Big test
PERFORMANCE: ISO
I shot an evening London skyline using the EOS R5 Mark II mounted on a Gitzo travel tripod. There is a lot of online discussion about the camera’s stacked sensor in respect of dynamic range and high-ISO performance, especially when employed with the electronic shutter. I used the camera’s mechanical and electronic shutter with in-camera noise reduction turned off. Shown here are processed images from a Raw shot with the mechanical shutter put through Adobe Lightroom with default noise reduction. High-ISO noise performance was good and comparable with its predecessor. The shots at ISO 800 upwards looked very clean and I’d be happy shooting at ISO 3200 or even 6400 for critical use, especially with the denoising tools available. Not shown here, I put my test Raws through Adobe Lightroom Denoise and DxO PhotoLab 8’s DeepPrime XD2s; my high-speed shots cleaned up nicely.
WATCH THE BIRDIE High-ISO performance was good from the EOS R5 Mark II with little noise and good fine detail retained. This is an ISO 3200 Raw processed without any extra denoising. The exposure was 1/1000sec at f/10 using the 800mm end of the Canon RF 200-800mm zoom
100
800
Final word
Verdict This is more a summary than a true verdict because we can’t make a fair judgement based on three days with a pre-production camera. That said, three days was enough to form a largely positive opinion and there is plenty for stills and video shooters to enjoy. My highlights include the terrific EVF, pre-capture and Eye Control AF, followed closely by the extended electronic shutter speed range, improved AF and 30fps burst shooting. Also, the right-sided on/off switch was welcome. Less welcome is yet another battery variant, aspects of menu layout, a pointless lock function and AF that can occasionally be frustratingly uncertain. Finally, £4499 for the EOS R5 Mark II body is a serious price and only you can decide if the camera is worth that. For current EOS R5 owners who shoot scenics, the benefits are minimal, but for action and nature workers, the case for the Mark II is more compelling. 24 /25 FEATURES
3200
1600
6400
25,600
51,200
12,800
For still shooters, the benefits are arguably rather modest, but they are still important. For videomakers, the benefits are more significant if you want to shoot 8K Raw, so this could be your dream machine
frame, the AF box would move onto the bird behind the main subject. But then, with a starling and its dark eyes, the AF eye detection would manage no problem. During pre-capture shooting the AF was inconsistent at staying with the subject as it took off, or might focus on the background. One issue with the EOS R5’s AF remains unresolved on the new camera. Shooting birds and insects with a long telephoto, the AF will not detect or recognise an out-of- focus close-up subject even when it is large in the frame or will focus on the background. You need to manually get focus close before hitting AF ON or find something well defined at around the same distance, focus on that and then reframe and hopefully the system will pick up on the subject. I haven’t mentioned picture quality yet, but ISO performance with both shutter types seems good and the same applies to the dynamic range of its Raws; here the EOS R5 Mark II seems at least comparable to its predecessor. I did a few side-by- side shots for my own personal consumption, but didn’t dig too deeply. Final judgement will have to wait for a production camera.
predecessor. The new tab is broadly headed ‘Customized controls’ and has four pages. On page one you will find customised controls and functions, and on page four you will find Eye Control. Of course, the feature can be dedicated to My Menu. The Mark II’s autofocus is very good. I didn’t get the chance to test the ‘register people’ priority or shoot football, basketball or volleyball, but with birds, insects, street shooting and scenics I enjoyed using it.
I deployed a range of lenses, including the RF 24-105mm, RF 70-200mm, RF 100-500mm and RF 200-800mm, and used a range of AF zones and subject detection modes. With birds, I did find the AF system a little bit uncertain. For example, with a bird sitting in a tree, the eye detection box could pick up on the end of a cut branch and the AF would not move to the bird’s eye, even with a subject as bright as a parakeet. Or with two birds in the
24 /25 HANDLING
Having the on/off switch on the right is a big plus, there is massive customisation potential and the EVF is excellent
24 /25 PERFORMANCE
Mostly impressive AF, high-ISO skills and fast shooting make the EOS R5 Mark II a delight to use. Pre-capture shooting and Eye Control AF worked well
23 /25 VALUE FOR MONEY
The EOS R5 Mark II has a top-end price tag, but is an impressive camera that deserves its ‘5’ designation
95 /100 OVERALL
A very capable camera and lovely to use. While not perfect, it will appeal to serious creators with deep pockets
PROS Pre-capture, image quality, flash sync with electronic shutter, no signs of rolling shutter, top 1/32,000sec electronic speed, Eye Control AF, lovely EVF, image resizing, on/off switch position CONS More pre-capture control would be good, new battery type needed for full feature set, AF struggles with out-of-focus close-up subjects and can be twitchy, image resizing JPEG only
ONE GOOD, ONE LESS SO The EVF is excellent and the image is big, really detailed and super bright. The eyepiece is also large to accommodate the sensors for Eye Control AF. Not quite so good, but probably less important, is the hotshoe cover, which is a fiddle to remove
Issue 118 | Photography News 27
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