Canon has released new firmware updates for the EOS R5 II and EOS R1. The updates mainly expand Action Priority mode and add several improvements for both stills and video shooting.
Autofocus Improvements
- Action Priority mode now supports American football.
- The camera should better recognize and track players wearing helmets and shoulder pads.
- The mode previously supported:
- Soccer
- Basketball
- Volleyball
Improved Register People Priority
Canon has also improved Register People Priority, a mode that prioritizes the detection of specific registered people.
Recognition should now be more reliable in situations involving:
- Profile views
- Blurred or partially obscured faces
- Small subjects in the frame
- Children
Pre-Burst Now Assignable to a Button
- Pre-burst shooting mode can now be assigned to a custom button.
- This makes it easier to turn the feature on and off.
For me personally, this is the most important change in the new firmware version. I’ve now assigned the pre-recording switch to the aperture button on the front of the camera.
Video Improvements
The updates also add new video features, some of which come from the EOS R6 V:
- Four custom white balance slots
- White balance switching via a custom button
- Product Demo mode as a menu option (The camera disables face detection when an object is held in front of it)
- Electronic level and gridline overlays while recording
- False color display even when Log Assist view is enabled
What’s next: Content Authenticity System
Canon plans to introduce an Authenticity Imaging System based on the C2PA standard.
- It stores metadata about the origin of images.
- The goal is to help news organizations verify the authenticity of camera footage.
- The system is designed to counteract manipulation and AI-generated images.
- Initially, it will be available to news organizations in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (interestingly, the Americas were not mentioned).
- For now, the EOS R1 and EOS R5 II will be supported.
Canon tested the system in collaboration with Reuters, which confirmed the reliable generation of authenticated provenance data.
According to Canon, the feature will initially be available to news agencies in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Canon states that it partnered with Reuters for initial testing, and the news agency “confirmed that authenticated provenance data can be reliably generated.” For now, the feature will also only be available on certain modelsCanon will zukünftig ein Authenticity Imaging System einführen, das auf dem C2PA-Standard basiert.
Availability
The new firmware is now available for download directly from Canon here:

