Big test
focusing, self-timer operation, touch sounds and beeps in video shooting. To test the EOS R5 Mark II’s continuous shooting skills, I used an Angelbird 512GB CFexpress Type B 1785MB/s card and a Lexar 64GB 2000x SD card, although I tested each separately. I set the camera to shoot full-size Raws and large JPEGs simultaneously, with ISO 12,800 and a shutter speed of 1/1000sec, and photographed an online stopwatch. With the mechanical shutter, I got 85 shots at 12fps with both cards; I took my finger off the shutter release when the buffer counter hit zero. With the CFexpress card the buffer cleared in five seconds, while the SD card took much longer at 32secs. Switching to the electronic shutter, I got 60 shots at 29fps with the SD card and the camera’s write LED extinguished after 32secs. Using the CFexpress Type B card I got 68 shots at 30fps and 79 shots at 20fps with the buffer clearing in six seconds. In my continuous shooting tests, the EOS R5 Mark II outperformed the EOS R5, but not by that much. Using the same CFexpress Type B card in the EOS R5, I got 43 shots at 20fps with the buffer clearing in 5secs. A prominent feature for many photographers will be the EOS R5 Mark II’s pre-capture feature; Canon calls its version ‘Pre-cont. shooting mode’. In this, with the continuous shooting speed set to 30fps, you get 0.5sec of pre-capture. Again shooting full Raws and large JPEGs, I was
Another feature implemented well on rival cameras is pixel-shift shooting for high-resolution files, but Canon has struggled with this. The EOS R5 gained IBIS High Resolution via a firmware update and can produce 400-megapixel JPEG files of static scenes by combining nine shots. The Mark II has In-Camera Upscaling included in its playback menu and this increases the size of the original JPEG from 8192x5464 pixels to 16,384x10,928 pixels. It only works with JPEG/HEIF files and the process takes approximately 12secs for the in-camera interpolation to take place. With Raws, these will need to be processed in camera to JPEG/HEIF first and then the resulting files can be upsized. Where the EOS R5 Mark II’s upscaling feature wins is that it works with individual frames, which means you don’t have to worry about movement during multi-frame pixel- shift capture. That aside, I can’t see the point of the feature. There is no benefit to noise or colour fidelity, so you might as well interpolate images on the computer. The Mark II has moved forward significantly, though, in its AF skills. Its sensor uses Canon’s Dual Pixel AF, which uses two photodiodes at each pixel location. There is no Dual Pixel Raw on the new camera, which was a feature with limited appeal and potential. One feature that has cascaded down from the EOS R3 is Eye Control AF. After calibration and with partial
SPECS › Prices £4499 body only, BG-R20EP Battery Grip £679 › In the box EOS R5 Mark II, body cap, ER-SC3 hotshoe cover, LP-E6P li-ion battery, strap, USB-C cable, LC-E6E charger › Resolution 45 megapixels › Sensor BSI stacked CMOS, 36x24mm full-frame › Image processor Digic X and Digic Accelerator › Image formats 14-bit Raw and CRAW 8192x5464 pixels (full- frame), 5088x3392 pixels (1.6xcrop), JPEG 8-bit and HEIF 10-bit each with ten compression options › Storage media Dual slots: 1x CFexpress Type B, 1x SD › ISO range 100-51,200, expanded to 50 and up to 102,400 › In-body image stabilisation Sensor shift IS with 8.5EV benefit at the centre and 7.5EV peripheral › Shutter Mechanical: 30secs to 1/8000sec plus B flash sync 1/200sec mechanical; 1/250sec electronic front curtain in full- frame. 1/250sec and 1/320sec in cropped sensor mode. Electronic: 30secs to 1/32,000sec plus B flash sync 1/160sec full-frame, 1/250sec in cropped sensor mode › Exposure system 6144 zone real- time metering. Evaluative, partial, spot, centre-weighted › Monitor 3.2in vari-angle touch panel, 2.1m dots › Viewfinder 0.5in OLED, 5.76k dots › Focusing Dual Pixel Intelligent AF. Working range EV -6.5-21 (ISO 100). Face + Tracking 1053 AF areas in auto selection. Manual selection: 1-point AF 5850 (stills), 4500 (movie), AF Expansion 4 points, Flexible Zone, Whole Area, Spot AF › AF tracking Human (eyes, head, upper half of body), animals (dogs, cats, birds, horses), vehicles (racing cars, motorbikes, aeroplanes, trains), register people priority. Action priority (football, basketball, volleyball with supported actions) › Drive modes Mechanical shutter 12fps, electronic shutter up to 30fps continuous high speed (extended). Custom shooting speed with electronic shutter with selectable options 1-30fps › Pre-continuous shooting 0.5sec before the shutter is depressed › Video Raw (Light 17:9) 8192x4320, Raw (Standard 17:9) 8192x4320, SRAW (Standard, Light) 4096x2160, 8K DCI (17:9) 8192x4320, 8K UHD (16:9) 7680x4320, 4K DCI (17:9) 4096x2160, 4K UHD (16:9), 2K DCI (17:9), Full HD (16:9) › Battery One LP-E6P. With EVF approx 340 shots › Connectivity HDMI Type A, USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, 3.5mm microphone and headphone sockets, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, N3-type terminal, PC sync terminal › Other key features In-body image upscaling, 7680x4320 JPEG capture at 7.5fps during Full HD video recording, voice memo › Dimensions (wxhxd) 138.5x101.2x93.5mm › Body weight 746g (with card and battery) › Contact canon.co.uk
SAME BUT DIFFERENT The EOS R5 Mark II and the original model look very similar from above. The big change is the camera’s on/off switch, which is now on the right, with the dedicated stills/video switch on the left
I did try it on London traffic and the system worked well even after a single calibration. It is advised to perform a calibration on upright as well as horizontal orientation and in different lighting for better results. Compared with the EOS R3, the EOS R5 Mark II’s system has improved algorithms and wider-view sensors to improve performance when your eye is further from the viewfinder eyepiece – as well as for the benefit of spectacle-wearers. In my short time with the camera, I used Eye Control quite a bit for normal shooting and even after a single calibration it worked remarkably well for street shots, scenes and birds. With one of the small AF points active, I found I could move this point by eye where needed and it was quicker than using the
focus joystick. I am not saying it was infallible and that may be because my eye wasn’t in the optimum position each time, but it was still pretty good even when shooting with a tripod. The thing to remember was, while you might scan around the frame during composition, when you are ready to shoot you must look at the subject or what you want sharp. In the end, I got to like Eye Control AF and dedicated the depth-of-field button to call it up quickly. Perhaps oddly, given that Eye Control is a focusing feature, it is not in the AF section of the menu. But then again, Canon’s menus could do with being better organised and it still bugs me that setting bracketing and number of frames are in different places. The EOS R5 Mark II has eight menu tabs, one more than its
getting 14-15 shots pre-capture and around 50 shots if I kept my finger on the shutter button without setting a frame limit. There is no option to fine-tune time period or how many frames you get in pre-capture, which is disappointing. However, simply having a properly implemented pre- capture mode (with individual Raws to choose from) is very welcome. “YOU CAN CARRY THE CAMERA IN ONE HAND AND TURN IT ON WHILE BRINGING IT UP TO THE EYE. START-UP, THOUGH, LIKE ON THE EOS R5, IS NOT FAST” pressure on the shutter or AF ON button, this neat feature lets you select and focus on a subject just by looking at it. So, if you are at a racetrack with two cars tearing towards you, using Eye Control allows you to focus on one car and then the next just by staring at which one you want sharp.
THE EYES HAVE IT Canon’s Eye Control AF came in useful for this grabshot. With a single AF point in use, I could have moved it from the centre to the man in the background with the joystick. However, just looking at the subject through the art installation meant the camera did the work with no need to touch the joystick
26 Photography News | Issue 118
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