Canon R5 Mk. II First Impression by a Bird Photographer

[@neostephens8980]

Good to see someone actually looking at photos and making a determination about IQ and NOT looking at freakin' charts!!

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Thank you. To me, all that matters is how my images look when I am done processing them. It is during processing that you get to understand the nuances of the files you are working with. So far the files coming from the R5II are great for what I need.

[@paullanoue5228]

As usual you give boots on the ground insights into how a camera preforms in the field. Thanks you do a great job!

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Thank you. I greatly appreciate your comments. Without you, there would be no Whistling Wings.

[@RobertMintonPhotography]

I swore by your settings on the R 5 for Birding, so looking forward to your video on the mk 2 birding settings!

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Thanks so much. It will not be long before the setup video is out. So much of the setup will be very similar to the R5, so there is less time needed on the R5II to home in on settings I really like for my bird photography.

[@marksawyer3383]

When will you have a setting set up video? Thank you!

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

I hope to have one in about a week. I need a bit more time on the camera to test different settings before I report on settings. Thanks so much for watching and please stay tuned.

[@EmmasNatureEscapes]

Thank you so much for this review. I'll keep following, because you give such useful information. All the best!

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Hey, thanks so much. Glad you find the content useful. Please see my R5II setup video if you have not already watched it. Sincerely, Ron

[@_SYDNA_]

Not holding the camera in my own hands, but I think you've described the locked area patterns correctly. Your words are essentially verbatum to the manual and I read those words to mean the following: The locked AF area patterns provide us a way to focus on the area of the image we're pointed at. No jumping off to find an eyeball or a moving object. So basically they give us the simplified mode we've been programming into our R3's when we wanted it to "stop helping us" and let us pick the point. So this is essentially providing us with the simplified "just-like-my-old-5D" focus we were programming into our exposure buttons. This is a good idea. I just hope there's a way to map it directly to a button because this is a function we use intermittently on the fly. Ron: Can you confirm whether locked area patterns can be programmed to the direct push of a button? Re. the "whole-frame" focus note. They have to turn off the "whole-frame" focus for these locked patterns because there is a last milli-second jump to whole frame that can take over right as you push the shutter button. Canon gave us that fail safe to make sure we were at least focused on something in that last moment, but that logic didn't always fit the way people work. Canon did come to figure out that this was a problem at times for users so I'm glad to see them building several overides into the the R5 II and R1. I think these changes will dampen down that wild-beast feel you sometimes get from the R3 - especially when you first use it. I continue to be blown away by the way Canon seeks to understand what it's customers are doing even though we, the users, often don't comprehend the engineering and data science challenges they are solving for us.

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Yep, they sure can be programed to a button. There are two ways to do it. Whatever button you have set to initiate "Metering and AF Start" you can go into the submenu for "Metering and AF Start" and set the "AF Area" to one of the Locked AF areas. Or, you can assign "Register and Recall a Shooting Function" to a button and do the same thing; set the "AF Area" to be one of the Locked AF areas. There may be other ways, but these are the two I would use for my shooting. Thanks for watching and adding your input to the discussion. Much appreciated.

[@_SYDNA_]

@@whistlingwingsphotography Nice! Thanks.

[@bitdancer1005]

Nicely done and great information, especially the comparison with the R3!

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Thanks you so much, and thank you for watching and taking the time to comment. Much appreciated.

[@francineperrin4845]

Thanks for this first sight about the R5 II. Looking forward to watching your next feelings about this camera and especially your settings

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

My pleasure! Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment.

[@davet3530]

Very Helpful Ron, thanks. I have one on pre order and am awaiting delivery. I really like the idea of that extra function you mention about being able to swap out from eye tracking, subject to track, etc and revert to what is essentially how the 5D MKIV DSLR would function. There are times when I want the camera to function for travel photography where I could be photographing people one moment and then detail the next and perhaps an animal in the next frame. I know I could set that up in a custom function, but the ability to quickly change to those options by just choosing an icon in the menu is i think tremendously useful.

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Hey, thanks so much for the kind words and for watching. I hope you get your camera soon. The more I shoot mine, the more I am realizing this is the camera I have been waiting for. Ron

[@alechunter3913]

Very helpful. Many thanks

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Glad it was helpful!

[@germanshepherdmom5411]

Got mine too and the only thing I wish is that there was a programmable button for the pre capture because I don’t always want to use it and diving into the menu is a bummer. It would be nice to be able to turn it on and off via a button. Otherwise, I love this camera!! I’m also looking forward to your set up video!!

[@isotechimages.9130]

These are the sort of issues that l am sure would be just a firmware update but will not likely happen.

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

You are reading my mind about the pre-capture. I was hoping to find a way to make it toggle on a button, but nope. It cannot be done it seems. I also would like to be able to turn off the "tracking frame" that shows up when shooting in a pure Zone AF. I don't want that grey square floating around. But again, it does not seem you can turn that aspect of the AF off. Thanks so much for watching and providing your input.

[@TheNewMexicoMan]

Maybe a firmware update will take care of that!

[@cathco9]

@@germanshepherdmom5411 See my reply below.

[@cathco9]

@whistlingwingsphotography I've tried this reply twice, but it keeps disappearing. You can add Precapture to the Quick Control Menu. You have to uncheck one item, I chose FLK, then check Pre. You can now just press the Q button while you're looking through the viewfinder to access precapture.

[@curtislewis3555]

Great video Ron. Been waiting on your thoughts. I received mine two days ago. Have you tried the pre-capture yet? I just returned from a ten day birding trip to Colombia and have not had time to try it out.

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

I have been working with it today. It works and is easy to use for the most part. I just wish there was a way to set a button to enable and disable it. If you shoot back button AF then it actually is not too big a problem. You enable it in the menu and it only is active if you have the shutter button pressed half way. Back button AF being active does not activate it so you control it pretty well. I need to work with it more, but so far it is a much better implementation than in previous cameras.

[@dimitristsagdis7340]

surprised by the noise esp. at and above 1600 ISO the R5 M2 is more noisy. At what magnification were you showing these crops?Just for the record the R5 M1 shots seemed more noisy than what I thought and I have two R5s that I regurarly shoot at high ISOs. Hence my question of crop/magnification. I think it may be the side-by-side comparison with the R3 that throws me off. I wonder if you were to down sample the two R5s (M1+M2) to 30MPs (the R3 resolution) if the resultant 30 MP down-sampled crops from the two R5s would have similar levels of noisiness between them, and how they fare with the R3 noise. Could make for an interesting video.Good shooting with your new body.

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

The crops are 100%. R3 resolution is 24mp not 30mp, just FYI. I have done a lot of different comparisons of noise between the R5 and R3 and the R3 images are just better any way I look at them when it comes to noise. Having shot the R5 since it first came out and now the R5II I am not seeing much of a difference in noise between the two cameras at the ISO levels I shoot at (800-4000). They are very similar and both respond well to noise reduction such as Topaz DeNoise. So, all in all, I am feeling really good about the R5II for my photography. Thanks so much for watching and adding your thoughts to the discussion.

[@pawetura549]

Super recording and material! Thank you for the review of the R5 Mark II. The R5 Mark II is already on its way to me. I am mainly afraid of the ventilation holes when taking pictures in the forest, meadows, on the beach, etc. (small bugs, midges, sand, dust and other dirt). What can you say about it? What is your opinion? Nikon Z9/Z8 and Sony A1/A7xxx / A9xxx do not have such holes. These holes seem to be isolated from the electronics. However, I am wondering about cleaning it, e.g. removing dust particles, small flies, dirt, etc.

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Hey, thanks for watching and the kind words. To be honest I don't even think about the vents. I just about about my photography. I am sure if something gets into the vent you will be able to remove it with some light suction from a vacuum. I have my equipment cleaned once a year, so Canon will clean this area I am sure. If they are ever an issue, I will def. report on it. Cheers, Ron

[@benlapid53]

I love the intuitive very right from the field review. It is much better than any review showing charts and comparing numbers. GREAT VIDEO!!!

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Hey, thanks for the kind words. I just got back from another shoot with the R5II and R3 and the smile on my face about the R5II performance keeps getting bigger.

[@kerrybrookCA]

Thanks, Ron. Very interesting. Look forward to future videos. What speed CFexpress cards do you recommend?

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Thanks so much for watching. I am using The Lexar Professional 1700 MB/s cards and I really like their performance in the R5II.

[@kerrybrookCA]

Thank you!

[@DavidMaciasPhoto]

Can't wait until your recommended setup video, I swore by your previous settings and configured the Mark II with some of those settings, but I think it needs a heck of more tweaking that I'm not getting, so can't wait. Thank you again.

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Coming soon! Thanks for watching. Much appreciated.

[@chasmoonie3403]

Good stuff Ron my R5II arrives this week, nice to know the viewfinder delay is no more, I like you have missed a few shots on the R5 ! Sold my R3 not enough MP ..

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Hey, thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. I will likely be following your lead and selling my R3 very soon. I think the R5II is all that the R3 is and a bit more with AF refinements beyond what I have experienced in the R3. More and more I think two R5IIs will be my kit moving forward.

[@chasmoonie3403]

@@whistlingwingsphotography I've got the A1 also, will be interesting to see how the tracking BIF compares with R5II

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

@@chasmoonie3403 They are very close, but I don't think my a1 is as good or as refined as the R5II. Be interested in what you find. Ron

[@SVS949]

Thanks for the story and the photo....Please write which lens you shot with - you liked the quality.... I'm waiting for your other birds.....

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

I have shot both the RF 600 f/4 and the RF 200-800mm and I like the IQ and performance of both on the R5II. Thanks so much for watching and commenting.

[@mikefrith1590]

Thank you. Still early days but so far really pleased. Happy I purchased

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Thanks for adding your input and thanks for watching.

[@jamesseward9263]

How do you feel about the crop mode in this camera compared to a supposed what a stack sensor in an R7 Mark II might offer? Would it be better to accept the lower megapixel count of the R5 II with its better sensor performance and have 2 R5’s as opposed to an R5 II and an R7 II ? Thanks 😊

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

I would def. go for the 2 R5IIs over having an R7. There are things, like the buffer performance for example, on the R7 that are not good if you shoot a lot of action.

[@andyambrose4517]

Great video Ron... still waiting for my Mk II... and very much looking to other videos on set-up...

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Hey, thanks for watching and commenting. I think you will really like the R5II. The more I shoot it the better I like it.

[@briankennedy9439]

Great initial review as usual. Looking forward to the full review/menu setup. I know the menus are somewhat different, but do you know if you can record your settings from the R5 onto a CF card and get most of them to move over to the R5ii? Thanks!

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

I actually tried that and I did not work for me. The menu structure is very similar but different enough that I guess they don't transfer over well. Maybe someone else has got it to work. That for watching and adding your input to the discussion.

[@charlesbertram6953]

The eye control is way better than the R3. I calibrated my eye once, and the cursor goes to where I am looking with great accuracy. Also, it seems to be much less complicated, requiring less customization of buttons. I would love to figure out a way to customize a button to turn pre-cont. shooting on and off.

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Hey, thanks for watching and for adding your input. Good to hear the eye control has been improved. I too wish there was a button customization for the pre-capture. Maybe that will come in a firmware update.

[@maryroseberry9957]

Great video. I love your sense of humor! Like others, I’m excited to see your set up video! Thank you!

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Thanks so much! It will not be long before I have a set up video out. My settings are coming together quickly for this camera.

[@mvp_kryptonite]

The R5ii is a monster is the impression I’m getting really. Like it is fast and just needs taming (by that I mean set up your buttons and learn the muscle memory). I had the pleasure of renting the 100-300/2.8 and R3 and man, so impressive how it was always ready to capture the image and only missed focus once out of 10k shots! I really wish I could collaborate eye control but now I have my 200-400/4 in going to save for a full frame body, R3 or R5ii not sure yet

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

It is a great camera. It is the R3 with 45mp except for the noise levels.

[@jamesseward9263]

So can any other improvements be made to the R5 II other than giving it cross type autofocusing points to make it almost perfect in the autofocusing department as opposed to what an R5 III might offer as another leap forward?

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

That is really an impossible question to answer given I have no idea what technological breakthroughs might happen between now and when an R5III might come along. The R1 might give us a glimpse as what might be coming in the R5III, but the R5III is so many years away, there is no way of knowing.

[@jamesseward9263]

@@whistlingwingsphotography I guess what I’m getting at is, when is “good” good enough and will find it difficult to spend money on continually upgrading our cameras? lol

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

@@jamesseward9263 In the R5II I think I now have what I have been waiting for since Digital Photography first came along. A camera that can shoot the high fps speeds to capture the fast action I shoot, and doing it with high enough resolution and AF capabilities that work for my small bird subjects. I am sure more tech is coming, but for me I can finally get by with just one body that can do it all. No more, this body for high resolution, and that body for fast action.

[@jamesseward9263]

@@whistlingwingsphotography I got that same feeling when I got my R5 II also and can probably justify owning 2 of them for a long time 😊 Thank you!

[@ScottSuriano]

Great Video Ron!... Your efforts and insight are always appreciated. I am looking forward to your Set-Up video. A couple of my observations re R5 ii: Pre Capture is a game changer for sports and wildlife. It is annoying that Canon did not incorporate an easy way to toggle On/Off. But if you use BB focus ( as most probably do), the Pre-Capture only engages when you half press the shutter, then fully press down for shot. So if you don't want it engaged, don't half press and just slam the shutter. It will take a bit of muscle memory but I think this may actually be a more effective way to activate it on the fly. I would like to see a firmware update to option less time than half a second so there will be less pre capture shots if desired. Also - Im kind of confused with the focusing points - that blue box is distracting and I haven't quite figured it out yet. I think the easiest way to remedy this in the meantime is to de-slect those in menu and select ones with the subject tracking locks - set the "SET" button to "Subject tracking" like the R3 and toggle as needed. Most often the eye tracking focus would work, ( I have exposure lock set for this) and if it didn't find the eye, it would go to head, then body. The eye control AF is marginally better than R3 - and does work when you set up whatever back button you use to focus to the right thing in custom buttons ( eye ball with the crosses?) ...but as cool as it is, I think it could be more of a hinderance than a help with Wildlife stuff. All and all I am thrilled...Like you, I loved the R3 - especially the focus - but wanted more megapixels. All the extra bells and whistles are an extra bonus.

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Thanks so much for watching and the kind words. I agree about the pre-capture and how we can work it to keep it "under control" and only active when we want it to be. All and all I am one that likes options and it would love a button assignment to turn it off so I don't need to think about it when I know I won't need it. I just got back from another shoot with the camera and I am thrilled. It seems there are improvements in the AF even over the R3. Refinements to the algorithms appear to have been implemented and I am liking the performance and the behavior of the AF a lot.

[@DavidPinkus2309]

Great video as usual. Looking forward to your setup video

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Coming soon! Thanks so much for watching and commenting.

[@jeffolson4731]

Great video. I got mine on the morning of the 20th. I did my initial setup with older batteries while the new batteries charged. I was a little surprised that items that won’t work with the old batteries also couldn’t be configured. I have only briefly tried to take the hot shoe cover off. With as difficult as that was, I didn’t succeed, I don’t think it will come off on its own. For my R5 and R7 I used my 3d printer to print my own. I think I will update my design to use a magnet to hold it in place. I will put at least 0.5mm of plastic between the magnet and hot shoe so I won’t short anything out. So far I am very happy with the improvement in AF operation. I am a creature of habit so I wish they had kept the power switch on the left and used the right switch for stills/video. I am only a few days in but I have turned it to video mode instead of off several times now. I agree, I love the beep for electronic shutter. I haven’t played with continuous rates yet. I agree it sounds confusing but I think I understand their reasoning but should they really care if I set H+ to 3, H to 10?

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Hey, thanks so much for watching and your in depth comment. The way Canon implemented the frame rate setting for H+ etc. is kind of weird, but at least we now have the option. thanks again.

[@jimwilson717]

Great video Ron, as usual! I agree with everything you have said so far, wonderful camera. I shoot a lot of whistling wings, but they have rivets. Keep up the wonderful work! JW

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Ha, great to see an airshow photographer here. Thanks for watching and adding your input on the camera for your type of photography.

[@klipspringer57]

Blunt n brilliant Ron..thank you !!! You always was and always will be my warts and all Go to Top-Gun

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Thanks so much for watching. Much appreciated. Ron

[@rherteux]

You literally made my day when you mentioned about being able to enable a sound for the electronic shutter! I saw the "Beep" setting but figured that was only for the autofocus beep. So glad there's a sound now...that's one thing that held me back from using the ES in the R5. I'll also mention I really wish there was a way to load your settings from the R5 onto the R5 II. The fact that the menu settings are so different now, it took me a while to setup my R5II to be like my R5 and even then it wasn't behaving exactly the same. For example, I had one of my back buttons set to Spot AF but when I set this on the R5II my spot would jump around. Now with that lock symbol Spot AF I think that fixes that problem as well so thank you for also pointing that out!

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Hey, glad you found the video helpful. I will be posting a setup video in about a week where I will go through every menu item and my overall setup for the R5II. Just in case you are interested. Also, you can set up for Back Button Spot AF that does not switch to tracking without using the locked Spot AF. It is just a bit different because of the menu changes. Cheers, Ron

[@rherteux]

@@whistlingwingsphotography Looking forward to it! I watched a similar video from Jan Wegener who I also respect and admire, so I'm curious how the two of you may differ in your setups and why.

[@billmartin1663]

With the R5ii, I'm getting a strange AF lag. With the RF 100-500 lens, the box turns blue (indicating focus lock) before the view in the EVF becomes sharp. A half second or full second later, the EVF becomes sharp.

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

I have not seen this issue, yet anyway. For me the AF system in the R5II is showing me refinement over what I have experience in years of shooting the R3. So, far the R5II is best AF system I have used. It will be interesting to see if others are seeing the same issue as you are.

[@stephensmith9236]

Very helpful video - reaffirmed my intention to buy a R5 II Thanks

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Glad it was helpful!

[@amandaluker9268]

I traded my R3 for the R5 Mkii so I hope I’ve done the right thing I loved my R3 . Even though it only had 24mg it was so fast and so sharp and I loved the button set up. We will see how it goes

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

I think you will find the R5II is very much like shooting the R3, especially if you get the battery grip. Let me know what you think as you start using the R5II.

[@martinpettinger]

Thank you Ron for such a positive review of the R3... I do think lots of reviewers see 24 mega pixels and right it off for wildlife ... its a shame ...its a great wildlife camera ! I love the R3 ... great feeling in the hand... great battery life driving a 600mm lens with no problem... great speed in capturing the subject ... wonderful detailed images...and you do not have to drill holes in it too let the heat out !😀 Regards ... Martin

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to comment. Much appreciated.

[@itaylorm]

Really useful overview. I am seeing the same things in my use since I got it on the 21st of August. The only things that throw me are the following: 1. The Hotshot cap is really hard to remove, 2. the power button position change makes it hard to shift back and forth between the I and II. I often turn video on instead of turning the camera off. The performance of the actual R5 Mark II is spectacular. Biggest plus so far is the double tap on shutter button to get focus to follow a certain person's face. Haven't tried it yet on a bird but looking forward to it as bird season is just starting here in the PNW.

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

The hotshoe cap is hard to get off, but that is better then it just falling off like they have in the past. I will take it being a bit hard to remove. I have not got face recognition to work with wildlife/birds. Thanks for watching and commenting. It is much appreciated.

[@mikechapman1280]

Hi Ron, great info, if you had to choose between R5 ii and R3 which one would you keep?

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

It is early on, but I am quickly leaning towards the R5II. I just returned from another shoot with both cameras and shooting the R5II feels just like shooting the R3, but you get 45mp and that makes me smile. I think I am also starting to recognize some refinements in AF in the R5II over the R3, making the R5II a bit better is some ways than the R3. Again, it is too early to make a definitive call.

[@michaellekas27]

Ron as always an excellent video. I’m looking forward to your in depth setup of the r5 mk2. But I do have a question for you. Is there a way you can program a button to give the AF point with the lock?? I can’t seem to figure that out.

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Yes, you can do that. In the customized buttons menu chose the back button you want to have set to initiate that AF area, set that button to use "Register and Recall a Shooting Function" then go into the submenu for "Reg. and Recall and Shooting Function" and set the "AF Area" to one of the AF point with the lock that you want that button to initiate while it is pressed. In the submenu make sure that the only parameters with a check mark in them are the "AF area" and " Auto focus operation" unless you want that button to do any of the other operations listed. Also, do not hit the "Register Current Settings" when you are doing setting up the submenu. Just back out of the menu once you have it set up. Hope this helps. Ron

[@kennethlui2268]

Got mine two days ago. Need to spend some time to set it up this weekend. You and I shoot birds and we are on the same page. R5 II is a huge upgrade from the R5 as far as bird/action photography goes. Many youtubers said noise and DR are worse than the original R5. I don't care as I only look at the final image. I am very interested in finding out its rolling shutter performance for hummingbird in flight. Unfortunately I might have to wait till Spring to find many hummingbirds in flight around flowers.

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to add your thoughts. Much appreciated.

[@brianfulton4903]

Hey Ron, other than a longer run time, does the battery pack do anything in regards to functionality?

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Yes, absolutely. There are several functions that will not operate with the older batteries. Moreover, they run at a higher voltage and I think it may be doing a lot of the lifting toward the much improved AF performance of the R5II over the R5. Thanks for watching. Good to hear from you Brian. Ron

[@rodc271]

Impressive first thoughts. Only wish it was available in the UK along with spare batteries. My retailer only received enough stock to satisfy part of the first day of pre-orders and no spare batteries at all. They are one of the big suppliers. Very frustrating.

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

I feel your pain. We have dealt with supply issues here in the US in the past. It seems the launch of the R5II is better supplied. We shall see how it proceeds. I hope you get stock soon in the UK. Thanks so much for watching and commenting. It means a lot.

[@toddslacum5866]

As far as panning BIF with mechanical shutter, is there the option of simulated optical viewfinder and if so, does it help? Seems counterintuitive, but may make some difference?

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Yes, there is that option, but of course if you enable that simulation you disable Exposure Simulation, and thus you do not see your actual exposure in the VF any longer. That is a big negative for most people I think. I have shot MS with OVF Sim on and it seems to help with the panning issue a bit, but it does not eliminate it. So, all in all the loss of Exp. Sim. is too big a negative for the small gain made IMO.

[@DmitryBrodsky007]

Some users of R3 and r5mii have already stated that after using both trackingwise r5m2 “cannot hold the candle to r3”. I dont have r3 but have r8 that inherited r3 af system and cannot categorically state that its af is much better than r5m2 after 2 weeks with r5m2. I think they are close. Jan Wagoneer who took r5m2 through Australian jungle for a week shooting birds also fell the systems were close.

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

I disagree that the R5II is much less capable AF-wise. I think they are very close and in some aspects I think the AF behavior in the R5II has be refined over what I see in the R3. It is still early in my use of the camera. We shall see. You have had the R5II for two weeks?

[@DmitryBrodsky007]

@@whistlingwingsphotography yes i got it slightly used from someone who got one early from one of the stores who did not follow the embargo closely. I did a youtube video of my impressions at the time….

[@SteveSSBB]

I did my initial setup today. I'm definitely going to have to have a bit of a different approach with my setup to take advantage of the flexibility of the new AF. I'm very pleased with the new features and liking the experience so far.

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

thanks so much for watching and taking time to comment.

[@colintraveller]

Do you find it a hinderance that using LPN6H Batteries some of the features won't work unless you use the designated batteries

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Battery related issues really don't bother me. I understand that new technology sometimes requires changes in power supply. It happens with computers a lot. The new battery has great staying power from what I have seen so far and it seems to have really helped improve the speed of the R5II. I think that out weighs having to get new batteries. Thanks so much for watching and commenting. It is appreciated.

[@JaredRibic]

27:00 - Tracking can be turned on/off easily with the R3, I do it all the time. Just a quick 2-button sequence that can be done without taking your eye from the viewfinder.

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Yep. I am not sure about Canon's thinking with regards to the new AF area selections. Thanks for watching. Ron

[@Strongfingers88]

Hey Ron! Great video. Can’t wait to see your opinion on the R1. I think you will see huge hidden improvements just like you found with the R5 m2. And I think your end setup will be a R1/ R5 m2 combo even though the R1 has only 24 mp. Anyways would love for you to bring up pre capture in the next video! Anyways just got my EF 800 F5.6 in this week so I get to go test it out with the R6 this weekend! I’m hella excited. Always look forward to your new videos!

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Hey, thanks for the kind words. I did not cover pre-capture in this first video because I have not had near enough time to play with all the new settings and other stuff on this camera. I will def be coving it in the next video. So far, I am a bit bummed that you cannot assign enable and disable of pre-capture to a button. But, I think in the end that will not be a bid deal. Cheers, Ron

[@WernerBirdNature]

Hi Ron, thanks for sharing these impressions. Looks like its a truly worthy successor, but I'll have some work to do to convince my wife I want to upgrade after just 2 years 🙈 And it doesn't help the European chains only seem to offer peanuts for my R5 because I shot like 215k images. Anyway, thanks for checking out "Bird Species Priority" was already working .. I had asked Jan Wegener and Ordinary Filmmaker to try it out, but they didn't try that so far. But I'm grateful you did !!! Should be an awesome feature in case you want to get a rare species which hides inside a flock of common birds ..

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to comment. Cheers. Ron

[@waynedettman6472]

Great job

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Thank you.

[@PaPaMoSSi]

Thank you Ron for another excellent review as always! I just got mine too, and I’m loving the ability to shoot RAW Precapture. However, the only potential dealbreaker for me is the addition of the video/stills button, which I really dislike. I hope they bring back the M-fn capability for switching between stills and video.

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

I agree 100% with the dedicated stills/video switch. I love how I have it set up on my R5 using the M-fn button. Fine have a dedicated switch, but also let us program a button to do it if we want. Options are nice to have. Thanks so much for watching, the kind words, and taking the time to comment.

[@kcornish]

I will hold out for the R3 mk2

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Canon says it is coming, but I am not sure where it will fit in the line-up. Hey, the way I look at it, the more options the better.

[@JodyMelanson]

My R5m2 didn't have the slow wake up viewfinder when I first started using it, but unfortunately it started again. Anyone can help?

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

When you state "it started again" do you mean it has done this before? If so, can you recall what settings you changed that could have caused the change in VF behavior? Could it be that your camera is turning off and so the wake up takes longer than if the camera is still "awake" and the VF is just off. I set my Power Saving - Auto Power Off to 5 min. to reduce the likelihood of the camera going to sleep in between shooting opportunities.

[@JodyMelanson]

@@whistlingwingsphotography I meant doing it again as I came from an R5. I have my eco settings so that the camera never shuts anything off. I would rather go through more batteries than miss the shot because of this slow fade in. It still persists. :/

[@tdunster2011]

Not a Canon user - but I find electronic shutter panning requires turning off both in camera and in lens stabilisation. When not panning though I find stabilisation useful most of the time - unless I'm using very fast shutter speeds.

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

On Canon cameras IS and IBIS are not separate, they work together so when one if off they are both off. Unless you are using a non-IS lens, then you can turn IBIS off or on. You can pan with IS/IBIS set to Mode 2 on Canon bodies/lenses and it can be helpful as it not only stabilizes the image but also the view finder making staying on a moving subject easier.

[@antonsteehouwer5855]

question: does it finally shows the distance (in meters) to the bird ?

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Yes, it can depending on what lens you have on the camera. It can display the focus distance.

[@petergottschling2597]

I have found the eye tracking AF better than the R5. I can pick out hummingbirds in a leafy tree. Also hummingbirds hovering near a feeder have no bad distortion in the wings even at 1/1600 sec

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

I agree, especially for the R5, and even compared to the R3. There have been refinements in the AF and I have seen it in the eye tracking, and the "stickiness" of the tracking as birds fly among and behind obstacles. The AF does not switch to competing elements in the scene nearly as often on the R5II. I am very pleased to this point with the R5II.

[@dannycarpenter4334]

do u feel its a good upgrade so far

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

For me, given I shoot a lot of fast action, I think it is a very big upgrade from the R5.

[@dannycarpenter4334]

@@whistlingwingsphotography good to hear...other then large mamals we pretty much shoot the same things so I respect yours and Harry Collins opinion on new gear

[@picklebird1261]

Got mine this week and went out and shot it today and your review is spot on! Rolling shutter absolutely destroyed a lot of my hummingbird shots in Ecuador and in the prelim shots with the R5M2 they have looked fine but that was just a few and not a dedicated week of shooting them. Catherine D.

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Wow, I hope the rolling shutter issue is more "gone" then I thought based on my initial work on this camera. Thank you so much for adding this information.

[@dave8052]

Agree, I find the R5 Mark II to be a 45 mp R3! One feature I really liked was the inclusion of the focus preset. A feature I had only on my most expensive Canon lenses.

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to add your thoughts. Ron

[@jeremylock6773]

I wish that they had put it in an R3 body!

[@dave8052]

@@jeremylock6773 So do I, it would only take a firmware update and the R3 has more programmable buttons.

[@adminggroup5737]

Great review from a true wildlife photographer. owl face registration? you win!

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Ha! Thank you for the kind words. Hey, I had to give it a try. You never know. I still think that is the future. Just a matter of time.

[@kenandcamera]

Nice video. Totally agree that 45mp is the way to go. Wish Canon's R1 had 45mp (I would have preordered instantly). Instead, I'll use the Canon R5 mk ii.

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Right with you on the R1. Even 32 or 36mp would have been okay with me for the R1. I am very excited about the R5II. Thanks for watching and commenting. Much appreciated.

[@stefanonacci6249]

i 45 Mp non servono a nulla, non i MP a fare la buona fotografia , i 24 Mp bastano e avanzano. tutti credano che piu' MP sia migliore, ma è sbagliato. le Ammiraglie Canon hanno avuto sempre i 18/20 MP, come la 1D markIII e la 1DX mark III. i 45MP sono solo una illusione per chi non capisce niente di fotografia

[@mattli911]

I've shot the R5 for 3 years. Recently everyday for the last 2 years straight more or less. As soon as I tried the R5 Mark II the other day, I could immediately tell the autofocus was almost night and day better, like you kind of said. That coupled with no blackout/lag in the EVF and 30FPS/Preshooting and brighter EVF, it made a huge difference for me. I did some DR tests and at ISO 100, the new camera is noticeably better I think, in boosting exposure in Electronic shutter. Less noise and better colors in the shadows. At like ISO 1600-3200-6400, it basically looks almost the same to me as the R5. Maybe more purple in the new camera, but it's so close/it's not a big deal. Worth the small trade off. Maybe there will be improvements to LR / Raw processing soon too. ****** ISSUE ****** One issue I came across / worth mentioning for people. If you shoot with Suppressed Lower Framerate , in the EVF Display settings/refresh rate. If you have that option checked. I noticed that as of Firmware 1.0, when you burst at 20-30fps with AI Servo. The Focus will be locked at first, then go crazy / lose focus. If you turn that settting OFF, or leave it alone / let the EVF get laggy when your shutter speed is very very low, then the AI servo/focusing seems fine.

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Hey, thanks. This is a very interesting observation on your part. Valuable stuff. Ron

[@mattli911]

@@whistlingwingsphotographyHere is a recording I did over hdmi and my iPad. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oGTciK2NrNiqh9Usi=_iTzEtt2EOa6-f78 I noticed this on multiple lenses, RF lenses, so seems to be from the darker exposure / the camera trying to keep the evf snappy and then AF chokes out mayeb? Or not enough light then vs with it unchecked.

[@cathco9]

I've been out shooting hummingbirds that past two days using ES. I used 1/3200 or 1/4000. I was not panning. The photos came out great!

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Great. Thanks for the information. Very valuable to know.

[@TheNewMexicoMan]

Maybe Register/Recall in the R5MkII has expanded to more new features to instantly recall!

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

It seems similar, but I have not had a chance to delve into it yet. I will def report back. Thanks so much for watching.

[@TheNewMexicoMan]

@@whistlingwingsphotography There are a lot of hidden features the cameras have. I know you will uncover them all. Please let me know what you find.

[@RogerZoul]

You said “Come on, Canon”. Then we echoed that here in the comments section. Canon “came”. I’m happy.

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

I am excited about the R5II. Can't wait to get more time behind the camera and settle into to settings that will improve my image making. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@andrew9654]

I appreciate the video! It took 35 minutes to get to what I really want to know 😅. I do lots of bird photography but my main business is dogs. I move with them and pan lots with them. I’m currently still shooting with 5Dmk4 (which I absolutely love). I’m pretty set on the R3 but would love more MP because I crop heavily for my bird photography. I WISH the R3 or even R1 was 30mp like the 5Dmk4 😢

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Thanks so much for watching. The video does have "chapter" so I hope you can skip to what you want to know without having to watch the whole video. I too wish the R1 was in the 30mp range.

[@billmartin1663]

One downside of the R5ii fake shutter sound . . . Merlin picks it up as a Great Egret. The same is true of the R7 fake shutter sound.

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Any why is this an issue? Curious minds what to know.

[@thelensmanphotography]

Yep, got mine today - batteries charging!

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

The new batteries are def. higher capacity as it takes them a lot longer to charge than the older batteries. Please come back and let us know what you think about the camera as you start working with it. Cheers.

[@davidchenoweth5744]

Great information I believe the new batteries are better and do take longer to charge. I’ve shoot over 10000 shots thru my R5 Markii, like you far better R5

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Thanks for the kind words and for providing confirmation of battery difference. Much appreciated.

[@contentm3893]

Down side of the R5II is the battery grip makes it the same size as the R3. Not good.

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Def. a personal thing. I love the R5II with the battery grip. I would not shoot without the grip as it combined with the new batteries are giving me great length of shooting. I shot all morning this morning for 4 hours in hot conditions combining a bunch of video and stills and at the end I still had 50% battery left. I will take that. I hate having to think about battery status and card space while I am out shooting. The good stuff always seems to happen when you need to change batteries or a card (I now shoot 1TB cards). Thanks for watching.

[@contentm3893]

@@whistlingwingsphotography Thanks you for the review. I shoot 4K 120fps and don't want the extra weight / size with the battery grip.

[@dancampeau1963]

I'd like to own one, but fear dropping it. I dropped my R7 by accident on my concrete basement floor. Surprisingly, my R7 didn't even get a scratch. I was lucky. However, the r5 m2 is nearly 4x the price

[@AnhTuan-xn1zd]

The video is amazing. Hope you have real-life bird photography videos soon.

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Many for videos to come as I continue to work with the camera. Thanks for watching.

[@billmartin1663]

Rolling shutter is there with the R5ii AND the R3. It's slightly worse with the R5ii -- because the sensor is slower. Curlicue wingtips aren't good for anyone. C'mon, Canon!

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

From what I have been hearing from people shooting the R5II on hummers and other fast winged birds, they are not seeing any rolling shutter issues. I have not tested it on hummers yet, but so far I am not hearing of rolling shutter issues.

[@christophercarlimages9003]

I agree. The R3 with R5 sensor was what I wanted. Cant wait any longer for such a product from Canon. They made it clear they only listen to the 24 mpx sports niche so after decades with Canon I jumped to Nikon. Got a Z9 and have zero regrets. Price was similar since the R5MK2 needed a grip and new batteries to uncripple the video. Better lens roadmap with Nikon as well. But I can sympathize with photographers who have to settle for whatever their brand releases because its cost prohibitive to sell their gear and take the loss. Most people are sadly handcuffed to the system they are in and always trying to focus on the positives when the negatives stare them in the face. I do think viewers would also like to hear the negatives (seems the R5MK2 is nearly perfect I guess) since many probably take your reviews into account when throwing thousands of dollars at a product. Good luck with the new gear! Cheers!

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

I have a Z9 and it is a great camera. Personally I do find it way too heavy and large for a mirrorless camera. I reminds me of my Canon 1DX and 1DxII. I have small hands and it is painfull after a day of gripping the Z9. With regards to the content of my videos, I am not beholden in any way to Canon and I am fortunate to be able to shoot whatever system I want. I have a Sony a1, Nikon Z9, Canon R3, etc. I do not chose to do inter-brand comparison videos because they turn into fanboy wars that do not serve in providing people with useful information. Overall, I call it like I see it and it right now, for the work I do, I have not encountered any glaring negatives with the R5II. If there are negative I will present them. If there are positives/improvements I will present them. For example, I mentioned the rolling shutter in my R5II video. It is early in my use, but so far I could not be happier with the R5II. I can say based on my experience that the R5II, Sony a1, and Nikon Z9 are all very close in capabilities for the type of shooting I do. We are splitting hairs among them. Lastly, I do not think photographers need any sympathy for having to shoot Canon. If you cannot get the images you are after with a camera like the R5II, R3, and soon the R1, then well...

[@christophercarlimages9003]

​@@whistlingwingsphotographyi never said Canon shooters need sympathy. I said I sympathize with people who are handcuffed to any brand because of their investment. Who wants to take a hit on the sale of any $15k 600 f4? Doesn't matter which brand it is if you are unable to leave because of your investment. Not just Canon. Just seemed like the enthusiasm for it was a little more than what it offers IMO. Of course, obviously you differ in opinion and I am sure your opinion is worth way more than most. Maybe one day Canon will get a high mpx pro body camera.....

[@buddahbud1]

Thanx ... and be well.

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

You too!

[@sasannejadi5221]

Everything you said was said in the past days and was not new. We look at camera performance in the field and would love to hear about it

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Hey, sorry to disappoint. I take things in order. I will do a field review and a deep dive into the menu and set up when I feel I have a good understanding of the camera and that does not come after just a couple of days with the camera. In my defense, I did provide performance information in the video for things like AF, IS, ISO, DR, etc. based on real-world shooting. Maybe you missed it.

[@vanmakt124]

Excellent video as always! One thing I have tried to find definitive information about is if the camera support the dual motors autofocus on the RF 600/f4, with or without the battery grip. All information I have found is that it will “probably” not support it and that it’s “most likely” to just be the R1 that will support it. Have you found out yet? Not that it’s deal breaking but it’s at least one parameter that needs to take in count for me before making a buy :)

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

I have not been able to confirm that it does drive the 600 f/4 to its full capabilities. I will keep trying. However, I will say this. The AF behavior of the 600 on the R5II is very close to what it is like on the R3, so something has changed and for the better. The new batteries do put out a higher voltage so the servos and motors are probably running at high speeds, but is it maxed out? I don't know. Thanks so much for watching and commenting. I really appreciate your involvement in my channel.

[@Kellysher]

Hey Ron! Due to budget, I’ll be keeping my R5. I appreciate your comments on the difference between the R5 and R5ii. It will help me make the call when I can get the cash together! Can you process the files in Lightroom and Topaz yet.

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Hey, thanks for watching. Yes, I have been processing my R5II files in LRc and Topaz. No issues.

[@CZOV]

OMG, a BEEP, finally, like my 1980 Mac!

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Thank, God.

[@AtaBoraBasar]

Hey Ron, I love the smile on your face.😉

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Hey, thanks. I love to be able to smile. Thanks for watching and putting a smile on my face this morning.

[@AndiusTeijgeler]

The R3 Mark II might get the animal face recognition 🙂

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

That could be, if we ever see a R3II. I personally am not holding my breath. Thanks for watching.

[@contentm3893]

How in the world does the eye cup cause you to miss shots? No it does not fall off.

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Not on the R5II, but on the R3 I have had 3 of the soft rubber parts tear and start to separate from the plastic frame. When this happens part of the rubber can extend over the VF and cause me problems seeing clearly through the VF. This has caused me to miss shots. I finally just took the rubber part off completely. I have had several other people tell me they have had the same issue. So, just because you have not had a problem, does not mean one does not exist for others who may shoot differently than you. I wear glasses and that may be part of the issue, but anyway.

[@contentm3893]

@@whistlingwingsphotography Take care of the R3, it's awesome.....lol.

[@CanonR5II]

Great video Ron! I agree with your early assessment of the camera. Definitely a big and great update to the original R5, and that’s really saying a lot! I think your channel is one of the best teaching channels for giving guidance for recommended settings for Canon's lineup for bird and wildlife photographers 📸

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Hey, thanks so much for the very kind words. They are much appreciated in a world where most of what you hear is negative reviews of people efforts to help others. These types of comments are what keep me going. Thank you as well to the others that agreed with this comment. Ron

[@toddslacum5866]

Agree

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Thanks for watching.

[@isotechimages.9130]

Over the coming years AI will bring us beyond what we expect in focus recognition. So what the lock symbols do is with the R6ii you go single point but it would start there and then try to track if you go to the lock symbol it is just focused on that single point and will not move like the old days before all this tracking, it is great it was a problem for me in past but like many things with R5ii is problem solved.

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

I am sure that is correct. It will be an interesting ride as technology marches on. The digital revolution in photography sure has been to this point.

[@ScottRitchie-bw9ls]

Lovely intro video on a great camera. I've had 2 sessions, and I totally agree! The AF much snappier than R5, and stickier too, Rolling shutter not as bad. The one thing I was impressed with was the pre-capture. Mate, this opens yup an entirely new astyle of BIF for me,. The launching. When perched birds launch, I'm usually too kate to get good images. But with precapture, you get the whole enchilada. From perched, to squat, launch and fly away. And all sharp. And other launches, like hopping, flitting, etc. Great for small birds. You will have fun!!!!

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

Thank you for the kind words. I agree, pre-capture is well executed on the R5II. It will be a big asset to many photographers.

[@CZOV]

Wow, it can register people's faces? Wow, my 10 yrs old Panasonic has that too, and i only paid $500 for it.

[@jeffolson4731]

I was wondering how many existing cameras had that feature. How well does it work?

[@whistlingwingsphotography]

But did it work? Could it track that person throughout the frame? Could it track that person among obstacles to AF id? I would hope this new tech is much more capable than the old.