Canon EOS R5 Mark II review: Probably the most versatile full-frame mirrorless camera

Introduction and Features

It was only a few months ago that I finally made the jump from my 13-year-old Canon EOS 7D to the Canon EOS R7 I reviewed previously. Now, I am starting to regret that decision as the new Canon EOS R5 Mark II has landed on my lap. 

The R5 Mark II comes with a new 45-megapixel backside-illuminated (BSI) stacked full-frame CMOS image sensor, an equally-new DIGIC Accelerator co-processor along with Canon’s venerable DIGIC X image processor and Dual Pixel Intelligent Autofocusing (AF) system. The DIGIC Accelerator co-processor sits between the image sensor and the image processor to process raw data and run complex algorithms before being sent to the main image processor.

As a result, the R5 Mark II is able to shoot up to 8K 60p RAW videos, with UHD and DCI options for all resolutions, and up to 30 frames per second (fps) stills. It can also shoot a new 4K SRAW mode as well as record two video streams simultaneously to the two card slots available - SD card slot (up to 2K) and CFexpress Type B slot (up to 8K). 

Other features include video pre-recording up to 5 seconds, XF-AVC S/XF-HEVC S file system, Apple ProRes RAW external recording up to 8K 30p, Linear PCM 24-bit 4-channel input, maximum sensitivity of ISO 102,400 and maximum electronic shutter speed of 1/32,000 second.

Personally, I am more inclined to shoot stills than video. And the R5 Mark II also offers much in terms of still photography. For a start, the R5 Mark II has an in-built image stabiliser (IBIS) that offers up to 8.5 stops of stabilisation with compatible RF lenses, Eye Control AF, and Action Priority AF.

As its name implies, the Eye Control AF will automatically focus on the subject the camera thinks you are looking at when you either half-press the shutter button or press the AF-On button. The new algorithms are said to work better with even people wearing glasses, like myself.

In addition, Action Priority AF detect actions specific to three sports: football, basketball, and volleyball. Of course, the camera can detect animals and vehicles as well. 

Furthermore, the R5 Mark II supports In-camera Upscaling that produces 179-megapixel still image, or four times larger than the original 45-megapixel image. The camera also features Neural Network Noise Reduction that uses machine learning to distinguish between noise and detail to deliver a cleaner picture.  

These in-camera processing features are more power-extensive and thus requires a new and more powerful battery LP-E6P. Older batteries such as LP-E6NH and LP-E6N can still work with the R5 Mark II, but some of the in-camera processing features will be unavailable as a result. 

Design and Handling

As a three-decade-old Canon user myself who still owns the film EOS 5 SLR (which has Eye Control Focus back in 1992), I found myself slightly disoriented when I first picked up the R5 Mark II. 

It might be that I have never used the original R5 before. But the R5 Mark II design looks rather different from other EOS series cameras that I have used before. However, if this is the first time you ever hold a Canon EOS camera, you might not be as puzzled as me. 

That said, the buttons, dials and switches are actually all nicely thought out and intuitively laid out. I was able to familiarise myself with the controls pretty quickly.

Beside the screen, there is a command dial with the Mode button in its middle and the power switch above. This allows for swift powering up of the camera and quick change of shooting mode.  A front command dial sits on top of the generous rubberised grip behind the shutter release, while a rear command dial is sited near the bottom of the rear thumb rest. 

By default, the front command and rear command dials let you change shutter speed and aperture quickly in Manual mode. However, you can customise the functions of these three command dials to your liking. Personally, I find using the top right command dial for changing aperture and the front command dial for adjusting shutter speed more intuitive. 

In addition, I love the mini joystick on the top of the rear thumb rest. It easily allows me to move the AF point quickly to where I want it on the frame. Of course, you can use Eye Control AF to perform the same function. But while the Eye Control is accurate at times, I find the mini joystick to be far more precise. 

You can either use the large 0.5-inch 5.76-million-dot OLED electronic viewfinder (EVF) or the bright 3.2-inch 2.1-million-dot articulating touchscreen display to compose your photos or videos.  

The camera feels solid and sturdy, no doubt having its dust- and water drip-resistant magnesium-alloy body to thank. Yet, it does not feel heavy - tipping the scales at only 746g (including battery and memory cards). Perhaps, its ergonomic grip that nicely fits your four fingers for a firm hold helps to lighten the load.

Like many cameras of its class, the right side of R5 Mark II houses dual memory card slots. The left side of the camera is where you will find all the ports - a microphone port, a headphone jack, a quick-release port, a HDMI port and a USB-C port - all protected by silicone flaps. All the ports you will need for either shooting photos or videos. 

One downer is the new hot shoe cover. I have never seen such a huge rubberised hot shoe cover before on any camera. While it provides good protection, removing it takes a mammoth effort. You really will not want to put it back afterwards. 

In addition, the in-camera menu has been slightly revamped due to the new features available. Thus, you might not find things in its familiar place. For instance, it took me a while before I was able to locate Dual Shooting to activate it. 

Apart from these, the R5 Mark II’s design and handling are top-notch, from its ergonomic, comfortable grip to the intuitive buttons and controls.

Imaging Performance

Canon sent me the RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens (S$2,069) to use with the R5 Mark II for this review. This lens has a versatile focal length range from wide-angle to telephoto with a rather large maximum aperture. You can buy this as a kit lens bundle with the R5 Mark II at a cheaper S$7,899. 

The operation of the R5 Mark II is super swift. It powers up at around half a second but shutting down is almost immediate. It is still much quicker than the average two-second start-up and shutdown times of most mirrorless cameras.

Using an XQD card with a writing speed rated at 1,400MB per second, the R5II took 79 RAW full-resolution images in 2.8 seconds before the shooting suddenly stopped. This translates to roughly 28.2fps, pretty close to the advertised 30fps. 

Under bright conditions, the R5 Mark II’s AF is almost instant in securing a focus with accurate subject tracking AF. In fact, the R5 Mark II is right up there with the best when it comes to subject tracking AF. 

As you can see from the photo below, the pigeon was captured in its full glory using what is essentially a kit lens with auto subject tracking turned on. Most cameras might even miss this shot with an ultra-telephoto lens. Despite the 50% crop, you can still marvel at the amount of detail the camera captured of the pigeon’s wings. 

I also tried some panning shots on random cars going by and was pretty satisfied with the results as you can see from the photo below. 

Even at night with dim lighting, the R5 Mark II performed superbly. It was able to easily capture this community cat jumping off this ledge.

In terms of image quality, the R5 Mark II delivers excellent and sharp still images with plenty of details. You will be able to crop up to 90 per cent and still get details, as evident from this moon shot below. 

Auto white balance is really accurate and you will hardly need to do any major post-production. Not to mention, the R5 Mark II is able to render skin tones accurately even in challenging lighting conditions such as the photo captured below

Photos shot are always sharp edge-to-edge and pack plenty of details, even in the shadow areas. As you can see from the photo below, the dark pigeon is in focus but yet still show plenty of details. 

To take advantage of the R5 Mark II’s IBIS, I shot a landscape shot at night at 3.2 seconds handheld. As you can see from the photo below, the only “shake” is the movement of the leaves. 

If you think your hands are not steady enough, you can always crank up the camera’s sensitivity. Even at ISO 6400, you will find photos shot to be clean and virtually noiseless. Even at ISO 12800, you’ll need to pixel peep to pick out the noise artefacts. Only at ISO 25600, are the chromatic noise artefacts more visible. Anything above ISO 51200 is not recommended. 

You can use the in-camera Neural Network Noise Reduction feature to reduce the amount of noise artefacts and increase the details. Below are examples of a photo before and after the NNNR treatment.

While the noise artefacts have been reduced, you can see there are some colour changes as well as blurring of details. I would not use this function unless it is a photo I really need to restore. Still, the overall noise performance is superb, just what you might expect from a top-line Canon model.

And as you might expect again, the video quality is great with smooth frames and sharp details. Again, the subject tracking AF was able to focus on these chickens really quickly even when they were in and out of the frame. One slight complaint will be it does pick up a fair amount of ambient audio.

Play

My duty as a reviewer means I have to test the Dual Shooting function even though I feel it is a tad gimmicky. You will need to be in video mode before you can activate this function. And you have to shoot a video and pray that the camera takes a good photo at the same time. 

Here are the results of the Dual Shooting.

Play

The result is surprisingly decent, as evident from the video and photo above. Still, I doubt I will use this feature, but I’m sure there are scenarios that someone might find this useful.

Battery life is rated at 540 still shots on a full charge. However, during the review, the battery level was still at 75 percent after shooting around 500 still images. There is probably no issue for a day-long shoot with some videos shot as well. With its USB-C port, it is rather convenient to recharge this camera with a power bank.

Conclusion

With its accurate subject tracking AF, superb handling, excellent image quality in both stills and videos, the Canon EOS R5 Mark II is probably the most versatile interchangeable full-frame mirrorless camera in the market. 

At S$5,999 (body only), the R5 Mark II does not come cheap. However, given its versatility, I would say that the price is right on point. Whether you are shooting landscape or wildlife stills, a wedding video, or even both video and photo at the same time, this camera can be your primary. Be it a photographer or videographer, the R5 Mark II can serve both faithfully and with distinction.

More Sample Images

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