The Canon EOS R5 Mark II: One Year in the Field

After twelve months and tens of thousands of frames across the Masai Mara, Amboseli, Serengeti, and Okavango Delta, I can offer a genuinely field-tested perspective on Canon's flagship mirrorless body for wildlife photography.

What Actually Changed from the R5

The headline improvements are real and meaningful for wildlife work: the pre-burst shooting can capture up to 1 second before you fully press the shutter, the animal detection AF now works reliably on insects (yes, really), and the 8K RAW video — while not my primary use case — gives documentary clients the format they increasingly demand.

Battery Life in Extreme Conditions

The LP-E6NH battery now officially supports 590 shots per charge, and in practice I get closer to 800 in moderate climates shooting at 20fps. In the heat of Kenya, that number drops to around 550. Bring two batteries minimum per full-day game drive.