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

[Besisika]

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.

These are people who shoot their model 25cm away from their faces.
Besides, I am not sure how could you shoot a model in electronic shutter mode; how many photos a second you want to get? Just wondering.

 

[koenkooi]

These are people who shoot their model 25cm away from their faces.
Besides, I am not sure how could you shoot a model in electronic shutter mode; how many photos a second you want to get? Just wondering.

40!

 

[GMCPhotographics]

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.

Yes I agree, I use an R8 with the dinkiest of batteries. So...I set my rear screen to the Q screen only. I turn of the wifi...it really burns through the battery. Usually the airport / aeroplane mode is the best for this and I don't shoot movies...just stills. I'm a photographer dambit...not a videographer! I get loads of shots per battery charge, around 550+ shots per charge. So nearly as much per charge as my old 5Diii's did...so yes the newer Canon mirrorless bodies and batteries are great if you intelligently apply the right settings. I get less when using my big old ef 400mm f2.8 LIS, but that's a lot of glass and the IS needs a lot of driving from the battery.

The new R3 / R6II and R8 hotshoe caught me out too. There is a lot of mis information about. I have a pair of EX680 RT's and a ST-E3 RT. according to the YT idiots, I need to sell and replace my flashes to work. Actualy they all fit on my new R8 fine and they work great. I just loose about 1cm of weather sealing around the gasket at the front.
So what does the new flash adaptor do? Two things, it maintains the weather seal (not a biggie) and raises the height of the flash & Flash hotshoe to what it would have been if there as a DSLR optical view finder hump. That's it...no other benefit.

 

[Skyscraperfan]

We already reached a point long ago when cameras hardly got any better on the stills side. Maybe there are still autofocus improvements for moving subjects and more frames per second, but if you shoots still like me, the peak was already reached a decade ago. Where will we go from here? What could still get better? Just thunk twenty or thirty years into the future. What innovations will come to cameras that will make taking photos much more convenient than now? And what improvements will make our images look better?

I just came back from a long trip with a camera that was announced in 2011. So it is 12 years old. Yet I wonder which shots would have been better with a modern camera like the R3 or R5. The main advantage I see is the IBIS, that would have been helpful in some situations. Dynamic range has also improved. How would a new camera help me take a better photo of a skyscraper though? Before this trip I thought about buying a mirrorless camera, but I am not so sure any more.

So I would not expect too much from an R5 II. It can't be a big improvement from the R5.

 

[peters]

I realy hope for better Dynamic Range in Video. This is realy where the camera falls behind quite notable to other cameras. The rest is already pretty perfect. And btw - they allready fixed the overheat in the latest firmware. I did not run into ANY overheat since

Higher fps modes (like 240fps in FHD or more) would be also very welcom

 

[GMCPhotographics]

We already reached a point long ago when cameras hardly got any better on the stills side. Maybe there are still autofocus improvements for moving subjects and more frames per second, but if you shoots still like me, the peak was already reached a decade ago. Where will we go from here? What could still get better? Just thunk twenty or thirty years into the future. What innovations will come to cameras that will make taking photos much more convenient than now? And what improvements will make our images look better?

I just came back from a long trip with a camera that was announced in 2011. So it is 12 years old. Yet I wonder which shots would have been better with a modern camera like the R3 or R5. The main advantage I see is the IBIS, that would have been helpful in some situations. Dynamic range has also improved. How would a new camera help me take a better photo of a skyscraper though? Before this trip I thought about buying a mirrorless camera, but I am not so sure any more.

So I would not expect too much from an R5 II. It can't be a big improvement from the R5.

The R6II and R8 has pushed the AF curve slightly compared to the R5. The new auto detect mode is very good and the ability to flick through the various modes is way easier on the R6ii / R8. The ability to tell the camera how and what you want it to focus on and track is a lot more intuative on the R6ii & R8. I can flick between eye detect AF and servo tracking, to single point one shot really easily and it's fast. So the newer code allows me to instruct the camera how to operate it's AF.
This code could easily be ported over to the R5's firmware. However there's no guarentee that the addition of a new feature to a legacy device won't break something else. Just look at the recent firmware pull for the R5c...a great example of a new feature breaking something else.
The other question is if Canon would want to port over this code to the existing R5 when the R5II is in the wings that looks like it's going to be a soft side grade along the lines of the R6 to the R6ii side grade.

 

[Deepboy]

Yes I agree, I use an R8 with the dinkiest of batteries. So...I set my rear screen to the Q screen only. I turn of the wifi...it really burns through the battery. Usually the airport / aeroplane mode is the best for this and I don't shoot movies...just stills. I'm a photographer dambit...not a videographer! I get loads of shots per battery charge, around 550+ shots per charge. So nearly as much per charge as my old 5Diii's did...so yes the newer Canon mirrorless bodies and batteries are great if you intelligently apply the right settings. I get less when using my big old ef 400mm f2.8 LIS, but that's a lot of glass and the IS needs a lot of driving from the battery.

The new R3 / R6II and R8 hotshoe caught me out too. There is a lot of mis information about. I have a pair of EX680 RT's and a ST-E3 RT. according to the YT idiots, I need to sell and replace my flashes to work. Actualy they all fit on my new R8 fine and they work great. I just loose about 1cm of weather sealing around the gasket at the front.
So what does the new flash adaptor do? Two things, it maintains the weather seal (not a biggie) and raises the height of the flash & Flash hotshoe to what it would have been if there as a DSLR optical view finder hump. That's it...no other benefit.

With LP-E17 on the R10 I get 600/700 shots per battery (in single shot, no continuos shots), so I'm in line with your consumption, presumably the R8 drains a little more then R10...I'll see soon with RP which should be the biggest LP-E17 "eater" in the R lineup due to the old digic8 management of batteries.

Yeah, lot of misinformation; the new hot shoe is like the old one, the extra pins are EXTRA, so everything that worked before on DSLR, still works on the new R cameras. It's new flashes like EL-5 that doesn't work on the "old" shoe.
That adapter is just to maintain the weather sealing on the flash foot, which I don't give a sh*t about, I don't work under adverse weather conditions, and when I did in the past (without weather sealed cameras, lenses and flashes) I had no problems whatsoever, of course was light rain, not a thunderstorm.
Actually raising the strobe, with heavy strobes like a EL-1, can bring to more stress on the camera hot shoe, so the adapter it's a really bad idea.

 

[AlanF]

We already reached a point long ago when cameras hardly got any better on the stills side. Maybe there are still autofocus improvements for moving subjects and more frames per second, but if you shoots still like me, the peak was already reached a decade ago. Where will we go from here? What could still get better? Just thunk twenty or thirty years into the future. What innovations will come to cameras that will make taking photos much more convenient than now? And what improvements will make our images look better?

I just came back from a long trip with a camera that was announced in 2011. So it is 12 years old. Yet I wonder which shots would have been better with a modern camera like the R3 or R5. The main advantage I see is the IBIS, that would have been helpful in some situations. Dynamic range has also improved. How would a new camera help me take a better photo of a skyscraper though? Before this trip I thought about buying a mirrorless camera, but I am not so sure any more.

So I would not expect too much from an R5 II. It can't be a big improvement from the R5.

eyeAF, tracking and high fps don’t make much difference with skyscrapers but they do in some other cases as do sensors with much better DR and S/N than a decade ago.

 

[blanddragon]

I suspect that for a lot of 5DIV shooters -- like me -- the R5II will be the upgrade that brings us into the mirrorless world. Since I primarily shoot stills, the original R5 wasn't quite worth the spend. But with improved autofocus and sensor, plus even better video, the R5II will be a bigger jump in quality (not to mention that my 5DIV is now 3 years older)

---

Deutsch Photography: NYC’s Top Corporate, Executive and Actor Headshot Photographer NYC

I agree but I finally bought the R5 last month and use it side by side with my 5DIV. I got tired of waiting and the R5 is clearly a solid camera. I don't really see any reason to sell my EF lens collection at this point and the adapter is a little annoying for the slight added length to my R5 with my long lenses. I still really like my 5DIV and expect to continue to use if for a few more years.

 

[LSXPhotog]

I just want the current R5 to get the same user interface as the R3/R7/R6II etc. I don't see any reason why they couldn't update the R5 to share this same menu, audible electronic shutter, and autofocus customization.

Personally, I would also like to see the ability to turn IBIS off and still use lens IS and not have them connected. I have a lot of trouble with my RF 100-500 and get sharper images turning IS off...and for some reason, the AF seems to work better too?

I doubt we'll see a stacked sensor as well...but with Nikon throwing the kitchen sink at the mirrorless market to battle back into relevance, it may force Canon's hand to remain competitive.

 

[roby17269]

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.

I shoot fashion... I usually use strobes and the strobes going off is a much clearer signal to the model that it is time to change pose.
Having said that, I've had great models that get in the "zone" and they become oblivious of any timing Still like working with them since between good timing and good posing skills, I know what I value the most

 

[[email protected]]

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.

Toward the end of development, almost 100 percent of the design changes/fixes are software. That also needs intensive testing. My sense is that this is a three-quarter-long process, but almost entirely internal to Canon.

The Japanese corporation is almost completely responsible for camera design, and all other national/regional corporations are just fully-owned subsidiaries that deal almost exclusively with sales, distribution, marketing, local legal, support, and major client business development. When a PR exec in UK lets a few press people handle a pre-release R3, that puppy is done. The physical camera might be a pre-release version, but the designs are locked, and the often-underestimated manufacturing design process is ongoing. Feedback coming back to that national office may well not make it back to the right people in Japan. A hardware suggestion is likely to be dismissed, out of having become accustomed to being completely ignored on these. A software suggestion is more likely to be forwarded.

Press events where they fly YouTubers to a location to test out the camera will have people assiduously writing down feedback and notes, which helps give the impression of listening while also indicating a pre-release status of the cameras being tested. Because the actual Japanese product managers are typically present - or at least aware - this feedback is likely to be heard by the development team. Because that team at that moment is then oriented toward fixing some hair-on-fire manufacturing issues prior to release, almost any feedback acted upon will be from among the software suggestions, and come out in the 2nd firmware upgrade if at all.

Component manufactury and assembly in the 5 and 1 series are typically done in Japan, so there is less lag time required in that series. When something is manufactured partly in Vietnam and/or China, the lag time for changes to work through the changed manufacturing process is a few months longer.

The profitability of the 5 series line is in good part due to how well they manage the design's manufacturability, and this is typically the main concern at the point we hear a rumor about a camera soon to be announced.

For my part, there are a few features that would be nice to have that others have mentioned, but nothing must-have. Pushing the resolution up would actually be nice for me, and suit Canon's aim of getting pros and amateur$ to feel the need to buy both the R5 and the R1/3 series (yes, the R1 will disappoint everyone looking for high res). Right now the R5 is a goldilocks camera, which Canon may feel is giving too much away. Canon does often create new versions sometimes primarily for reducing manufacturing costs. I suspect there will be a few nice-to-haves with the R5 II, but the manufacturing bill will be reduced by 15-20 percent.

 

[[email protected]]

Sometimes the old fashioned way of focusing - small AF point, aim at bird, no tracking, shoot - is the best solution.

The old-fashioned way of focusing, Czardoom, is turning that funny ring along the side of the lens This is often the best solution for little birds among leaves.

 

[juststeve]

On the subject of shutter sounds, I like having it on my R3 and wish I had it on my R5. Would like it even more if one could manufacture up one's own sounds. How about a mallard hen quack, or a wolf howl? At 30 fps that segment of a wold howl might all blend together and sound like the real thing and a guy would have a face full of wolf and needing the 11-24 on a second body to get the shot.

In some seriousness, I would really like to see quad pixel af. I think that would be a major help for what I do and likely would get me spending money on an R5ii.

And: there was a prototype R5 and very exotic prototype lens running around the wilds of MT a couple of months ago.

 

[Dannyjeffers]

These are all good points. Most of the people I've encountered in online forums who own R5's are generally very happy with them as-is, and the comments so far in this thread seem to agree.

What can Canon improve? I don't use an R5 so I can't say from first-hand experience. Video overheating is an easy one, but they just released the R5c so they need to be careful that the R5 stays as a stills camera that can also do video and not the other way around.

Beyond that, I'm sure Canon has learned a lot from the R3 and R7 that they can incorporate into an R5II.

The real question from a business perspective is whether a Mark II can gain new customers for Canon, i.e., from non-Canon (or non-R5) users, rather than just current R5 users who upgrade. That's a possibility too. Sony is still producing new models on a regular basis, and Nikon has been coming back strong lately (the Z8, in particular, seems like a direct shot at the R5).

My wishlist:

Improved IBIS
Improved shadow recovery
Refined AF
Return to 5D style color
Faster readout sensor
Slightly larger body
Relocated power switch
1.4 Glass!!!!!

 

[Marphoto]

According to one who has used the camera and would reveal only the vaguest of information:

• AF - up to R3 standards/layout
• Sensor - similar but with improved read speed and option for various FPS in ES.

 

[P-visie]

I echo comments above about what a great camera this already is. So my wishlist is mostly some refinements and to also bring the camera up to where newer Canon bodies are. I do not shoot video (yet anyway) so my list is lacking any improvements in that area, although there will no doubt be some improvements there. So this is what I would like to see, not necessarily what I think we might get:

• Camera AF - Bring AF system up to current Canon level of functionality and flexibility (Modify how subject tracking is enabled to match newer bodies and add the new 'modes' with 'stickier' tracking)
• Pre Shot Buffering - Add pre-shot capture buffering (not sure if currently this is only jpg but if it is make it RAW capture capable)
• Electronic Shutter - better blackout and less rolling shutter, variable times for ES instead of just full speed, full 14 bit capture in ES, and yes, an option to add a shutter sound
• Sensor Shift Capture - make this able to handle some amount of subject movement (Sony has such an implementation now) and give us RAW output capability
• Stacked Sensor - only if it is required to achieve ES improvements above (otherwise nice to have but could keep cost down if not required...)
• Cost - less than $4,000 US
• Resolution, Dynamic Range, EVF, Noise Performance, Weight - none of these criteria need to be improved (although improvements could be welcome if not adding to cost), just do not go BACKWARDS on any of these...

If the cost tops $4,000 it could be hard to justify for me. if it tops $4,500 I am probably out of the market for it.

I’m very happy with my R5, my wishes, in addition to the list above:

• Faster response time when pressing the shutter button
• Illuminated buttons
• A no blackout EVF (if this does not result in a big increase in price)
• Same BG R10 battery grip and batteries as the current model (I have no issues with battery life of the R5)
• Internal GPS would be nice
• The level indicator in the EVF takes up a lot of space, a smaller level indicator display in the EVF (just lines like the 7D Mk II and 5D Mk IV) would be nice

 

[Exploreshootshare]

I don't have a wishlist, but it's good to hear the camera is already out there and being field tested.
I'll be waiting for the announcement and then I'll decided which camera I wanna buy.

- R5 mk i
- R5 mk ii
- R6 mk ii (unlikely, I'd more mp to work with...)

The R5 mkii only makes sense for me if the price increase is very low. In this case I'll be waiting till 2025 for cash back or other sales. If the R5mkii is out of my price range or the new features or improvement are not compelling I'll get the mk I version in summer 2024.

 

[cooldood]

The old-fashioned way of focusing, Czardoom, is turning that funny ring along the side of the lens This is often the best solution for little birds among leaves.

This is especially true since them little bass turds move around like they are on crack.

 

[john1970]

For reasonable improvements it would make sense to include the following:

1) Improved AF similar to R3 / R6 Mk II
2) Improved power efficiency so high-speed ES mode does not slow down when battery gets down to ~50% charge
3) Selectable speeds with ES not just 20 fps. Would be nice to select 10 or 15 fps.
4) Ability to set the rate button to many other functions.
5) Blackout free shooting if possible, but this would likely require a stacked sensor which is likely reserved for the R1