Advanced autofocus technology

Wherever your subject is positioned the EOS R5 can find it and focus on it fast, using 5940 AF areas that cover virtually 100 per cent of the frame. These focus areas can be used together, individually, or in zones that can be moved around the frame according to where the action is.

AF points can be selected with a dedicated multi controller on the back of the camera or by using the touchscreen – tapping it when in live view mode or using it as a touch pad when the camera is at your eye.

The EOS ITR AF X autofocus system in the EOS R5 has been programmed using a deep-learning AI, originally developed for our ground-breaking EOS-1D X Mark III DSLR camera. In Face/Eye detection mode, the system recognises faces accurately, including those in profile when only one eye is visible. This ensures subjects are kept razor sharp, even when moving unpredictably and depth of field is shallow. And if a person turns away for a moment, their head continues to be tracked so that their face is sharp when they turn back towards the camera.

Furthermore, the EOS R5’s deep-learning AI has been programmed with the ability to recognise and track vehicles as well as cats, dogs and birds – focusing on either their bodies, faces or eyes. This makes photographing sports and wildlife easier than ever before, especially subjects such as birds in flight. When photographing motorsports, The EOS R5 can recognise motorbikes and racing cars, even distinguishing between open- and closed-cockpits, pinpointing a driver’s helmet when this is visible.

The EOS R5 can focus in as little as 0.05 sec – a class-leading performance for a full-frame mirrorless camera.¹ Autofocus is also functional in light levels as low as -6EV,² which is roughly the same illumination as is provided by a half-moon.

This incredible sensitivity to light also lets the EOS R5 focus with maximum apertures as small as f/22, allowing teleconverters to be used with relatively slow-aperture lenses, and very-compact super telephoto lenses, such as the RF 600mm F11 IS STM and RF 800mm F11 IS STM.

Refine or override the focus manually when in AF mode without having to flick a switch. Popular with users of older EF USM lenses, this feature has been reimagined for RF lenses and their newer generation of focusing motors.

The EOS R5 now includes Case A, which automatically selects one of the four subject-specific AF cases, according to what is being photographed.

When focusing manually, three focus assist methods can be used to ensure the point of critical focus is exactly where you want it to be.

• Focus Magnification
By enlarging the image, first by 6x and then by 15x, you’ll be able to better see the image and evaluate focus.

• Focus Peaking
The edges of the in-focus parts of the scene are outlined in a colour of your choosing.

• Dual Pixel Focus Guide
First seen in our Cinema EOS C300 Mark II camera, Dual Pixel Focus Guide uses the camera’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF II technology to accurately measure camera-subject distance and compare this to the current manual focus setting. A graphical guide indicates if the point of focus is in front of, or behind, the camera’s measured value, and turns green when the two values coincide, indicating accurate focus.

The system makes manual focus pulling easier and more precise and gives filmmakers the kind of critical accuracy they need to work with 4K and 8K resolutions.

These three tools can be used with compatible RF lenses, EF lenses or manual focus cine lenses.