The Canon EOS R5 Mark II is a successor to the four-year-old Canon EOS R5, with a huge array of updates and improvements. Launched alongside the sports-focused Canon EOS R1, it’s designed to be a highly capable all-rounder that can handle almost any task for either photography or video. It sports a 45MP sensor, can shoot at up to 30fps, and record 8K video at 60fps.

　　Canon EOS R5 Mark II at a glance: £4500 body only 45MP stacked CMOS sensor ISO 100-51,200 (standard), 50-102,400 (extended) 30 frames per second shooting 8K 60fps video 5.76m-dot, 0.76x viewfinder One each CFexpress Type B and UHS-II SD card slots Optional vertical grips and cooling fan While the EOS R1 and EOS R5 Mark II have very different headline specs and body designs, they share a great deal of other technology. Both are based around a concept that Canon calls ‘Accelerated Capture’. This means that they combine a stacked, backside-illuminated sensor with a DIGIC X processor that’s boosted by a new DIGIC Accelerator processor. This enables new autofocus features, faster video shooting, and generally more responsive operation.

　　New stacked CMOS sensor While the EOS R5 Mark II has the same pixel count as its predecessor, it doesnt use the same sensor. Instead, it has a back-illuminated stacked-CMOS sensor for faster readout when using the electronic shutter. Canon says this reduces rolling shutter by 60% compared to the original EOS R5. In principle, it should also help suppress other artefacts, such as colour banding under artificial lighting.

　　However, its worth noting that 60% doesnt sound like a huge improvement for a stacked CMOS sensor compared to a conventional design. Its certainly not as fast as the EOS R1s sensor, which Canon says is a match for the mechanical shutter on the EOS-1D X Mark III. Our friends at DPReview are reporting a 160ms readout time in stills mode, which is somewhat slower than the Nikon Z8, for example. Thats not to say the stacked sensor isnt a major advance over the EOS R5 just dont expect it eliminate artefacts entirely.

　　New features shared with the EOS R1 Both the Canon EOS R5 Mark II and EOS R1 include Canon’s unique Eye Control Focus technology, as previously seen on the EOS R3. This detects whereabouts you’re looking in the frame, and then uses this information to identify the subject on which to focus. It’s mainly designed to be used with AI subject detection as a means of selecting between multiple possible subjects, with the camera capable of recognising people, animals and vehicles.

　　Canon has introduced an intriguing new Action Priority autofocus mode, built on AI deep learning technology. This works initially for three sports – football, basketball, and volleyball. Using ball tracking and an understanding of each sport’s ‘action poses’, it can work out which player has the ball at any given time, and switch focus to them automatically.

　　It’s also possible to register faces that the camera will prioritise for focusing. This might be useful for members of a sports team, or participants at a wedding. The camera can recognise up to 10 faces, simply by taking a single photo of each person, and you can arrange them in an order of priority for the camera to focus on. (Ten seems like an odd choice of number by Canon, given that most sports teams have rather more players than that. But to be fair, this is first-generation technology.)

　　Another shared new feature is pre-burst shooting. Here, the camera continuously buffers frames while the shutter is half-pressed (15 on the R5 Mark II, and 20 on the R1), then records them to card when it’s  fully pressed. Unlike Canon’s older RAW Burst mode, each image is recorded as a separate file.

　　It’s also possible to assign burst rates to function buttons, allowing you to temporarily switch up to the fastest shooting speed to capture the peak of the action. 

　　Both cameras incorporate Canon’s latest in-body image stabilisation system. The firm states its effectiveness using the new CIPA industry standard for 2024, with 8.5 stops of shake suppression in the centre of the image and 7.5 stops at the edge. Neither camera incorporates a high-resolution pixel-shift multi-shot mode, though. Instead, images can be upscaled in-camera using a process based on AI deep learning.

　　Naturally Canon hasn’t overlooked video features. Both cameras are capable of internal RAW recording, plus proxy recording where a low-resolution file can be simultaneously recorded to the second memory card for easier editing. There’s also a new dual still/video shooting function, in which it’s possible to record Full HD video to one memory card and still images to the other at the same time. The cameras support 4-channel 24-bit audio recording and have full-size HDMI sockets.

　　Evolved design Despite all the technology updates, one thing Canon hasn’t done is tinker much with the body design. Instead, the EOS R5 Mark II is very similar to the original EOS R5. However, the power switch has moved to the top right, with a dedicated stills/video selector switch now on the top left. This is the same revision as we saw on the EOS R6 Mark II, and its a small but welcome improvement that makes the camera quicker to turn on and off.

　　What this means is that the EOS R5 Mark II works in a very familiar way terms of operation and controls. Existing Canon users should be able to pick it up and use it right away. Pretty much all the key shooting settings can be easily changed with the camera up to your eye, thanks to the refined three-dial control layout and convenient (if still much too small) M.Fn button.

　　With a much more compact body design than the EOS R1, the R5 Mark IIs viewfinder isn’t quite as huge as its siblings 9.44m-dot, 0.9x unit. But its still more than respectable, at 5.76m-dots and 0.76x magnification. Canon also says its twice as bright as the original EOS R5s. Both cameras now have a blackout-free setting for use during burst shooting, which is available as a menu option. This gives a more fluid experience for following movement, with a flickering outline in the viewfinder providing visual feedback during continuous shooting.

　　Below the EVF theres a fully articulated 3.2in, 2.1m-dot touchscreen, which is much the same as before.

　　New grips and cooling fan To go with the EOS R5 Mark II, Canon has introduced not just one, but three new vertical grips. Firstly, the Canon BG-R20 battery grip (£490) is a conventional design with a duplicate set of controls for portrait-format shooting, along with the ability to hold two batteries for extended shooting times. It’ll also be back compatible with both the original EOS R5 and the EOS R6 / R6 Mark II.

　　Secondly, there’s a Canon BG-R20EP version that adds an RJ45 ethernet socket for high-speed wired connectivity. This will be most useful to pro sports photographers. Its set to cost £680.

　　Most interesting, though, is the brand-new Canon CF-R20EP cooling fan grip (£550). This doesn’t have replicate controls, but instead includes a built-in fan that blows air though a new cooling channel built into the EOS R5 Mark II’s body, entering from the base of the camera and exiting on its left side.

　　Canon claims this works with a new heat-dissipating internal structure to enable considerably extended video recording times. This grip also has a built-in ethernet port. The original EOS R5 was infamously prone to over-heating during video recording, so this new fan looks like a very welcome addition.

　　First impressions I had the chance to try out both the EOS R5 Mark II and the EOS R1 prior to their launch, and it’s fair to say that they look very impressive indeed. They handle superbly and are impressively quick and responsive in operation. As on the EOS R3, the combination of eye control focus and subject detection gives a uniquely quick and intuitive way of selecting between subjects in fast-paced situations.

　　Its probably the easiest thing in the world to look at the EOS R5 Mark IIs body design and headline specs, compared them to the original R5, and conclude that not much has changed. But this would be a massive mistake. Instead, even from a short time using it before its launch, its clear than all the updates and changes make it a markedly improved camera. Ill cover this in-depth in my upcoming full review.

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　　Canon EOS R5 Mark II full specifications: