Is Your Canon EOS R5 Mark II Autofocus Affected by the Latest Firmware?

I’ve been using the Canon EOS R5 Mark II since launch, and I love this camera. With firmware 1.0.0, autofocus performance was incredible—snappy, confident, and accurate. It tracked subjects better than anything I’ve used before. But after updating to firmware 1.0.3, something changed—and not for the better.

Autofocus Problems

Autofocus became unreliable. Sometimes, the camera would recognize the subject but refuse to pull focus. It would just hang there, frozen. Other times, it would lock onto the background, the foreground, or somewhere in between—anywhere but the subject even with single point AF selected.

Canon released firmware 1.0.3 on March 18, with a note that it “fixes an issue that may interfere with the camera’s ability to focus properly when using AF in certain zoom ranges.” So clearly, Canon was addressing some autofocus behaviour. But as is often the case with firmware updates, fixing one thing can sometimes break another.

You might be wondering—how sure am I that 1.0.3 is the cause? Well, shortly after upgrading, I sent my EOS R5 Mark II in for repair after the screen cracked when my Ninja V monitor came loose. A free accident that could only have occurred iid it fell corner down onto the LCD at the right point. Canon sent me a loaner unit, and it arrived with firmware 1.0.2.

I immediately went out and tested it. The difference was night and day. Autofocus was fast and decisive again. Even when subjects were partially obscured — behind a tree or a fence  —the RF 100-500mm lens tracked beautifully. It felt like the camera I originally bought.

And it’s not just me. Viewers on my YouTube channel have reported the same autofocus issues after updating to firmware 1.0.3 on various lenses.

So what now?

From what I’ve been told, Canon is aware of the problem. That’s good news — it means a fix is likely on the way. Until then, if you’re on firmware 1.0.0, 1.0.1, or 1.0.2, I suggest holding off on the update.

One more note: with firmware 1.0.2 and the new RF 50mm f/1.4 VCM, I noticed a strange quirk. If the camera woke from sleep, autofocus felt sluggish. A quick power cycle brought it back to life, but it’s something to watch for.

New Firmware

The R5 Mark II is an incredible camera, but at just eight months old, it’s still working through some growing pains.

Hopefully, Canon’s next firmware update doesn’t just patch autofocus—but squashes the other bugs too, like the lingering battery issues.

Canon EOS R5 Mark II Autofocus

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