A Stacked Sensor-Processor Combo
The R5 Mark II’s new sensor maintains the high resolution of its predecessor while introducing a stacked, back-illuminated design that makes room for Canon’s latest image processor, the DIGIC Accelerator. Operating alongside the stalwart DIGIC X, the camera combines the raw image data with high-volume, deep-learning datasets to produce gains in subject tracking and recognition, pre-continuous capture, blackout-free shooting, video resolution, maximum recording time, and more – making the R5 Mark II a powerful and comprehensive professional creator’s toolkit.
Autofocus and Deep Learning
The improved processing speeds benefit the EOS R series’ already-robust autofocus, incorporating deep learning datasets in its Dual Pixel Intelligence AF to produce advancements in subject recognition and tracking while also improving on the Eye Control Focus feature introduced in the EOS R3.
- The processor’s high-level analyses keep the intended subject locked when similar subjects cross one another
- Head, eyes, upper body, and joint structures are all tracked, as well as persons other than the main subject and the ball
- Action Priority Menu setting for still photos identifies sport-specific events, actions, and ball positions for soccer, basketball, and volleyball
- Photograph or upload a person’s image to register and prioritize up to 10 subjects
Eye Control Focus
Reintroduced in the EOS R3, Eye Control AF allows shooters to use their eye to initiate where the focus point is simply by looking through the electronic viewfinder. The R5 Mark II boasts newly developed camera optics and a revised line-of-sight detection algorithm to nearly double the detection frame rate. The camera integrates Eye Control Focus with its improved subject tracking and recognition algorithms to keep the sighted subject in sharp focus.
High Speed, High-Quality Stills Performance
Electronic Shutter
Chief among the benefits of the new sensor-processor combination is the ability to shoot high-quality, high-resolution images at blazing speed, unlocking mural-sized moments of athletic brilliance, breaking news, or even history. The R5 Mark II has the power to record the ephemeral and commit it to memory on the biggest scale and in astounding detail.
- Continuous shooting speeds of up to 30 fps full-frame raw with reduced shutter distortion, with up to 12 fps when using the mechanical shutter
- Supports always-on blackout-free display when using the electronic shutter
- For indoor sports shooters, the camera effectively suppresses flicker in LED lighting environments by detecting refresh frequencies
- Flash sync speeds of up to 1/250s possible when using electronic front-curtain shutter
Pre-Continuous Shooting
Newly available in the EOS R5 Mark II is the ability to bank up to 15 shots of pre-continuous shooting by half-depressing the shutter button before firing. When the shutter button is fully pressed, the previous half-second of images are written to the memory card, allowing users to “go back in time” to recover a decisive moment they might have missed.
Noise Reduction and In-Camera Upscaling
First and foremost, the R5 Mark II is a camera built for image-makers looking to maximize quality and flexibility. As such, the broad native ISO 100-51200 range suits working in a variety of lighting conditions and the DIGIC Accelerator enables the use of Neural Network Noise Reduction for cleaner images, especially at higher sensitivities.
This same processing power also enables the creation of even higher resolution stills-up to 179MP-via In-Camera Upscaling. This deep learning-based tool doubles the number of pixels horizontally and vertically to produce a larger, more detailed image with maintained sharpness and clarity.
Coordinated Control Image Stabilization
A lightweight, compact build encourages users to hand-wield the camera, and here as elsewhere the R5 Mark II’s new innards yield performance gains. Coordinated control helps achieve the optimum hand-shake correction effects, benefitting handheld shooting in low-light conditions and reducing shake when recording videos. The five-axis in-body image stabilizer (IBIS) corrects up to 8.5 stops of unwanted camera shake in the center of the frame and 7.5 at the edges when used in conjunction with compatible. Additionally, Movie Digital IS uses the optical and sensor-shift stabilization methods along with digital IS to help acquire steadier footage while moving.
A Cinema EOS-Integrated 8K Powerhouse
The R5 Mark II inherits many of innovations that made its other relative, the R5 C, a favorite among combination video-stills shooters, and carries over much of its Cinema EOS cousin’s features and workflow. Like its predecessors, the 45MP full-frame sensor enables impressively high-resolution DCI 8K raw video recording internally, now up to 60 fps, along with 4K SRAW also at the full sensor width.
- Reads out signals for all effective pixels from its full-frame 8K sensor, enabling 4:2:2 10-bit high-definition recording through oversampling during 4K and 2K video recording
- Record High Frame Rate (HFR) movies with sound at up to 120p at DCI/UHD 4K resolutions (4096 x 2160/3840 x 2160) in 4:2:2 10-bit without cropping the sensor
- Supports MXF-based XF-AVC, which offers 10-bit 4:2:2 files, as well as the highly versatile MP4 for lightweight proxy files in various professional workflows
- External raw recording is supported for compatible recorders with a full size, HDMI Type-A port
- Split saving is possible with raw and proxy video saved to separate memory cards
- Supports Canon Log3, a gamma designed for simple grading, such as tightening dark areas and adjusting tones, as well as integration with other Cinema EOS system footage
- The following time code settings are supported: start time setting, movie recording count, movie play count, HDMI time code on/off, HDMI rec. command on/off, drop frame enable/disable)
- Canon Log2, PQ, and HLG in-camera custom picture profiles also supported
- High-quality audio supported with 4-Channel, 24-bit LPCM
- Recording times up to 120 minutes are possible at 4K 60 settings and below or, if paired with an optional grip, larger recording formats or longer recording times are possible
- Integrated waveform monitor, false color & zebra display, tally lamp
- Compatible with Canon VR and RF 5.2mm f/2.8 L Dual Fisheye lens
Body and Connectivity
- A 5.76m-dot, 0.76x-magnification OLED electronic viewfinder is featured for clear, high-resolution eye-level viewing at a 120 fps refresh rate with support for blackout-free viewing
- 3.2″ vari-angle LCD benefits working high, low, and front-facing angles and features a 4.15m-dot resolution with a touchscreen interface for vivid playback, live-view monitoring, and more
- Dual memory card slots are featured, a CFexpress Type B slot for raw video recording and fast continuous shooting and a UHS-II SD card for backups or less speed-critical shooting
- First EOS camera with Wi-Fi 6E/Wi-Fi 6 wireless support for even faster communication across wider frequency bands
- New, higher-capacity LP-E6P lithium-ion battery necessary for 8K video, top drive speeds, and other high-end capabilities; the camera will accept LP-E6N and LP-E6NH at limited capabilities and life durations
- Three optional battery grips are available, including two featuring a 2.5G BASE-T Ethernet interface and RJ-45 port for a fast and secure hardwired connection and one with a cooling fan for extended video runtimes
- Lightweight and compact with a dust- and moisture-sealed construction suitable for working in inclement condition
