The Canon EOS R5 Mark II coming in Q2, 2023? [CR2]

[davision]

I don\'t think that 61MP are true. It makes no sense when it has the said Video Specs. 8K60 from a 61MP Sensor would be a Rolling Shutter Mess. Also Downsampling from 61MP to 4K120p, this is nothing that has be done so far with any sensor. 30 FPS & 61MP also seem to be unlikely. I guess it will eave the Resolution, or go just a bit higher to 50 MP. I never liked all the compromise that came with the 61MP of the a7R IV.

 

[Snapster]

I think 30mp is the sweet spot where you can print big without sacrificing low light performance more than you have to.

R5 is still a great camera going into 2023 but the original R was always behind the times. Shouldn't Canon first introduce the R mark II or R8? A photography focused FF camera in the $2000 range with the latest tech? I also think the R feels better in the hand than R6, more dense and high quality. I hope they keep that in a potential successor. I loved my R and the only thing that made me switch was the AF that just couldn't keep up.

 

[davision]

I think 30mp is the sweet spot where you can print big without sacrificing low light performance more than you have to.

R5 is still a great camera going into 2023 but the original R was always behind the times. Shouldn't Canon first introduce the R mark II or R8? A photography focused FF camera in the $2000 range with the latest tech? I also think the R feels better in the hand than R6, more dense and high quality. I hope they keep that in a potential successor. I loved my R and the only thing that made me switch was the AF that just couldn't keep up.

How should a R8 be a FF Camera if the R7 is APS-C with the R6 Mark II there is not much need for a R II.

 

[entoman]

How should a R8 be a FF Camera if the R7 is APS-C with the R6 Mark II there is not much need for a R II.

It's perfectly possible - the RP has a 2-letter designation, while all the other FF models have a 1-letter, 1-number designation. So this model rumoured to be inbetween the R7 and R6ii *in price* could easily be a full frame camera with a 2-letter designation, e.g. RV (V for video/vlogging), or it could, despite rumours indicating otherwise, be called RP Mkii. The notion that it will be called R8 is pure internet speculation.

 

[Rzrsharp]

My incomplete wish list for R5 MK II (photography)
1. Built in GPS
2. Built in storage 2TB, 1 CFE slot
3. 3ms sensor read out
4. Eye AF from any methods
5. ES with different fps options
6. Simulated shutter sound of ES
7. Usable MS
8. 14bit ES
9. Positive shoulder LCD
10. Battery grip exclusively
11. Focus bracketing works with flash
12. IBIS on/off independently
13. Camera profile for LR
14. Shutter mode, distance information embedded in image file
15. Metering with contents aware (AI Metering?)
16. Trading option for existing R5 users

 

[entoman]

My incomplete wish list for R5 MK II (photography)
1. Built in GPS
2. Built in storage 2TB, 1 CFE slot
3. 3ms sensor read out
4. Eye AF from any methods
5. ES with different fps options
6. Simulated shutter sound of ES
7. Usable MS
8. 14bit ES
9. Positive shoulder LCD
10. Battery grip exclusively
11. Focus bracketing works with flash
12. IBIS on/off independently
13. Camera profile for LR
14. Shutter mode, distance information embedded in image file
15. Metering with contents aware (AI Metering?)
16. Trading option for existing R5 users

Interesting list. I'm pretty happy with my R5, but here's my R5ii wishlist, in approximate order of importance:

1. Better subject recognition, faster acquisition and stickier tracking
2. Elimination of EVF lag from standby
3. All freezing bugs fixed
4. More DR and better high ISO (1600-6400) performance
5. Exposure bracketing at max burst speed (20fps is fine) with ES
6. Extended battery life (more efficient electronics, better battery)
7. ES with different fps options
8. Hybrid tilting/flippy screen (Panasonic type)
9. 9.4m dot EVF (doesn't matter to me if resolution drops during bursts)
10. smaller files for uncropped RAWs (better compression algorithm?)

From your list, I don't care about GPS
Metering is fine although I'd like to have option to bracket exposures with ES
I don't want/need eye-control AF (as per R3), and don't care about video
45MP is enough for me

 

[entoman]

I think 30mp is the sweet spot where you can print big without sacrificing low light performance more than you have to.

R5 is still a great camera going into 2023 but the original R was always behind the times. Shouldn't Canon first introduce the R mark II or R8? A photography focused FF camera in the $2000 range with the latest tech? I also think the R feels better in the hand than R6, more dense and high quality. I hope they keep that in a potential successor. I loved my R and the only thing that made me switch was the AF that just couldn't keep up.

I had a 50MP 5DS, then later I added a 30MP 5DMkiv because I wanted faster fps and better AF. The 5DMkiv is a much more responsive camera, so I hardly touched the 5DS after that, and didn't really miss the 50MP, so my initial reaction is yes, 30MP is the sweetspot.

But then I decided it was time to get a MILC, so I bought an R5 with 45MP, and I'm glad that I've got more cropping ability. I don't make prints, but I crop everything to 16:9 ratio and view on a 27" 5K monitor. (I like the wider image as it feels more natural to me, so I choose my subjects and composition with a 16:9 image in mind).

Most of my subjects (birds, animals, insects) move rapidly and unpredictably, so I have little time to compose accurately at the time of shooting. Having a 45MP sensor gives me lots of room to crop, rotate and choose alternative compositions from a single shot. But I wouldn't want to go to 60MP unless Canon find a way to reduce RAW file sizes without losing tonal range or colour gamut. Of course, I could shoot in 16:9 format and reduce file size that way, but I prefer to shoot at standard 3:2 and crop to 16:9 in post, as it gives me more leeway to rotate and recompose.

 

[scyrene]

3. All freezing bugs fixed

I get that this has been an issue for you, but it seems not everyone experiences it; in which case if it's a bad batch or whatever it's not really something you can realistically wish for, as it's the equivalent of "no faulty bodies/flawless quality control". Did you consider getting yours replaced under warranty, or did it not emerge until too late?

 

[Kit.]

I get that this has been an issue for you, but it seems not everyone experiences it; in which case if it's a bad batch or whatever it's not really something you can realistically wish for, as it's the equivalent of "no faulty bodies/flawless quality control". Did you consider getting yours replaced under warranty, or did it not emerge until too late?

At least partly this is due to firmware bugs, accepted by Canon and supposedly fixed in more modern firmware.

 

[entoman]

I get that this has been an issue for you, but it seems not everyone experiences it; in which case if it's a bad batch or whatever it's not really something you can realistically wish for, as it's the equivalent of "no faulty bodies/flawless quality control". Did you consider getting yours replaced under warranty, or did it not emerge until too late?

It's been an issue for quite a lot of people, if posts on CR are any guide. Similar issues have already been reported (rarely) with the R3, and there was a comment here yesterday that someone had a 6DMkii throw an error code and freeze. There is clearly something amiss in Canon's quality control.

Whether it's hardware (faulty component in some batches?) or firmware (conflicts or poor coding?) is debatable, no one knows.

No one is expecting "no faulty bodies/flawless quality control", but what we are expecting is that Canon reduce the number of bodies with these problems, *by significantly improving their component checking and their firmware*. It does their reputation no good whatsoever to send out faulty bodies.

In most cases, the freezes reported here seem to be occasional and very random, and those who have returned bodies have said that Canon has been unable to reproduce the problem. Some have even had the mainboards replaced, but have still experienced freezes afterwards, so I have little faith in Canon's ability (or even willingness) to sort out these issues.

In my case, the freezes seem to be related to buffer overload when shooting RAW bursts, but I've tried 3 brands of CFE card and had issues with all of them. So far, I've had no freezes when shooting JPEGs, which seems to reinforce the buffer theory.

My R5 is in daily use, and I'm frequently out of the country, so rather than have my camera sitting in a repair shop for 2-3 weeks, I've chosen to continue using it but to only shoot bursts in JPEG, as I don't have a spare RF body to use while I'm waiting for a repair/replacement to be dealt with.

When freezes do occur, it greatly reduces my faith in Canon, and makes me more reluctant to act as a guinea-pig when they release a new model.

 

[Rzrsharp]

Interesting list. I'm pretty happy with my R5, but here's my R5ii wishlist, in approximate order of importance:

1. Better subject recognition, faster acquisition and stickier tracking
2. Elimination of EVF lag from standby

Couldn't agree more

3. All freezing bugs fixed

I'm used to this already. It's part of a machine sold at merely USD3,899 (launch MSRP).

4. More DR and better high ISO (1600-6400) performance
5. Exposure bracketing at max burst speed (20fps is fine) with ES
6. Extended battery life (more efficient electronics, better battery)
7. ES with different fps options
8. Hybrid tilting/flippy screen (Panasonic type)
9. 9.4m dot EVF (doesn't matter to me if resolution drops during bursts)
10. smaller files for uncropped RAWs (better compression algorithm?)

From your list, I don't care about GPS
Metering is fine although I'd like to have option to bracket exposures with ES
I don't want/need eye-control AF (as per R3), and don't care about video
45MP is enough for me

Thumb up

 

[Czardoom]

At least partly this is due to firmware bugs, accepted by Canon and supposedly fixed in more modern firmware.

From what I have seen and read on numerous FB user groups, there has been no total fix (perhaps some partial fixes), but Canon has not been able to isolate why it happens and it is a problem in all the Canon R cameras after the R and RP and actually is probably not limited to Canon. Olympus OM-1 users have also experienced freezes and I would not be shocked it Nikon and Sony users have as well. Just guessing, but I think the software has become so complex with all the AF variables, all the button customization variables, that this is the way it is and will be unless that software is rewritten from scratch. The R7 and R10 also suffer freezes, so the latest cameras are still experiencing the issues, so clearly there has been no firmware fixes that have eliminated the issue.

 

[Boot]

My incomplete wish list for R5 MK II (photography)
1. Built in GPS
4. Eye AF from any methods
5. ES with different fps options
6. Simulated shutter sound of ES
8. 14bit ES
12. IBIS on/off independently
14. Shutter mode, distance information embedded in image file
16. Trading option for existing R5 users

Interesting list. I'm pretty happy with my R5, but here's my R5ii wishlist, in approximate order of importance:

1. Better subject recognition, faster acquisition and stickier tracking
2. Elimination of EVF lag from standby
3. All freezing bugs fixed
4. More DR and better high ISO (1600-6400) performance
7. ES with different fps options
8. Hybrid tilting/flippy screen (Panasonic type)

A mix of your wishes would make me happy, but two things are missing for photography:
- Pre-shot
- Zebra

Boot

 

[entoman]

A mix of your wishes would make me happy, but two things are missing for photography:
- Pre-shot
- Zebra

Boot

I think the R5ii will have pre-shot, because R7 and R3 already have it. It would be very useful for capturing moments that are difficult to predict, such as the instant a bird or insect takes flight.

Agreed, it would be nice to have zebra (as well as a histogram) for stills (toggle on/off via custom button).

I'm pretty happy with my R5, but I think we need to see a quite significant boost in specification, features and performance, to warrant upgrading to a R5ii.

 

[neuroanatomist]

…I think we need to see a quite significant boost in specification, features and performance, to warrant upgrading to a R5ii.

R5 owners will probably not be the main target market, so don’t get your hopes up.

 

[koenkooi]

I think the R5ii will have pre-shot, because R7 and R3 already have it. It would be very useful for capturing moments that are difficult to predict, such as the instant a bird or insect takes flight.

Agreed, it would be nice to have zebra (as well as a histogram) for stills (toggle on/off via custom button).[…]

I think it’s safe to assume that all the (new) software features in the R6II will be in the R5II as well.

 

[AlanF]

R5 owners will probably not be the main target market, so don’t get your hopes up.

Whom do you think are the targets?

 

[unfocused]

R5 owners will probably not be the main target market, so don’t get your hopes up.

Whom do you think are the targets?

I imagine he's thinking new buyers and upgraders from other models like the R6. If the R5II arrives next year and has only marginal improvements, I would agree. That's why I would prefer the traditional four-year cycle, which presumably would mean more significant improvements. I'm interested in the 61mp sensor but the only feature improvement that I really want is something like quad pixel autofocus that would improve the camera's less than stellar acquisition of targets in the field.

 

[AlanF]

I imagine he's thinking new buyers and upgraders from other models like the R6. If the R5II arrives next year and has only marginal improvements, I would agree. That's why I would prefer the traditional four-year cycle, which presumably would mean more significant improvements. I'm interested in the 61mp sensor but the only feature improvement that I really want is something like quad pixel autofocus that would improve the camera's less than stellar acquisition of targets in the field.

I find the R5's AF stellar. But, maybe an upgraded R5 would convince me otherwise. By the way, I do like your website.

 

[koenkooi]

I imagine he's thinking new buyers and upgraders from other models like the R6. If the R5II arrives next year and has only marginal improvements, I would agree. That's why I would prefer the traditional four-year cycle, which presumably would mean more significant improvements. I'm interested in the 61mp sensor but the only feature improvement that I really want is something like quad pixel autofocus that would improve the camera's less than stellar acquisition of targets in the field.

My fear is that with 2.5 year cycle, the R5 has seen its final firmware update already.

That is a big incentive for me to consider upgrading, especially for simple software things like ‘auto’ subject detection, so I don’t need to manually select animals or people.