The R5 Mark II pairs a 45MP back-illuminated stacked sensor with 8K video and Eye Control AF, so one body can cover a wedding's stills and its highlight film. Here's how to set it up for each job.
Updated
Quick answer
| Situation | Mode | Aperture | Shutter | ISO | AF mode | Drive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portraits | Av | f/1.8-f/2.8 | 1/250s or faster | 100-800 | Servo AF, Whole area AF, Subject to detect: People, Eye detection: Auto | Single shooting |
| Weddings & events (silent) | Av | f/2.8 | 1/125s or faster, Electronic shutter | Auto ISO, wide ceiling | Servo AF, Whole area AF, People + Eye detection | High-speed continuous shooting |
| Sports | Tv | f/2.8-f/4 | 1/2000s or faster | Auto ISO | Servo AF, Whole area AF, People, Action priority | High-speed continuous shooting + |
| Wildlife & birds | Tv | Widest the lens allows | 1/2500s or faster | Auto ISO | Servo AF, Flexible Zone AF or Whole area AF, Subject to detect: Animals | High-speed continuous shooting + with Pre-cont. shooting |
| Landscapes (tripod) | Av | f/8 | As metered | 100 (base) | One-Shot AF, 1-point AF | Single shooting + 2-sec self-timer |
| Low light & receptions | Av | Widest the lens allows | 1/125s or faster | Auto ISO, high ceiling | Servo AF, People + Eye detection | Single shooting |
| Everyday & travel | Av | f/5.6-f/8 | Auto | Auto ISO | One-Shot AF, Whole area AF | Single shooting |
Menu names follow Canon's manual for firmware 1.3.0 and later.
| Setting | What to set | Why |
|---|---|---|
| AF operation | Servo AF for people and anything that moves; One-Shot AF for landscapes and still life | With subject and eye detection, Servo AF keeps following the eye; AI Focus AF switches between the two if you'd rather the camera decide. |
| AF area | Whole area AF for most moving subjects; Flexible Zone AF 1–3 to keep the camera to part of the frame; 1-point AF or Spot AF for exact placement | Flexible Zone AF 1 is the default; zones help when other subjects fill the frame. |
| Subject to detect | People for portraits, weddings and sport; Animals for pets, birds and horses; Vehicles for cars, motorcycles, aircraft and trains; Auto for mixed scenes | Telling the camera what to look for stops it locking on to the wrong subject. |
| Eye detection | Auto, or Right eye / Left eye to choose | Eyes aren't detected when Subject to detect is set to None. |
| Whole area tracking Servo AF | On | Servo AF keeps following the subject across the whole frame, not just inside the starting area. |
| Servo AF characteristics | Case Auto for most action; Case Manual to tune Tracking sensitivity and Accel./decel. tracking; Case Special when shooting through a net | The R5 Mark II replaces the old Case 1–4 with these. Lower Tracking sensitivity (towards Locked on) holds focus when players or branches cross in front. |
| Action priority | On for soccer, basketball, volleyball and American football | Tracks players based on typical movements in that sport. Stills only, with Subject to detect: People and the Electronic shutter; Canon warns it can track unintended subjects in other sports. |
| Register people priority | Register the people who matter (up to 10) | Autofocus prefers registered faces, for example the couple at a wedding. |
| Eye Control AF | Optional: calibrate it first, under the conditions you'll shoot in | Stills only. Calibrate separately with and without glasses; it may not work with some sunglasses, mirrored or bifocal glasses, or hard or coloured contact lenses. |
| Setting | What to set | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Movie rec. size | 4K-U (3840×2160) for YouTube and social, 4K-D (4096×2160) for cinema projects; 8K-U/8K-D up to 29.97/25 fps | 4K goes up to 119.88/100 fps, and 2K and Full HD up to 239.76/200 fps for slow motion. 8K at 59.94/50 fps is Light RAW only. |
| Fine or Normal | 4K Fine at 23.98, 25 or 29.97 fps when you want the best quality | Fine options are less compressed. They aren't offered at 59.94 fps in 4K. |
| Movie format | XF-HEVC S YCC422 10bit to grade; XF-AVC S YCC420 8bit for footage straight to social; RAW (Standard RAW or Light RAW) for maximum flexibility | RAW needs a CFexpress card in card slot 1. |
| Custom Picture | C3: Canon Log 3 (or C2: Canon Log 2) if you'll grade; a normal Picture Style if you won't | Canon Log keeps more range in highlights and shadows but looks flat until graded. |
| Shutter speed | 1/50s at 25 fps, 1/60s at 29.97 fps, 1/100s at 50 fps (the 180° rule) | About double the frame rate keeps natural motion blur. The R5 Mark II sets this as a shutter speed; use an ND filter outdoors. |
| Movie Servo AF | Enable, with Subject to detect: People and Eye detection | Keeps a presenter or couple sharp as they move. |
| Auto pwr off temp. | High for long takes | Canon says it can extend the available shooting time by removing some operating restrictions. |
Portraits: f/1.8-f/2.8, Servo AF with Eye detection
Servo AF keeps the eye sharp even when your subject sways or leans in, and Eye detection: Auto chooses which eye to focus on for you. The 45MP files leave room to crop a tighter frame afterwards.
Best for: Individual, couple and family portraits
Weddings & events: silent Electronic shutter, Register people priority
The Electronic shutter is silent during the ceremony. Register the couple in Register people priority (up to 10 people) so autofocus picks them out of a crowd of guests.
Best for: Ceremonies, speeches and receptions
Sports: 1/2000s, Servo AF with Action priority
Action priority treats players as priority subjects based on typical movements in soccer, basketball, volleyball and American football. It works for stills with Subject to detect: People and the Electronic shutter; with several players near the ball it may switch between them.
Best for: Team sports and fast action
Wildlife & birds: 1/2500s, Subject to detect: Animals, Pre-cont. shooting
Animals covers dogs, cats, birds and horses. Pre-cont. shooting keeps frames from about half a second before you fully press the shutter at 30 shots per second, so you catch the take-off.
Best for: Birds in flight and unpredictable wildlife
Landscapes: f/8 at ISO 100 on a tripod
Base ISO and a mid aperture get the most detail out of 45 megapixels; the 2-second self-timer keeps your hand off the camera at the moment of exposure.
Best for: Tripod landscapes and architecture
Low light: widest aperture, Auto ISO with a high ceiling
Open the lens up first and let Auto ISO rise rather than dropping the shutter speed below what keeps people sharp. Normal ISO goes up to 51200 if you need it.
Best for: Receptions, interiors and evening events
Hybrid video: 4K at about 1/50s, Canon Log 3 when you'll grade
Shoot 4K for delivery, keep the shutter speed at about double the frame rate, and record in Canon Log 3 only if you're going to colour grade.
Best for: Wedding films and hybrid delivery
The R5 Mark II has no mode dial: press MODE and turn the Main dial to reach C1–C3. Register a setup under Custom shooting mode (C1-C3) in the Set-up menu; stills and movies keep separate C modes.
C1: Weddings & events
Av, f/2.8, Electronic shutter, Auto ISO with a wide ceiling, Servo AF, Whole area AF, Subject to detect: People, Eye detection: Auto, Register people priority on.
C2: Sports & wildlife
Tv, 1/2000s, Auto ISO, Servo AF with Case Auto, Whole area tracking Servo AF on, High-speed continuous shooting +, Pre-cont. shooting on.
C3: Video (movie C mode)
4K-U at 25 or 29.97 fps, Fine, XF-HEVC S YCC422 10bit, C3: Canon Log 3, 1/50s or 1/60s, Movie Servo AF with eye detection.
More Canon settings guides
Lens guides for these situations
Calculators for these settings
Guides for this tool, by niche
Related terms
Troubleshooting
Gear guides