The invention discloses equipment and method for detecting the error of a rotating shaft of a five-axis numerical control machine tool. The equipment comprises a binocular machine vision non-contact measuring head and a position-adjustable standard ball device, wherein the binocular machine vision non-contact measuring head comprises an L-shaped mounting rack, and a connecting handle and a camera are arranged on the L-shaped mounting rack; the position-adjustable standard ball device comprises a magnetic base, a telescopic adjusting mounting base is arranged on the magnetic base, and a master ball is fixedly arranged at the top of the telescopic adjusting mounting base. By utilizing a machine tool linear axis, the accurate positioning of a measuring system can be driven, and the error of the rotating shaft can be detected. The detection equipment integrates machine vision non-contact measurement and has the advantages of being high in efficiency and simple in measuring process. The master ball has the characteristics of being isotropic and convenient in mounting and layout, an on-line measuring technology realizes seamless integration with the machine tool, and the master ball has the advantages of being convenient in mounting and accurate in positioning, so that the measuring efficiency for the comprehensive error of a highly nonlinear rotating shaft is high, the precision is good, and the operation is simple.