p.13 #1 · Canon R5 Mk II - battery issue in cold weather
Z250SA wrote:
FWIW I used my R52 (Snr 151...) for about 2h in -8°C with my latest GAS lens, the RF70-200 f/4 without any problems with a 2024 PEW 1203 A.
p.13 #3 · Canon R5 Mk II - battery issue in cold weather
rscheffler wrote:
No idea. Just trying to gather as much information about as many variables as possible.
In my case, the cameras I initially used were serial numbers starting 144 and those had high/fast battery drain in many different situations and would have had firmware current with the time frame of late 2024 through mid 2025, though I think I skipped 1.0.2 or 1.0.3, whichever was alleged to have worsened AF. The one I have now is serial number 155 with fw 1.1.1 and it has worked well, though I have not yet used it in extreme cold weather or across a wide range of situations. ...Show more →
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rscheffler wrote:
The LP-E6P I have are:
1x 2025 PEW 0616 A
3x 2025 PEW 0428 A
All were acquired a couple weeks ago.
It's deeper into winter and colder now, so sharing some experiences from today with my 2-month old R5II.
Today was -12C (about 10F) and windy/snowy. I went out for a walk/hike for 3 hours and did about 300 shots. The majority of the photos were done in the first 2 hours. The first battery did about 250 photos and I swapped it out at around 30% SOC after maybe 1.5 hours (it might have been lower SOC as I did not check before I swapped it out, but I had checked ~15 minutes earlier). The second battery did maybe 50 shots between long periods and I swapped it out when I was surprised to see the flashing red battery icon in the EVF. I barely shot anything on the third battery and it was down to 82% by the time I headed home.
Once home, I left the camera in the camera bag for a couple hours before I checked it. The last battery that was down to 82% now showed 89%. The second battery that was down to the flashing red battery icon now showed 42% in the R5II and 48% in the R6II. The first battery showed 27% in the R5II and 31% in the R6II.
As mentioned, it was snowing. During the earlier portion of my walk when I was doing more photos snow accumulated on the lens but it was melting on the top of the camera and around the eyepiece. Slowly over time the top of the camera began to ice up and completely iced up for the latter part of my walk when I did far fewer photos. Snow landing on the camera did not melt at this point.
Three hours isn't a lot of time and clearly it took a while for the camera to really cool down to ambient temperature, at least externally. The first battery was in the camera when it left the house, therefore it was at room temperature along with the interior of the camera. And the internals probably were slow to cool because I did more photos earlier in the walk. Meanwhile, batteries 2 and 3 were in the camera bag and would have cooled off fairly rapidly by the time they were used in the camera. And by the time they were used, the camera had also cooled off more given that snow was accumulating on it and not melting at all.
Battery 1 and 2 were from the same production batch (listed above).
I think there are too many variables to really pinpoint something given it was a relatively short outing and each battery wasn't used identically with the camera in the same conditions/internal temperature, etc. But I was somewhat surprised how quickly the second battery went from ~100% to practically zero.
Some things that came to mind:
- the second battery was colder than the first when it was used in the camera.
- the camera had cooled down a fair amount more by the time the second battery was installed.
- the second battery 'recovered' to a higher SOC after I was home for a couple hours whereas the SOC of the first barely changed.
Kind of wondering if there might be battery copy variation, but each battery wasn't used the same way (starting from the same internal temperature or camera internal temperature, etc.). I believe the behavior of the second battery has been similarly described by others - quick draining in the cold but once warm again, fairly higher SOC.
I'm thinking that consistent/constant use of the camera, which generates internal heat, delays otherwise rapid battery SOC decline. Longer periods of inactivity allow the camera to cool off and therefore also the battery resulting in more rapid SOC decline. This reminds me of EV battery 'conditioning' in below freezing conditions.
Other annoyances: dials and buttons iced up and became difficult to use. This was because initially the camera was warm from having been inside but it seemed to be generating enough heat early in the walk to prevent the top plate from cooling off to ambient temperature. I've previously noticed that even with moderate use, the top of the R5II can become quite warm. As it cooled off the snow didn't outright melt and run off as water, but stuck on the camera as slush. As such, it got into the gaps around dials and buttons. As the camera cooled off further, the slush froze and made it difficult to use those dials and buttons. While this would't seem unusual, I don't recall ever having this much difficulty with ice accumulation around dials and buttons with the R6II or the 1DXII in similar conditions.
p.13 #4 · Canon R5 Mk II - battery issue in cold weather
When I was shooting over 1000 frames per hour there were no problems at temperatures at least 10F lower than when it is nearly idle, so I think it makes a big difference. Ideally you should be able to feel some extra warmth from the regular grip area. Last time it was cold there was a lot of snow so I did not want to use external heart warmers and get camera wet. I'm still using the 5 batteries from the original shipment in August 2024, made in May. Are you seeing any deterioration in the older betteries?
p.13 #6 · Canon R5 Mk II - battery issue in cold weather
I am just finishing my 2-week trip to Norway. At temperatures of -5c ~ -15c, I never found the batteries to be an issue. Yes, they die more quickly, and once at room temperature plugged into the charger, the "dead" battery from the outdoors shows 55% indoors. But that's about it.
I was able to shoot 5000 frames (in fast bursts) on one battery on a zodiac, with wind and all the good stuff. I was able to shoot 300 frames over 5 hours in gale force arctic wind at night on one battery. The thing that failed was me, despite clothes that served me well at the Ross Ice Shelf. On no single day did I use more than two batteries, and I am generous with the shutter button and rarely turn the camera off.
All in all, based on the reports in this thread I was prepared for a Y2K-like armageddon, but fortunately it never materialized. I have found my battery life to be similar to the R5 in Antarctica (Ross Sea), 5DsR in Svalbard, and other icy adventures.
p.13 #8 · Canon R5 Mk II - battery issue in cold weather
Slightly tangential, but how is everyone finding their R5 II in inclement weather? Any issues from anyone in light rain?
Jan 26, 2026 at 08:15 AM
AmbientMike Offline • • • • • • [X]
p.13 #9 · Canon R5 Mk II - battery issue in cold weather
I've found new batteries to make a big difference in cold temperatures, even the cold we get here.
I managed to use BP-511 body yesterday, not really out long enough to cool the battery off completely (maybe after I'd been out it did), but those batteries can have issues <60° F, even (Canon quit making them, mine are old.) Left a newer battery in the car for hours in 20°'s F one time didn't seem to be a problem (haven't used R5 II, though.)
p.13 #10 · Canon R5 Mk II - battery issue in cold weather
The only place I really worry is when you get sub zero F and from previous reports below 20F. I only have experienced zub zero F in yellowstone. Antartica when I was there was not that cold nor Churchill (photographying from tundra buggy) nor Iceland etc...... For now, I take a bunch of batteries and an external battery that I can connect as well as an R5. Never had a problem with R5. I have too much invested in these winter trips to discover a problem after I get there. It is a problem that canon should identify and fix.
p.13 #11 · Canon R5 Mk II - battery issue in cold weather
rscheffler wrote:
Thanks for the report, Stan. IIRC you got your R5IIs early in the release cycle? What are the first three digits of the serial numbers?
I got both the day they were available. Body Serial Number: 142202104230. The batteries are as old as the cameras.
p.13 #12 · Canon R5 Mk II - battery issue in cold weather
nightnight wrote:
Slightly tangential, but how is everyone finding their R5 II in inclement weather? Any issues from anyone in light rain?
No concerns yet.
I’ve used it a few times in poor weather including light rain and under a rain cover in a downpour for a few hours, where the camera still got a bit wet through normal use. I just try to wipe it off regularly. Yesterday’s outing resulted in a fair amount of ice build up around control points and also on the eyepiece glass. After leaving it the bag for a couple hours once home to acclimate, there was some water pooled on the eyepiece glass (the camera had been facing lens mount down in the bag) but no signs of any ingress. I left the gear by a forced air furnace register for many hours to warm up and dry out. I feel better about the R5II’s build and weather resistance than the 6 series. Where I have the most concern is the multifunction port in the flash shoe, which I leave covered with the special (and annoying) cover supplied with the camera.
p.13 #13 · Canon R5 Mk II - battery issue in cold weather
The viewfinder tends to fog up in cold and rain, more than I recall in some other cameras. I use the ER-SC2 shoe cover instead of the ER-SC3 that can be ridiculously difficult to remove.
p.13 #14 · Canon R5 Mk II - battery issue in cold weather
Saturday morning I grabbed my camera and went to the beach for sunrise.
It was, I believe, -17 F with wind chills in the -35 F range. (Lake Michigan)
Camera was on my tripod outside for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
The first battery made it 50 minutes before I pulled it and rotated in a new one. It could have run a bit longer, but the low battery indicator had been blinking for several minutes by that point, so I didn’t wait for it to drain completely. Many hours later, when I took the camera out of my bag, the first battery still had an 83% charge.
I only stayed out another 20 minutes, so I can’t comment on how the second battery performed.
The first battery was just about all three shot brackets using the screen, not the viewfinder. It was not turned off unless it went into sleep mode on its own. I think I had about 100 shots like that over the 50 minute timeframe.
Comparing it to my previous camera, a 5DM3 used in similar relativity extreme cold, I can’t say that the battery life was radically different. That’s about what I would expect from a lithium battery in those conditions.
p.13 #15 · Canon R5 Mk II - battery issue in cold weather
EB-1 wrote:
The viewfinder tends to fog up in cold and rain, more than I recall in some other cameras.
EBH
I was going to mention this but forgot in my rush to post earlier when something came up. Something about the eyecup/viewfinder design catches my breath way too easily and fogs up super quickly in cold situations.
BUT, at least the R5II's eyepiece appears to be well sealed. R6II would eventually fog behind the eyepiece during longer outdoor events in cold weather, which was a PITA.
Was out again today, about an hour each time with the camera around my neck, around -10˚C. Battery went from 90% to 5% for about 300 photos total. Between the two outings, it was inside for ~1.5 hours. Camera was in single shot, e-shutter with either the 28-70/2 or RF 70-200/4. Not a lot of image reviewing. Just on and not in constant use.
p.13 #16 · Canon R5 Mk II - battery issue in cold weather
I assumed it had to do with the eyeball AF tracking.
I still think you should experiment by blazing away and see it that warms up the innards.
My photo opportunities are almost over so it's unlikely that I will experience sub-freezing temps again.
p.13 #17 · Canon R5 Mk II - battery issue in cold weather
EB-1 wrote:
I assumed it had to do with the eyeball AF tracking.
I still think you should experiment by blazing away and see it that warms up the innards.
My photo opportunities are almost over so it's unlikely that I will experience sub-freezing temps again.
EBH
The eyecup certainly seems to block out more peripheral light and therefore restricts airflow.
I've already kind of done that back in December with football, though it was only around the freezing mark. In that situation, 30fps e-shutter with a good dose of pre-capture, and got ~4,000 images per battery down to around 25-30% SOC.
Jan 27, 2026 at 12:03 AM
AmbientMike Offline • • • • • • [X]
p.13 #18 · Canon R5 Mk II - battery issue in cold weather
Camera batteries regardless of brand are mostly 2 li.ion cells and some circuitry. You just can't expect to freeze them in subzero F /-20° C temps and power the EVF and 30fps all day long. Li ion cells have improved but otherwise theres really not as much difference between the 20D battery and the latest battery as you might expect, and today it has to power EVF, big lcd and high framerates
So you see people complaining about it but it's really not surprising. Sure 5DsR can perform in -40° but OVF and 5 fps. Something using bigger LP-E19 might be better
p.13 #20 · Canon R5 Mk II - battery issue in cold weather
AmbientMike wrote:
Something using bigger LP-E19 might be better
This has come up before and it would be interesting to have an R5/R6 series grip option that takes the LP-E19. On the other hand, I do like using the R5II without a vertical grip for 'normal' and casual use. Multiple use cases may overlap on a trip so to have to bring along two battery types and chargers would be somewhat annoying. And that raises another point. The R1, R3, 1DX series cameras come with the charger. If one is strictly an R5/R6 series user, and if a grip that used the LP-E19 become available, having to purchase the charger for it would be expensive, given how overpriced it is. Unless it was bundled more reasonably with the grip. If not, grip ($400), charger ($400) and a battery ($180) would approach $1000. There are aftermarket chargers supposedly compatible with the LP-E19 but it is unclear to me if they're actually just using the LP-E4 charging protocol, which IIRC, will not fully charge the LP-E19.
IMO LP-E19 would be most interesting if it improved the camera's ability to drive the AF of certain lenses, as has been show to be the case with the R1 and R3 vs. R5/R6 series.
Otherwise, for cold weather, if one can tolerate the inconvenience of a cable, powering from a USB-C brick would be far less costly. And a power brick can be used for so many more things likely found in a photographers kit than the LP-E19.
