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Some bike headlights are designed to get you seen by motorists, while others are made to help you see the road. The Light Rail is claimed to excel at both, with a unique rectangular design that emphasizes light spread and movement over intensity.
Tags: bike lights, Cycling, Road Safety, Indiegogo
Few photography subjects offer the breadth of beauty as astronomy, and the Royal Observatory Greenwich’s annual Astronomy Photographer of the Year awards celebrate that fact. The winners for 2024 have now been crowned, including some breathtaking shots of aurora, nebulae, our Sun and Moon, and everything in between.
Category: Photography, Technology
Tags: Astronomy, Photographers, aurora, Sun, Moon, Planet, Galaxy, Supernova, Nebula, Asteroid
Thanks to its raging success on Kickstarter, the Zera Max handheld fan could soon be a staple in many a camper's gear box. It produces a mighty flow of wind from a compact form factor, making it a tool with tons of uses in the woods and at home.
Tags: Vacuum cleaner, Camping, Kickstarter, Fan cooling
This week, Royal Observatory Greenwich announced the winners of its Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. There are 11 categories, ranging from photos of skyscapes, the moon, galaxies, and more.
According to the observatory, there were over 3,500 entries for this year's competition.
Starting today, the winning images and runner-ups will be on display at a gallery in the National Maritime Museum. If you don't happen to live in Greenwich, you can also view the runners-up for each category on the museum's website.
Overall Winner: Distorted Shadows of the Moon’s Surface Created by an Annular Eclipse by Ryan ImperioDistorted Shadows of the Moon’s Surface Created by an Annular Eclipse, shot by Ryan Imperio in Odessa, Texas, was crowned the overall winner of the contest, as well as the winner of the 'Our Sun' category. According to a press release from the Observatory, Imperio said 'The images selected each year are absolutely astonishing and I am both thrilled and honoured to have my photo among them. I had hoped my image would be shared in some way but never expected to be selected as a winner, let alone Overall Winner!’
About the image: This is a sequence of continuously captured images showing the progression of Baily’s beads at third contact during the 2023 annular eclipse. Baily’s beads are formed when sunlight shines through the valleys and craters of the Moon’s surface, breaking the eclipse’s well-known ring pattern, and are only visible when the Moon either enters or exits an eclipse. These are a challenge to capture due to their brevity and the precise timing needed.
Equipment used: Nikon D810 camera, iOptron SkyGuider Pro mount, Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary lens
600 mm F8, ISO 640, multiple 1/1,000-second exposures
Skyscapes Winner: Tasman Gems by Tom RaeAbout the image: This photograph shows the rugged peaks of the Tasman Valley reaching up to the impressive features of the southern hemisphere summer night sky. It includes the hydrogen clouds of the Gum Nebula (central red region) and various other regions of active star formation stretched throughout the fainter arms of the Milky Way. This part of the night sky that tends to be less photographed, due to the faintness of the Milky Way band.
Equipment used: Nikon Z 6 astro-modified and Nikon Z7 cameras, iOptron SkyGuider Pro mount, Sigma 40 mm F1.4 Art and Sigma 28 mm F1.4 Art lens
Sky: ISO 1,600, 40 mm F1.8, 31 x 30-second exposures; Foreground: ISO 100, 28 mm F10-14, 9 x 4-second exposures
Our Moon Winner: Shadow peaks of Sinus Iridum by Gábor BalázsAbout the image: This photograph shows Sinus Iridum, also known as the ‘Bay of Rainbows,’ a 260-kilometre diameter bay bordered by several smaller craters. The photographer used a monochrome camera with a filter to capture the area. The crater visible in the upper right corner, Pythagoras, is particularly noteworthy and is almost visible from the side due to the libration, the wavering of the Moon as viewed from Earth.
Equipment used: Heyde-Zeiss refractor telescope, ZWO green filter, ZWO ASI178MM-pro camera
4,500 mm, F15
Aurorae Winner: Queenstown Aurora by Larryn RaeAbout the image: The Aurora Australis captured above the mountains in Queenstown. It is a 19-image panorama capturing all the fast-moving beams that lit up the sky in February 2023. The photographer used an astro-modified camera to capture all the pink hues of the aurora which makes for an incredibly dynamic final image.
Equipment used: Canon EOS R5 H-alpha modified camera, 35 mm panorama
F2.8 ISO 3,200, Sky: 8 second-exposure, Foreground: 30-second exposure
The Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer Winner: SH2-308: Dolphin Head Nebula by Xin Feng and Miao GongAbout the image: SH2-308 (the Dolphin Head Nebula) is at a low angle and can only be shot for five hours a day. This image comprises a total of ten days of shooting and post-processing with PixInsight. The main body of the nebula and the background stellar wind are both prominent.
Equipment used: Takahashi TOA-130NS telescope, Sky-Watcher EQ8 mount, ZWO ASI6200MM-Cool camera
1,000 mm F7.7, Gain 100, 144 x 600-second H-alpha exposures, 140 x 600-second OIII exposures
Young Winner: NGC 1499, A Dusty California, by Daniele Borsari (age 14)About the image: This image features a deep integration on the California Nebula, NGC 1499, an emission nebula in the constellation of Perseus. It’s located at a distance of about 1,000 light years from Earth and it’s visible thanks to the ionization of gases by the blue giant star ξ Persei (Menkib).
Equipment used: ZWO ASI533MC Pro camera, Samyang 135 mm F2.0 lens, Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer mount
135 mm F2.8, 263 × 300-second exposures, 228 × 180-second exposures (33 hours 19 minutes total exposure)
Annie Maunder Prize for Image Innovation Winner: Anatomy of a Habitable Planet by Sergio Díaz RuizAbout the image: This seemingly alien world is actually our endangered planet, Earth, as a distant civilisation might study it. This image was created by mixing the 16 bands monitored by the GOES-18 weather satellite to encode land masses, oceans and atmospheric features as different colours.
Equipment used: Original data from GOES-18 ABI (Bands 1 to 16 (0.47 to 13.3 microns)) from 18 February 2024 and Suomi-NPP VIIRS (0.5 to 0.9 microns) from 2012–2020
Stars & Nebulae Winner: SNR G107.5-5.2, Unexpected Discovery (The Nereides Nebula in Cassiopeia) by Marcel Drechsler, Bray Falls, Yann Sainty, Nicolas Martino, and Richard GalliAbout the image: This impressive photograph is the result of 3,559 frames, 260 hours of exposure time and telescopes on three continents. The team worked to explore and photograph a previously unknown gigantic supernova remnant (SNR) in the centre of the famous constellation Cassiopeia. The international team of amateur astronomers is under the scientific leadership of Professor Robert Fesen (USA). The fact that amateurs have made such a discovery is a testament to how important their role has become in today’s astronomy.
Equipment used: Takahashi FSQ-106EDX4 telescope, Sky-Watcher EQ6 Pro and Paramount MyT GEM mounts, QHYCCD QHY600PH-M, ZWO ASI2600MM Pro and ZWO ASI6200MM Pro cameras
530 mm and 382 mm F3.6 and F5, 258 hours 32 minutes total exposure with 60-second, 180-second, 300-second and 600-second subframes
Planets, Comets & Asteroids Winner: On Approach by Tom WilliamsAbout the image: This false-colour composite shows the phases of Venus on approach to inferior conjunction, which is when Venus and the Earth appear close on the same side of the Sun. Using ultra-violet and infrared filters, the intricate cloud structure within the upper atmosphere of the planet is revealed. Despite Venus’s rotation period being many months long, the atmosphere is far from stationary, circling the planet in around four days. This makes UV imaging of Venus particularly interesting as the planet is much more dynamic than it otherwise would be if viewed in the visible spectrum.
Equipment used: Sky-Watcher 400P (16") GoTo Dobsonian Reflector telescope, Baader Bessel (U)BVRI and RG610 filters, ZWO ASI462MM camera
5,000 mm F12.3, multiple 15-millisecond exposures
People & Space Winner: High-Tech Silhouette by Tom WilliamsAbout the image: This H-alpha image of the Sun features the silhouette of the International Space Station (ISS) transiting the eastern solar limb. Crossing the field-of-view in just 0.2 seconds, ISS transits of the Sun are particularly rare for any one location on Earth. The Sun was active and a prominence right next to the station’s transit location can be seen.
Equipment used: Sky-Watcher Evostar 120 telescope, Daystar Quark Chromosphere filter, Sky-Watcher EQ3 Pro mount, Player One Apollo-M Max (IMX432) camera
4,300 mm F35, ISS: 19 x 0.70-millisecond exposures; Sun: 7,500 x 12-millisecond exposures
Galaxies Winner: Echoes of the Past by Bence Tóth and Péter FeltótiAbout the image: This picture shows the galaxy NGC 5128 and its surrounding tidal wave system as well as a visualization of the relativistic jet, powerful jets of radiation and particles travelling close to the speed of light. This interesting target can only be shot from the southern hemisphere, so the photographers travelled to Namibia to capture the image.
Equipment used: Custom-built 200/800 Newton astrograph telescope, Astronomik Deep-Sky LRGB filters, Antlia V-Pro LRGB filters and Antlia 3 nm H-alpha bandpass filter, Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro and Sky-Watcher EQ6 mounts, ZWO ASI2600MM Pro camera
800 mm F4, 16.2-hour L, 5.3-hour R, G and B, and 5.6-hour H-alpha exposures
What's the most amount of time you've ever spent putting together a Lego model? A team of 23 lunatics from the Lego group and McLaren Automotive spent over 8,000 hours putting together a full-size working P1 replica – and it actually clocked 40 mph (64 km/h) on a racetrack.
Category: Automotive, Transport
Tags: Lego, McLaren, Mclaren P1
A poll of Americans aged 50 and over on their use of cannabis has provided some interesting insights into how often they use the drug, how and why they use it, and the behaviors they engage in while under the influence.
Category: Health & Wellbeing, Lifestyle
Tags: Cannabis, Seniors, University of Michigan
OpenAI's latest game-changing AI release has dropped. The new o1 model, now available in ChatGPT, now 'thinks' before it responds – and it's starting to crush both previous models and Ph.D-holding humans at solving expert-level problems.
Category: Technology
Tags: LLM (Large Language Model), GPT, Open AI, Artificial Intelligence
Whether we've watched athletes do it or had the misfortune to experience it ourselves, 'choking' at an important moment when the pressure is on comes down to more than mental fortitude. For the first time, scientists have uncovered a set of neurons that misfire when the stakes are at their highest, sending poorer signals to the body that affects our actions in high-stakes situations.
Tags: Carnegie Mellon, University of Pittsburgh, Sports, Brain, Neuroscience, Neural Network
At the National Tactical Officers Association annual conference in Kansas City, Missouri, Bounce Imaging has unveiled what it claims is the world’s first 360° panoramic thermal-imaging tactical throwable camera for the military and law enforcement.
Category: Technology
Tags: Camera, Thermal Imaging
The Sun is the biggest fish in our small pond of a solar system, but it’s a mere minnow compared to the whales that dwell out in the cosmos. New telescope images show a gigantic star casually blowing bubbles 75 times bigger than our Sun.
Injecting regulatory T cells or Tregs, which control the body’s immune responses, directly into damaged bone, muscle and skin significantly boosts healing, according to new research. The door is now open to developing a universal cell-based method of enhancing healing after an injury.
Category: Health & Wellbeing, Lifestyle
Tags: Regenerative Medicine, The Immune System, Inflammatory, Osaka University, Monash University
Ola's super-cheap electric roadsters caused a global stir at launch, but issues are now becoming apparent, from the subpar base variant lacking basic safety equipment, to an embarrassing case of outright plagiarism of Zero Motorcycles’ press photos.
Category: Motorcycles, Transport
Tags: Electric Motorcycles, Business, urban transport, India, Motorcycle, Zero Motorcycles
It was just this July that we heard about the ES-30, a hybrid-electric airliner being developed by Swedish firm Heart Aerospace. Well, the company has now unveiled a full-scale demonstrator version of the plane, which should fly next year.
Tags: Electric Aircraft, Hybrid
The world's first private spacewalk has been completed. On September 12, 2024 at 7:58 am EDT, two of the four-person crew of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft Resilience returned after a 106-minute tethered EVA 732 km (455 miles) above the Earth.
Tags: SpaceX, Space Suit, Spacewalk, Dragon
Leica has announced the M11-D, a camera in the M11 family that omits a rear display, opting to put an ISO dial in its place. The company says the lack of a display will help users focus on "the elementary aspects of pictorial design such as composition, aperture, shutter speed and ISO."
Underneath the display-less back plate, though, the M11-D is still a modern digital camera. It has a 60MP sensor, with enough cache to shoot five full-resolution images per second, 256GB of internal storage, and the ability to use UHS-II SD cards up to 2TB in size. The camera also includes Bluetooth and Wi-Fi that you can use to connect it to a smartphone, and USB-C for data transfer and charging.
Image: LeicaThe M-11D also includes Leica's 'Content Credentials' system, which will let people verify whether the images taken with it have been edited and, if so, what changes have been made.
This isn't the first time Leica has produced a digital camera without a screen and marketed it as a purer photography experience. There was a similar model in the M-10 family as well. Like its predecessor, the M11-D also eschews the iconic red Leica badge on the camera's face, instead opting for what looks like a black flathead screw. Instead, the Leica name is engraved on the top plate.
The M11-D is available for preorder, at a list price of $9,395. That's a $400 price premium over the regular M11, which includes a display for navigating menus and reviewing your shots. However, the M11 only includes 64GB of onboard storage, so the upcharge isn't just for the screen delete.
Buy now:
Buy $9,395 at B&H PhotoBuy $9,395 at AdoramaPress Release:
The New Camera in the Leica M-System Combines an Analogue Photography Experience with a Digital WorkflowLike no other, the Leica M-System is a synonym for legendary quality “Made in Germany”. Since the introduction of the Leica rangefinder system in 1954, the world’s best photographers have appreciated Leica M-Cameras and Lenses for their unique image quality and the intuitive handling, for their masterful manufacture and their value preservation. Up to the present day, the Leica M has remained true to its iconic design and the focus on the essential without compromise. Of course, the same applies to the latest camera in the M11 family: the Leica M11-D. By doing without a display on the back, photography with the Leica M11-D focuses on the elementary aspects of pictorial design such as composition, aperture, shutter speed and ISO. In place of the display, there is a big ISO dial on the back of the camera. When it comes to functionality, however, the new M11-D does not sacrifice anything. With distinct customisability, modern connectivity and hardware-based authenticity technology, which was first introduced into the camera market with the M11-P as Leica Content Credentials, the M11-D proves to be a perfect combination of classic range-finder photography and state-of-the-art camera technology. With its clean lines, the matt black painted surfaces and the absence of the red Leica logo, the new M11-D also stands for maximum understatement in the timeless Leica product design.
The M11-D enables images with a resolution of either 60, 36 or 18 MP. With a cache of 3 GB, continuous shooting of up to 5 pictures per second with 60 MP is possible. The internal memory with 256 GB provides ample space for the images. In addition, the powerful battery makes sure that the M11-D is always ready at the crucial moment. The new member of the particularly compact full-frame system lies comfortably in the hand. With just 540 grams (incl. battery), it undercuts its predecessor by 120 grams.
The M11-D is extremely convenient to use and as an M-Camera, it also opens up the world of the unsurpassed M-Lenses and provides access to all M fixed focal lengths made since 1954. In combination with the full-frame sensor with Triple Resolution Technology, which has been exclusively designed for the Leica M11 family, as well as an ISO range from native ISO 64 to ISO 50,000, the Leica M11-D achieves brilliant image results with excellent noise performance even in low light.
Although the Leica M11-D transfers the analogue experience to the digital world, it does not confine itself to that. Each photographer decides for themselves at what time the digital workflow is to be integrated into the work with the M11-D. The new M-Camera offers seamless connectivity via Bluetooth or direct cable connection. As a certified “Made for iPhone® and iPad®” product, it provides a particularly fast and comfortable connection to iOS devices.
Further settings can be made with the Leica FOTOS app on the smartphone. Thus, the connection with the app enables an easy photo transfer, remote control and geotagging. In addition, pictures can be checked and assessed in the Leica FOTOS app on iOS or Android devices independently from the camera. Adjustments such as the white balance and the choice between the file formats DNG and JPEG can also be made in the app. Once saved in the Leica FOTOS app, the M11-D adopts the settings permanently. In this way, the new M-Camera can be customised to the desired requirements.
Thanks to the hardware-based Leica Content Credentials technology, the new M11-D helps to protect the authenticity of digital images. The technology is based on the framework described by the Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI) and the open technical standard of the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA). Thus, the authenticity of the pictures taken with the M11-D can be checked at any time with a freely available tool or at https://contentcredentials.org/verify.
Alongside the new M11-D, two matching high-quality leather accessories are available. One is a black protector, specifically designed for the M11-D with a cutout for the mechanical ISO dial on the camera's back. The other is a carrying strap available in black and cognac, crafted from a single piece of leather, suitable for all M-Series cameras.
The Leica M11-D will be available globally at all Leica Stores, the Leica Online Store and authorised dealers starting now. The retail price will be €9,350.00 including VAT.
While a number of groups are developing thought-controlled prosthetic hands, most of the devices require electrodes or other relatively fiddly electronics to be implanted in the amputee's body. Such is not the case with a new system, however, which works with tiny inert implanted magnets.
Tags: Prosthesis, Thought-control, Hand
Canon's EOS R5 II is the company's latest high-end, full-frame mirrorless camera, which now gains a Stacked CMOS sensor and many of the autofocus features of the company's new flagship R1 model.
Key specifications:The Canon EOS R5 II is available, at a recommended sales price of $4299. This is a $400 increase over the original model (though less expensive in real terms if you account for inflation). A kit with the RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM has a suggested price of $5399.
There will also be a choice of three accessory grips, covered later in the article.
Buy now:
$5399 at Amazon.com$4299 at B&H Photo$4299 at Adorama Index:The biggest change in the EOS R5 II is the move to a Stacked CMOS sensor. As we've seen before, this allows the camera to read out its sensor much, much faster than conventional BSI or FSI chips. This speed allows the camera to capture 8K video at up to 60p and bursts of stills at up to 30fps.
If 30fps is too much for the shooting you do, the camera can be customized to shoot at 20, 15, 10 or 5fps instead. We found the readout rate in stills mode to be 6.3ms (∼1/160 sec) and that it appears to read out in 16-line chunks. This is a fair bit slower than the likes of the Z8 (∼1/270).
The EOS R5 II's sensor uses Canon's Dual Pixel AF design, with two photodiodes for each pixel location, meaning almost the entire sensor can be used for phase-detection autofocus. But it does not have the cross-type arrangement used in the EOS R1. It also omits the original R5's Dual Pixel RAW option, but we suspect very few people found a good use for this.
Eye-control AFThe EOS R5 II gets the same updated version of Eye-control AF that appears in the R1. Like the first modern version in the EOS R3, this lets you select a subject to focus on by looking in its direction: as soon as you half-press the shutter button or hit AF-On to initiate focusing, the camera will pick the subject nearest to where it thinks you're looking.
The latest version has sensors with a wider field of view, to get a better view of the eye as a whole, and revised algorithms that should work better when the eye is further from the viewfinder. This should be particularly useful for people wearing glasses and is supported with an eyeglasses detection mode, to avoid it getting confused by the additional lens and distance between the sensors and the photographer's eye.
'Digic Accelerator' co-processorThe EOS R5 II has the same 'Digic Accelerator' co-processor used in the R1. The way Canon talks about it is directly comparable to the way Sony describes its 'AI processing unit': a dedicated processor focused on crunching its way through the complex algorithms generated by AI mechanisms, which means the main processor can stay focused on things like distance measurement and communicating with the lens, rather than trying to do everything at once.
Canon says this processor helps run more complex exposure and white balance algorithms, too, boosting the camera's fundamental functions, as well as powering some of its novel features.
Our of camera JPEG
1/125 sec | F2.8 | ISO 51200
JPEG reprocessed with "Neural Network" noise reduction
1/125 sec | F2.8 | ISO 51200
Pre-captureAs with the R1, the R5 II can be set to capture up to 1/2 a second of action before you fully depress the shutter, so long as you have the button half-pressed beforehand. It can also pre-capture 3 or 5 seconds of video.
Action Priority modesOne of the biggest features the R5 II shares with the R1 is its slate of Action Priority AF modes. These are based on machine learning trained on how different sports look: how active players' bodies are positioned and what the ball looks like at key moments. The camera is able to follow the ball and work out which player to prioritize. For instance, Canon says the Football/Soccer mode has been trained to recognize the following actions occurring: "Shoot, header, short pass, long pass, dribble, clear, place kick, save by keeper, throw in, sliding tackle".
At launch, the EOS R5 II will have AF modes for Football ('Soccer' on cameras with US firmware), Basketball and Volleyball. Canon did not say whether it plans to add other sports, via firmware, later, but implied it would be possible.
Pre-registered person priorityIn addition to the generic subject types the camera has been trained to recognize, it's also possible to register up to ten sets of ten people in the camera's memory. If engaged, the camera will try to give priority to those individuals if it identifies them in a scene.
This could be used to ensure you get photos of specific players at a sporting event or, for instance, during wedding shoots, where you can set the camera to prioritize the betrothed, rather than risking the camera getting distracted by other members of the wedding party that happen to get closer to your AF point.
You can even create a priority rank of the people you've identified so that the camera knows to focus on the bride ahead of the groom, ahead of the maid of honor, and so forth. Despite giving the camera only a single image of each subject, it proved pretty good at recognizing the people we asked it to prioritize.
AI-derived noise reduction or upscalingOriginal image
1/2000 sec | F2.8 | ISO 640
Up-scaled version
1/2000 sec | F2.8 | ISO 640
Like the R1, the R5 II gains two post-shot options to reprocess your files using the full power of its AI-derived algorithms. It's not got the processing power or battery life to apply these as you shoot, so you'll need to select which images to process, after the fact. Even with a dedicated 'accelerator' chip, both processes take several seconds to apply to each file.
The first option is to up-res the images to twice their original resolution (four times the pixel count). This uses machine learning to anticipate what might occur between the captured pixels, to boost the apparent resolution. Somewhat unexpectedly, this process is conducted on JPEG or HEIF images only, rather than the Raw data.
The other option is to apply complex "neural network" noise reduction to files. This again is based on machine learning and attempts to distinguish between noise and detail to give a clean but detailed image. The option can be applied to Raw files but Canon says that the JPEGs that are then created cannot then be up-sized.
Blur/Out-of-Focus detectionThe other post-capture cleverness the EOS R5 II acquires is its ability to check how in-focus the chosen subject is. It's based on the camera's subject recognition system, so works best with human faces.
A metadata tag identifying the most precisely focused images is added to the file and can be used to filter your images, either in playback mode on the camera or in Canon's Digital Photo Pro software, when you get back to your computer. There are significant restrictions to when the system works: you need to be using an electronic shutter mode and have subject detection turned on. It also only works for JPEG images: the feature will operate if you have the camera set to Raw + JPEG but you can only check the results or filter your images if the Raw file has been deleted.
The R5 II may not be able to shoot quite as fast as the EOS R1, but any amount of 30fps shooting is likely to make you appreciate the ability to home in on the most focused shots.
Anti-flickerAs with the EOS R3, there are options both to sync the camera's shooting to match the brightest point in the brightness cycle of lights that flicker at 100 or 120Hz in response to 50 or 60Hz electricity, and there's also a High Frequency Anti-Flicker mode that assesses the flicker rate of fast-flickering light sources such as LEDs, and chooses a fractional shutter speed at a harmonic frequency, to minimize visible banding.
Using these modes reduces the camera's maximum shooting speed considerably, as it can only shoot at specific moments in the flicker cycle of the lighting. For 100/120Hz flicker, Canon quotes figures of 12-15fps in e-shutter mode, 8.6fps in electronic first curtain mode and 4.8fps when in mechanical mode.
The EOS R5 II still has a mechanical shutter when needed, though: allowing flash sync at higher speeds, for instance. This can be used with continuous shooting at up to 12 fps.
What's new for video The EOS R5 II gains a full-sized HDMI socket, over which it can output a Raw video streamThe Stacked sensor underpins many of the leaps forward in the EOS R5 II's video capabilities, but in addition to the newfound speed, Canon has worked to enhance the camera's usability as a video camera, borrowing features from its Cinema EOS line (at last).
So, in addition to the camera's 8K and internal Raw capabilities, the R5 II also becomes the first camera in the main EOS line to gain waveforms, a false color display and zebras and to make it easier to optimize exposure. It also has a tally lamp, to let a person in front of the camera know when it's recording.
The camera can also capture high quality footage (8K Raw or 4K compressed) to its CFexpress card while recording lower resolution and more heavily subsampled and compressed proxy footage to the SD card.
Raw videoThe EOS R5 II can capture either 8K Raw footage at up to 60p or 'SRAW' 4K video at up to 60p. Both options use the 1.89:1 aspect ratio DCI format. Canon hasn't given details on how the 4K Raw is generated (downscaling or sub-sampling). The camera uses Canon's compressed 'Raw Light' format for the 50 and 60p footage, to keep file sizes manageable.
Both DaVinci Resolve and Adobe's Premiere appear to support Canon's Raw and Raw Light formats natively, while Apple's Final Cut Pro or Avid Media Composer require the installation of a plugin from Canon.
ResolutionRaw video allows a slightly greater degree of lightness adjustment (often incorrectly described as "ISO" or "Exposure" adjustment), and white balance correction than compressed and gamma-encoded footage. It's not anything like as big a difference as Raw vs. JPEG in stills, though, as 10-bit Log files can fully encode the sensor output and are designed for tonal edits in a way that JPEGs aren't, and the Raw footage is typically 12-bit.
Raw shooting also gives much more control over noise reduction and sharpening, which are typically applied to some degree in gamma-encoded files, giving more freedom but adding an extra step to the workflow.
Compressed videoThe R5 II's compressed video options are more extensive, giving the choice of 8K or 4K derived from 8K at up to 30p. Both of these options are available in the 1.89:1 DCI aspect ratio or in the 16:9 UHD shape, which crops the edges of the footage in a little.
The R5 II can also shoot sub-sampled DCI or UHD 4K at up to 120p, while maintaining the same angle-of-view. We measured the DCI 8K as having a rolling shutter figure of 12.6ms (∼1/80 sec), which suggests the main reason to shoot the less detailed sub-sampled footage will be to access those faster frame rates or to avoid any heat concerns, rather than because of any need to lower rolling shutter.
Beyond this there are DCI and UHD 4K options taken from an approximately APS-C part of the sensor. There are also options to capture 2048 x 1080 full-width or edge-cropped Full HD footage at up to 240p, with APS-C versions of each available at up to 120p.
The EOS R5 II gains the ability to capture C-Log2 footage, as well as C-Log3. C-Log3 is a more expansive version of the original C-Log profile, but C-Log2 is a curve designed to encode an even wider dynamic range.
ResolutionThe EOS R5 II is the first camera outside the Cinema EOS range to be able to capture C-Log2, which makes it much easier to use in a workflow alongside those cameras.
Also aiding cross-compatibility is the adoption of the XF-AVC S and XF-HEVC S formats, which are the same as used on Canon's Cinema EOS and pro camcorder lines. Both options allow 10-bit 4:2:2 capture, but with the H.264-based XF-AVC S format dropping to 8-bit if you select 4:2:0 chroma sub-sampling, whereas the H-265-based XF-HEVC S files give you a choice of 8 or 10-bit for 4:2:0 capture.
The EOS R5 II can shoot 4K derived from 8K at up to 30p.The EOS R5 II continues to be able to record HDR PQ footage for display on HDR displays. Interestingly, the HDR PQ option can be combined with the HDR Video mode that simultaneously captures normally and unexposed footage to add additional highlights to the end result (at up to 8K/30 or 4K/60).
Dual ShootingThere's also an option to capture UHD 8K (7620 x 4230px) JPEGS to one card while the camera is capturing Full HD video at up to 30p on the other. This feature requires the more powerful LP-E6P battery and, naturally, means that your shutter speed choices will apply to both the video footage and still images, but the camera can grab stills at up to 7.5fps depending on whether you're capturing 30p or 25p video.
Choice of accessory gripsThe EOS R5 II can be paired with the $350 BG-R20 battery grip that can also be used with the original R5, R6 and R6 II, but it can also be used with two additional accessory grips that are exclusively designed to work with it. The first is a BG-R20EP battery grip that includes an Ethernet port, giving 2.5 Base-T connections, costing $500.
The CF-R20RP accessory grip adds both a fan and an Ethernet port to the camera, but doesn't duplicate the controls. Image: CanonThe third option is the CF-R20EP Ethernet and fan grip, priced at $400. Unlike the other two grips, this doesn't have duplicate controls for portrait shooting, it's just a fan designed to pull cool air through and lower the temperature of the camera when shooting video. This can extend the shooting duration for all but the most demanding video modes and helps maintain the shooting duration in warmer conditions. It also includes an Ethernet port for fast cabled network connection.
As with the original EOS R5, Canon has published details of how long it expects the R5 II to be able to continue recording video before it overheats. We've published these in full on a separate page so that videographers can check whether the camera meets their needs and whether they'll need the fan grip, but without having to add another large table to the middle of the review.
How it comparesThe Canon EOS R5 II is explicitly both a successor to the EOS R5 but also the de facto continuation of the EOS 5D series, a series of cameras for enthusiast and pro photographers and video shooters. As ever, the most directly comparable competitor comes from Nikon, whose Z8 aims to do much the same thing, just as the D800 series of DSLRs did beforehand.
There are no other like-for-like competitors to these two cameras: Sony offers the a7R V for photographers wanting high-resolution stills, but with nothing like the speed or video capability of the Canon and Nikon cameras, or the a1, which offers both speed and some video capabilities but at a price that pushes it very heavily towards the Pro end of the audience. It's a pretty old camera at this point, so can be bought well below its list price, but don't let that hide the fact that its primary intent was to compete with the Z9 and R3/R1s of this world. We're including it here more for interest, than direct competition.
Canon EOS R5 II Nikon Z8 Sony a1 Canon EOS R5 MSRP at launch $4299 $3999 $6500 $3899 Pixel count 45MP 45MP 50MP 45MP Sensor type Stacked CMOS (Dual Pixel) Stacked CMOS Stacked CMOS FSI CMOS (Dual Pixel) Shutter type Mech / Electronic Electronic only Mech / Electronic Mech / Electronic Max frame rate E: 30fpsCanon Raw
Canon Raw Light
XF HEVC S
XF AVS S
The upgrades to the EOS R5 II bring the camera at least into line with those of the Nikon Z8, with faster Raw shooting, 8K/60 Raw for those that can handle the file size and adding the level of video support tools that was seeming somewhat lacking in the existing camera.
What this table can't really capture is the fine detail such as Registered Person Recognition mode and the activity-specific autofocus behavior algorithms. How well these work may, at least for the kinds of photographers who shoot the relevant types of subject, define the margin by which the EOS R5 II turns out to have overhauled the Nikon in the eternal game of leapfrog the two companies are locked in.
Body and handling Other than the power switch moving, Canon hasn't changed much of the R5 II's control layout. Note the large rubber hood that protects the new multi-function hot shoe.The R5 II's body is extremely similar to that of its predecessor: similar enough that it's BG-R20 battery grip can be used with the existing model. The only major external change is that, like the EOS R6 II, the power On/Off switch on the top left-hand corner is now a stills/video switch, and the power control is now around the rear command dial on the top plate.
This change will no doubt infuriate upgraders who've become used to the handling of the existing R5, but after a couple of days of accidentally flicking to photo mode, rather than finding the power switch, it soon enough becomes second nature.
This is no bad thing, as we really liked the way the original R5 handled: it's a pretty large camera but its grip is very well shaped and proportioned, and the controls were all well placed and comfortable to use for extended periods.
New menu section The menu options that customize the control of the camera (including whether Eye Control is active), now gain their own menu tabThe EOS R5 II bears witness to that rarest of things: a change to Canon's menu layout. In addition to the familiar menu sections, there's now an olive green tab containing all the control customization options from the menu, so they can all be easily located. This includes control customization for shooting and playback mode.
ViewfinderThe EOS R5 II still uses a 5.76M dot OLED panel and still maintains the 0.76x magnification but the optics have been significantly redesigned to allow the implementation of Eye-control AF. This makes the viewfinder appear larger as you look at the camera, but in practice, it's the same size when you're using it.
What doesn't come across from the spec is that the new OLED panel can go much brighter than the one in the original R5 (though not as bright as the one in the R1), allowing the inclusion of the 'Optical Viewfinder Simulation' mode seen on the EOS R3. It cannot accurately preview HDR PQ shooting, though. There is also 1mm increase in the eyepoint, to 25mm, which means you can see the entire viewfinder panel from a tiny bit further away from the finder.
The rear screen remains the same 3.2", 2.1M dot, fully articulated unit.
Multi-function hotshoeThe EOS R5 gains the multi-function hot shoe from the EOS R3. This has a row of contacts that can be used to feed a digital audio signal into the camera, allowing the use of the DM-E1D digital stereo mic; the contacts can also provide power to the ST-10 radio flash trigger or to provide a wired data connection to an Android smartphone using the AD-P1 adapter.
The shoe itself is sealed, but if you want to maintain a water-resistant seal with a weather-resistant flash, you'll need to use the AD-E1 adapter.
As before, the EOS R5 II has one CFexpress Type B card slot and one UHS-II SD slot. This means you're always likely to have a card that'll work with the camera, but also means there's a longer list of video modes that can't be saved to the smaller, slower card.
BatteryThe EOS R5 II takes a new battery but, as is normal for Canon, it's also able to accept existing LP-E6N or E6NH (though not the original E6). The LP-E6P is able to provide more sustained power than previous versions, which is needed for a couple of functions, including Pre-burst shooting, HDMI Raw output, Dual Shooting (simultaneous stills + video) and use with high-powered devices mounted in the multi-function hotshoe. These functions and the camera's highest performance may not be available with older batteries.
The higher res, brighter viewfinder results in a CIPA rating of 250 shots per charge (up about 15% compared with the original R5), while the rating when using the LCD is up 70% at 540. As always, we find the CIPA testing methodology is much more demanding than most people's real-world usage, and they become less and less meaningful the more burst shooting you do. These aren't bad numbers, all things considered.
The camera can be charged over USB but to power the camera using USB you'll need the new PD-E2 power adapter or a high-powered USB PD power source. We don't have specs for the PD-E2 yet, so can't confirm which Power Delivery modes are required to power the camera.
AutofocusPhoto: Richard Butler
The EOS R5 II essentially has the same AF system and setup as the EOS R1, which is designed for the challenges of sideline shooting at the highest level. Despite this, it's not overly complex. Or, at least, need not be.
At its heart, it's quite straightforward: there are 8 different AF area modes ranging from a tiny spot to selecting the entire scene, which lets the camera choose where to focus. These include three customizable focus zones, where you can edit the shape and size of the focus region. Pressing the 'Info' button engages tracking, meaning that the AF point will move to follow whatever you were pointing at when you initiated focus.
There are also versions of the Spot, Single Point and Expanded areas with a padlock symbol, which do not allow around-the-frame tracking. This means you can quickly switch between tracking and non-tracking versions of the same AF area without disengaging tracking overall. As with all Canon's high-end models, there's a menu option to limit which AF areas are available, just to the ones you regularly use, to speed up selection.
Subject recognitionSeparate from this are the camera's subject recognition modes, which allow it to detect people, animals or vehicles. There's also an 'Auto' setting that attempts to look for all three.
We mainly used the people mode and found it to be highly effective. The system is guided by your selected AF point, so if you decide you want to focus on a subject on the right of the frame, you can place an AF point to the right and be sure the camera will prioritize that person. And, while the system will follow subjects near to the AF point, not just those directly under it, it's selective enough that we generally found we could leave the people detection mode on, even when capturing other subjects. We wouldn't necessarily recommend the same approach with the Auto mode, though, as there are so many more potential targets for it to select.
Blur/OOFThe camera's Blur/Out of Focus mode is a genuinely clever feature, letting you very quickly narrow your images down to the best-focused shots. There are a few quirks around its use, though.
The fact it only works in electronic shutter mode is reasonable enough, as these are the modes that shoot fastest and are likely to benefit from you being able to filter to just the sharpest focused images. However, the fact that you can't check images if you've shot Raw or Raw+JPEG (unless you offload or delete the Raw image), adds an extra step to think about: it's easy to look back at your images and wonder why the camera hasn't made a sharpness assessment: the answer being that playback mode shows the Raw image and the focus tag lives in the JPEG.
Eye ControlCanon promises improvements to the Eye Control system, but we had a very similar experience to those we had with the EOS R3: at its best it can be a truly intuitive means of selecting a subject to focus on but, to varying degrees, we didn't all find it to operate at its best. For instance I sometimes found the Eye Control target would operate slightly to the left or right of where I was looking, and I'd need to re-calibrate the system to get it to work again. The fact I found it more reliable when wearing glasses than with contact lenses, which makes me suspect I don't always position my eye in precisely the same position, relative to the viewfinder, which is causing the offset problems.
Eye Control made it possible to select which of the many detected subjects the camera would focus on. It seemed to be improved, compared with the EOS R3, particularly when wearing glasses, but not to the extent that I felt I could depend on it for my shooting.Overall we found Eye Control works much better as a means of selecting between recognized subjects, rather than for selecting points within a scene to focus on. It's difficult for us to know how well the system will work for different individuals and their shooting needs, but we suspect it'll be useful for some and indispensable to others.
Read about our experience of shooting bike racing with the EOS R5 II
PerformanceWe subjected the EOS R5 II to our standard AF tests, as well as putting it through its paces at a rather more challenging sporting event.
As you'd expect of a modern camera, it aced the simple straight-on test, as it has no problem assessing and predicting distance and driving the focus to the correct point.
What impressed us is the tenacity of the subject tracking modes. A lot of modern cameras can continue to track the subject as it turns the corners, but even some of the best take a beat to come to terms with the change in approach speed as it does so. Without subject recognition, the camera did extremely well, but with subject recognition on, its hit-rate was very high.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16We set the R5 II to its maximum 30fps speed and found it did a really good job of staying consistently focused. Though it does appear to be focusing on the subject's cap, rather than their pupil.
Blur/Out of Focus assessmentThe camera's Blur/Out of Focus assessment considered all but one of the images we shot to meet its lowest threshold and all but five to hit its Standard level of acceptable blur. 156 of the 168 images met its highest bar.
Total images in run Low threshold Std threshold High threshold 168 167 163 156However, in practice, we found that even setting the camera to its most stringent, High threshold ended up selecting some images with motion blur in them, which significantly undermines the usefulness of the function.
This image was rated to the highest standard by the camera, and this one exceeded the Standard threshold, neither of which we'd consider acceptible for use at full resolution.
Image QualityOur test scene is designed to simulate a variety of textures, colors and detail types you'll encounter in the real world. It also has two illumination modes to see the effect of different lighting conditions.
Image ComparisonThis widget is not optimized for RSS feed readers. Click here to open it in a new browser window / tab.The EOS R5 II is essentially indistinguishable from its predecessor in terms of detail. It can't quite match the resolving power of Sony's 61MP a7R V, but it's consistent with it most direct peer: the Nikon Z8.
The similarities persist as the light levels drop: at moderate ISOs it's consistent both with its predecessor and its peers and perhaps a touch noisier at very high ISOs. Not enough that you're ever likely to notice.
The slightly darker rendering relative to the original EOS R5 makes the comparison a little difficult but the color response of the JPEGs looks very similar. The slightly sandier pink patch at the top left, compared with the Nikon and Sony, is likely to play a part in Canon's rendering of some skin tones being so well-liked.
The default sharpening is well-judged: pulling out a good level of detail but without any sign of over-shoot at high-contrast edges. Color aliasing seems well controlled too, if you compare the finest text with the Nikon.
JPEG noise reduction seems to strike a good balance between detail retention and noise suppression, with subtle detail in similar colored subjects looking natural. It continues to do pretty well even at very high ISO settings, maintaining detail and color, despite how noisy the underlying data is.
Dynamic rangeAs we've seen with other Stacked CMOS sensors, there's a slight increase in electronic noise, which clips dynamic range a little earlier (at the lowest ISO setting where dynamic range is most critical). This is still more pronounced in electronic shutter mode on the EOS R5 II, so we'd suggest using one of the mechanical modes when you're knowingly shooting high DR scenes, but for many types of shooting, the increased speed is likely to make this trade-off worthwhile.
Exposure latitude | ISO Invariance
AI upscalingWhereas its Sony and Nikon rivals offer multi-shot pixel shift options to boost their output resolution, the Canon EOS R5 II uses AI-trained algorithms to interpolate higher-resolution images from Raw files, on a file-by-file basis.
This has the disadvantage that it doesn't truly capture any additional detail, but also means you don't need to shoot on a tripod and any benefits aren't undermined by moving subjects.
We've added an upscaled version of the standard test scene JPEG to our comparison tool, so you can see how it compares with the results of a pixel-shift mode. We found we got better results by reprocessing the original Raw with less sharpening and less noise reduction before upsampling. Though there's probably a happy middle-ground between the default and minimal setting shown below.
Real-world image, default settings Real-world image, sharpening and NR reduced Studio scene image, default settings Studio screen settings, sharpening and NR reducedWe hope to compare these results to other popular software in the coming months.
The EOS R5 II's core video specs are similar to those of its predecessor: it can shoot 8K at up to 60p in Raw, or 8K/30 in processed and compressed form. It can deliver DCI or UHD 4K at up to 120p but tops out at 30p if you want oversampled footage derived from 8K capture. But, while those specs are similar to the existing model, it exhibits less rolling shutter, thanks to its Stacked CMOS sensor.
Its impressive specs have to be tempered by the fact that it's extremely difficult to process so much data in a relatively small camera body without heat becoming an issue. All the R5 II's most impressive video modes 8K/60 Raw, 8K/30 compressed and the HQ 4K/30-from-8K are best suited to capturing a series of short takes, rather than recording extended performances.
The times quoted by Canon are perhaps a little conservative, but if you are a keen filmmaker, or expect to shoot outside a temperature-controlled environment, the added dependability and shorter recovery times brought by adding the optional fan grip.
The EOS R5 also adds significant improvements for the video shooter, compared to the Mark 1. Not only does the stacked sensor bring lower levels of rolling shutter, but the camera also gains Canon Log 2, which captures a wider dynamic range than the Log or Log 3 options in the existing camera. Not only does it encode a wider dynamic range but it also means you can use a range of LUTs designed for the Cinema EOS range, making it easy to make the most of.
The R5 II also gains four-channel audio input (via the connections in the hotshoe) and offers a waveform display, which makes it much easier to set and assess exposure when shooting Log.
Video performance Image ComparisonThis widget is not optimized for RSS feed readers. Click here to open it in a new browser window / tab.The EOS R5 II's detail levels are a match for its predecessor. And, as you'd expect, there's an appreciable detail benefit to using the camera's 'HQ' modes that derive 4K from 8K capture. That said, there's no further loss of quality if you use the camera's sub-sampled 4K/60 and 4K/120 modes.
Video modes Sampling pattern Rolling Shutter rateDCI 8K 24/30
UHD 8K 24/30
DCI 4K (HQ) 24/30
UHD 4K (HQ) 24/30
Full-width, all pixels 12.8msDCI 4K (Std) 24/30/60/120
UHD 4K (Std) 24/30/60/120
Full-width, sub-sampled 7.2msThis is no real surprise as the rolling shutter rates for all the sub-sampled 4K modes are the same. Interestingly, while the 8K/60 Raw and (subsampled) 4K/60 SRaw exhibit the same rolling shutter rates as many of the compressed video modes, the 30p and slower versions use a slower readout rate.
Video modes Rolling Shutter rate Raw (8K) 60 Full-width, all pixels 12.8ms Raw (8K) 24/30 17.3ms SRaw (4K) 60 Full-width, sub-sampled 12.8ms SRaw (4K) 24/30 17.3msWe've asked Canon for clarity about this, and what benefits it brings, and will update the review if we get an answer.
Conclusion Pros ConsThe EOS R5 II is improved in almost every respect, relative to the original camera. It can shoot faster, gains a more capable autofocus system, better video tools and, most notably, Canon's Eye Control AF system. Almost regardless of what kinds of photography you enjoy, the EOS R5 II will have offer some degree of benefit over the existing model.
The result is a camera that can do pretty much anything you ask of it. Action, landscapes, video, you name it. Along with the Nikon Z8, it's among the most broadly capable cameras we've ever seen, and priced consistently with the historic EOS 5D series. We found it comfortable in the hand, with well-positioned controls and an interface that was pretty quick to familiarize ourselves with (though it would be good to have a quick way of adjusting Auto ISO minimum shutter speed).
For subjects the EOS R5 II has been trained to recognize, it does a great job.
Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8 @ 63mm | F2.8 | 1/400 sec | ISO 100
In fact our main concern wasn't anything the camera couldn't do, but that it does so much that it's impossible to put ourselves in the shoes of the vast range of photographers that might opt to buy one. We tried to shoot some action but weren't able to find the time to also shoot landscapes, wildlife, events or shoot as much video as we'd have liked. The EOS R5 II simply does too many things well to get a complete picture of its capabilities.
So, although we were very impressed by the Action Priority mode when shooting Basketball before the launch, we haven't had a further opportunity to put it through its paces. If Basketball or Soccer/Football photography are important to you, we think it could be a decisive benefit, but we'd suggest renting a camera to form your own impressions.
Perspective corrected in Adobe Camera Raw
Canon RF 24-70mm @70mm | F5.6 | /1250 sec | ISO 100
Photo: Richard Butler
If you don't own a recent camera, the EOS R5 II is very easy to recommend: it does a vast range of things and does most of them extremely well: it's not necessarily head-and-shoulders better than the Nikon Z8, but if you have any Canon lenses worth sticking with, it's a really impressive all-rounder.
It's a more complex story if you're thinking about upgrading from the already very good EOS R5. If you shoot video, there are definite benefits. If your photography involves capturing action, the Mark II's more sophisticated autofocus system and better burst shooting might well make it worth upgrading. But if neither of these things are central to what you need, it's a more difficult call.
ScoringScoring is relative only to the other cameras in the same category. Click here to learn about what these numbers mean.
Canon EOS R5 Mark IICategory: Semi-professional Full Frame CameraBuild qualityErgonomics & handlingFeaturesMetering & focus accuracyImage quality (raw)Image quality (jpeg)Low light / high ISO performanceViewfinder / screen ratingOpticsPerformanceMovie / video modeConnectivityValuePoorExcellentConclusionThe EOS R5 II, to varying degrees, improves over its predecessor in almost every respect: it's faster, smarter and a little bit more capable. It's all-round strength comes at a very slight cost in terms of base ISO dynamic range, and it can't compete with the endurance of a dedicated video camera, but it's hard to imagine what photo or video need it won't support you in.Good forA wide range of photography, from landscape to sports, short-clip videographyNot so good forLightweight travel shooting, recording extended performances93%Overall scoreRegularScoreCompareWidget({"mainElementId":"scoringWidget","mainProduct":"canon_eosr5ii","scoringSchema":{"id":"SLRs","variables":[{"id":"BuildQuality"},{"id":"ErgonomicsAndHandling"},{"id":"Features"},{"id":"MeteringAndFocusAccuracy"},{"id":"QualityRaw"},{"id":"QualityJpeg"},{"id":"LowLightHighISO"},{"id":"ViewfinderScreenRating"},{"id":"Optics"},{"id":"Performance"},{"id":"Movie"},{"id":"Connectivity"},{"id":"Value"}],"categories":[{"id":"EntryLevel","label":"Entry Level Interchangeable Lens Camera / DSLR","shortLabel":"Entry Level"},{"id":"MidRange","label":"Mid Range Interchangeable Lens Camera / DSLR","shortLabel":"Mid Level"},{"id":"EntryLevelFullFrame","label":"Entry Level Full Frame Camera","shortLabel":"Entry Level Full Frame"},{"id":"MidRangeFullFrame","label":"Mid Range Full Frame Camera","shortLabel":"Mid Range Full Frame"},{"id":"SemiProfessional","label":"Semi-professional Interchangeable Lens Camera / DSLR","shortLabel":"Semi-professional"},{"id":"SemiProfessionalFullFrame","label":"Semi-professional Full Frame Camera","shortLabel":"Semi-professional Full Frame"},{"id":"Professional","label":" Professional Interchangeable Lens Camera / DSLR","shortLabel":"Professional"},{"id":"LargeSensorCompactEntry","label":"Entry Level Large Sensor Compact Camera","shortLabel":"Entry Level Large Sensor Compact"},{"id":"LargeSensorCompactEnthusiast","label":"Enthusiast Large Sensor Compact Camera","shortLabel":"Enthusiast Large Sensor Compact"},{"id":"VideoCamera","label":"Video Camera","shortLabel":"Video Camera"}]},"helpText":"Choose one or more cameras from the drop-down menu, then roll your mouse over the names to see how their scores compare to the camera on review."}) Compared with its peersThe Canon EOS R5 II's most significant competition comes from the Canon EOS R5. The R5 II is, to varying degrees, a better camera in every regard and we think it makes sense to choose the new model over the existing one, almost regardless of what kinds you plan to shoot with it. For many people it'll be worth a significant premium over the EOS R5. However, if don't shoot fast moving subjects or video, it's less clear whether it's worth upgrading, and it may come down to whether Eye Control AF works for you.
The EOS R5 II goes toe-to-toe with Nikon's Z8. They both shoot fast and have very good AF systems, the Canon can shoot Raw stills faster while the Nikon has the slightly better video specs, with details like oversampled 4K/60 straight from the camera. The R5 II's Action Priority AF system and Eye Control could set the two cameras apart, if you shoot the sports it's been trained for, and the Eye Control system works reliably for you. Overall, though, the differences between the bodies won't be as significant as the impact of lenses, for most people. If you have any RF or Z-mount lenses, or have a preference for the specific lenses each brand offers, that probably matters more than the cameras.
Sony doesn't really offer a like-for-like competitor to the EOS R5 II. The pro-focused a1 is significantly more expensive, while the a7R V doesn't come anywhere near the speed of the EOS R5 II. The Sony a7R V has a higher pixel count sensor (and a high res mode if your subjects and workflow lend themselves to combining multiple Raws after the fact). For landscape work, the Sony is a serious contender, but it doesn't have the breadth of capabilities of the Canon.
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$5399 at Amazon.com$4299 at B&H Photo$4299 at Adorama Sample galleryPlease do not reproduce any of these images on a website or any newsletter/magazine without prior permission (see our copyright page). We make the originals available for private users to download to their own machines for personal examination or printing (in conjunction with this review); we do so in good faith, so please don't abuse it.
Review samples Sample galleryThis widget is not optimized for RSS feed readers. Click here to open it in a new browser window / tab. Pre-production sample gallery Sample galleryThis widget is not optimized for RSS feed readers. Click here to open it in a new browser window / tab.As part of DPReview.com's twenty fifth anniversary, we're looking back at significant launches from that time. And today we're looking at one of the most significant: the arrival, sixteen years ago today, of the world's first Mirrorless camera.
In early August 2008, Panasonic and Olympus had announced their plans to develop "significantly lighter and more compact interchangeable lens type digital camera systems," based on a variant of the Four Thirds system, but with a shorter flangeback distance. Or, as we called it: a mirrorless format and lens mount.
At first there were only diagrams showing that the lens mount would be smaller, not demonstrating how the new system would bring lenses closer to the sensor, so I had to quickly rough something up in Illustrator and then watch as it was used by countless other sites to show what had really changed.
Just over a month later, my colleague Lars and I found ourselves invited to Germany just before the Photokina trade show opened, to get our hands on the first example of this new technology: Panasonic's DMC-G1.
What was perhaps so striking about it is how familiar it felt: Panasonic had essentially made a miniature Canon Rebel, with a very similar form-factor and control layout. The only thing that seemed radical about the camera was the use of an electronic viewfinder on an interchangeable lens camera. And the fact it was appreciably smaller and lighter.
The original G1 was conventional to the point of being forgettable, which could be because Panasonic didn't want it to seem in any way different from a DSLR, other than being smaller. But, one way or another, this is the camera to which most modern ILCs owe a debt.Freed from any direct connection between sensor size, mirror size and viewfinder size, the G1's finder delivered a vast 0.7x magnification figure in full-frame terms, compared with 0.51x on the rival Canon EOS 1000D / Rebel XS. Admittedly, it used the rather off-putting field sequential technology that (rather slowly) flashed up the red, then green, then blue parts of the preview, leaving strange rainbow artifacts in your vision if you looked around the scene too fast, but it offered some taste of things to come.
And, considering it was an entirely contrast-detection AF system, the G1 was impressively competitive against its DSLR peer group, at least in terms of AF-S.
Interestingly, given what the move to mirrorless has subsequently brought us, and considering it was a direct contemporary of the Canon EOS 5D II and Nikon D90, the G1 had no video capabilities.
The G1's decidedly conventional approach means it risks being somewhat overlooked historically. Once the Photokina show began, there appeared to be much more buzz around Olympus's Micro Four Thirds camera, despite it being made of wood.
Panasonic had working G1s on its stand at Photokina 2008, yet Olympus was getting similar amounts of attention for its PEN mockup.But it's understandable that, rather than drawing attention to what was different, Panasonic would want to make a camera that looked, felt and behaved as much like the established options as possible. But, whether it was apparent or not, the G1 represented the first domino that started a cascade out across the industry.
It's always difficult for designers to work with the limited room available in a tiny house, but French firms have it even tougher due to the country's strict towing laws requiring very small and light homes. With its recent Cosmos model, Plume approached this challenge with a space-saving interior layout that adds a useful netted upstairs area.
Category: Tiny Houses, Lifestyle
Tags: Building and Construction, House, Home, Micro-House, Tiny Footprint
Marlboro & Kane from London has a thing for shrinking tools down to the smallest size possible while still making them functional. The company's latest mini marvel lets you have a pen – and a bit more functionality – always at hand.
Category: Lifestyle
Tags: Multitools, Writing, Everyday Carry, Crowdsource, Kickstarter
