, preferably Canon, but I may want to switch it up at times

[@jimbo27]

@@OrdinaryFilmmaker I do have a Canon EF 50.2 I was thinking about selling

[@Windsurfingaddict]

My last camera was a Pentax 35mm SLR film camera, I consider the R5 to be an upgrade, yes would love the Mk5ii but only using it for personal use and can not justify the price, I’m selling a kidney if anyone is interested as holy moly it’s bad enough buying the older R5, used camera Ef lens’s, Lexar 256GB CFexpress PRO Type B cards and SD cards, camera bag, tripod, spare battery ect ect, I did consider the Lumix S5 or Micro 4/3 as a lot cheaper so hope the extra expense is worth it as waiting for cards to arrive so can try it out 😬

[@PWingert1966]

I am disappointed that the R7 Mk II or the R10 Mk II is not being released this year and by the time it is released middle to late next year I may have found a solution with Sony or anther manufacturer that is less restrictive in how they run their businesses and release their products which according to talk on the street is starting to become a common practice among enthusiasts.

[@rossmckinney4580]

1.0.1 for the R5 M2 "broke" The RF 24-240. It no longer has autofocus.

[@WernerBirdNature]

Hi Simon, I'm convinced but my wife still thinks it's crazy 😛

[@OrdinaryFilmmaker]

The last thing you want is to be considered normal ;)

[@WernerBirdNature]

@@OrdinaryFilmmaker *LMAO*

[@rowangliveathleticsblog6186]

This is not really a neutral objective assessment. The reviewer is clearly favouring the r5 ii. Because quite a bit of the review was spent talking up the latest r5..

[@avocado9227]

I subscribed, but saying "It doesn't cost you anything to subscribe" isn't quite accurate. People are more likely to subscribe if your video provides a solution to a problem.

[@OrdinaryFilmmaker]

Perhaps I should change up the onboarding message to a different person each time... Gerald does that.. works for him ;)

[@cathco9]

Hi Simon. I am so happy I did the upgrade from the R5 to the R5 II for bird photography. The AF system is so much better. I'm able to lock onto small warblers in leafy trees, even Eye AF, with incredible hit rates. I was constantly frustrated with the R5 in this regard. So many misses. As for rolling shutter, it's been non-existent. I shot hundreds of hummingbird photos on August 21st, just one day after I received my camera. Using the Canon RF 100-500mm the settings in ES were 1/4000, f/7.1, ISO 1600. No rolling shutter. I was not panning. As for higher noise, yes, there is some but that's what Topaz DeNoise or DxO Pure Raw are for. It's not an issue. Take a look at Wild Alaska's video on this. He's right. I haven't tried pre-capture other than making sure it works in my own yard. I'm looking forward to that. I did great on the sale of my R5 + battery grip a month before I received my R5II. I used my R5 for two years. For me, the upgrade has been 100% worth it. People really do need to weigh out whether it's worth it for them based on what they shoot.

[@OrdinaryFilmmaker]

It's a wow camera to some for sure. For others, the R5 is more than enough. I'm in the wow camp. The AF is so good and precatpure that I have spent a lot more time taking stills than I have in the past :) I'm going to try your settings: 1/4000, f/7.1, ISO 1600. I was shooting at 1/2500, but I was on the 200-800. I'm excited to try those settings ;)

[@cathco9]

@@OrdinaryFilmmaker I always shoot hummingbirds at either 1/3200 or 1/4000. I like the wings to not be too blurred. I like that you call the R5II a "wow" camera. I agree.

[@OrdinaryFilmmaker]

I got in a lot of shooting recently. I'm getting some really good footage. Wildlife might have to wait until 2025 ;)

[@jaspreetsingh-mz5rj]

I got my R5 Mark 2 after 1 month and 5 days wait

[@scotthime6928]

That was THE single most fair comparison video I've watched on the R5II vs the R5I. Finally someone who doesn't sound like he is just trying to sell merch on their affiliate links. My assessment of the R5II was that a lot of the upgrades are very beneficial for videographers, which is not my main area of interest. The main thing, for me at least, is that most of the changes were more evolutionary than revolutionary. I sent mine back, as you know. Not because I didn't like it. It was that I knew that if Sony's or Nikon's next bodies are significantly better, and I just bought a new Canon, I would be a lot less likely to bite the bullet and switch. I have a feeling that either or both of them might really wow us in the near future. If they don't... shame on me. But I've said privately that I am about to move back to other genres anyway. The one place I sort of differ with you (and already with Duade) is about the true value of pre-capture in practice. Have a look at that bird picture you caught with pre-capture. Note that you STILL have to be tracking that bird physically or you will clip the wings (or even the head). And even when you get the whole bird, it is so poorly framed that you need to crop. You can see that happening in a lot of Duade's and Jan's pre-capture series, and they are obviously very experienced at tracking birds. Remember all those discussions about cropping, and the resulting need for more megapixels? That's exactly what I was talking about. I'm guessing that you picked the best of the 15 frames for your example, and it still has a wing clipped. You can't fix that, even by cropping. It's exhausting, trying to physically track fast-moving birds, and it's a skill that has to be developed over time. I'm just saying that most part-time bird photographers are going to get a lot of clipped wings, even with pre-capture. One thing that might be helpful to people is if you can settle whether the new AF is significantly better in low light. I haven't seen anyone cover that yet, and I didn't have time to explore it before I sent mine back. That has a much broader benefit if it does.

[@nicolasgiglio7084]

The 4k 60 are borderline unusable on the r5ii unless shooting in 8k. And 4k fine only goes to 30 fps. Every other setting for video makes the images soft. No big KZbinrs have talked about this yet so maybe you can be the first? Ps I do have the camera and have used it every day and there are a lot of problems with this camera that are making me return it that no one has talked about.

[@OrdinaryFilmmaker]

I've already talked about it. Hopefully 4K find 60. FPS will come in a firmware update. However, you could record 8K60 and down sample in software, but that would require a lot of storage.

[@JonnyPink65]

Absolute nonsense. This thing overheats like craze. I get the heat warning all the time. Shooting hummingbirds in Arizona last week at the Paton Center for Hummingbirds in about 95 f heat, the camera was hot and uncomfortable to hold. I switched back to the R3. Shooting video yesterday in 90 direct sun here in Los Angeles, it shut down on me after about 5 minutes. If I could return it to B&H I would. Get the R5 VI or wait until the figure it out. This thing heats up like crazy.

[@OrdinaryFilmmaker]

Did you set overheat pwr off to High? Lowres standby?

[@JonnyPink65]

@@OrdinaryFilmmaker Happened again today. It does seem to take a bit longer running with and external monitor, but shutting it down does make it cool down. I thought I was shooting in 8K yesterday but it turns out with an EF non L lens, it only shooting in 4K. For KZbin videos and talking head stuff, I usually use the little R50 and it is awesome - even in the hot summer sun. Doesn't shoot raw but for this it is fine. Even my music videos on the gimbal and shooting for others, I prefer that. My R3 has never overheated even at the height of summer in 105' F heat. So, I am going back to the R3. And I may have stated in my upper post, shooting hummingbirds in Arizona two weeks ago, the body was hot to the tough with the temp warning on constantly - and I was shooting 99% stills. Because I kept putting it down, the temp would go down a bit, but this thing overheats like crazy. The funning thing is, that when I was recording a video using the R5 II about the buffering and overheating, it stopped mid sentence - it overheated. Good body but not worth the limitations. If I could return it to B&H, I would. Not ready for prime time. Thank you for the reply. 🤗

[@prosunsport1]

Check Tony Northup real world review , in sports action auto focus the number of pics captured in focus on R5 95% and R511 97% so no not worth upgrade we will have to wait another 4 years to get real upgrade not 80% marketing hype.