Change of kit for Xmas.
08th December 2025
A consequence of using the Canon R6 Mk 2 mirrorless camera over the past 9 months is that my Canon R5 has become almost redundant. Although it veritably is a great camera in a static situation, it’s bird tracking in flight performance is so limited compared to the R6 Mk 2, there really is no comparison - I was shocked to see it.
This has sounded the death knell for the R5 because it's very difficult to go backwards, technology wise – it’s pointless. However, it’s also very thought provoking when you realise the rapid and relentless way camera technology is moving forward. It now costs serious money to stay ‘ahead of the game’ so to speak.
With regard to the Canon R6 Mk2 my only two gripes are;
Firstly the ‘Pre capture’ mode – it is a pain to operate because the files captured are written to a folder in the camera and that folder cannot be downloaded en bloc. The user has to ‘Cut’ individual files from the folder, in camera, and then those files are written to the memory card as low resolution Jpegs.
Pre capture undoubtably works and it’s a brilliant feature, but it really is unnecessarily protracted on this camera.
Secondly at twenty ‘fps’ you have around eight seconds of shooting time before the camera’s buffer fills when shooting compressed RAW files. It’s enough in almost all scenarios and I have to admit to having hardly any problems when using SDXC V60 cards. You only need the V90 cards if you are shooting 4K video. However, using the 40fps feature on the camera is only viable when shooting in Jpeg, because these card’s write speeds are far too slow at 280mb/sec.
I still maintain, however, that apart from these small ‘gripes’ it is still a very capable camera indeed!
Moving on, last week I received a very good offer from a discerning woman photographer for my Canon R5 and after much deliberation I decided to sell it and to upgrade to the Canon R5 Mk2 - an early Xmas present.
The above-mentioned reservations with the R6 Mk2 have been fully addressed on the R5 Mk2.
Pre capture is now in full RAW and each file is written to the media card conventionally. Also, I can shoot without restriction at various frame rates, up to 30fps using compressed raw files, this is because the R5 Mk2 unlike the R6 Mk2 uses the very fast writing CF Express Type B cards -1200 MB/s.
These are huge advantages, and in addition the stacked and back lit sensor coupled with a top end ‘Digic X’ processor is lighting quick to read and process data, drastically reducing waiting time and eliminating frame blackout and rolling shutter at very high frame rates.
The autofocus itself has its own dedicated ‘Digic accelerator’ processor, this should be particularly useful for tracking birds in flight; it appears to be another step up from the R6 Mk2 – remarkable!
Unfortunately since I bought this camera it has rained virtually everyday with leaden skies and dull flat light - it couldn't be worse| However, this morning for an hour it was drier and I went for a walk on a local canal, the light was still generally very poor and light drizzle hung in the air, but glimpses of sunlight broke through intermittently. I came across a small flock of Starlings flying from a tree where they were perching up down to feed in a nearby field. As they swept across me the camera still locked onto them even in this very variable light.
Quite remarkable focussing in these conditions really and I can't wait for a sunny day to put the camera through its paces.
In addition there are other features like eye-controlled focussing where the camera, once calibrated to your eye, focusses on whatever you are looking at – remarkable, I may try it at some time.
I am not going to abandon the R6 Mk2, far from it, I am using it without a battery grip which I have now transferred to the R5 Mk2. It’s so light and portable that when I go walking for a distance, particularly up a steep hill, it will be my camera of choice. I will also use it in tightly wooded situations combined with my Canon EF 70-200 F4, which has as a consequence now got a new lease of life. I enjoy using this lens with a 1.4 converter and the 1.6 crop mode on the R6 Mk2 giving me an effective focal length of 200x1.4x1.6 = 448mm/f5.6, it’s featherweight and razor sharp.
Also, particularly good for butterflies and dragonflies.
This has sounded the death knell for the R5 because it's very difficult to go backwards, technology wise – it’s pointless. However, it’s also very thought provoking when you realise the rapid and relentless way camera technology is moving forward. It now costs serious money to stay ‘ahead of the game’ so to speak.
With regard to the Canon R6 Mk2 my only two gripes are;
Firstly the ‘Pre capture’ mode – it is a pain to operate because the files captured are written to a folder in the camera and that folder cannot be downloaded en bloc. The user has to ‘Cut’ individual files from the folder, in camera, and then those files are written to the memory card as low resolution Jpegs.
Pre capture undoubtably works and it’s a brilliant feature, but it really is unnecessarily protracted on this camera.
Secondly at twenty ‘fps’ you have around eight seconds of shooting time before the camera’s buffer fills when shooting compressed RAW files. It’s enough in almost all scenarios and I have to admit to having hardly any problems when using SDXC V60 cards. You only need the V90 cards if you are shooting 4K video. However, using the 40fps feature on the camera is only viable when shooting in Jpeg, because these card’s write speeds are far too slow at 280mb/sec.
I still maintain, however, that apart from these small ‘gripes’ it is still a very capable camera indeed!
Moving on, last week I received a very good offer from a discerning woman photographer for my Canon R5 and after much deliberation I decided to sell it and to upgrade to the Canon R5 Mk2 - an early Xmas present.
The above-mentioned reservations with the R6 Mk2 have been fully addressed on the R5 Mk2.
Pre capture is now in full RAW and each file is written to the media card conventionally. Also, I can shoot without restriction at various frame rates, up to 30fps using compressed raw files, this is because the R5 Mk2 unlike the R6 Mk2 uses the very fast writing CF Express Type B cards -1200 MB/s.
These are huge advantages, and in addition the stacked and back lit sensor coupled with a top end ‘Digic X’ processor is lighting quick to read and process data, drastically reducing waiting time and eliminating frame blackout and rolling shutter at very high frame rates.
The autofocus itself has its own dedicated ‘Digic accelerator’ processor, this should be particularly useful for tracking birds in flight; it appears to be another step up from the R6 Mk2 – remarkable!
Unfortunately since I bought this camera it has rained virtually everyday with leaden skies and dull flat light - it couldn't be worse| However, this morning for an hour it was drier and I went for a walk on a local canal, the light was still generally very poor and light drizzle hung in the air, but glimpses of sunlight broke through intermittently. I came across a small flock of Starlings flying from a tree where they were perching up down to feed in a nearby field. As they swept across me the camera still locked onto them even in this very variable light.
Quite remarkable focussing in these conditions really and I can't wait for a sunny day to put the camera through its paces.
In addition there are other features like eye-controlled focussing where the camera, once calibrated to your eye, focusses on whatever you are looking at – remarkable, I may try it at some time.
I am not going to abandon the R6 Mk2, far from it, I am using it without a battery grip which I have now transferred to the R5 Mk2. It’s so light and portable that when I go walking for a distance, particularly up a steep hill, it will be my camera of choice. I will also use it in tightly wooded situations combined with my Canon EF 70-200 F4, which has as a consequence now got a new lease of life. I enjoy using this lens with a 1.4 converter and the 1.6 crop mode on the R6 Mk2 giving me an effective focal length of 200x1.4x1.6 = 448mm/f5.6, it’s featherweight and razor sharp.
Also, particularly good for butterflies and dragonflies.