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Deciding on the Canon R5 Mark II for wildlife (not a review)

Will Goodlet

25,232 views

Is the Canon R5 Mark II irresistible for wildlife shooters and should you upgrade? Today I have to decide for myself whether to keep my original R5 or upgrade to the R5 Mark ii.

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😎 ABOUT ME
My name is Will Goodlet. I am a wildlife, landscape and astro photographer working in the African Safari business. I spend my time exploring the dusty roads of Africa with my Land Rover, Basil.
I've been taking photographs for 40 years, first in Hong Kong, where I grew up and later to follow my dreams of a life photographing Africa.

00:00 Canon R5 Mark ii
00:42 Don't Need this Camera on Safari
01:38 Lens Ecosystem & Competitors
03:55 Autofocus
05:17 Eye Control
06:25 Frames per Second
06:50 Buffer
08:01 Heat
09:19 Sensor
11:08 Bit Depth
11:43 Metering Improvements
12:52 Pre-Capture
14:12 Practicality of Design
16:03 Batteries
17:38 Grips & Older Battery Compatibility
18:54 Pricing
19:40 Conclusion

#wildlifephotography #canon #canonr5

20 Comments

@WillGoodlet Creator 2 years ago (edited) Pinned

Photons to Photos tested the cameras dynamic range and found that the R5 is 0.4 EV better than the R5ii in mechanical shutter mode (which offers better DR than electronic shutter) below ISO 500. After this point the cameras are almost the same.
In electronic shutter mode the R5ii performs better by around the same margin, but in electronic shutter it is about 0.5 EV lower than the DR achievable with mechanical shutter.
I think the R5ii is definitely the better wildlife camera (where ISO will often be higher than 500) and the R5 is a slightly better and much cheaper Landscape camera.

@kurtissutley1485 2 years ago

One thing I like about your content, I never get the impression you're just pushing a product. Your analysis is fair, honest, and full of common sense support. Glad you're back and I'm sorry to rejoin the party late. Keep up the good work.

@phil.eastwood 2 years ago

this has kind of made my decision just to look at an R5 MK1 - too many extra costs and its still going to fit with all my lenses and batteries etc...thanks

@zenscape 2 years ago

Hi Will,

I'm a new subscriber, and I'm considering upgrading my R5 to the new R5 Mark 2. I came across your video and found your content to be engaging and informative. It feels like I'm having a casual yet insightful conversation with a knowledgeable buddy. Keep up the awesome work!

@raygiemza3690 2 years ago

My honest opinion of this video ... absolutely excellent! The comprehensive , lucid comparative content, coupled with stunning videography, is simply wonderful. Thanks for producing this most informative video. I'm very much looking forward to your future productions.

@stevea7614 2 years ago

Love it how you have the experience and lack of bias to evaluate practicality from a spec sheet. Bought the R5 after one of your reviews; will hold off on the Mark II for the same reason. Thanks for investing the time to help others decide.

@danteaubert3645 2 years ago

I'm in exactly your situation. Not sure any other YouTuber speaks to my situation like you do. Thanks so much.

@sorenandersen5729 2 years ago

This is propably the best review session I have watched. Not only beacause it is a very honest and detailed, but mainly also the setup of doing it in the field. There as so many reviews out there from peoples offices and studios being one long boring and monotone speech. Good that you are back !!!!!

@bronteturner446 2 years ago

Thank you for the review. Perfect! Where there’s a Will, there’s a way!

@chetankher 2 years ago

Simple, detailed and to the point review. Hard to find such reviewers nowadays on YouTube. Thanks!

@cameraconspiracies 2 years ago

The Nikon Z6 III's left hand mode dial is almost a deal breaker! I'm glad you understand the pain :) Almost nothing should be on the left side of a camera lol.

@ADof28 2 years ago

At the beginning I thought "OK this is just another cloud review without having the actual camera in hand". But as soon as I watched till the end I instantly liked. Obviously you've done a great amount of research up R5II from wildlife photographers' perspective and answered a log of my questions. Thank you for posting your work and keep it coming.

@rdallen9211 2 years ago

Brilliant video! So glad to have you back. I absolutely love to get your take on things, and this was a very welcomed topic for sure!

@Kellysher 2 years ago

Will, glad to see you back! I really appreciate your positive attitude, informative teaching, creative presentation and really cool B-roll! I do appreciate you taking us into the field and not teaching from a desk! I get a sense of what Africa is like watching your channel. I appreciate you taking us along on these adventures, and I always learn something! Social media leans into negativity, so thank you for embracing an honest hands on approach with real facts and not clickbait. Happy shooting!

@brianirving5889 2 years ago

Great analysis Will, your focus on African wildlife photography is a real testbed for what is needed and what is superfluous. As you know, I am UK based so I rarely encounter large game animals, deer being the exception. Antler tips, ears and nostrils are Canon animal eye detect magnets too. Keep up the great content Will and I'm hoping 'Basil' is OK?

@mycompasstv 2 years ago

Great upload, a most comprehensive, real world comparison. I'm chewing on this one. Thank you Mr. Goodlet!

@Bassbarbie 1 year ago

Really interesting, thank you. One thing mentioned elsewhere is that the pre-capture doesn't continue to focus on the subject, it remains on the original focal point. I have the R5 but sold my long lenses and now use the OM system for wildlife (where you can choose how it focuses for pre-capture). There are things I miss about the R5 and one day I could be tempted back, but not yet. Thanks so much for helping me make the decision.

I love the reference to wildlife vs. birds too - so true! On my local (UK) patch I find it so much harder to photograph small birds in poor light than larger animals on safari in better light.

@jimtipton8888 2 years ago

Thanks Will! Good to see you! I’ve so enjoyed my R5 and it’s been such a great Swiss Army knife camera and since it’s long paid for I think I’ll be sticking with it. Enjoyed learning about the new R5 II though. Cheers!