Canon R5 Anticipation for R5 Mark II?

[jcass]

Having been on an upgrade cycle of 7 to 8 years, I confess that I am likely to purchase an R5 Mark II on introduction after having my R5 for a year and half. That'll be two firsts for me: upgrading after only 1 1/2 years, and buying a camera at intro. Of course, this is depending on an actual release and the final specifications of the camera.

I love my R5 and plan to keep it as a second body. There are a couple of features though that just keep tugging me down the road to upgrade:

1. Pre-buffer shooting. I always miss birds launching by a hair and would like to take photos of lightning. In sports, I have a good sense for the moment of the action, this can only help.
2. Auto-focus improvements, especially QPAF and low light AF. The R5 is fantastic, but it does hunt in low light and improvements in the R6 II and R8 AF have been lauded. I admit, this is a weakness of mine and I can use all the help that I can get.
3. Increased resolution/size of viewfinder and display. My eyes just ain't what they used to be. My unicorn is the articulating viewfinder.
4. Multi-function hot shoe. My old flashes suffice, but the incompatibility moving forward is frustrating.
5. Stacked sensor... dynamic range... improved low light image quality. No complaints in my R5, but can you imagine it being better!

I'd like to know what other folks think about the Mark II... should the February announcement actually occur. I think it will. What features do or don't matter to you?

 

[jcass]

If they dump the third wheel and make it like the R7 I won't buy it. I sold my R7 due to its poor AF compared to my R5 and my OM-1

I also like the layout of the R5 and I'm hoping for a very similar - if not same - layout on the R5 II. The touch-button would be an addition that I'm interested in trying.

I think that the ship has already sailed for Canon consolidating button/wheel layout across camera models. If Canon wanted to do that, then it should have implemented a consistent button/wheel layout at the introduction of the R Series. It seems most awkward for folks with the Mk I and Mk II of a model to switch between significant difference in controls, especially if both cameras are often used on shoots.

 

[Shotbycurtin]

I’ve not long sold my R5 bodies will they were still worth something pre upgrade. I didn’t really gel with the R5 mostly because I was plagued with the locking/freezing issues. (now fixed with the latest firmware upgrade) Canon had a look and insinuated it was user error which compounded my poor experience with the R5. The EVF lets it down also especially with fast action photography where some lag is noticeable. The small buffer when shooting RAW was also restrictive on occasion.

I did intend holding on for the R5ii though potentially a price increase might put it above the cost of a grey import R3. Also would the improvements really address my concerns and improve my confidence in the camera. I am tempted to go for the R3 as it would address the issues experienced with the R5. The R3 also had freezing issues which seems to have been sorted with firmware upgrades. The only downside is the drop in pixels as I do crop extensively on occasion. So in a nutshell I’m on the fence regarding R5ii or R3 and will see how things pan out with the final spec before deciding.

 

[Shotbycurtin]

The trade in price for my R5 has gone up where I work by £500 since I last looked. I think I might just sell it, pocket the money and use my R8 until I can get an R5 ii as, unlike in previous times, I do believe we are soon to see it appear.

I’ve also just bought a 24-240 which I only intended for the R8 so the R5 wouldn’t be getting much use. It is fairly much mint so I will get a good price.

I sold two R5 bodies for £2k each. Trade in gone up £300 each since. Hindsight etc.. Sounds like a good deal, snap it up while you got the chance.

 

[SO8]

I sold two R5 bodies for £2k each. Trade in gone up £300 each since. Hindsight etc.. Sounds like a good deal, snap it up while you got the chance.

Box is out of loft ... tactical sale tbh.

 

[Archibald]

I'm fine with my R5 as it is, except that its features are different-enough from the R7 to cause confusion. Maybe the R5 II will be more like the R7. That would be a benefit. The other issue for me is that, since getting the high-mpx R7 and almost always shooting reach-limited, I have a lot less use for FF than for crop. So, not sure I will upgrade. What I really need is an R7 II - but that is likely years away.

 

[jcass]

I'm fine with my R5 as it is, except that its features are different-enough from the R7 to cause confusion. Maybe the R5 II will be more like the R7. That would be a benefit. The other issue for me is that, since getting the high-mpx R7 and almost always shooting reach-limited, I have a lot less use for FF than for crop. So, not sure I will upgrade. What I really need is an R7 II - but that is likely years away.

I haven't tried setting the crop mode to 1.6 in my R5. For image quality, it seems half a dozen of one versus six of the other to me. But, I want to try it because I read that it does improve autofocus for birds.

Have you tried it in your R5 and compared it to the R7?

 

[Archibald]

I haven't tried setting the crop mode to 1.6 in my R5. For image quality, it seems half a dozen of one versus six of the other to me. But, I want to try it because I read that it does improve autofocus for birds.

Have you tried it in your R5 and compared it to the R7?

Yes, I have tried it but have not come to conclusions. Others say (like you) that AF improves. I almost always use the R7 now in these situations.

 

[RedCobra]

I will get one as soon as I can and my R5 (MkI) will be my second body. I will sell my R7 (which I am not happy with.)
My OM-1 has QPAF and a BSI stacked sensor and I find it is pretty amazing, but it's only 20mp.
45mp or greater with QPAF/BSI stacked sensor will be a winner.

 

[Nick L]

Definitely interested if the specification is a step up from my R5, I would like to see the eye tracking from the R3 and a better EVF, not sure i need a lot more MP but I am going to Iceland in October so it would be nice to take for Aurora and Landscapes.