Great job with the review and lovely shooting. Just one question AF Z8 or R5II. I know I prefer the Z series for the lenses anyway but having older Canon lenses might make me stop. My gut feeling says go with Z8. I can get a grey Z8 + lens for the same price as a R5 II. You sound enthusiastic so I'm guessing stick with Canon? I might have to wait a a couple months for grey prices they already have appeared.
We'll cover the 2 cameras very soon. Both have incredible subject tracking on birds. I think it will boil down to the image the sensor drops out for your shooting environment really as the colors and contrast are a little different.
Great video always, Scott. I really appreciate your thoroughness and balance. I'm really looking forward to your R5ii vs Z8 comparison and hope that you give us a "no holds barred - unvarnished truth" review. My long-term decision concerns whether or not to move to the Z8 from the R5.
Great review! I am in love with this camera. The autofocus is insane, the build quality is top notch, the 30 fps with the new sensor is excellent, the pre- capture is a game changer, and in my real life experience, the files are nicer than the original R5!! Get out there and run that shutter!!
excellent video as usual. Just got in the car and drove for about an hour and enjoyed listening to your overview. You do such a great job and I always look forward to your next video. Keep up the great work! Hopefully I’ll be up to Alaska again this spring.
Hmm. I'm using the BG-R20 grip as well with the LP-E6P batteries. My batteries do not drain one at a time. I like to check what I have left when I get home after a day out. For example, I look at the batteries and see 20% left in one and 22% in the other. It's always been where the two batteries drain fairly equally. Now, when I charged the batteries up for the first time, and each time since, I charge them right in the grip using USB with a 45W block. Back to your video. Thanks, Scott!
It may be my grip, but I wanted to bring it up. It happened 2 times on 2 consecutive days nd I charge the grip the same way. The battery pull is actually one battery at a time but bounces around between batteries to keep the drain even across the batteries. What seems to be happening on my grip ( hoping it's isolated) is its pulling from one battery. Have to test it more which is kind of hard and I haven't had the drive to do it as it would take several hours for it to drain and pop the error again.
@@WILDALASKA What's the return policy? Would the seller be able to just exchange it for a new one and send yours back to Canon? It's been less than 30 days. 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼
Scott, thank you for this review. I've taken over 10k shots and a few dozen videos with this camera. So far, superior to the original im every way. Today, I had one lock up and had to pull the battery. Overall, default AF setting has been great for birds in flight. Occasionally, a few frames will be out of focus in a burst, if the bird is flying past vegetation, but against the sky it is pretty flawless. I don't even notice the focus drift in the EVF because it is so quick to lock back on. Video stabilization is much better, especially with the 200-800. The R5 would jerk back and forth a bit, side to side. The new camera is much smoother, but occasionally will do an odd kind of rotational movement instead of jerking side to side. Holding my breath during video helped a lot. Hopefully, the first firmware update will fix the lock up and battery grip issues!
Great review thank you for sharing! Looking forward to seeing some of the work you produced on the trip soon! Im still on a 5D4 and like your uncle im thinking about the R5 as a stop gap until the R52 comes down in price... well until Canon put a 6 month wait on the R52 now the R5s are hard to get hold of on the used market! Anyway thanks again always love your content, very talented bloke 👍🏻
Canon RFs are probably the only cameras (Sony A7 rV and Nikon Z9 don't have this) that have a large histogram and levels displayed at the same time. In my Sony A7rV you need a magnifying glass to see the histogram. ;-)
@@WILDALASKA For stills & video, the size of the histogram on the Z9 cannot be changed. For video, the waveform monitor is available in two sizes (see page 696 in the Z9 reference manual).
Can we get rid of the video recording message screen? when flipping to video? I have not been able to figure out how. I'm loving it so far, spent last weekend in Theodore Rosevelt National park, shooting with it. My R3 is dead to me.... :(
Thanks for the review, Got my R5II the other day and took it out yesterday, I can't believe how great the AF is and the keeper rate is awesome. I also have the Z9 and the keeper rate isn't nearly as good plus from what I see is the AF on the Z9 isn't as good as the R5II. But here is what I did with the pre capture since keeping it on all the time just to many pictures IMO, I saved all settings in custom 2, then I turned pre capture off and saved to custom one that way when I need pre capture it's actually fast going to C2. Scott have you compared CRAW to RAW to see if there's a difference?
Thanks for the info. To me the z9 and R5MKII on BIRDS is close to a wash. In animal then we get a separation for sure. I have compared the 2 in the past and a lot of other folks have. The difference in noise and detail is extremely minimal, but getting the best out of DXO you need to use RAW per their documentation. So I usually shot in RAW, but with this guy at 30fps im shooting in cRaw currently. Once DXO us up I may switch back.
From my reading, if you use BBF, you can shoot normally and pre-continuous only when you press the shutter half-way. Your comment about Z9 and R5 II is informative. Not sure if the video auto focus is also better. One big downsize is that R5 II just like R5 cannot have a crop 4K120, Z8 & Z9 have 4K120 at 2.3x crop which is tremendous useful for wildlife video. R5 with a long lens (100-500 or 200-800) often takes time to settle down when record a video, Z8 is better in this also.
@@WILDALASKA I love my Z9 but it just seems the R5II is a little more stickier and doesn't wonder off the subject like the Z9 but I could be wrong, But from the rumor the Z9 should be getting an AF update soon one thing I know for sure is the Z9-Z8 buffer is unbelievable, The only time I'll be getting rid of the Z9 is for the Z9II. As for cRAW I haven't used it, Thanks;)
Fantastic review covering the most important issues for wildlife photography. The autofocus seems to be improved compared to the original R5 and the images and videos look great!
My batteries are drawn down pretty evenly (within 2%) Not sure why yours would be one battery at a time. Worth mentioning is the R5II is lighter than the R5 and the electronic shutter now shoots a full 14 bit RAW vs 12 bit on the R5. With inflation the cost is 10% more than the R5 when it came out over 4 years ago. A 2-1/2% cost increase per year isn't bad especially when you consider what were getting compared to the R5! I shoot a lot of wildlife, BIF, and Motorsports. The eye control focus really comes in handy with Motorsports photography as well as the pre-capture! Thanks for the review - it's an awesome camera!
Thanks for the info. The batteries actually draw one at a time, but it does try to pull equally off both batteries. What I experienced was a full pull on one battery. Happened twice which may just be my grip or may be a larger issue. And we'll be covering the differences in the 2 cameras in a future video.
Thank you for pointing out that you only get pre-capture images when you hold the shutter halfway before fully depressing it. I'm seeing lots of haters out there complaining that it eats up too many pictures every time you take a shot. I'm leaving it on all the time and simply quickly press the shutter when I don't need pre-capture. Wish someone would definitively test and say how many images or for how long it's actively recording.
The pre-shot? to me it seems to be getting the 15 shots if ive been holding it halfway down for a period. But its hard to tell as unlike the Sony A9III, there is nothing that tells you when you hit the shutter.
I stayed with my 15MP 10bit 50D from 2008 to early this year waiting for Canon to create a full frame mirrorless which could handle both stills and video without overheating problems with a price point under $2,500. The 24MP R6mkII checked off all the boxes for me so I bought one when it was released along with an RF 100-500mm and RF800mm f/11 for a new avocation, shooting birds after building my dream retirement house along the ICW in North Carolina where I can photograph Heron, Egrets, Hawks and even Dolphins from my back deck. I continue to use my circa 2004 EF-S 10-22mm, EF 24-70mm 2.8 and EF 70-200mm 2.8 with a pair of EF-RF adapters, one with the the VND which I find more convenient for shooting CLog3 video at ISO 800 than a lens end filter on the RF lenses which makes me which that Canon had just increased the length of the RF series by and inch and included the provision for adding a back of lens ND or VND when shooting video. Seems like a useful strategy for a dual use still / video camera. Perhaps Canon has plans to include in-body VND in dual use bodies at some point to meet that need. When the R5mkII was first rumored I was hoping that in-body VND might be a feature but sadly it was not which is why instead I purchased a second R6mkII body when Canon dropped the priced to $2000 shortly before the specs of the R5mkII were released. I worked in photography and photo reproduction my entire career from 1970 to 2010 including assisting top wedding photographer Monte Zucker, working in the National Geographic photo labs were I learned to reproduce photos for printing and then 33 years as a web offset printing plant manager where I converted from analog scanning of color separations and page assembly to a 100% digital workflow using Photoshop since V1 and becoming very skilled at post processing, resizing and sharpening. I’ve long used the rule of thumb of 300ppi for determining the practical size limit for making prints from digital files but back in 2001 was already making very nice 12x18 dye sublimations prints on our $25k 3M Rainbow pre-press proofing printer with files from my 2.1 MP Kodak DC290 which were about on par with 12x18 prints make from 35mm negatives. The last printer I bought was an 8/C HP back around 2006 which proved to be more expensive on a per print basis than sending files to an outside print lab. Nowadays most of my works gets displayed via UA-cam slide shows on my channel or the 65” 4K TV on my wall so 24MP is more than adequate for me and should be for anyone who isn’t trying to earn income selling prints larger than 20 x 24 inches.
I received the R5II and the grip a little over a week ago. First time I used it was a youth baseball game on a hot (90+) and sunny day. Used the pre-cont shooting a lot and loved it since it makes separate files that LR can read. Have an R6II, but quit using raw burst since files had to be run thru the Canon program first. I found that very quickly with the R5II I got a warning that the camera was overheating. Admittedly, I was probably not using pre-cont shooting efficiently. I realize that is it virtually like shooting video in terms of the strain (as in heat created) by the camera. Also, to my surprise I realized the grip covers the vent holes on the bottom of the camera bottom. That undoubtedly increase the heat. I only shot maybe 300 pics because I wasn’t sure how to react to the overheating. It never got to the point of shutting down because I cut back on my shooting. I shared my experience with Canon and their response was essentially don’t shoot in warm weather, stay in the shade, turn off the camera, etc. They were no help. I realize you are in Alaska and this video is about shooting above the arctic circle, but have you experienced or heard of anyone experiencing overheating with the R5II with or without a grip when only shooting stills? Seems like an extremely expensive camera to be limited to northern climates and/or cooler seasons. Also, covering the vent holes when using the grip seems like a bad design. I would love your thoughts/experience or that of your followers on this issue. I am trying to decide if it is a problem with the camera generally or just the copy I received. Thanks in advance.
Never and issue with over heating even in the studio so far. There is a fan battery grip also. I wouldn't worry about the het warning unless it hits the final bar really. But im hard on my gear too
I really only shoot stills and like a grip for the extra controls for portrait. The grip with a fan does not have extra controls so it is not a good fit for me. I have shot several baseball games in hot weather using the R6II with a grip with no problems with 1000+ pics per game. However, I was not using its pre-shoot feature, rather using the regular 40/sec shutter setting. It worked great. The heat warning I got on that Sunday when it was 90+ degrees was a single white icon like a thermometer in the viewfinder. It never turned red. The manual suggests that warning is for stills. However, when shooting misc flowers, butterflies around the house on a hot (maybe mid 80’s) day without the grip I got the icon that is a thermometer with a bar graph to its right. The manual suggests that is for video, but I was shooting stills. I got to 3-4 bars but no more. I was not using pre-continuous shooting. The heat setting on the menu was set to regular, but I have since changed it to the higher setting. No one else that I have seen online seems to have a heat issue with stills, so I am trying to decide if I need to worry about it. Am I over reacting to the warning, is it a bad copy or is this an issue with the model. I love the camera, so if it is a bad copy I want to return it while it is easy to do if B&H gets more in stock. If the warning is simply giving me a heats up and it will never get to the point of shutting down, then I want to just keep shooting and enjoy it.
I am still struggling with the hot shoe cover, threw mine away after fighting with it, and just replaced it with a plastic cover, but I tried what you are suggesting and yes, it is easier to remove if you press not the black button but the entire area around it. But it is a hit and miss for me, some times it works, some times it just doesn't. I don't want to get stuck during important shooting, so I will still go with a replacement plastic cover - I took one from my Canon R8 and never looked back. But you are the first person who actually proposed some solution to this. Thank you!
Hi Scott, looks like you already harvested quite some awesome birds in this short period 👍 Good to see your health has been getting stronger just in time to have lots of fun with the R5ii .. just make sure you don't overdo it ;-) You may be preparing a rant, but I'd guess Canon is already for long time breeding on a 200-500/4 to cater for your needs 😛
Thanks. every day is a journey lol. That lens isn't really peaking the interest as much unless it has some teleconverter function in it and even then a zoom type lens is never critical focus through the entire zoom range. It's why we love the primes for wildlife or even portraiture. But Canon has surprised me in the past so fingers crossed.
@@WILDALASKA Well, I believe above the artic circle you'll have less chance of encountering loose truck wheels .. Primes are great indeed, but Canon's big whites are heavy and pricey. People like Jan Wegener have come to appreciate white zooms because even when they are not as optimized as primes, their flexibility allows getting shots you'd miss with a prime. My biggest struggle with the 'old' R5 is getting initial focus when a large bird of prey is at a distance in the clear sky. Here it sometimes helps to zoom out. But I heard the R5ii gets that initial focus much easier. I heard the 100-300/2.8 is awesome, but clearly way too short for our thing. When reading the Japanese between the lines at Canon Rumors, they stated the 200-500 would not come with a 1.4x build in .. but it left the door wide open for a 2.0x build in ! And when they also bring the rumored variable 1/1.4/2 TC .. Still, that 200-500 will not be lightweight and the price may well approach 20k$ For myself, I'd rather dream of a 500/4.5 which is not heavier than the 200-800 and doesn't cost twice as much as that large zoom. But first I need to keep on saving for the R5ii 🙈
Great analysis of this amazing camera. I agree, it exceeded my expectations. I’ve been shooting the original R5 since it came out and thought this one would be incrementally better but I was wrong. It’s a big leap forward with improvements in so many areas. Unfortunately I just had surgery that will prevent me from holding it for several weeks right as fall migration is kicking off. Bummer! I really enjoyed your video and just subscribed so I can see your upcoming videos.
Great, detailed review, Scott. It seems this is the camera to have if you're a Canon shooter. Maybe someday one will be available and I will get it. :) Glad to see you seem to be in good health, brother!
Thanks Scott, always respect your reviews. I’d love to see the Z8 vs R5 mkii comparison too. I see you have a Gretsch in the background there - do you play in a band or just at home?
this one ua-cam.com/video/tFEz0_JUP4E/v-deo.html Exascend Essential. You will also see different # of frames depending on your exposure and amount of colors, etc in your image. Higher ISO and more colors, etc will give less shots.
Hi Scott, great to see you looking so good. Great video, as usual. I’m sure you’re aware that you can set up the red video record button to the video setting of your choice, save in C3 and then all you have to do is press the red button to get to video from still shooting.
Yes thanks for the info, but for some reason it messes up my settings when I flip back to video from stills. This may be the bug on some settings not saving I have heard about. I didn't want to cover this yet in a video until I can test it more and will cover it in the Video setup and use video coming soon.
Wait 'til you try the R1: the EVF is freakishly good, super bright and huge. It's feels like you're at the movies. Also the auto focus is even better than the R5ii and even in really dim light it locks focus instantly
Thank you very much!! Most useful review for wildlife so far. R5 stabilization with 100-500 or 200-800 often takes time to settle down when record a video, has R5 II improve on this issue?
Thanks for your great review. Eye control would drive me nuts. I will sometimes shift my eye around the finder to look at corner elements but don't necessarily want the camera to shift focus there. The other glitches mentioned are not unlike some weird things I've experienced with my R7, but it's always recovered and my confidence in it is very good.
Thanks for this very comprehensive review. I went back to the last video and I say the C Log 2 footage was the Atomos recording of the loon at about 3:23. Am I right?
Hi do you think there’s huge difference when compared to Nikon z8 autofocus wise? I’m ready to buy a 600f4 and can’t decide whether I should pair up my z8 with 600 f4 tc or go to the r5 ii and get the rf600. Any insight would be much appreciated
We'll be doing the Z9/8 vs R5 MKII AF comparison very soon ( 2 weeks probably). But I would look at the lenses really. The Nikon VS Canon 600 F4's. That Nikon with build in TC is just amazing. Along with the 400 2.8 TC where you can drop in another TC on top of that if needed.
Hi, first thanks for the video, my question/situation, I have an R6 and R5 both Mart one, my wife was using the R6 but started with macro and now also birding, and how should it be, I gave here the R5, and now I want a second R5, what will bee around 3000 Euro, the R5 mark ii 4800 Euro, should I bay my the mark ii? What I wearily want is the preshooting other I would bay me the R5 is still a good camera, so is it worth the 1800 Euro more?
Life should be treated in general, but details make our hearts beat faster. I don't know if it's a coincidence or something thought out long ago... In the Canons I know, 5DsR, 5D mark IV, R5, R6, R7, R5 mark II, the camera turns itself off when: you open the memory card cover and when you open the battery cover. It's a very cool thing. Sony, Nikon, Fuji X/GFX don't have it.
Hi, have you also noticed in your copy a strange fit when the "Canon" inscription on the right and left side is clearer than in the case of Canon R5, R3, R6II?
This looks like a great tool. I'm not in the position to grab it right now, but maybe in a year once some of the initial glitches and supply-chain issues get worked out I'll pick one up myself.
I agree with what you say it outdid my expectations too & l love the fps boost so l can have camera set up to just a few fps then if bird takes off l press boost button going straight to H+ fps. Yes a telephoto zoom lens with a wider aperture would sit well on this body.
A question about memory card setup if you please. I have my camera setup to write to both cards simultaneously, but one is a 512 GB CF-Express, and the other is a 156 GB UHS-II SD card. When the SD card fills up I assume I will get a message that I cannot shoot with copies to both cards. Will I be able to simply replace the SD card and continue shooting or must I replace both cards. I was unaware of how expensive 512GB SD cards were when I bought the CF-Express card, which was on sale:)
Don't shoot both simulates as you will slow the speed of the camera down. Unless you don't want that faster speeds that is. Write to the type b and overflow to the sd.
@@WILDALASKA Thank you. I guess we are all to some extent products of our experiences. After almost 50 years in computer tech - hardware, software, systems design and most recently high-level systems and data center architecture, the notion of not taking advantage of non-redundant storage makes me break out in hives:) With my previous OM1 system, I can only remember a handful of times when I over-ran the buffer, and I have a fear of losing content when I go on one of my annual 2-week pilgrimages to places with lots of birds. I plan to shoot CRAW + medium JPEG, which I never really use ex for when I just HAVE to send a nice pic I just took to someone:) But thanks, I appreciate the perspective. I wonder when someone will build in a dual CF-Express setup? It doesn't look like it would take up that much extra space.
Great video. Thanks for all your work. My testing suggests iq at 25k, has more noise than r5 with LR/DPP. The LR/DPP profiles are not yet as good as R5. Hopefully LR/DPP/Dxo improves this. Frames before buffer fill, is highly dependent on iso - eg iso 100 is 1/2 the size of iso 56k - and you get way more frames before buffer fills at iso 100. My tests of landscape is hard to tell the difference . I guess I will sell my R5 with your seal of approval. 👍
Yes it's hard to judge IQ, High ISO, etc without all our normal tools to process images. I tested the buffer under exact same lighting setup in a controlled environment. 1/500 f/4 ISO 200 (RF 14-35 lens), but Light, color, ISO, etc will change the amount of images captured before buffer hit for sure. Oh and R5 is still amazing even with its age 😄
@@WILDALASKADXO has released an update for DXO PureRAW 4 that includes the R5m2. I’ve run a few raw images through it with mixed results. Some images seem to have too much noise reduction in some textures, still pretty good though. I hope it’s a work in progress and will be fine tuned some by DXO.
There is a lot of confusion about how pre-continuos shooting works in stills mode. The way pre-continuos shooting works on the R5ii is that it captures up to 15 frames at the camera's selected frame rate. If the camera is set at 5fps then pre-continuos captures the previous 3 seconds. If the frame rate is set at 7.5 frames pre-continuos shooting captures the previous 2 seconds before the shutter is fully pressed. In the case of the review pre-continuous shooting went back .5 seconds because the camera's frame rate was set to 30fps. If the camera is set at 5fps and the shutter is half-pressed for .5 seconds then the pre-continuos shooting will only capture 2-3 frames.
@@WILDALASKA Actually no. Eric is correct. I did not know this. To test this I set my camera to 5 fps. If I hold the shutter half down for a good number of seconds (because I'm at 5 fps) I get 15 extra frames! Not what I expected. Also, if I try to press down the shutter right away I am still getting a couple of extra frames. I guess I could press it down even faster, but then I'd risk camera movement from the jerky action. Still, I love the option of pre-capture! I'm just surprised that I'm not getting the smaller number of pre-capture frames I had expected at slower shutter rates.
Great video. I do wish that Canon had kept the power switch in the same spot and put the video/stills select on the right. Out of habit, from using my R5, I wind up putting the camera in video mode instead of turning it off.
To switch directly from photo mode to video mode without moving the left hand of the lens, on R6II (I think it is also possible on R5II) I set the function button to 200 800 to start video immediately. So, while you are taking photos, you just press the custom function button and it will start filming immediately, then just release the button and switch back to photo mode. There is no need to turn the lever on the left side every time to switch from photo to video and vice versa. I hope it can be useful to you. Bye
Seems to me that everything you say about this camera can also be said about the original R5. It's not THAT big of a difference that can justify the price, especially the upgrade price if you don't own R5 already.
Happy to see you in good health Scott!
thanks
Great video! Can’t wait to see the comparison between the R5II and the Nikon Z8!
👍
WILD ALASKA, amazing content bro
Thanks
Great job with the review and lovely shooting. Just one question AF Z8 or R5II. I know I prefer the Z series for the lenses anyway but having older Canon lenses might make me stop. My gut feeling says go with Z8. I can get a grey Z8 + lens for the same price as a R5 II. You sound enthusiastic so I'm guessing stick with Canon? I might have to wait a a couple months for grey prices they already have appeared.
We'll cover the 2 cameras very soon. Both have incredible subject tracking on birds. I think it will boil down to the image the sensor drops out for your shooting environment really as the colors and contrast are a little different.
@@WILDALASKA Great looking forward to your comparison.
Great video always, Scott. I really appreciate your thoroughness and balance. I'm really looking forward to your R5ii vs Z8 comparison and hope that you give us a "no holds barred - unvarnished truth" review. My long-term decision concerns whether or not to move to the Z8 from the R5.
Same here. By the looks of it, AF is for Canon.
Thanks. I buy m y cameras just like everyone else, so I just pass on what my experience is with the cameras.
Great review! I am in love with this camera. The autofocus is insane, the build quality is top notch, the 30 fps with the new sensor is excellent, the pre- capture is a game changer, and in my real life experience, the files are nicer than the original R5!! Get out there and run that shutter!!
Thanks for sharing
Well done and I am very glad to hear your good experiences!
Thanks
You’re getting really easy to listen to…. Nice job. You seem genuine is your conversation
He always has! 👍
thx
👍
I have been watching many videos on the R5ii. This is by far the best. Thank you!
Wow, thanks!
excellent video as usual. Just got in the car and drove for about an hour and enjoyed listening to your overview. You do such a great job and I always look forward to your next video. Keep up the great work! Hopefully I’ll be up to Alaska again this spring.
Thanks
Really enjoyed the review, excellent technical knowledge. My R5II arrives tomorrow, you answered all my questions 👌
Great to hear!
Hmm. I'm using the BG-R20 grip as well with the LP-E6P batteries. My batteries do not drain one at a time. I like to check what I have left when I get home after a day out. For example, I look at the batteries and see 20% left in one and 22% in the other. It's always been where the two batteries drain fairly equally. Now, when I charged the batteries up for the first time, and each time since, I charge them right in the grip using USB with a 45W block. Back to your video. Thanks, Scott!
It may be my grip, but I wanted to bring it up. It happened 2 times on 2 consecutive days nd I charge the grip the same way.
The battery pull is actually one battery at a time but bounces around between batteries to keep the drain even across the batteries. What seems to be happening on my grip ( hoping it's isolated) is its pulling from one battery. Have to test it more which is kind of hard and I haven't had the drive to do it as it would take several hours for it to drain and pop the error again.
@@WILDALASKA What's the return policy? Would the seller be able to just exchange it for a new one and send yours back to Canon? It's been less than 30 days. 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼
Scott, thank you for this review. I've taken over 10k shots and a few dozen videos with this camera. So far, superior to the original im every way. Today, I had one lock up and had to pull the battery. Overall, default AF setting has been great for birds in flight. Occasionally, a few frames will be out of focus in a burst, if the bird is flying past vegetation, but against the sky it is pretty flawless. I don't even notice the focus drift in the EVF because it is so quick to lock back on. Video stabilization is much better, especially with the 200-800. The R5 would jerk back and forth a bit, side to side. The new camera is much smoother, but occasionally will do an odd kind of rotational movement instead of jerking side to side. Holding my breath during video helped a lot.
Hopefully, the first firmware update will fix the lock up and battery grip issues!
Good info.
Thanks for the terrific video. It hit on all the issues I had questions about.
Glad it helped!
Great review thank you for sharing! Looking forward to seeing some of the work you produced on the trip soon! Im still on a 5D4 and like your uncle im thinking about the R5 as a stop gap until the R52 comes down in price... well until Canon put a 6 month wait on the R52 now the R5s are hard to get hold of on the used market! Anyway thanks again always love your content, very talented bloke 👍🏻
Thanks for the kind words. And my suggestion is to rent both cameras to try them yourself if you can.
Un grand merci pour cette vidéo 😃
👍
Canon RFs are probably the only cameras (Sony A7 rV and Nikon Z9 don't have this) that have a large histogram and levels displayed at the same time. In my Sony A7rV you need a magnifying glass to see the histogram. ;-)
I think (have to look again) you can change the size of the histogram on the Z9. But I shoot too many cameras to remember correctly.
@@WILDALASKA For stills & video, the size of the histogram on the Z9 cannot be changed. For video, the waveform monitor is available in two sizes (see page 696 in the Z9 reference manual).
Great review as always Scott, would you say the R5 MkII image stabilisation is as good now as the Z9/Z8, especially in video?
Very close now. Have to test more but it still feels like the z9 plus a native z lens is better.
Can we get rid of the video recording message screen? when flipping to video? I have not been able to figure out how. I'm loving it so far, spent last weekend in Theodore Rosevelt National park, shooting with it. My R3 is dead to me.... :(
I think you can get a clean screen from the screen info settings for video. Haven't tried myself though.
That BEAR image is AMAZING! Very Sharp!!
👍🐻
Thanks for the review, Got my R5II the other day and took it out yesterday, I can't believe how great the AF is and the keeper rate is awesome. I also have the Z9 and the keeper rate isn't nearly as good plus from what I see is the AF on the Z9 isn't as good as the R5II. But here is what I did with the pre capture since keeping it on all the time just to many pictures IMO, I saved all settings in custom 2, then I turned pre capture off and saved to custom one that way when I need pre capture it's actually fast going to C2. Scott have you compared CRAW to RAW to see if there's a difference?
Thanks for the info. To me the z9 and R5MKII on BIRDS is close to a wash. In animal then we get a separation for sure. I have compared the 2 in the past and a lot of other folks have. The difference in noise and detail is extremely minimal, but getting the best out of DXO you need to use RAW per their documentation. So I usually shot in RAW, but with this guy at 30fps im shooting in cRaw currently. Once DXO us up I may switch back.
From my reading, if you use BBF, you can shoot normally and pre-continuous only when you press the shutter half-way. Your comment about Z9 and R5 II is informative. Not sure if the video auto focus is also better. One big downsize is that R5 II just like R5 cannot have a crop 4K120, Z8 & Z9 have 4K120 at 2.3x crop which is tremendous useful for wildlife video. R5 with a long lens (100-500 or 200-800) often takes time to settle down when record a video, Z8 is better in this also.
@@WILDALASKA I love my Z9 but it just seems the R5II is a little more stickier and doesn't wonder off the subject like the Z9 but I could be wrong, But from the rumor the Z9 should be getting an AF update soon one thing I know for sure is the Z9-Z8 buffer is unbelievable, The only time I'll be getting rid of the Z9 is for the Z9II. As for cRAW I haven't used it, Thanks;)
@@artisticpicture I don't shoot video so yeah the Z9-Z8 should be better, IMO both are great cameras and love both systems!
Great review Scott! I've really enjoyed my R5-2, and the precapture is really a BIF game changer. Launching small birds!
Very cool and thanks
Thanks for the review!
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Fantastic review covering the most important issues for wildlife photography. The autofocus seems to be improved compared to the original R5 and the images and videos look great!
Thanks for watching!
My batteries are drawn down pretty evenly (within 2%) Not sure why yours would be one battery at a time. Worth mentioning is the R5II is lighter than the R5 and the electronic shutter now shoots a full 14 bit RAW vs 12 bit on the R5. With inflation the cost is 10% more than the R5 when it came out over 4 years ago. A 2-1/2% cost increase per year isn't bad especially when you consider what were getting compared to the R5! I shoot a lot of wildlife, BIF, and Motorsports. The eye control focus really comes in handy with Motorsports photography as well as the pre-capture! Thanks for the review - it's an awesome camera!
Thanks for the info.
The batteries actually draw one at a time, but it does try to pull equally off both batteries. What I experienced was a full pull on one battery. Happened twice which may just be my grip or may be a larger issue. And we'll be covering the differences in the 2 cameras in a future video.
The most detailed review I've seen so far. Thank you.👍
Wow, thanks!
Thank you for pointing out that you only get pre-capture images when you hold the shutter halfway before fully depressing it. I'm seeing lots of haters out there complaining that it eats up too many pictures every time you take a shot. I'm leaving it on all the time and simply quickly press the shutter when I don't need pre-capture. Wish someone would definitively test and say how many images or for how long it's actively recording.
The pre-shot? to me it seems to be getting the 15 shots if ive been holding it halfway down for a period. But its hard to tell as unlike the Sony A9III, there is nothing that tells you when you hit the shutter.
I stayed with my 15MP 10bit 50D from 2008 to early this year waiting for Canon to create a full frame mirrorless which could handle both stills and video without overheating problems with a price point under $2,500. The 24MP R6mkII checked off all the boxes for me so I bought one when it was released along with an RF 100-500mm and RF800mm f/11 for a new avocation, shooting birds after building my dream retirement house along the ICW in North Carolina where I can photograph Heron, Egrets, Hawks and even Dolphins from my back deck.
I continue to use my circa 2004 EF-S 10-22mm, EF 24-70mm 2.8 and EF 70-200mm 2.8 with a pair of EF-RF adapters, one with the the VND which I find more convenient for shooting CLog3 video at ISO 800 than a lens end filter on the RF lenses which makes me which that Canon had just increased the length of the RF series by and inch and included the provision for adding a back of lens ND or VND when shooting video. Seems like a useful strategy for a dual use still / video camera.
Perhaps Canon has plans to include in-body VND in dual use bodies at some point to meet that need. When the R5mkII was first rumored I was hoping that in-body VND might be a feature but sadly it was not which is why instead I purchased a second R6mkII body when Canon dropped the priced to $2000 shortly before the specs of the R5mkII were released.
I worked in photography and photo reproduction my entire career from 1970 to 2010 including assisting top wedding photographer Monte Zucker, working in the National Geographic photo labs were I learned to reproduce photos for printing and then 33 years as a web offset printing plant manager where I converted from analog scanning of color separations and page assembly to a 100% digital workflow using Photoshop since V1 and becoming very skilled at post processing, resizing and sharpening. I’ve long used the rule of thumb of 300ppi for determining the practical size limit for making prints from digital files but back in 2001 was already making very nice 12x18 dye sublimations prints on our $25k 3M Rainbow pre-press proofing printer with files from my 2.1 MP Kodak DC290 which were about on par with 12x18 prints make from 35mm negatives.
The last printer I bought was an 8/C HP back around 2006 which proved to be more expensive on a per print basis than sending files to an outside print lab. Nowadays most of my works gets displayed via UA-cam slide shows on my channel or the 65” 4K TV on my wall so 24MP is more than adequate for me and should be for anyone who isn’t trying to earn income selling prints larger than 20 x 24 inches.
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Thank you very much! Poland sends You greetings! :-D
Thanks
Wow. Awesome review. You answered what I wanted to know. Am considering the R7,R6 M2.and Sony a7 IV. Upgrading from an eos 20D for Enthusiast use.
Glad I could help!
@@WILDALASKA Of the four listed what would be your recommendation?
I received the R5II and the grip a little over a week ago. First time I used it was a youth baseball game on a hot (90+) and sunny day. Used the pre-cont shooting a lot and loved it since it makes separate files that LR can read. Have an R6II, but quit using raw burst since files had to be run thru the Canon program first. I found that very quickly with the R5II I got a warning that the camera was overheating. Admittedly, I was probably not using pre-cont shooting efficiently. I realize that is it virtually like shooting video in terms of the strain (as in heat created) by the camera. Also, to my surprise I realized the grip covers the vent holes on the bottom of the camera bottom. That undoubtedly increase the heat. I only shot maybe 300 pics because I wasn’t sure how to react to the overheating. It never got to the point of shutting down because I cut back on my shooting.
I shared my experience with Canon and their response was essentially don’t shoot in warm weather, stay in the shade, turn off the camera, etc. They were no help.
I realize you are in Alaska and this video is about shooting above the arctic circle, but have you experienced or heard of anyone experiencing overheating with the R5II with or without a grip when only shooting stills? Seems like an extremely expensive camera to be limited to northern climates and/or cooler seasons. Also, covering the vent holes when using the grip seems like a bad design. I would love your thoughts/experience or that of your followers on this issue. I am trying to decide if it is a problem with the camera generally or just the copy I received. Thanks in advance.
Never and issue with over heating even in the studio so far. There is a fan battery grip also. I wouldn't worry about the het warning unless it hits the final bar really. But im hard on my gear too
I really only shoot stills and like a grip for the extra controls for portrait. The grip with a fan does not have extra controls so it is not a good fit for me. I have shot several baseball games in hot weather using the R6II with a grip with no problems with 1000+ pics per game. However, I was not using its pre-shoot feature, rather using the regular 40/sec shutter setting. It worked great.
The heat warning I got on that Sunday when it was 90+ degrees was a single white icon like a thermometer in the viewfinder. It never turned red. The manual suggests that warning is for stills. However, when shooting misc flowers, butterflies around the house on a hot (maybe mid 80’s) day without the grip I got the icon that is a thermometer with a bar graph to its right. The manual suggests that is for video, but I was shooting stills. I got to 3-4 bars but no more. I was not using pre-continuous shooting. The heat setting on the menu was set to regular, but I have since changed it to the higher setting.
No one else that I have seen online seems to have a heat issue with stills, so I am trying to decide if I need to worry about it. Am I over reacting to the warning, is it a bad copy or is this an issue with the model. I love the camera, so if it is a bad copy I want to return it while it is easy to do if B&H gets more in stock. If the warning is simply giving me a heats up and it will never get to the point of shutting down, then I want to just keep shooting and enjoy it.
I am still struggling with the hot shoe cover, threw mine away after fighting with it, and just replaced it with a plastic cover, but I tried what you are suggesting and yes, it is easier to remove if you press not the black button but the entire area around it. But it is a hit and miss for me, some times it works, some times it just doesn't. I don't want to get stuck during important shooting, so I will still go with a replacement plastic cover - I took one from my Canon R8 and never looked back. But you are the first person who actually proposed some solution to this. Thank you!
If you take it on and off a bunch of times it will loosen up a bit and you will get better at getting it off. I pop it off with one hand now also.
Hi Scott, looks like you already harvested quite some awesome birds in this short period 👍 Good to see your health has been getting stronger just in time to have lots of fun with the R5ii .. just make sure you don't overdo it ;-)
You may be preparing a rant, but I'd guess Canon is already for long time breeding on a 200-500/4 to cater for your needs 😛
Thanks. every day is a journey lol.
That lens isn't really peaking the interest as much unless it has some teleconverter function in it and even then a zoom type lens is never critical focus through the entire zoom range. It's why we love the primes for wildlife or even portraiture. But Canon has surprised me in the past so fingers crossed.
@@WILDALASKA Well, I believe above the artic circle you'll have less chance of encountering loose truck wheels ..
Primes are great indeed, but Canon's big whites are heavy and pricey. People like Jan Wegener have come to appreciate white zooms because even when they are not as optimized as primes, their flexibility allows getting shots you'd miss with a prime.
My biggest struggle with the 'old' R5 is getting initial focus when a large bird of prey is at a distance in the clear sky. Here it sometimes helps to zoom out. But I heard the R5ii gets that initial focus much easier.
I heard the 100-300/2.8 is awesome, but clearly way too short for our thing. When reading the Japanese between the lines at Canon Rumors, they stated the 200-500 would not come with a 1.4x build in .. but it left the door wide open for a 2.0x build in ! And when they also bring the rumored variable 1/1.4/2 TC ..
Still, that 200-500 will not be lightweight and the price may well approach 20k$
For myself, I'd rather dream of a 500/4.5 which is not heavier than the 200-800 and doesn't cost twice as much as that large zoom. But first I need to keep on saving for the R5ii 🙈
Great analysis of this amazing camera. I agree, it exceeded my expectations. I’ve been shooting the original R5 since it came out and thought this one would be incrementally better but I was wrong. It’s a big leap forward with improvements in so many areas. Unfortunately I just had surgery that will prevent me from holding it for several weeks right as fall migration is kicking off. Bummer! I really enjoyed your video and just subscribed so I can see your upcoming videos.
Thanks and get well soon.
Great, detailed review, Scott. It seems this is the camera to have if you're a Canon shooter. Maybe someday one will be available and I will get it. :) Glad to see you seem to be in good health, brother!
Thanks
Excellent review. Thanks!!
Thanks for watching!
great honest review
thx
Thanks Scott, always respect your reviews. I’d love to see the Z8 vs R5 mkii comparison too. I see you have a Gretsch in the background there - do you play in a band or just at home?
Use to be on the road in my younger days. Just play for fun now. The Gretsch hollow body (G5420T Flame Maple) is my latest addition. So fun to play.
Very detailed and informative!! Thakk you 😊
Thanks for watching
What card were you using to get 220 shots buffer with CRAW? I am not getting these numbers with Delkin card. What card were you using in this test?
this one ua-cam.com/video/tFEz0_JUP4E/v-deo.html Exascend Essential. You will also see different # of frames depending on your exposure and amount of colors, etc in your image. Higher ISO and more colors, etc will give less shots.
Hi Scott, great to see you looking so good. Great video, as usual. I’m sure you’re aware that you can set up the red video record button to the video setting of your choice, save in C3 and then all you have to do is press the red button to get to video from still shooting.
Yes thanks for the info, but for some reason it messes up my settings when I flip back to video from stills. This may be the bug on some settings not saving I have heard about. I didn't want to cover this yet in a video until I can test it more and will cover it in the Video setup and use video coming soon.
thanks again. I just got mine a few days ago...whoo hoo.
Grats
Wait 'til you try the R1: the EVF is freakishly good, super bright and huge. It's feels like you're at the movies. Also the auto focus is even better than the R5ii and even in really dim light it locks focus instantly
ok
I wonder if they will update the R6mkii to make pre-shooting output to the standard image roll.
One could hope
Thank you very much!! Most useful review for wildlife so far. R5 stabilization with 100-500 or 200-800 often takes time to settle down when record a video, has R5 II improve on this issue?
The IS on the MKII is much improved. We will cover this in the comparison video and the video setup video for sure.
@@WILDALASKA thank you!!!
Hello, how does it compare to the R7 and R6 MK2 in terms of AF detection/tracking for BIF when the background is complex please ?
Better
Thanks for your great review. Eye control would drive me nuts. I will sometimes shift my eye around the finder to look at corner elements but don't necessarily want the camera to shift focus there. The other glitches mentioned are not unlike some weird things I've experienced with my R7, but it's always recovered and my confidence in it is very good.
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Thanks for this very comprehensive review. I went back to the last video and I say the C Log 2 footage was the Atomos recording of the loon at about 3:23. Am I right?
No I was just over exposed on the shot a bit. The cLog2 footage is actually graded video footage.
Hi do you think there’s huge difference when compared to Nikon z8 autofocus wise? I’m ready to buy a 600f4 and can’t decide whether I should pair up my z8 with 600 f4 tc or go to the r5 ii and get the rf600. Any insight would be much appreciated
We'll be doing the Z9/8 vs R5 MKII AF comparison very soon ( 2 weeks probably). But I would look at the lenses really. The Nikon VS Canon 600 F4's. That Nikon with build in TC is just amazing. Along with the 400 2.8 TC where you can drop in another TC on top of that if needed.
@@WILDALASKA thank you so much for your insight. Much appreciated
Hi, first thanks for the video, my question/situation, I have an R6 and R5 both Mart one, my wife was using the R6 but started with macro and now also birding, and how should it be, I gave here the R5, and now I want a second R5, what will bee around 3000 Euro, the R5 mark ii 4800 Euro, should I bay my the mark ii? What I wearily want is the preshooting other I would bay me the R5 is still a good camera, so is it worth the 1800 Euro more?
R5 is still good but the creature comforts and pre-continuous shooting is very very nice.
Life should be treated in general, but details make our hearts beat faster. I don't know if it's a coincidence or something thought out long ago... In the Canons I know, 5DsR, 5D mark IV, R5, R6, R7, R5 mark II, the camera turns itself off when: you open the memory card cover and when you open the battery cover. It's a very cool thing. Sony, Nikon, Fuji X/GFX don't have it.
That's good. But I highly recommend you turn the camera off before opening compartments. That way you avoid risk of card corruption.
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Hi, have you also noticed in your copy a strange fit when the "Canon" inscription on the right and left side is clearer than in the case of Canon R5, R3, R6II?
Didn't really pay attention to it
@@WILDALASKA ok because it annoys me and I was curious if others have the same
This looks like a great tool. I'm not in the position to grab it right now, but maybe in a year once some of the initial glitches and supply-chain issues get worked out I'll pick one up myself.
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I agree with what you say it outdid my expectations too & l love the fps boost so l can have camera set up to just a few fps then if bird takes off l press boost button going straight to H+ fps. Yes a telephoto zoom lens with a wider aperture would sit well on this body.
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Great video again!!! Now im getting frustrated with my new R5.... :(
Oops 🤪
A question about memory card setup if you please. I have my camera setup to write to both cards simultaneously, but one is a 512 GB CF-Express, and the other is a 156 GB UHS-II SD card. When the SD card fills up I assume I will get a message that I cannot shoot with copies to both cards. Will I be able to simply replace the SD card and continue shooting or must I replace both cards. I was unaware of how expensive 512GB SD cards were when I bought the CF-Express card, which was on sale:)
Don't shoot both simulates as you will slow the speed of the camera down. Unless you don't want that faster speeds that is. Write to the type b and overflow to the sd.
@@WILDALASKA Thank you. I guess we are all to some extent products of our experiences. After almost 50 years in computer tech - hardware, software, systems design and most recently high-level systems and data center architecture, the notion of not taking advantage of non-redundant storage makes me break out in hives:) With my previous OM1 system, I can only remember a handful of times when I over-ran the buffer, and I have a fear of losing content when I go on one of my annual 2-week pilgrimages to places with lots of birds. I plan to shoot CRAW + medium JPEG, which I never really use ex for when I just HAVE to send a nice pic I just took to someone:) But thanks, I appreciate the perspective. I wonder when someone will build in a dual CF-Express setup? It doesn't look like it would take up that much extra space.
@@richardfichera2971 gotta move up to the r1 or z9 for that.
Where are you getting the yards to subject information?
EXIF info.
Great video. Thanks for all your work. My testing suggests iq at 25k, has more noise than r5 with LR/DPP. The LR/DPP profiles are not yet as good as R5. Hopefully LR/DPP/Dxo improves this. Frames before buffer fill, is highly dependent on iso - eg iso 100 is 1/2 the size of iso 56k - and you get way more frames before buffer fills at iso 100. My tests of landscape is hard to tell the difference . I guess I will sell my R5 with your seal of approval. 👍
Yes it's hard to judge IQ, High ISO, etc without all our normal tools to process images. I tested the buffer under exact same lighting setup in a controlled environment. 1/500 f/4 ISO 200 (RF 14-35 lens), but Light, color, ISO, etc will change the amount of images captured before buffer hit for sure.
Oh and R5 is still amazing even with its age 😄
DXO PureRAW, can’t wait until it supports the R5m2. 👍🏻
Same and the Z6III. Its killing me to not see the full potential of both cameras 😱🤬
@@WILDALASKADXO has released an update for DXO PureRAW 4 that includes the R5m2. I’ve run a few raw images through it with mixed results. Some images seem to have too much noise reduction in some textures, still pretty good though. I hope it’s a work in progress and will be fine tuned some by DXO.
There is a lot of confusion about how pre-continuos shooting works in stills mode. The way pre-continuos shooting works on the R5ii is that it captures up to 15 frames at the camera's selected frame rate. If the camera is set at 5fps then pre-continuos captures the previous 3 seconds. If the frame rate is set at 7.5 frames pre-continuos shooting captures the previous 2 seconds before the shutter is fully pressed. In the case of the review pre-continuous shooting went back .5 seconds because the camera's frame rate was set to 30fps. If the camera is set at 5fps and the shutter is half-pressed for .5 seconds then the pre-continuos shooting will only capture 2-3 frames.
Pretty simple, you get half of what's set as your frame rate.
@@WILDALASKA Actually no. Eric is correct. I did not know this. To test this I set my camera to 5 fps. If I hold the shutter half down for a good number of seconds (because I'm at 5 fps) I get 15 extra frames! Not what I expected. Also, if I try to press down the shutter right away I am still getting a couple of extra frames. I guess I could press it down even faster, but then I'd risk camera movement from the jerky action. Still, I love the option of pre-capture! I'm just surprised that I'm not getting the smaller number of pre-capture frames I had expected at slower shutter rates.
Been waiting for this one. Appreciate the video. Starting it now!
Hope you enjoy it!
Thanks!
THANK YOU!
Great video. I do wish that Canon had kept the power switch in the same spot and put the video/stills select on the right. Out of habit, from using my R5, I wind up putting the camera in video mode instead of turning it off.
Im always turning cameras on and off or in and out of video constantly as I use Canon and Nikon. 😂
If you want to know what the new R5 mark II is like, watch this video. Well worth it. And I’m using an A7RV at the moment.
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To switch directly from photo mode to video mode without moving the left hand of the lens, on R6II (I think it is also possible on R5II) I set the function button to 200 800 to start video immediately. So, while you are taking photos, you just press the custom function button and it will start filming immediately, then just release the button and switch back to photo mode. There is no need to turn the lever on the left side every time to switch from photo to video and vice versa. I hope it can be useful to you. Bye
Thanks for the info.
Seems to me that everything you say about this camera can also be said about the original R5. It's not THAT big of a difference that can justify the price, especially the upgrade price if you don't own R5 already.
Use them back to back then get back to me.
Firstly 🎉
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Eye Control is a bit of a disappointment. Calibration works 1 out of 10 times. Other than that, a fantastic body.
Yikes.
I wonder how this series will end? Will you move Nikon and go back to Cannon will tell? The drama continues!!
😂😱 The lenses are the issue between the manufacturers atm. I will be testing the AF and sensor performances on the 2 cameras this week. So we'll see
Canon shows a one handed technique for removing the cap. Nearly impossible. Definitely a two handed manuver.
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16-20,000 shots - it really has become selecting best shots from a video stream at this point.
30 fps it can be. We were also shooting a LOT of BIF footage of raptors also. That eats a LOT of frames regardless of high fps 😄
Thank you for this video, I was thinking about getting a grip, but I may wait a while...it is a battery eater for sure ;) @lidans66
I love the grips. just makes camera feel so much better to me.