Canon R5 Mark II vs R6 Mark II: Why Pay $2,000 More?
It’s the question every Canon hybrid shooter is asking: should you pay over $2,000 more for the new Canon R5 Mark II, or is the excellent Canon R6 Mark II the smarter buy? Both cameras are incredible tools for hybrid shooters, delivering stunning image quality in both photos and video. But are the upgrades in the R5 Mark II truly worth that significant price jump?
I put these cameras through a head-to-head test on every feature I could think of to see why you might choose one over the other. To make it fun, I’m giving a point to the winner of each round.
Let’s dive into the complete comparison and see which camera comes out on top.
The Head-to-Head Battle: R5 Mk II vs. R6 Mk II
Round 1: Price
This is the biggest difference right out of the gate. The Canon R5 Mark II costs $4,300 for the body alone. The Canon R6 Mark II is far more affordable at $2,200. That $2,100 price difference is massive and could mean buying a high-quality L-series lens, which often matters more than the camera body itself.
Winner: Canon R6 Mark II
Round 2: Sensor Technology
Both are full-frame cameras, but the R6 Mark II has a 24.2-megapixel CMOS sensor, while the R5 Mark II has a stacked, back-illuminated 45-megapixel CMOS sensor. This advanced sensor gives the R5 Mark II a much faster readout speed, reducing rolling shutter and enabling incredible continuous shooting speeds.
Winner: Canon R5 Mark II
Round 3: Video Recording Formats
The R6 Mark II shoots beautiful 6K oversampled uncropped 4K video up to 60fps and offers C-Log 3 for 10-bit video. The R5 Mark II, however, shoots 12-bit 8K RAW video internally up to 60fps, offers 4K up to 120fps, and finally introduces C-Log 2 for up to 16 stops of dynamic range. The extensive recording options are a clear step up.
Winner: Canon R5 Mark II
Round 4: Real-World Video Quality
Here’s a critical drawback for the R5 Mark II: its 4K video is only oversampled at 24, 25, and 30fps. This means its 4K 60 and 4K 120 modes are not as sharp. The fact the cheaper R6 Mark II has oversampled 4K 60 while the R5 Mark II does not is baffling. However, the R5 Mark II does offer stunning internal RAW video and oversampled 1080p (a weakness on the R6 II).
Winner: Canon R5 Mark II (for its other capabilities)
Round 5: Photo Quality
The R6 Mark II’s 24MP sensor produces sharp 6K (6000x4000) images. The R5 Mark II’s 45MP sensor produces breathtaking 8K (8192x5464) images, which is incredible for cropping, especially for wildlife photography. The tradeoff is file sizes that are 2-3 times larger.
Winner: Canon R5 Mark II
Round 6: Rolling Shutter
In the recommended oversampled modes, the R6 Mark II has a slight edge. It measures 16.9ms in 4K 24p and improves to 15.2ms in 4K 60p. The R5 Mark II measures 17.3ms in its oversampled 4K/8K RAW mode. While the R5 Mark II has a faster readout in its non-oversampled mode, that isn’t the mode most people would use.
Winner: Canon R6 Mark II
Round 7: Image Stabilization (IBIS)
The performance here is identical. Both cameras have the same five-axis IBIS, offering up to eight stops of correction with certain RF lenses. Both also suffer from the same "IBIS wobble" at wider focal lengths (28mm and below), which is an annoying issue.
Winner: Tie
Round 8: Low Light Performance
The R6 Mark II produces a very clean image at high ISOs. It also has a unique feature where the image cleans up each time you double the ISO (100, 200, 400, 800, etc.). While the R5 Mark II performs well, its high ISO levels are noticeably noisy when compared to the R6 Mark II.
Winner: Canon R6 Mark II
Round 9: Dynamic Range
The R6 Mark II offers roughly 13 stops of dynamic range in C-Log 3, while the R5 Mark II gets up to 16 stops in C-Log 2. In recovery tests, the R5 Mark II can recover up to three stops overexposed and two stops underexposed. The R6 Mark II can only handle two stops either way, and its recovery from underexposure produces a "much nastier image".
Winner: Canon R5 Mark II
Round 10: Reliability & Overheating
The R6 Mark II is the clear winner here. In a 69°F room, it recorded 4K 60 for 49 minutes before overheating, and in my personal experience, it has never shut down on me during a real shoot. The R5 Mark II struggles, lasting only 47 minutes in oversampled 4K 30 in the same room. On a 90°F day, it overheated in just 15 minutes, even with the cooling fan grip attached.
Winner: Canon R6 Mark II
Round 11: High Burst Mode & Shutter Speed
Both cameras shoot at 12fps mechanical and 40fps electronic. However, the R6 Mark II drops to 12-bit photos when using the electronic shutter, while the R5 Mark II maintains 14-bit quality. Furthermore, the R5 Mark II’s electronic shutter is much faster at 1/64,000s compared to the R6 II’s 1/16,000s.
Winner: Canon R5 Mark II
Round 12: Autofocus
The R6 Mark II’s Dual Pixel AF is fast, reliable, and sticky. The R5 Mark II uses a new Dual Pixel Intelligent AF, with extra features like action priority and Eye Control AF. While in practice I haven't noticed a major difference in performance, the advanced features give the R5 Mark II the edge.
Winner: Canon R5 Mark II
Round 13: Memory Cards, Ports, & Audio
Memory Cards: The R6 II has dual UHS-II SD slots. The R5 II has one CFexpress Type B slot and one UHS-II SD slot. CFexpress is faster and more affordable at high capacities, making it the better option.
Ports: The R6 II has a flimsy and prone-to-breaking micro HDMI port. The R5 II finally gets a full-size HDMI port, a huge upgrade for filmmakers.
Audio: The R6 II records 2-channel, 16-bit audio57. The R5 II records 4-channel, 24-bit audio, which provides more dynamic range and helps prevent clipping.
Winner: Canon R5 Mark II (in all three categories)
The Final Verdict: More Than Just a Score
After tallying up all the rounds, the R5 Mark II wins on paper with 18 points, while the R6 Mark II scored 9.
But that score does not tell the full story. The R5 Mark II has two massive flaws: its really disappointing 4K 60 video and its sensitivity to overheating. I despise how sensitive it can be, to the point where I had to buy the $400 cooling fan grip just to make it a little more reliable, creating a large and heavy setup.
Your Actionable Guide: Which Camera Should You Buy?
So, who is each camera actually for?
For the Serious Hybrid Shooter: Get the R6 Mark II
For most serious hybrid shooters, you’re probably better off with the R6 Mark II. It has been the most reliable camera I’ve used, it delivers amazing oversampled 4K video, and its photos are more than enough for professional work. Plus, with the $2,000 you save, you can buy a fantastic L-series lens that will elevate your work more than a body upgrade will.
For the Photographer or Studio Shooter: Consider the R5 Mark II
The R5 Mark II is a great camera, but I would recommend it mainly for photographers who can take full advantage of the 45MP sensor. It’s also a great choice for a studio video camera, where you can control the environment to avoid overheating. If you only shoot short video clips, it can still be a worthwhile investment.
What do you think? Would you pay the extra $2,000 for the R5 Mark II, or save the money and go for the R6 Mark II?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
