I'm still thinking of buying the R5 mark II. Should I or should I wait? I BOUGHT IT!!!

[K9Kirk]

Oh, I am very happy with the extra mpx! Going from 24mp to 45mp is huge! And the files are really good. So I'm pleased. As to the money, I find it difficult to spend so much on one item that I don't really need. But once bought, I have no regrets.

Editing at 200%? I will try that. We should never ignore an old chief's advice!

I've found that @200%, you can see tiny details that you can't see well @ 100%. It comes in especially handy when working with black point, white point, and contrast.

 

[Jeff WX1USN]

Where's the party? Am I late again?! Darn! lol! Nice shot's, Levina, I think you are going to be very happy with the extra MP's, I was when I went from 24 mp to 32 (80D > R7).
The one thing I always suffer from after buying anything that's expensive that I can actually live without is "buyers' shame." But that feeling always dissipates quickly when I tell myself that I worked hard for it and deserve it, and then the first pics put a smile on my face, and I forget about the money altogether. I hope your pics put a smile on your face, too. Enjoy!
Oh, just a tip, try editing @ 200 %. That way if you blow up a pic to poster size it will be sharper for larger sizes and the 100% pics will look even sharper. An old chief taught me that back on the reservation.

Buyers remorse, that is one of my issues, I am not a working photographer, just a hobbyist and while I take ok pictures is the R5ii too much camera and too expensive.

The few negatives I have heard about the R5ii seem to have to do with video which I rarely do. Right now I am pretty much restricted to shooting through the window glass in my den of the birds in my sideyard garden feeders and the feeders are 10 feet away and the fence at the side property line is 20 feet away so the 45mp I don't think will make that big a difference. I stay inside due to the temps of 5-6F in the morning and 20F to freezing with winds in the 10-20mph so below zero windchills. Also there are not that many birds at the ponds right now and one of the better ones for this time of year has been shutdown due to the bird flu. Luckily I have several pairs of cardinals that frequent the feeders and a red bellied woodpecker and other garden birds.
Also right now while we only have 2 inches of snow, there is glare ice over it, it is very treacherous to try to walk on, it is like a skating rink.

The more I ponder the more likely I am to take the plunge, at the same time I really need to sell my 90D as I haven't used it in a year since getting the R7. The AF as Levina describes it is great really locking on.

oh my oh my....

 

[Levina de Ruijter]

Buyers remorse, that is one of my issues, I am not a working photographer, just a hobbyist and while I take ok pictures is the R5ii too much camera and too expensive.

The few negatives I have heard about the R5ii seem to have to do with video which I rarely do. Right now I am pretty much restricted to shooting through the window glass in my den of the birds in my sideyard garden feeders and the feeders are 10 feet away and the fence at the side property line is 20 feet away so the 45mp I don't think will make that big a difference. I stay inside due to the temps of 5-6F in the morning and 20F to freezing with winds in the 10-20mph so below zero windchills. Also there are not that many birds at the ponds right now and one of the better ones for this time of year has been shutdown due to the bird flu. Luckily I have several pairs of cardinals that frequent the feeders and a red bellied woodpecker and other garden birds.
Also right now while we only have 2 inches of snow, there is glare ice over it, it is very treacherous to try to walk on, it is like a skating rink.

And you have the R7 with it's reach.

The more I ponder the more likely I am to take the plunge, at the same time I really need to sell my 90D as I haven't used it in a year since getting the R7. The AF as Levina describes it is great really locking on.

Oh gosh, I hope you won't buy it because of me, because I'm an idiot when it comes to tech stuff. I mean, when you get a new camera you actually test it. I don't. I just go out with it and if it feels good in the field, the AF does its job and the files are nice, I'm happy. It's true.

Yes, the autofocus of the R5m2 is really good. But I don't think the AF on the R6m2 is far behind, if at all. I mean, I took shots this year of Sedge Warblers in flight. These little birds sit and sing in the reeds and then suddenly jump up and fly a short distance to another reed. I have been trying to get them in flight like forever. Last summer was the first time I actually managed it. And it was with the R6m2. And not just once, but I have shot multiple series of that birdie in flight. So that camera's AF is more than capable. My only reason to get the R5m2 was the megapixels. I never had a camera with a high resolution sensor. I hoped the R7 would be it but I couldn't get it to work for me so I returned it. And - also important - I could spare the money, even though it was difficult to spend it on a new camera. But I am going to sell the R6m2 and that takes off about 1800 euro of the price of the R5m2, so in the end I will have spent about 2000 euro. I can live with that.

Haven't there been tests where the AF of the two cameras were compared? Surely someone did that! I'm going to look on YouTube.

oh my oh my....

Indeed... it took me an awfully long time to give myself the green light to do it...

 

[Jeff WX1USN]

These are definitely plenty good for viewing on a screen.

So I did the test you asked for. I shot from home. I was hoping for a heron but he didn't come and it's freezing cold so I settled on the gulls. Which is not the best bird to test this on because they have such smooth feathers. I ran them through Topaz Denoise and took it down a lot, so it's minimal.

I am impressed with the images, as you say it is good for the screen but they would also be good for the largest prints I do which is my bird calendar every year ( 8 1/2 x 11" )

I am really leaning towards the R5ii to replace the R6ii and may really thin the herd of cameras and lenses. I would keep the R7 (??), a good backup camera, I used to think of it as giving more distance with the 1.6 but seeing what the R5ii can do I am no longer sure.

Currently I have the R6ii, R7, 90D, 7Dii, and 5D classic. I would keep the 7Dii as my son uses it when he goes on a friends fishing boat and it is better weather sealed than the others and I don't want him using one of my R's. The 5D classic from what I can see has very little value and I would probably put it on my shelf with my film camera display. The 90D would be sold along with some of the lenses, the 18-135 and 55-250.
I would sell the R6ii and the question would be the R7? I always want a backup camera but if the R5ii (either full screen cropped or 1.6x mode cropped) gives as good images as the R7 then I would probably sell it as I would have the 7Dii as a backup. I would sell the EF 100-400Lii and keep the EF 70-200 F/2.8 with both the EF 1.4x and 2x extenders So if I had to send the new camera to the shop I could still shoot.

I am selling another could handguns to a Boston Police Officer and another to a collector so that brings in another $1,500. I really should sell some of my telescopes as well, I have an 8" Celestron That I never use, if the ice melts I will get out to my observatory and pull it out and get pics of it to sell, could get another 1,000.
So it isn't the money, it is do I need it as the R6ii does a very good job and I am just an average photographer but one who loves taking pictures.

oh what to do...

 

[Levina de Ruijter]

So it isn't the money, it is do I need it as the R6ii does a very good job and I am just an average photographer but one who loves taking pictures.

So it's really about justifying it. That is me also. And I finally did it and have no regrets. But again, I only had the R6m2 with its 24mp. And the older 1D4, 1D3 even. And I wanted the megapixels.

oh what to do...

One thing I know is that the files of the R5m2 are very nice. I know you know how to deal with the R7 and its files. But I couldn't. My one fear was that the files of R5m2 would be similar. And they're not. They're very nice with the birds being sharp at 100% view. Exactly as I want them to be.

But yes, justifying a purchase like this is hard. I am glad I did it, even though it's the most expensive piece of photography equipment I ever bought. And I couldn't be happier.

You were going to rent it first for a week, right? That is still the plan? I think it's a good idea as you can then test it all yourself and decide after. It's February, cold. Wait till it gets warmer and then rent it. For now you are settled, at home, shooting birds at the feeder. There's no hurry!

 

[Jeff WX1USN]

Yup the plan is still to rent it.

The R7 if it were a full size sensor would be I think it is 84mp, but the pixels are smaller than the R5ii so the R5ii works better in low light and higher ISOs. I am happy with what I have but I also often want the best after all I got the RF100-500 while I still have the EF100-400Lii and had said there was no reason to get the RF lens...

 

[Levina de Ruijter]

Yup the plan is still to rent it.

Good plan!

The R7 if it were a full size sensor would be I think it is 84mp, but the pixels are smaller than the R5ii so the R5ii works better in low light and higher ISOs. I am happy with what I have but I also often want the best after all I got the RF100-500 while I still have the EF100-400Lii and had said there was no reason to get the RF lens...

And did you ever regret getting it?

 

[Jeff WX1USN]

Good plan!


And did you ever regret getting it?

Not for a second. I still like it. Main thing about it is that I wish it had better high ISO performance.

 

[Levina de Ruijter]

Not for a second. I still like it. Main thing about it is that I wish it had better high ISO performance.

Yeah, it's not a f/2.8 or f/4 or even f/5.6 lens. It's the trade-off I guess. But the f/7.1 @500mm in low light is definitely problematic. And we tend to be out in low light hours.

I still have my EF 300/4L and I take it with me when I go out at dawn. The f/4 makes a real difference. But it's only useable for big birds, like Herons.

Here's a shot with the R6 and the 300/4L. Sun was peeking above the horizon, behind the trees but hadn't reached where I was yet. In this spot there was very little light but the 300 nailed it.

 

[Jeff WX1USN]

yup, the 300 is nice. I often use my EF 70-200 f/2.8 in low light but really only good in the garden where I am on top of the birds