Not typically known for its capabilities in the sports and wildlife realm, the EOS R5 Mark II’s improvements take this supremely versatile camera to another level with improvements to its speed and autofocusing performance. Borrowing lots of tech from the flagship R1 and using the higher resolution sensor, the R5 Mark II excels in fast-paced shooting situations thanks to its upgraded processing and stacked sensor design.
DIGIC Accelerator and Autofocus Improvements
One of the key areas where the R5 Mark II has grown is autofocus performance. Using much of the same tech and DIGIC Accelerator processing capabilities as its big brother, the EOS R1, the R5 Mark II now has truly advanced subject tracking and detection capabilities. Canon states this new model has subject tracking capabilities that even surpass the EOS R3, including new tracking cross subject support, which maintains focus on the desired subject even when another subject comes between it and the camera. There’s also Action Priority, which uses deep learning to intelligently recognize and detect specific sports-related movements when photographing soccer, volleyball, and basketball, and a Pre-Registered Person Priority function that allows you to pre-photograph important subjects, deem them a priority, and allow the camera to automatically recognize and track those subjects.
Beyond the sophisticated focusing modes and intelligent tracking capabilities, the R5 Mark II has also inherited Eye Control AF. This unique focus point selection method tracks where your eyeball is looking in the viewfinder and then matches the AF point to that place for quick and intuitive focus point shifting.
Surprising Speed for High-Resolution Sensor
One of the main reasons the original R5 was possibly not considered the best choice for a sports camera was due to its higher resolution 45MP sensor, and the subsequent slowness of processing so many of the larger files. With the R5 Mark II, though, upgraded processing has made this mostly a moot point and the camera can now keep up with most speed shooters out there.
Beyond the DIGIC Accelerator processing, the new stacked sensor design does a lot of the heavy lifting that enables use of this camera for quick continuous shooting applications. This stacked sensor design affords faster readout speeds, greatly reduces rolling shutter distortion, and achieves no viewfinder blackout when shooting in bursts.
In terms of numbers, the R5 Mark II tops out at an impressive 30 fps continuous shooting rate when using an electronic shutter or 12 fps with the mechanical shutter. New to Canon, the camera also features Pre-Continuous Shooting that continuously buffers up to 15 shots prior to fully pressing the shutter button. This is a useful feature for photographing fast and sporadically moving subjects, helping to ensure you don’t miss a critical moment. Also, specifically benefitting indoor sports photographers, the camera includes anti-flicker and high-frequency anti-flicker settings that help cut unwanted ambient light flickering when photographing under fluorescent and LED sources.
Additional Unique Benefits for the R5 Mark II
It’s already a pleasant surprise the R5 Mark II can excel on the sports field or out when photographing birds and other wildlife, but there are still a few other advantages that might make this the primary camera you reach for when photographing some moving subjects.
One of the top reasons this camera will stand out among other sports cameras is due to its size—it’s much smaller and lighter than typical flagships, like the EOS R1, that have an integrated vertical grip, more weather sealing, and other weighty add-ons. Depending on your needs, the smaller, more portable design of the R5 platform might be more beneficial, especially if you’re shooting handheld.
Another facet of the R5 Mark II’s identity that may prove to help many sports, bird, and wildlife shooters is the higher resolution, especially considering the ability to crop into the frame and still have enough resolution for many applications. This can be hugely important when photographing smaller birds or if working with a lens that’s slightly wider than desired. And, for video shooters, the camera can record up to 8K, which gives great resolution for frame grabs in case you’re using a single camera for hybrid shooting.
The EOS R5 Mark II, and the R5 platform in general, is known as one of the most versatile cameras for a reason; despite its status as the high-resolution hybrid model, it can slide in as an excellent choice for sports and wildlife shooting as well. It’s plenty quick, borrows much of the flagship R1’s AF performance, and has some unique benefits of its own compared to traditional sports cameras.