Dilemma - Will R6 Mark II be available in UK early December?

[Tony-UK]

We go to the Galapagos on 5th December and I have a dilemma. I had made the decision to get the R5 but with the announcement of the R6 Mark II I have had a change in mind and would prefer the R6 Mark II if available.

Release is end of November in the U.K. From previous experience will I likely get hold of the R6 Mark II by early December?

Am I correct in assuming that the new autofocus features on the R6 Mark II will be on the R5 (firmware upgrades)? Only hesitation of getting the R5 is whether a Mark II will be released soon but is inevitable…

 

[AlanF]

We go to the Galapagos on 5th December and I have a dilemma. I had made the decision to get the R5 but with the announcement of the R6 Mark II I have had a change in mind and would prefer the R6 Mark II if available.

Release is end of November in the U.K. From previous experience will I likely get hold of the R6 Mark II by early December?

Am I correct in assuming that the new autofocus features on the R6 Mark II will be on the R5 (firmware upgrades)? Only hesitation of getting the R5 is whether a Mark II will be released soon but is inevitable…

What subjects are you intending to shoot and what lenses are you taking with? (I've been to the Galapagos).

 

[Tony-UK]

We are in Itinerary B, will be shooting all the wildlife!I have just bought the RF 100-500mm and will take my EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM lens (have already bought the adaptor).

Will also be taking these lenses to Antarctica in January…

 

[AlanF]

We are in Itinerary B, will be shooting all the wildlife!I have just bought the RF 100-500mm and will take my EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM lens (have already bought the adaptor).

The right lenses! In answer to your questions, If you haven't pre-ordered already, I doubt if you will get it in time and in any case you should allow yourself to have enough time to get to know how to use it and make sure all the gear works. I would not bank on Canon upgrading the firmware on the R5. But, it's good enough as it is. I have the R7 which does have similar firmware to the R3 and R6II and apart from not being able to change the ES frame rate, I don't find my R5 is at any real disadvantage (unless you want to use the pre-burst mode). When we went just before Covid, we took a 5DIV, 5DSR and a pair of EF 100-400mm II and found them just right for taking on the small boats to the islands, where the small and large birds, iguanas, giant tortoises etc were all pretty close. I personally would go for the R5 and practice with it now. Alternatively the R7 would be fine. If we were to go again, we'd take the R5/100-500 and the R7/RF100-400.

You might want to take an Olympus TG5 or TG6 as we found the TG5 great when swimming for photographing fish and it takes great snaps.

 

[Kit.]

We go to the Galapagos on 5th December and I have a dilemma. I had made the decision to get the R5 but with the announcement of the R6 Mark II I have had a change in mind and would prefer the R6 Mark II if available.

Release is end of November in the U.K. From previous experience will I likely get hold of the R6 Mark II by early December?

The release is on 29th of November. Typically in Europe, the first shipment is fully booked in a day or two after the announcement, and the second one is delayed by at least a week. So, unless you are counting on someone reselling you the camera from the first shipment, you are highly unlikely to get it in time.

Anyway, take a backup camera with you.

 

[Tony-UK]

The right lenses! In answer to your questions, If you haven't pre-ordered already, I doubt if you will get it in time and in any case you should allow yourself to have enough time to get to know how to use it and make sure all the gear works. I would not bank on Canon upgrading the firmware on the R5. But, it's good enough as it is. I have the R7 which does have similar firmware to the R3 and R6II and apart from not being able to change the ES frame rate, I don't find my R5 is at any real disadvantage (unless you want to use the pre-burst mode). When we went just before Covid, we took a 5DIV, 5DSR and a pair of EF 100-400mm II and found them just right for taking on the small boats to the islands, where the small and large birds, iguanas, giant tortoises etc were all pretty close. I personally would go for the R5 and practice with it now. Alternatively the R7 would be fine. If we were to go again, we'd take the R5/100-500 and the R7/RF100-400.

You might want to take an Olympus TG5 or TG6 as we found the TG5 great when swimming for photographing fish and it takes great snaps.

Thanks Alan. I have pre-ordered and owned a Canon 7DII until recently. I have downloaded the manuals for both R5 and R6. Not ideal but will have a few days before we fly.

Are the Olympus cameras waterproof or do they need cases? I was planning on an inexpensive Akaho Brave 4 Action Camera but happy to be convinced on investing in an Olympus

 

[Tony-UK]

The release is on 29th of November. Typically in Europe, the first shipment is fully booked in a day or two after the announcement, and the second one is delayed by at least a week. So, unless you are counting on someone reselling you the camera from the first shipment, you are highly unlikely to get it in time.

Anyway, take a backup camera with you.

I pre-ordered with Wex on the 3rd

 

[AlanF]

Anyway, take a backup camera with you.

I agree with the backup. In fact, I am paranoid about having duplicates of everything from cables, chargers, downloading devices, plugs. So, it's great travelling with my wife who takes the second camera.

 

[AlanF]

Thanks Alan. I have pre-ordered and owned a Canon 7DII until recently. I have downloaded the manuals for both R5 and R6. Not ideal but will have a few days before we fly.

Are the Olympus cameras waterproof or do they need cases? I was planning on an inexpensive Akaho Brave 4 Action Camera but happy to be convinced on investing in an Olympus

Super waterproof and rugged! They are the best for fun underwater, etc.

 

[AlanF]

I pre-ordered with Wex on the 3rd

If you can afford it, get an R7 now. It will be a super back up for the R6II as it complements it with the extra reach and shares batteries, chargers etc. The pair works out about the same price as an R5.

 

[Tony-UK]

I went for the R5 in the end, bought 2 weeks ago and extremely pleased and getting familiar with the settings. I did not think I would have enough time to get to know the R6 Mark II even if it did arrive before our trip. My previous camera was a EOS 7D Mark II and how technology has moved on... Thanks for all the advice.

 

[AlanF]

I went for the R5 in the end, bought 2 weeks ago and extremely pleased and getting familiar with the settings. I did not think I would have enough time to get to know the R6 Mark II even if it did arrive before our trip. My previous camera was a EOS 7D Mark II and how technology has moved on... Thanks for all the advice.

You will love it. The R7 is great for static birds and OK for BIF, but the AF of the R5 is incredible for BIF and the sensor is really superb for pulling shadows and IQ in general. Have a memorable trip. I'll share some of my settings if you are interested.

 

[Tony-UK]

You will love it. The R7 is great for static birds and OK for BIF, but the AF of the R5 is incredible for BIF and the sensor is really superb for pulling shadows and IQ in general. Have a memorable trip. I'll share some of my settings if you are interested.

Thanks Alan, that would be greatly appreciated. We are also going to Antarctica end of January, that will be another test for the R5!

 

[AlanF]

Thanks Alan, that would be greatly appreciated. We are also going to Antarctica end of January, that will be another test for the R5!

I like keeping it simple with my most used settings stored in the modes C1, C2 and C3. It's a bit cumbersome using the mode setting directly, so I assign the M-fn button to toggle through C1, C2, C3, and it will toggle through a 4th, usually the settings in Fv for me. I use back button focus and set the AF-on button to eyeAF and full frame tracking with automatic point selection - great for BIF and searching for eyes on perched ones. Just point the camera in the general direction of the flying bird and the AF will latch on to it immediately. The * button is assigned to centre point AF for when the subject has too many distractions around it and eyeAF won't work or I want a particular spot. C1 is for general purpose telephoto shots in Av mode. I use iso 1000 as standard to give faster shutter speeds, set on auto, and EFCS in one of the higher speeds modes. The R5 eats noise when using DxO PL5 or 6, or using Topaz Denoise, and 1000 iso is fine for nature shots. C2 is for BIF in Tv mode with 1/3200s shutter, wide open aperture, electronic shutter and auto iso. C3 is for other settings. There are some quirks in the menus like for some of the custom assignments of buttons you have to check a box on the left of the screen as well as choosing the function.