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mirrorless
Canon

EOS R5 Mark II

Category
Mirrorless
Sensor
Full-frame
Resolution
45 MP
Mount / lens
Canon RF mount
Weight
746 g with battery and card

What photographers keep saying · from 52 reviews

fast autofocus26great image quality9build quality issues6overheating3autofocus issues2compact2great handling2great video2

Enjoys it as a hybrid camera but sees overheating on long video outdoors, flatter colour than the R5 and very smooth IBIS.

“Long form video seems to overheat even if you step down the quality, at least outside. The photos have a bit more of a flat color compared to the R5 1. The ibis is really smooth”
mixed

Their R5 Mark II with the 70-200 very rarely misses focus on fast dogs.

“The canon paired with the newest 70-200 verrrrry rarely misses. Hit rate is amazing.”
positivefast autofocus

Upgraded from an R6 to the R5 Mark II for more megapixels for wildlife; loves the detail from 45MP, finds AF very good though not much better than the R6 with small birds in clutter.

“I really like the picture quality coming out of the camera, the details are impressive as one would expect from 45mp.”
positivegreat image qualityfast autofocus

New R5 II owner shooting a cross-country meet says the camera worked like a dream, but it showed high-temperature alerts several times in mid-70s weather.

“The camera worked like a dream, but I did experience overheating issues with it.”
mixedoverheating

Coming from the R5, tested the R5 Mark II at the zoo and had a good experience, noticing the improved autofocus speed and accuracy.

“I am coming from the R5 so the major improvement for me is the autofocus speed and accuracy, which was noticeable.”
positivefast autofocus

Bought the R5 Mark II on release day and used it with an EF 100-400L II for air show shots; calls it an absolutely amazing camera after two outings.

“Picked up the R5 Mark II on release day, paired with my EF 100-400L II.”
positivegreat image quality

Hybrid shooter had enough problems with their first R5 II to exchange the body, then reported the fixes and remaining bugs after a multi-day paid shoot on firmware 1.0.1.

“it outlined quite a few of the problems I was having with my Canon R5II.”
mixedbuild quality issues

Has owned the R6, R5 and R5 II professionally; thinks the R5 II is much better than the others but its colours still fall short of the 5D IV and the files are massive.

“I think the R5ii is much better than the R6 or R5 but still not nearly as good of colors as my old 5D4.”
mixed

Has owned both R5 and R5 II; the II has better cooling and slightly faster focus but lost native HDR, and they find the two very close.

“R5II is faster on focus, but not a whole lot.”
mixed

Owns both and loves them, but says the R5 II's autofocus is much better, its joystick and workflow improved and its raws easier to edit.

“I have both the R5ii and R5 and I love both of them.”
positivefast autofocus

Moved from a 5D Mark III to the R5 Mark II; at an air show only a few of 3,000+ frames were out of focus, and the subject tracking is crazy.

“The subject tracking on this camera is crazy.”
positivefast autofocus

Went from a 5D Mark III to the R5 Mark II and hasn't picked up the 5D since.

“I also went from a 5D 3 to a R5 2. The 5D hasn't even been picked up since using the R5!”
positive

Was blown away the first time using the R5 Mark II and calls it crazy good.

“The R5 MK2 is Crazy good.”
positive

Upgraded from a 5D IV and is very happy with the R5 II's bird tracking, but AF dropped and froze after firmware 1.0.3 until disabling power saving.

“The R5II is amazing for tracking birds.”
mixedfast autofocusautofocus issues

Switched from Nikon and is struggling with R5 II colours in Lightroom: images look green and skin tones grey.

“I'm really struggling with r5ii colors editing in Lightroom. images seem green. Skin colors a bit gray.”
negative

Could never get R5 II colours where they wanted and moved to a Nikon Z9, though they miss the Canon's slicker experience.

“I was never able to get my r5ii colors where I wanted them.”
negative

Chose the R5 II and doesn't regret it, loving its cropping ability and blackout-free shutter.

“I went for the r5 ii, don’t regret it, the cropping ability is insane, and the no blackout shutter just feels so damn good”
positivegreat image quality

Bought a refurbished R5 Mark II that arrived faulty, but Canon replaced it quickly without trouble.

“I ordered the R5 Mkii like this and received a dud at first, but canon quickly replaced it without any trouble.”
mixedbuild quality issues

Finds the R5 II solid with useful pre-capture, but dislikes the line-skipped 60fps video and overheating.

“I have 2 problems with R5 II, video at 60fps is line skipped and terrible resolution and overheating.”
mixedoverheating

Upgraded to the R5 Mark II after owning the R8 and R5; for action and macro the stacked sensor is a game changer and they leave the electronic shutter on.

“I shoot a lot of **action** and **macro**, and the stacked sensor is a game changer.”
positivefast autofocus

Owns the R6 Mark II and R5 Mark II and finds the R5 II's pre-capture a cheat code for wildlife, though it fills cards quickly.

“For wildlife the pre-capture found on both the R5m2 and the R6m3 is pretty much a cheat code.”
positivefast autofocus

Moved from two years with an R8 to the R5 Mark II and loves the megapixels, though it's bigger and not a travel body.

“I was in the R8 for 2 years and just got the R5MkII and let me tell you, I love them megapixels.”
positivegreat image qualityheavy

Chose the R5 II over the R6 III to keep long-term and hasn't had any issues with the file sizes.

“I keep my cameras for a long time so i choose the r5ii”
positive

Their R5 Mark II developed Err 06 with freezes and failure to power on and needed a mainboard replacement under warranty, taking over a month.

“Repair note: “PCB ASSY MAIN replaced” (mainboard)”
negativebuild quality issues

Shoots small fast birds handheld and finds the R5 Mark II's AF clearly better than the Mark I with teleconverters, with far less rolling shutter.

“The R5 Mark II has the best AF that doesn't come with a garbage resolution for shooting small, fast-moving birds.”
positivefast autofocus

Even with the cooling grip their R5 II runs too hot to hold at 4K Fine; their R6 III handles heat much better.

“I have the cooling grip and it will still run very hot at 4Kfine”
negativeoverheating

Professional has owned the R5 Mark II for a year; overkill for most, but for their resolution needs it's the best Canon option.

“being a professional myself and kinda needing the resolution: it think it's the best option Canon offers.”
positivegreat image quality

Found a stuck pixel on the screen of their new R5 Mark II on the first day.

“It's the first day I've used it, and there's a pixel stuck on the screen that won't go away.”
negativebuild quality issues

Their new R5 Mark II showed a red dot that was fixed by running sensor cleaning and hasn't returned in nine months.

“I went to the sensor cleaning menu and did the clean and that fixed it.”
mixed

Coming from a 5D IV, finds the R5 II's AF pure sorcery and its H+ drive speed unbelievable for action.

“the AF tech on the R5 II is pure sorcery and you will not believe the H+ drive speed.”
positivefast autofocus

Upgraded from a 5D IV to the R5 Mark II; it's different but familiar, and pictures have been magnificent.

“I recently upgraded from a well loved 5D MKIV to an R5 MKII.”
positivegreat image quality

Now uses the R5 II as their main camera after an R6: smarter AF, no blackout, pre-capture and 30fps without rolling shutter.

“I’ve since gone to the R5ii as my main cam. The difference is again incredible.”
positivefast autofocus

Moved from a 5D III to the R5 II and calls it a technical beast, though gearing up is expensive and there's more low-light noise.

“holy crap is the R5II advanced.”
positive

Moved from a 5D III to the R5 II; AF feels like cheating and it's lighter, though battery life is the downside.

“I feels like cheating for autofocus i really like it”
positivefast autofocuspoor battery life

Owned the R5 II last year but preferred images from their 5D III with EF L glass.

“Much prefer the images out of my mark iii with ef L glass to the r5 ii I owned last year.”
negative

Loves their R5 Mark II, chosen for its compact size and resolution for cropping, though eye-control AF is more reliable held horizontally than vertically.

“I love my R5 Mark II but at the time I was buying it when I tried the R3 viewfinder I felt the view was much smoother.”
positivecompact

Upgraded from an EOS R to the R5 Mark II and loves it.

“But I love my r5 ii. Coming from an eos r.”
positive

Moved from the R7 to the R5 Mark II and never looked back.

“I sold it and moved onto the R5ii and never looked back”
positive

Has had no heat issues with the R5 Mark II in Florida, unlike their R8.

“I don’t think i’ve ever had a heating issue with the R5II and I live in Florida.”
positive

Moved from an R8 to the R5 Mark II and never looked back.

“I did similar went from a R8 to the new R5 Mk II never looking back”
positive

Found the Canon R5 Mark II a beast with simple, stellar autofocus, but disliked the locked lens ecosystem.

“Bought into canon with the R5ii. Beast of a camera and autofocus was simple and stellar.”
positivefast autofocus

Moved from the Fuji X-H2S to the Canon R5 Mark II for wildlife and finds its autofocus far more reliable.

“Not exactly cheaper but so much more reliable in terms of AF for wildlife.”
positivefast autofocus

Moved from a 5D Mark III to the R5 Mark II and is loving it, though an older Sigma EF lens has adapter issues.

“Just upgraded from a 5D Mark III to an R5 Mark II and loving it so far.”
positive

Moved from a 6D to the R5 Mark II with EF lenses; a big upgrade that makes old EF glass shine, but battery life means buying spares.

“it is such a big upgrade over my 6D besides battery life. Like “Holy F”, I need to buy an extra battery or two.”
positivepoor battery life

Uses EF glass on their R5 Mark II and finds it such a good camera, preferring its top screen.

“Nice I too am using my EF glass with my R5II it is such a good camera.”
positive

Moved from a D300s to the R5 Mark II and loves how powerful it is, trying focus stacking for the first time.

“I must say I really love this camera, it's so insanely powerful”
positive

Moved from the R6 Mark II to a refurbished R5 Mark II; pre-capture, cropping room and AF are big upgrades, with slightly worse low light.

“The pre capture is incredible and a total game changer and the increase in megapixels makes a big difference for the cropping with bird photos.”
positivefast autofocus

Found the R5 Mark II's ISO 12,800 images considerably worse than their R6 Mark II's, so they cap it at ISO 6400.

“Taking the same shot with the same lens on both cameras at ISO 12800 the images from the R5II look considerably worse, while the R6II images are still quite usable.”
mixed

Moved from the R6 Mark II to the R5 Mark II and loved it so much they bought a second for events, sports and wildlife.

“Loved it so much I bought a second”
positive

Bought the R5 Mark II instead of an R7 and is very happy, though it threw Err 70 on the last day of a week at EAA.

“But I’m very happy with my decision. I do have an issue where on the last day of using it (I went to EAA all week) it started giving err70.”
mixed

Has used the R5 Mark II with the 100-500 for months and calls it a beast of a setup.

“R5 mk II and 100-500 have been my setup for the last few months. Absolute beast of a setup!”
positive

Uses the R5 Mark II daily in a commercial studio after the R5; both are fantastic workhorses.

“I use the R5II every day in a commercial studio and did the R5MKI they are fantastic workhorses”
positive

After nearly 20 years of Canon, they traded their R6 for the R5 Mark II; AF, controls, handling and EVF are all perfect.

“I traded my r6 with r5 ii… using canon almost 20 years and r5 ii is a different beast.”
positivefast autofocusgreat handling

Traded their original R6 for the R5 Mark II over the R6 Mark III and is very happy with the decision.

“I traded my R6 MK I for the R5 MK II.”
positive

Owns the R5 Mark II and finds its 4K60 mode isn't oversampled and is very poor, with noticeable noise.

“the 4k60 is not oversampled and incredible bad. If you rely on this mode, its borderline unusable.”
negativegreat video

Shoots off-road automotive action in the desert with the R5 Mark II; it handles dust much better than their Sony did, as well as their old 1DX.

“Love how this Canon R5MKII has held up over the past few photoshoots, especially when switching from Sony; the Canon has held up in dusty environments way better.”
positive

Moved from the R5 to the R5 Mark II and their action keeper rate skyrocketed with amazing AF and pre-capture, at a very slight image-quality cost.

“As soon as I upgraded to the r5ii the number of action shot keepers I had skyrocketed. The AF on this camera is truly amazing”
positivefast autofocus

Moved from the R7 to the R5 Mark II and sometimes misses the reach, but the keeper rate and pre-capture make it worth it.

“the amount of keepers, and the great precapture are totally worth it”
positivefast autofocus

Uses the R5 Mark II for sports and moved their R5 to portraits only.

“I relegated my R5 to portraits after getting the R5ii for sports.”
positive

Moved from the R8 to the R5 Mark II for wildlife and finds it truly amazing; maybe too much camera for a novice, but they love it.

“The R5ii is truly an amazing camera and maybe too much of a camera for an amateur novice like me but I am enjoying it so much!”
positive

Has used the R5 Mark II with the 100-500 for wildlife since December and loves it, though it hunts a little against cloudy skies.

“I do find it hunts a little bit with a bird up against cloudy sky”
mixedautofocus issues

Moved from the R6 to the R5 Mark II for its stacked sensor and resolution, and is very satisfied with its photo and video.

“super satisfied with both the video and photo capabilities, overall feels like a well rounded improvement over my R6.”
positivegreat video

Owns the R5 Mark II and R6 Mark II and uses the R5 II's electronic shutter almost always, sparing the mechanical shutter.

“I shoot electronic shutter 99% of the time on my r5ii.”
positive

Uses the R5 Mark II with an R7 for birds and aircraft; it's great but complicated, and they're still getting used to it.

“The R5ii is great but complicated. Still getting used to it.”
mixedclunky menus
Redditr/canon·

Coming from a 7D Mark II, they were disappointed by how cheap the R5 Mark II's body, buttons and dials feel, and find the buttons too small for gloves.

“R5-2 feels like a 1100D, just another plastic-fantastic cheap body.”
negativebuild quality issues
Redditr/canon·

Moved to the R5 Mark II from DSLRs and wanted to return it after a day, but six weeks later calls it a powerhouse and the best money they've spent.

“a month and a half later, it’s the best money I’ve spent.”
positive
Redditr/canon·

Moved from a 7D Mark II to the R5 Mark II, which handles everything from portraits to wildlife and is light enough to carry everywhere.

“From portrait to wildlife and everything in between, this R5ii can do everything perfectly.”
positivecompact
Redditr/canon·

Loves the R5 Mark II with the RF 100-500; over 100,000 photos in 15 months without a scratch.

“I took at least 100.000 photos with it in last 15 months and not even a scratch”
positive
Redditr/canon·

Tried the R5 Mark II but didn't find it amazing enough for the price, and preferred the R6 Mark III.

“I had wanted to love the R5ii but it just wasn’t as amazing for me based on the price.”
mixedoverpriced
Redditr/canon·

Moved from the EOS R to the R5 Mark II a month ago and finds it on another level, though CFexpress cards are expensive.

“I just switch from EOS R to R5 MKII about a month ago and trust me it's on another level.”
positive
Redditr/canon·

Shoots an R5 Mark II and R6 Mark II and finds the R5 Mark II has no low-light or noise problems up to ISO 3200 and beyond.

“Lowlight isn’t an issue on the r5ii”
positivegreat low light
Redditr/canon·

Shoots weddings with an R5 Mark II and R6 Mark II; the R5 Mark II's 14-bit electronic shutter and instant shutter response stand out.

“Biggest diference for me is electronic shutter on R5II, i get full 14bit with ES. And also shutter lag, R5II is instant”
positive

Uses the R5 Mark II for 95% of their sports shooting for its resolution, pre-capture and eye-control AF.

“I use both for sports and R5ii is my go to 95% of the time.”
positivefast autofocus

Uses only the electronic shutter on their R5 Mark II, with 15,000 shots and almost no mechanical wear.

“There's something amazing about taking 15,000 shots since I've bought it and putting maybe six actual mechanical shutter clicks.”
positive

Their R5 Mark II keeps impressing them every time they use it.

“the R5 Mark II continues to impress me... every time i use it”
positive

Moved from the EOS R to the R5 Mark II, which feels like a natural progression after not gelling with an R6 Mark III.

“Ended up with an R5 ii and feel like the R5 series is natural progression from the R.”
positive

Uses the electronic shutter by default on their R5 Mark II; apart from some light flicker, rolling shutter is basically non-existent.

“TBH rolling shutter is basically non existent in my R5.2.”
positive

Their used R5 Mark II performed wonderfully on paid shoots, but after a few weeks of daily use the paint is already wearing off; not built like the 5D.

“I was just surprised at the speed at which the R5ii paint has rubbed off, especially comparing to my 5D3.”
mixedbuild quality issues

Bought the R5 Mark II a couple of months ago and finds it too clever for its own good, struggling to get the most from it with their lenses.

“I got R5Mk2 a couple of months ago and am in that same mixed space of not being able to get the most from it. It's way too clever”
mixed

Bought the R5 Mark II to crop wildlife and airshow shots, but found cropped images worse than expected with the 200-800 and calls it money wasted; plans to go back to R6 bodies.

“I came to conclusion, that it was money wasted for me, so hence the downgrade idea.”
negative

Moved from the original R5 to the R5 Mark II and finds its autofocus significantly better.

“I had the R5 and I find the AF of the R5II significantly better so I'm a bit surprised, but I don't have an R6II”
positivefast autofocus

Shoots baseball with the R5 Mark II and an R7 and much prefers the R5 Mark II's performance, though it occasionally picks someone in the stands.

“I shoot baseball with an R5ii (usually on a 300 2.8, with a 1.4 extender if it's light enough out) and an R7 (usually on my 70-200 2.8). Very much”
positivefast autofocus

Replaced a 5DS R with the R5 Mark II and couldn't be happier.

“I bought the R5II to replace my 5Ds R and couldn’t be happier. I skipped replacing my 7DII with the R7 because people were”
positive

Upgraded from a 5D Mark II to the R5 Mark II for hobby birds and cosplay and likes it, especially its usable electronic shutter and flash sync.

“I had an upgrade from 5D mk ii to R5 mk ii, much similar 10 years upgrade like yours. For me it's only hobby, occasionally birds or cosplaying. I pretty like the R5 mk ii”
positive

Loves shooting wildlife with the R5 Mark II for its eye focus and amazing image quality.

“I love shooting wildlife with the r5mii. I really like the eye focus and the image quality has been amazing.”
positivefast autofocusgreat image quality

Prefers the R5 Mark II over the R3 for wildlife: better AF on small subjects and eye detection, plus pre-capture; the R3 has better ergonomics and slightly better high ISO.

“R5m2 all day long. AF is superior to R3 especially smaller subjects and eye detection. For wildlife pre-capture is very handy. Image quality on either is excellent but extra pixels”
positivefast autofocus

Upgraded from a Canon EOS M after a dozen years to the R5 Mark II and finds it close to perfect: best-in-class autofocus, resolution, IBIS, feel in the hand and support for EF, M42 and medium-format glass.

“the Canon R5mkII has been all that and a bag of chips. I knew I wanted the best-in-class autofocus, and the resolution”
positivefast autofocusgreat handling

Moved from a 5D Mark III to the R5 Mark II and compares the difference to a hand saw versus a chainsaw.

“I went from the 5d3 to an R5 mk2 and let me tell you, make the switch.”
positive

Owns two R5 Mark II bodies and loves them, but finds them a pain for travel, so bought a Sony a6700 for light trips.

“I own two R5 Mark II bodies and a bunch of L glass, and let me tell you, it's a PIA for travel photography. I ended up buying a Sony”
mixedheavy

Has owned both the R6 Mark II and R5 Mark II; for sports the R5 Mark II has been amazing thanks to pre-capture and resolution, but a used R6 Mark II is the best value.

“I short mostly sports so the R5ii has been amazing for me. The precapture and extra resolution are so helpful.”
positive

Likes their R5 Mark II but thinks most people would be happier with an R6 and better RF lenses.

“I like my R5ii, but it's not for everybody. Most will be happier with the R6 and spending the difference on some decent RF”
mixed

Moved from a 6D Mark II to the R5 Mark II with RF glass; recommends it for serious sports thanks to pre-capture, reduced rolling shutter and crop room.

“I went from a 6D Mk II to the R5 Mk II, and invested in all RF glass. IF you have the money to also purchase RF lenses, R5 Mk II all day every day for the pre cont shooting”
positive

After nearly 40 years with prosumer cameras, bought the R5 Mark II this summer and has no regrets.

“I bought the R5mkii earlier this summer. No regrets.”
positive

Bought the R5 Mark II mainly for its readout speed, letting them use the electronic shutter for football with pre-capture and 30 fps; also likes the resolution and fantastic AF.

“The R5ii's biggest selling point for me was readout speed. It's almost as good as the R1 or R3, so you can use e-shutter with minimal”
positivefast autofocus

Uses both an R5 Mark II and R6; rarely needs the R5's extra resolution, and its files are slow to edit without a powerful computer.

“Times I need the extra resolution of the r5 vs r6… rarely. The other big question you need to ask yourself is: do you have the”
mixed

Great for photos but disappointing for video, so they bought a Blackmagic for video and use the R5 Mark II only for stills.

“It’s been great for photos but I’ve been let down with the videos. I ended up buying a BlackMagic for video and only use the R5ii for photos.”
mixedgreat image quality

Bought the R5 Mark II for hybrid work: incredible for stills but lacking for video, with poor 60fps and no fix from Canon for fan-grip users.

“For stills photography it’s an incredible camera. If you bought it, like I did, for hybrid work. The camera is seriously lacking in some video departments, and canon it self release a number of cameras that cannibalize the R5ii.”
mixedgreat image quality

Chose the R5 Mark II and finds its animal, people, racing and face-lock focus modes get many shots in focus; eye-control AF takes some training. The menu is intimidating at first.

“The focus modes for animals, people, racing and face lock get me a ton of pics in focus. I'm not sure if the R6III has the eye control AF, which”
positivefast autofocus

Shoots birds, wildlife and macro with the R5 Mark II and RF 100-500 always on the electronic shutter for higher fps, and hasn't seen rolling shutter.

“I use an R5ii with the RF 100-500, but the workflow is pretty similar. I’m also into bird/wildlife/macro photography, so here’s my two cents:”
positive