For the longest time, the original Canon R5 was the best high-resolution full-frame body from Canon. But that is no longer the case with the Canon EOS R5 Mark II, a camera that looks very similar to the R5 but has some significant upgrades. If you’re in the market for a high-resolution body from Canon, which one should you choose? Read on to find out!
Canon EOS R5 vs Canon EOS R5 II Specifications Comparison
| Camera Feature | Canon EOS R5 | Canon EOS R5 II |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | July 2020 | July 2024 |
| Camera Type | Mirrorless | Mirrorless |
| Sensor Type | CMOS | Stacked CMOS |
| Image Processor | DIGIC X | DIGIC X + Accelerator |
| Resolution | 45.0 MP | 45.0 MP |
| Pixel Dimensions | 8192×5464 | 8192×5464 |
| Sensor Dimensions | 36.0 x 24.0 mm (Full Frame) | 36.0 x 24.0 mm (Full Frame) |
| Sensor Pixel Size | 4.39µ | 4.39µ |
| Low Pass Filter | Yes | Yes |
| IBIS (In-Body Image Stabilization) | Yes | Yes |
| Base ISO | ISO 100 | ISO 100 |
| Max Native ISO | ISO 51,200 | ISO 51,200 |
| Extended ISOs | ISO 50-102,400 | ISO 50-102,400 |
| High-Resolution Sensor Shift | Yes (JPEG only) | No |
| Focus Stack Bracketing | Yes | Yes |
| Pre-Shoot Burst Mode | No | Yes |
| Fastest Shutter Speed | 1/8000 | 1/32,000 |
| Longest Shutter Speed | 30 seconds | 30 seconds |
| Continuous Shooting (Mechanical Shutter) | 12 FPS | 12 FPS |
| Continuous Shooting (Electronic Shutter) | 20 FPS | 30 FPS |
| Notes for High FPS Shooting | None | None |
| Buffer Size (Raw) | 83 frames (20 FPS), 180 frames (12 FPS) | 93 frames (30 FPS), 230 frames (12 FPS) |
| Autofocus System | Hybrid PDAF | Hybrid PDAF |
| Autofocus Points | 1053 | 1053 |
| Photographer’s-Eye-Sensing AF | N/A | Yes |
| Maximum Low-Light AF Sensitivity (Standardized to f/2, ISO 100) | -4.5 EV | -6 EV |
| Standard Flash Sync Speed | 1/250 | 1/250 |
| Curtain to Protect Sensor at Shutdown | Yes | Yes |
Video Features | ||
| Maximum Video Bit Depth (Internal) | 12 bits | 12 bits |
| Maximum Video Bit Depth (External) | 12 bits | 12 bits |
| Raw Video | Yes | Yes |
| 8K Maximum Framerate | 30 FPS | 60 FPS |
| 4K Maximum Framerate | 120 FPS | 120 FPS |
| 1080P Maximum Framerate | 120 FPS | 240 FPS |
| Additional Video Crop Factor | No | No |
| Chroma Subsampling | 4:2:2 | 4:2:2 |
| Video Recording Limit | 30 min | No limit |
Physical and Other Features | ||
| Card Slots | 2 | 2 |
| Slot 1 Type | CFExpress Type B | CFExpress Type B |
| Slot 2 Type | SD (UHS-II) | SD (UHS-II) |
| Rear LCD Size (Diagonal) | 3.2 in | 3.2 in |
| Rear LCD Resolution | 2.1 million dots | 2.1 million dots |
| Articulating LCD | Fully Articulating | Fully Articulating |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | EVF | EVF |
| Viewfinder Magnification | 0.76x | 0.76x |
| Viewfinder Resolution | 5.76 million dots | 5.76 million dots |
| Viewfinder Coverage | 100% | 100% |
| Voice Memo | Yes | Yes |
| Headphone Jack | Yes | Yes |
| Microphone Jack | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in Flash | No | No |
| GPS | No | No |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| WiFi | Yes | Yes |
| USB Type | Type C 3.1 | Type C 3.2 Gen 2 |
| Battery Type | LP-E6NH | LP-E6P |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Weight (Body Only w/ Battery + Card) | 738 g (1.63 lbs.) | 746 g (1.64 lbs.) |
| Dimensions (LxHxD) | 138 x 98 x 88 mm (5.4 x 3.8 x 3.5″) | 139 x 101 x 94 mm (5.5 x 4.0 x 3.7″) |
Price Comparison | ||
| MSRP, Body Only | $3900 (Check Current Price) | $4300 (Check Current Price) |
| Used Prices | Canon EOS R5 Used Prices | Canon EOS R5 II Used Prices |
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Summary and Recommendations
On the surface, these cameras look pretty similar with essentially the same dimensions and controls:
But don’t get fooled—when it comes to action photography, the Canon EOS R5 Mark II has some serious upgrades.
The first, and most welcome is probably the stacked sensor. The original R5 did not have a stacked sensor, which made it a little slower than some of its newer competitors such as the Nikon Z8 and the Sony a9 Mark II. The R5 Mark II remedies this, which, as Spencer pointed out in his announcement, improves the readout speed significantly from 1/60th of a second to 1/160th of a second.
The newer stacked sensor alone is important in cases with rapidly moving objects such as very quick wing beats that were prone to show rolling shutter effects. On the older R5, in cases of rolling shutter, you’d have to use the mechanical shutter, which was limited to 12FPS. The R5 Mark II’s higher readout speed will reduce the need for that in many cases. And speaking of burst rates, the R5 Mark II also improves on that with 30FPS in electronic shutter mode, versus the 20FPS of the Mark I.
The R5 Mark II also gains the eye movement-controlled autofocus function, that allows you to choose AF points by moving your eye, which was first debuted in the Canon R3. And as you’d expect, the autofocus system of the R5 Mark II is improved too. In fact, the R5 II introduces some novel features only shared by the R1.
For instance, the R5 Mark II has some new action priority modes for sports, which recognize specific movements such as dribbling and kicking balls. It’s also got a system that can store the faces of up to ten people and give them priority in a scene. Hopefully Canon will expand this to include rare birds.
Something also not present in the older R5 but now in the R5 Mark II is precapture. Wonderfully, this feature records Raw files, something that many other precapture implementations lack.
In short, while the R5 was capable for action, the new stacked sensor in the R5 Mark II along with the upgraded autofocus, improved burst rate, and buffer, bring the newer R5 Mark II to a whole new level for action. This will only be further enhanced by the R5 Mark II’s accelerator chip, which adds additional computational speed to autofocus and other calculations.
As expected, the stacked sensor of the R5 Mark II also gives it some video capabilities that the R5 lacks, such as 60FPS in 8K versus 30FPS for the older R5. There are also a bunch of new video encoding options as well as the ability to use Canon’s C-Log2, which was previously only available with Canon’s cinema line.
The video recording limit was also removed on the R5 Mark II. Of course, the camera will run a little hot at maximum settings, but that’s what the new Canon CF-R20EP grip is for. It’s a specialized grip that doesn’t duplicate the controls of the camera but has a fan to help you churn out those huge video files for longer.
All that being said, the R5 is still a very strong performer (see our review). The new price of the R5 Mark II of $4300 is $400 more than the MSRP of the R5, and with typical discounts the difference is closer to a thousand dollars. So, is the new R5 Mark II worth it, or can you stick with the original R5?
I think the key is the stacked sensor. Indeed, if you’re after a high resolution Canon body and are a very demanding action shooter, then the newer R5 Mark II is definitely worth it. Some of the AF improvements will also be especially useful for sports shooters, and the slightly increased buffer and increased burst rate isn’t bad, though the 20FPS of the original R5 is certainly more than enough for most people.
The video upgrades are nice too, but I think they’re really only going to be useful for the most demanding video users as the R5 is already quite capable with video. Thus, for those that shoot a little to moderate amount of action, and for those that won’t need the newer video features, the original R5 is certainly good enough.
What does the Canon EOS R5 offer over the Canon EOS R5 II?
- Lower price, costing $400 less, often much less with discounts
What does the Canon EOS R5 II offer over the Canon EOS R5?
- Stacked sensor with faster readout speed
- New AF features like specific-person priority and action priority
- Eye movement-controlled AF
- Slightly stronger video features with C-Log2 and no recording limit
- Multi-function hotshoe that can use some of Canon’s audio and smartphone trasmitter accessories
- Lighter weight (68g lighter)