Canon EOS R5 Mark II in the hands of the lucky? [CR1]

[Hector1970]

What focus setting are you using? I have one back button set to focus using the centre spot with the small square and that seems to work in most cases for pinpointing a small bird in a tree as well as in DSLR days. From what I gather, Sony and Nikon who use contrast detect as well as phase detect have the same problems for AF when there are background problems as does Canon, even though they use cross points for their phase detection.

It’s all Alan’s fault I took the plunge and bought the R5 about 18 months ago. It’s a super camera. The 1DXIII was the most disappointing camera for me. It should have been at least 30MP. In comparison the R5 has just shone. It’s an excellent image making tool. It really showed me the advantages of mirrorless. Excellent for sports, wildlife, studio and landscape. Fantastic all rounder. Don’t hesitate to pick one up if the price drops. The R5II you’d hope autofocus would improve. Speed of initially locking onto target is all it needs. It holds onto target really well. It’s not great at cluttered backgrounds if the target is small. Mine has a noticeable lag coming to life. I try to push something as I lift the camera to the eye so it’s active by the time I look through the viewfinder. I’m predicting a meh! upgrade. 60 MP, 10,20,30 FPS, heating issue on video solved, maybe a pre-shot mode option.

 

[RunAndGun]

I’m kind of surprised at the number of people wanting shutter sound. Nostalgia? Just DL Duran Duran ‘Girls on Film’ and play it on a loop. Lol

 

[AlanF]

It’s all Alan’s fault I took the plunge and bought the R5 about 18 months ago. It’s a super camera. The 1DXIII was the most disappointing camera for me. It should have been at least 30MP. In comparison the R5 has just shone. It’s an excellent image making tool. It really showed me the advantages of mirrorless. Excellent for sports, wildlife, studio and landscape. Fantastic all rounder. Don’t hesitate to pick one up if the price drops. The R5II you’d hope autofocus would improve. Speed of initially locking onto target is all it needs. It holds onto target really well. It’s not great at cluttered backgrounds if the target is small. Mine has a noticeable lag coming to life. I try to push something as I lift the camera to the eye so it’s active by the time I look through the viewfinder. I’m predicting a meh! upgrade. 60 MP, 10,20,30 FPS, heating issue on video solved, maybe a pre-shot mode option.

Thanks for the endorsement, Hector!

 

[Deepboy]

I’m kind of surprised at the number of people wanting shutter sound. Nostalgia? Just DL Duran Duran ‘Girls on Film’ and play it on a loop. Lol

I also find the shutter sound useless with electronic shutter; the only time I used the ES was when shooting a movie backstage, where of course absolute silence was needed while filming, and so only way of taking bts shots when camera was filming was with the ES.
I would use it only when full silence is needed, so I see no reason to reinstate a fake shutter sound; would just be a gimmick, and "what isn't there cannot break", or in this case, mess with the firmware. I would REDUCE camera setting and gimmicks, not increase them! Menus are infinite, and user manual are like 900 pages, that's crazy, the thing is a damn light proof box with three and two half parameters to control exposure (the two half are WB and switch between eye-af and single point af), anything else is basically useless cr*p.

 

[danfaz]

I’m kind of surprised at the number of people wanting shutter sound

I also find the shutter sound useless with electronic shutter

I saw some YouTube video where they were saying the shutter sound comes in handy when photographing models, who key their pose changes off the sound of the shutter clicks.

 

[amorse]

I wonder of ordinary filmmaker is referring to people actually testing the camera for feedback to Canon, or if these are the review units that go out to reviewers not long before an announcement? This seems pretty late in the game to be seeking actionable feedback on the camera if it is truly going to be released before Q1 2024.

 

[unfocused]

I also find the shutter sound useless with electronic shutter; the only time I used the ES was when shooting a movie backstage, where of course absolute silence was needed while filming, and so only way of taking bts shots when camera was filming was with the ES.
I would use it only when full silence is needed, so I see no reason to reinstate a fake shutter sound; would just be a gimmick, and "what isn't there cannot break", or in this case, mess with the firmware. I would REDUCE camera setting and gimmicks, not increase them! Menus are infinite, and user manual are like 900 pages, that's crazy, the thing is a damn light proof box with three and two half parameters to control exposure (the two half are WB and switch between eye-af and single point af), anything else is basically useless cr*p.

Both the R3 and the R7 offer the option to have a shutter sound with the electronic shutter, so Canon obviously has found it to be an option that people want. Some people, myself included, find it helpful to have the auditory feedback. If I need complete silence I have that option. You can always turn the sound off, so if you don't want it, don't use it. But, don't dictate to others what they should want.

 

[Czardoom]

What focus setting are you using? I have one back button set to focus using the centre spot with the small square and that seems to work in most cases for pinpointing a small bird in a tree as well as in DSLR days. From what I gather, Sony and Nikon who use contrast detect as well as phase detect have the same problems for AF when there are background problems as does Canon, even though they use cross points for their phase detection.

Pinpointing birds among branches is arguably the most difficult situation for AF in all brands. While many folks are looking forward to the additional AF aspects that are found in the R7, R6 II and R8 to come to the R5 II - especially tracking in all modes, tracking in all modes may add to the difficulty, not subtract from it. Many of the birders who have "set-up" videos have one or two programmed buttons to turn on/off subject detect and/or eye detect. It seems that these "AF improvements" need to be turned off in certain situations. Many users I encounter on Facebook ask why when they are using small AF areas, does their focus point move around to all parts of the screen. The recommendation is to turn off tracking in those situations. Sometimes the old fashioned way of focusing - small AF point, aim at bird, no tracking, shoot - is the best solution.

 

[unfocused]

In my line of work I need 3 or 4 batteries when using the R5 compared to the 1 I need when using the 5D4. It is a major drawback, and batteries are not exactly cheap either. Much more likely to end up without a charged battery which would be catastrophic for pro work. The electronic viewfinder strains my eyes way too much as well, I’m in my 50s and need to take care of my eyesight (as should younger people).

All the Canon mirrorless burn through batteries. I don't know about other brands, but I suspect it is just the nature of mirrorless. At least the charger for the R5 and R7 is small. Packing the R3 charger for an overnight assignment is kind of a pain. I've got two spares for the R3 and four for the R5. I charge them up at night to be ready for the next day. At least the LP E6 NH is small and it's easy to keep a spare in my pocket and several more in my bag. The LP E19 is not nearly as compact. Maybe Canon can perform a miracle and make the next iteration of the E6 even more efficient, but we might be nearing it limits and frankly, I'd rather they not change batteries on me.

Personally, I've never noticed any eye strain with the electronic viewfinders on the R, R5, R7 and R3. Maybe it's just me. But I am almost 70 and so far, no problems. My wrist and fingers are another story. After two days of shooting an event I think, "I'm getting too old for this."

 

[AlanF]

Pinpointing birds among branches is arguably the most difficult situation for AF in all brands. While many folks are looking forward to the additional AF aspects that are found in the R7, R6 II and R8 to come to the R5 II - especially tracking in all modes, tracking in all modes may add to the difficulty, not subtract from it. Many of the birders who have "set-up" videos have one or two programmed buttons to turn on/off subject detect and/or eye detect. It seems that these "AF improvements" need to be turned off in certain situations. Many users I encounter on Facebook ask why when they are using small AF areas, does their focus point move around to all parts of the screen. The recommendation is to turn off tracking in those situations. Sometimes the old fashioned way of focusing - small AF point, aim at bird, no tracking, shoot - is the best solution.

Absolutely - I believe in KISS, keep it simple, stupid. Full sensor with eyeAF/racking gets me most things, including BIF at the edges; fixed centre spot means I can find small objects and focus on what part of them I want without the camera looking for something else. I don't use those extra fancy zone settings etc on the R7.

 

[Deepboy]

I saw some YouTube video where they were saying the shutter sound comes in handy when photographing models, who key their pose changes off the sound of the shutter clicks.

If you photograph a model in 99,999999% of cases there's no reason to use the ES, especially when we're talking R5, as everybody knows that RAW bit depth with ES is 12bit vs 14bit with EFCS and mech shutter. And if you're using strobes (again, with R5, but also with 95% of mirrorless today) then no ES, as strobes doesn't work with it. I think just R3, Z8, Z9, A9 and very few other flagship cameras can use strobes with ES.

Talking about R6, very few of the people I shoot can hear the shutter sound even with ECFS (mech shutter is jut a bit noisier, but not by far); anyway if shooting in the studio the key for changing pose is the strobe flashing. The BIP of the AF is much more noisier then the shutterblades.
And anyway, 4 out of 5 times if I'm shooting indoor a model, she wants music, usually loud enough, so she can't hear anything, no shutter and no bip.

Don't trust what showmen and clowns say on YT, most of them are not photographers, just entertainers and influencers; the know nothing about actual photography work, and half of them doesn't even study the product they are promoting in that very video, I see big mistakes and bullsht all the times.
I remember a woman telling "you can't use external flash and/or trigger with M6 II" in a comparison with similar cameras, I commented "well, so what is that big hot shoe for? You see, the silver quad thing on top of the camera? The thing I used last week to do a photoshoot with, surprise, a trigger mounted on it?", and she answered "I'm no technician, I help people choose what best suits them. If you want to know tech specs then my channel is not for you, I talk about real use cases and EMOTIONS". I said "yeah, you no tech b*tch, but saying something so much false and misleading as M6 II has no ext flash capability is not acceptable. So how much did S o N y paid you for all those lies, as you are saying good things only on them and bashing all the other brands in the comparison?". She blocked me.

 

[Deepboy]

All the Canon mirrorless burn through batteries

No, at least not if doing just photography; people burn batteries not knowing how to use cameras, that's different.

But I agree on viewfinders, both R6's and R10's (this one is inferior to the R6's) feels like an optical viewfinder, no strains whatsoever. And I use the lowest refresh rate (to save batteries ahah!), and even with lowest refresh I cannot tell the R10 from the optical 6D. In a few days an RP is coming to replace the R10, and I'm sure it would be fine as well.

 

[Bahrd]

Eye Control AF shouldn't be a surprise. Neither the AF ♫faster than the eye could flick♫...

 

[Bad_GAS]

Still something my shooting doesn’t require, it’s not a big deal to have for me

Based on your other comment is sounds like you shoot at least some wildlife. Are there not moments where you wish you could go back and get extra frames prior to the moment you hit the shutter button?

I think for the BIF you mentioned it's not as relevant, however I was on a whale watching trip last week and it would have been invaluable when trying to capture a whale breaching.

 

[unfocused]

...I was on a whale watching trip last week and it would have been invaluable when trying to capture a whale breaching.

Would it really? My understanding is that you have to half-press the shutter to activate and the burst is very brief. It sounds great, but I wonder how useful it is in real life (I haven't even tried it on the R7. I guess I should.) My suspicion is that it will be like eye-control autofocus. I was very stoked to get eye-control on the R3...until I actually tried to use it.

 

[Czardoom]

Would it really? My understanding is that you have to half-press the shutter to activate and the burst is very brief. It sounds great, but I wonder how useful it is in real life (I haven't even tried it on the R7. I guess I should.) My suspicion is that it will be like eye-control autofocus. I was very stoked to get eye-control on the R3...until I actually tried to use it.

Pre-burst gets you shots you just won't get otherwise. If you want a shot of a bird taking off, or any action where you don't know the exact moment it will happen. Yes, you continually hold down the shutter half way, and when the bird takes off, for example, you fully press - usually just for a split second because by the time you fully press, there's nothing there any more. But you get the shots that happened from 1/2 second before you fully pressed. (on Canon). My Olympus gets you as much as a full second before, if you want, but 1/2 second is plenty enough. But, you do have to know where the action is going to take place since you need to aim the camera at that spot.

 

[definedphotography]

I wonder of ordinary filmmaker is referring to people actually testing the camera for feedback to Canon

it'll be hands-on testers. that way they can give feedback to tweak things (most likely firmware rather than actual hardware) before they go into full production. review units are more likely to be in reviewers hands some weeks before the release date i.e. Q1 next year.

 

[becceric]

Eye Control AF shouldn't be a surprise. Neither the AF ♫faster than the eye could flick♫...

Wow! Your Latest Trick! Now I’ve got to play my CD!

 

[davidespinosa]

Important R5 Mk II feature:
* Lowers price of current R5

 

[kaihp]

Both the R3 and the R7 offer the option to have a shutter sound with the electronic shutter, so Canon obviously has found it to be an option that people want. Some people, myself included, find it helpful to have the auditory feedback. If I need complete silence I have that option. You can always turn the sound off, so if you don't want it, don't use it. But, don't dictate to others what they should want.

The R3 comes in ES by default, and I've only shot it this way. I've turned on the shutter sound as a feedback to myself that the camera did go off. Probably because I'm used to the mechanical sound in all other cameras (not counting smartphones).
While this is an R5 thread, I'd like to point out one gripe that I have with the R3:
The day in turning on the EVF when you put the camera to your eye. OVF is "always on" and I really miss that.

anyway if shooting in the studio the key for changing pose is the strobe flashing. The BIP of the AF is much more noisier then the shutterblades.
And anyway, 4 out of 5 times if I'm shooting indoor a model, she wants music, usually loud enough, so she can't hear anything, no shutter and no bip.

If you're stopping down from the largest aperture, the blades action in the lens is also a pretty good giveaway of the shot.