topic Re: Can EOS R5 Mark II register dial assignments in custom modes? in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

Can EOS R5 Mark II register dial assignments in custom modes?

alaincoste — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 14:52:25 GMT

Hello

I previously posted the question in the Gear Guide forum, and got no answer. Now I realise it was probably not the right one, so I post it here. Apologies for the duplicate !

I am interested in the EOS R5 Mk2, but I need to know the answer to a question before I buy it.
Is it possible to have different dial assignments in different custom modes ?
For instance I want C1 as true manual mode ; Quick control dial 1 will control ISO.
Then C2 will be "manual" mode with ISO auto ; and Quick control dial 1 will control exposure compensation.
Is it possible to assign ISO control in C1 and exposure compensation in C2 to the same dial ?
I read carefully the manual, but couldn't find a definitive answer.
Thanks in advance for your answers.

Alain Coste

Re: Can EOS R5 Mark II register dial assignments in custom modes?

jrhoffman75 — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 16:44:52 GMT

@alaincoste wrote:

Hello

I previously posted the question in the Gear Guide forum, and got no answer. Now I realise it was probably not the right one, so I post it here. Apologies for the duplicate !

I am interested in the EOS R5 Mk2, but I need to know the answer to a question before I buy it.
Is it possible to have different dial assignments in different custom modes ?
For instance I want C1 as true manual mode ; Quick control dial 1 will control ISO.
Then C2 will be "manual" mode with ISO auto ; and Quick control dial 1 will control exposure compensation.
Is it possible to assign ISO control in C1 and exposure compensation in C2 to the same dial ?
I read carefully the manual, but couldn't find a definitive answer.
Thanks in advance for your answers.

Alain Coste

Re: Can EOS R5 Mark II register dial assignments in custom modes?

alaincoste — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 18:55:25 GMT

Hello
Thank you for your answer, but those pages of the manual don't answer my question. They explain how to assign functions to buttons and dials, but my problem is to know if I can assign DIFFERENT functions to the SAME dial in different custom modes.
For instance, the manual says page 1052 :

"Different functions, for use when shooting still photos or movies, can be assigned to the same button"

Well, now I know that I can assign two different functions (one for stills, one for movies) to the same button. But what I want to do is assign 3 different functions (one for C1,one for C2,one for C3) to the same DIAL in still photos mode. Nowhere in the manual I could find the answer. Perhaps I didn't understand something... If somebody did this, or better understand the manual, I would be happy to hear him.

Re: Can EOS R5 Mark II register dial assignments in custom modes?

jrhoffman75 — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 19:32:16 GMT

If it can’t be done via C modes it can be done by saving different CSD file configurations.

Re: Can EOS R5 Mark II register dial assignments in custom modes?

FloridaDrafter — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:53:11 GMT

Hello, alaincoste!

One of my cameras is the R5 II, but I only customized one button and the lens control ring. I tested the button this evening by changing its assignment then registering each to a different Custom control number. That worked, so as I flipped through the C functions, that button took on the assignment that I had stored. I shoot in either Tv or Av and when I would exit C1, 2, or 3, my original settings were intact, if that makes sense.

I want my dials to stay at their default setting, so I didn't experiment with them and frankly, I didn't feel like resetting if I messed something up. I'm old and have very little patience 🙂 But TBH, I don't see why they wouldn't be the same. Even though I was able to do this with buttons, it would be nice if someone else could test their R5 II. I just tested with one button. I would hate for you to spend 4 grand and it not do what you want.

On a side note, even if it doesn't do the tricks you want, the R5 II is the most well rounded camera I have ever used. So much so that I haven't been tempted to over complicate things by re-configuring buttons. The default button/dial assignments have proven to be perfect for me. Plus, I use 7 different cameras and remembering button assignments slows me down, hah!

Newton

Re: Can EOS R5 Mark II register dial assignments in custom modes?

alaincoste — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 08:28:56 GMT

Hello John,
Sadly, CSD file configurations is not a solution for me as I need two or three modes I can change instantly by turning a dial. If I must go through the process of loading a CSD file every time I want to change the mode, this is not a practical way of doing things ...
Alain

Re: Can EOS R5 Mark II register dial assignments in custom modes?

alaincoste — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 08:55:55 GMT

Hello Newton,
Your answer brings a little hope to my quest !
I am old too, but as I'm a computer scientist, a little programming doesn't scare me.
The fact that you could assign different functions to the same button in different custom modes is a step in the good direction. Like you, I think it should be the same for dials, but the way Canon handle things (not all functions can be assigned to a programmable button for instance) makes me suspicious. I would not buy a R5mk2 if I cannot make it work the way I want. I hope that someone with ideas as iconoclastic as me will have tried to reassign the dials in different custom modes ...
Alain

Re: Can EOS R5 Mark II register dial assignments in custom modes?

jrhoffman75 — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 09:49:13 GMT

I'm curious - does any camera other than the R5M2 have that capability? IOW does your current camera?

Re: Can EOS R5 Mark II register dial assignments in custom modes?

alaincoste — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 12:15:10 GMT

Oh my camera is a very old Canon F1 of the silver film generation ! So it works only in Manual mode with fixed ISO.
Yes, you are speaking to a dinosaur that wants to jump straight from the Mesozoic to the 21st century ...
I am used to manual mode, it is the most flexible. However I want to be able to refine it with ISO auto which is handy most of the time. This explains that I need two custom modes : true manual and manual-with-ISO-auto. In the two modes the main dial can control shutter speed and the quick control dial 2 can control aperture (for instance). But in true manual I must control ISO, and in manual with ISO auto I must control exposure correction. This explains that I need to assign two different functions to a dial (namely quick control dial 1) in two different custom modes.

Re: Can EOS R5 Mark II register dial assignments in custom modes?

jrhoffman75 — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 12:21:51 GMT

See if the Fv mode does what you want.

Re: Can EOS R5 Mark II register dial assignments in custom modes?

alaincoste — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 12:41:04 GMT

I already looked at it, but something is bothering me in this mode : setting is always a two times process, first chose the setting you want to change (with quick control dial 2) and then change the setting (with main dial). For me it is much more intuitive and handy to have a dial for shutter speed, a dial for aperture, and a dial for the "adjustment variable" (ISO or exposure correction, depending on the mode) : one time process, very fast and muscular memory works.

Re: Can EOS R5 Mark II register dial assignments in custom modes?

FloridaDrafter — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 19:23:26 GMT

@alaincoste wrote:

For me it is much more intuitive and handy to have a dial for shutter speed, a dial for aperture, and a dial for the "adjustment variable" (ISO or exposure correction, depending on the mode) : one time process, very fast and muscular memory works.

I have both the R5 series (classic and mark II) and by default, that is the way they are configured. When in Manual, the main dial controls shutter, dial 2 controls ISO, and dial 3 on the back controls aperture. The ISO control is right where my thumb is so I don't need to let ISO float, I utilize Exposure Simulation to dial it in.

Newton

Re: Can EOS R5 Mark II register dial assignments in custom modes?

alaincoste — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 21:45:36 GMT

Yes, this is true manual mode. It is one of the modes I want. But I want also a semi-auto mode where I manually set shutter speed and aperture, and let the camera set the ISO (auto-ISO). And in this semi-auto mode the dial which was setting ISO in manual must now be assigned to exposure compensation (which I wrongly named exposure correction in my previous posts). So this dial must be assigned two different functions in my two modes. The modes can be C1 and C2 as I stated before, or possibly M and C1. I have seen that some people solve the problem by assigning ISO to dial 2 (for instance) and exposure compensation to the lens control ring, But I want to control what is for me the basis with the three dials of the camera, keeping the control ring for other functions (perhaps WB or select AF area or something else ...).

Re: Can EOS R5 Mark II register dial assignments in custom modes?

FloridaDrafter — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 02:25:42 GMT

I really don't understand what you are after other than being able to have multiple dial configurations, one for each Custom mode. As mentioned, I abandoned manual mode when I went from film to digital some 20+ years ago. Modern cameras are pretty good at picking up a leg of the triangle, especially the R5 series.

Now, I fooled with the dials on my R5 II this evening and with the exception of the limited options of the main dial (see attached image), you can assign a function, register it and other settings to a Custom control (C1, 2, 3), then give the dial another function and assign it to another Custom control. So, in effect, one dial can serve as three different functions plus whatever you have set for the non-function settings. There may not be enough options for what you are trying to do, unlike the buttons, which are almost limitless.

Some crappy shots with my phone, but you can see, unlike the buttons, dials are limited in options.

Newton