The Nikon Z8 tops out at 20fps in RAW.
The latter, however, is still a work in progress with only three team sports supported at launch.
While its been improved in some ways, its still hard to calibrate it for all users.
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / Future)
Also new are a couple of AI-driven features that allow you to edit shots in-camera.
Where it falls short compared to its predecessor is battery life.
To be fair, though, it is powering the new features and the higher speed.
This means its a lot easier to switch the camera on and off in one hand.
The old power wheel is now the toggle to switch between stills and video capture.
As much as I like it, the cover is nigh impossible to release.
It is, however, oh-so-slightly heavier than the older camera, tipping the scales at 26.3oz / 746g.
Another small but significant refinement is the 5.7 million dotOLEDviewfinder Canon says its twice as bright and blackout free.
The new EVF also inherits Canons Eye Control AF that debuted on the EOS 1D X Mark III.
As with all Canon cameras, build quality is excellent.
The R5 II features a magnesium-alloy chassis with a fully weather-sealed exterior, and the controls are robust.
Moreover, key shooting information can be displayed on-screen.
Naturally, there are both mic and headphone ports, plus USB-C for charging.
And I do mean simple.
People Priority takes face detection to the next level and is ideal for team sports or wedding photography.
Within the cameras menu system is the option to register a face… or 10.
That is intelligent autofocus indeed!
I also set the M-Fn function to trigger Eye Control AF.
Speaking of which, this is the only autofocus feature on the R5 II that I had trouble with.
Seems like this isnt an isolated problem as others havereporteda similar issue.
The native ISO range remains steady at 100 to 51,200, or 50 to 102,400 expanded.
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / Future)
The processed file is then saved as either a JPEG or HEIF.
The main caveat for this feature is that it only works for JPEG/HEIF files and not RAW.
Perhaps this will change down the line via future firmware updates, but it’s still handy to have.
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / Future)
In terms of video, the R5 II is a powerhouse, with better heat management than its predecessor.
And that performance was just as impressive when I tested the final production model.
While there is some noise at ISO 6400, its hard to discern unless you crop significantly.
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / Future)
And there are always photo editors likeTopaz Photo AIthat will help reduce the grain.
Perhaps the best news for videographers is the addition of Canons C-Log 2 custom picture profile.
Image stabilization for video and stills is also quite impressive.
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / Future)
It has the chops and then some to handle it all, plus even some decent video skills.
This was done with the camera set to capture at 30fps using the electronic shutter and Servo AF engaged.
I used some of these images to test the upscaling feature.
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / Future)
I also captured some urban landscapes as single shots.
Read we test
[First reviewed September 2024]
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / Future)
The People Priority feature is intelligent enough to know when to shift subject tracking…(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
..and when to stick with it.(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / Future)
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / Future)
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / Future)
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / Future)
Captured at ISO 1250(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / Future)
Captured at ISO 12,800(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / Future)
In-camera noise reduction applied to a RAW file at ISO 12,800(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / Future)
The original ISO 12,800 file cropped to show noise(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / Future)
In-camera processed file to show noise reduction with NR Standard applied(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / Future)
The original 45MP resolution(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
A close-up crop of the original 45MP file(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
The same crop on the upscaled 180MP, demonstrating how much bigger the file is(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
The closeup of the original 45MP image again(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
And the upscaled 180MP version at the same size which should appear sharper(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / Future)
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / Future)
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / Future)
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / Future)
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / Future)
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / Future)
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / Future)
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / Future)
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / Future)
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / Future)
