What’s Changed? The Canon EOS R5 Mark II offers a plethora of noteworthy improvements to its predecessor. Most substantial is probably the move to a stacked CMOS sensor, which gives you DCI 8K video at up to 60 fps and up to 30 fps burst shooting. You also get a built-in waveform monitor, false color and zebra displays, and a tally lamp. An updated dual-pixel autofocus system includes Eye-Control AF, a Person-Priority AF mode that lets you train the camera to recognize certain people, and a range of Action-Priority AF modes driven by revamped algorithms. A pre-capture mode stores up to fifteen shots or up to five seconds of video to your memory card before you fully press the shutter button, and there’s a new menu section for customizable controls. And this is all just the tip of the iceberg.

Fast Performance at High Resolutions. The newly designed 45MP stacked full-frame CMOS sensor works in tandem with the tried-and-true DIGIC X processor and DIGIC Accelerator coprocessor to produce high-resolution stills and video with speed to spare. Its back-illuminated design lets in plenty of light, giving you reduced noise, high clarity, and smooth color rendering when you’re shooting in low light. The native ISO range of 100-51,200 can be expanded to 50-102,400, making this camera suitable for working in a wide range of lighting conditions.

Still-Shooting Powerhouse. The upgraded sensor and time-tested DIGIC X/Accelerator processing system combine to let you shoot high-quality, high-res stills at ultra-fast speeds. You get continuous 12 fps shooting with the mechanical shutter and full-frame RAW shooting at up to 30 fps with a blackout-free viewfinder with the electronic shutter. When you’re using the electronic shutter, the R5 II also offers reduced shutter distortion. A pre-shooting feature starts buffering frames when you press the shutter button halfway down and captures half a second of action before you fully engage the shutter.

Pro-Grade Video Performance. The EOS R5 II is capable of capturing internal, oversampled DCI 8K 60 fps RAW and 4K SRAW 60 fps recording in 4:2:2 10-bit with Canon Log3, Canon Log2, PQ, and HLG gammas using the full sensor. You can also capture sub-sampled DCI or UHD 4K video at up to 120 fps. The full-size HDMI port supports clean 4:2:2 10-bit DCI or UHD 4K output to a compatible monitor at up to 60 fps. Audio in and out are available through standard 3.5mm jacks for both microphones and headphones. You can simultaneously record RAW and proxy video to separate memory cards, and you can record up to 120 minutes at 4K 60p and below—longer if you’re using one of the optional grips. The aforementioned pre-shooting mode can capture three to five seconds of video before you fully press the shutter key to start recording. This camera supports a range of timecode settings, and it includes a built-in waveform monitor, and false color and zebra displays to help you optimize exposure. Finally, a new tally lamp lets people on the other side of the camera know when you’re recording.

Coordinated Control Image Stabilization. The in-body five-axis image-stabilization system corrects for camera shake, making it great for shooting hand-held, at lower shutter speeds, or in low light. This camera’s image stabilization works in tandem with lens-based optical image stabilization on native RF lenses and adapted EF lenses to give you up to 8.5 stops of correction in the center of the frame and up to 7.5 stops at the edges. The Movie Digital IS mode uses optical and sensor-shift stabilization to keep your footage steady while you’re moving.

Focus, Focus, Focus. A significantly updated dual-pixel autofocus system includes Eye-Control AF, a Person-Priority AF mode that lets you train the camera to recognize certain people, and a range of Action-Priority AF modes driven by revamped algorithms. Its use of Deep Learning tech gives you improved subject tracking and more precise eye, face, and head detection. Movie Servo AF mode lets you dictate tracking sensitivity, autofocus speed, and face-tracking priority, and video shooters can even use the rear touchscreen LCD to rack focus. The system’s 1,053 manually selectable points cover 100% of the image frame to facilitate smooth, fast focusing similar to what you’d find on a camcorder.

Intuitive Body Design. The new, large OLED live viewfinder has a 5.76m-dot resolution, 0.76x magnification, and 120 fps refresh rate that make it great for easy eye-level composition. The 3.2-inch rear touchscreen LCD monitor allows you to pull focus in video mode and make quick adjustments in the camera’s menu system, while its vari-angle design makes it great for vlogging and other front-facing recording applications, and for shooting at high and low angles. A top status LCD lets you quickly and easily review camera and shooting settings. The camera body’s tank-like magnesium-alloy build and weather sealing keep out the elements and dust, but it remains lightweight and compact.

Built-In Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Integrated Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi 6E/Wi-Fi 6 wireless support let you use Canon’s Camera Connect app to instantly transfer images to your mobile device so that you can easily share them on social media, in email, and to the cloud. You can also use it to shoot remotely.

Storage and Power Options. The R5 II records images/video to CFexpress Type B and UHS-II SD memory cards, and has a dedicated slot for each card type. CFexpress cards are great for 8K video and high-speed, high-res burst shooting, while SD cards offer broad compatibility in a familiar format. The camera is powered by the new, high-capacity Canon LP-E6P rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which will give you up to 250 shots per charge using the EVF and up to 540 shots per charge with the LCD. If you need additional power, the Canon BG-R20 Battery Grip, Canon BG-R20EP Battery Grip w/ Ethernet Port, and Canon CF-R20EP Cooling Fan Battery Grip w/ Ethernet Port are available as separate rental items. You can also use the previous-gen LP-E6N and LP-E6NH batteries with limited capabilities and amounts of life per charge.