Canon EOS R8 evaluation: Punching above its weight

• Design
• Connectivity and shows
• Images and movies
• Verdict

The Canon EOS R8 is the successor to the EOS RP, which implies that it is now essentially the most inexpensive approach to get into Canon’s full-frame eco-system – or it is going to be as soon as the RP inventory dries up.

The digital camera shares many similarities to the RP, particularly with regard to its design, however at its core, it shares a sensor with the spectacular EOS R6 Mark II. This implies it is able to producing some severe pictures and at a massively diminished price.

The query is, what corners wanted to be minimize to hit such a worth level? And is it possible to avoid wasting round $1000 by choosing this digital camera over the R6 Mark II? We had been excited to search out out.

Design

• Dimensions: 132.5×86.1×70.0 mm
• Weight: 414 grams
• Climate-resistant development
• Simplified controls

As we talked about within the introduction, the EOS R8 shares an identical design to the RP. Which means it is exceptionally compact for a full-frame digital camera, and Canon says that it is the lightest full-frame physique it has produced to date.

That is nice for portability – one in every of our chief complaints with capturing full-frame is the burden of the tools, and this physique helps preserve your equipment bag manageable. Nevertheless, there are downsides to the design. It simply does not look or really feel significantly premium, and ideally, we would hope for one thing with a bit extra of knowledgeable sheen when procuring on this worth bracket.

The simplified controls, that are principally inherited from the RP, had been exhausting for us to regulate to, as effectively. There is not any joystick for AF choice, you may must faucet on the show to alter your focus level, and there is no rear wheel both.

We sometimes map our ISO to the rear wheel, and with no such enter out there, the subsequent neatest thing is mapping ISO to the perform button and utilizing one of many different management wheels. It is not the top of the world, but it surely’s a compromise that we might do with out. We might fortunately carry the additional weight if it meant a number of extra bodily controls.

The grip is respectable, and as with most different Canon our bodies, nice care has been taken to make sure that it is ergonomically designed. It is comfy to shoot with whereas utilizing the equipment lens, which can also be extraordinarily compact and lightweight for full-frame glass, however we will not think about that being the case with a few of Canon’s bigger lenses.

The battery can also be smaller, it makes use of the LP-E17 battery which is simply 7.5Wh. We did not discover this too painful to work with in follow, however in the event you’re planning on utilizing this digital camera for skilled work, you may probably wish to refill on spares. There aren’t any battery grip choices out there at current, both.

So, the compromises are plain to see, however it will possibly’t be overstated how spectacular it’s {that a} full-frame digital camera may be this small and light-weight. The physique is just a few grams heavier than our tiny Lumix GX9, with its comparatively tiny Micro 4 Thirds sensor.

Connectivity and shows

• Single SD card slot
• Micro HDMI, 3.5mm headphone and mic sockets, USB-C
• Flip out 3-inch 1.62 million dot LCD
• 0.39-inch 2.36 million dot 120Hz OLED EVF

Regardless of the tiny chassis, connectivity is sort of good. The one factor that actually differentiates the R8 from its bigger siblings is that it has a single SD card slot, reasonably than the twin slots discovered on {most professional} mirrorless cameras.

Which means you continue to get 3.5mm headphone and microphone jacks, a USB-C port for charging and file switch, and a micro HDMI for video output. A full-size HDMI would have been good, however since you do not even get a kind of on the R6 Mark II, there was no likelihood of it showing right here.

The shows are similar to those featured on the Canon EOS R7, you get a 2.36 million dot OLED EVF with a 120Hz refresh price and a 1.62 million dot flip-out touchscreen LCD.

The LCD could be very responsive to the touch, however its readability is nothing distinctive – there have been a few occasions that we missed focus as a result of we had been judging by the show alone. Nonetheless, it will get the job completed and was completely usable on a vivid sunny day. The truth that it flips out implies that it is well-suited for customers that wish to movie themselves, too.

The EVF is far sharper, and a greater approach to choose your remaining pictures. The 120Hz refresh price implies that it feels easy and pure to make use of, too.

Images and movies

• Full body CMOS sensor – 24.2MP stills
• As much as 40fps burst capturing / 6fps with digital 1st curtain
• As much as 4K 60fps / 1080p 180fps video
• 4:2:2 10bit color with CLOG3

For the reason that sensor is identical because the one within the R6 Mark II, as is the processor, we had been very assured that we would be happy with the outcomes from the R8, and this certainly turned out to be the case.

There are two primary modifications with the R8. Firstly, there is no sensor-shift IBIS, so all IS modes depend on both the lens or digital stabilisation (which comes with a big crop).

Secondly, there is a new shutter mechanism on this mannequin. As a substitute of utilizing a full conventional mechanical shutter, the R8 is digital on the primary curtain, and a mechanical shutter ends the publicity – very like the Sony A7C.

More often than not, we did not discover a lot of a distinction with this shutter mechanism. Although, it is value noting that it’s fairly loud. The primary distinction you may discover is that the R8 can solely shoot as much as 6fps bursts, in comparison with 12fps on the R6 II. After all, in the event you go all-electronic, you’ll be able to shoot at a blazing-fast 40fps silently, with both digital camera.

We examined with the RF 24-50mm F/4.5-6.3 IS STM equipment lens, which is impressively light-weight and small, however does not actually showcase the complete potential of this digital camera. Nonetheless, it is the form of glass that is helpful to have in your assortment for these events when you do not wish to be weighed down by your tools. The huge sensor implies that you continue to get some good depth of discipline, even while you’re caught capturing at f/6.3.

One other characteristic inherited from the R6 Mark II is the autofocus monitoring capabilities. We discovered it very spectacular on that digital camera, and it is simply as spectacular right here. You’ll be able to choose from every kind of choices, permitting you to robotically monitor every thing from planes and vehicles to animals and people.

In the case of video capturing, the EOS R8 presents the identical oversampled 4K video capturing with no crop at as much as 60fps, and the outcomes are very good. It is liable to get a bit toasty within the course of, due to its smaller chassis, however we did not run into any points ourselves. Admittedly, we have a tendency to stay to shorter clips, although.

The gradual movement capabilities are the identical because the R6 II, as effectively, providing as much as 180fps at 1080p decision. It is helpful, however the picture high quality positively takes a success. For essentially the most half, we would advise utilizing 4K60 footage in a 30fps timeline when it’s essential gradual issues down.

There are two ranges of digital picture stabilisation out there in digital camera, customary and enhanced. The usual mode will take among the shakiness away, with a slight crop, whereas enhanced does a extra thorough job, at the price of a a lot bigger crop. It is not fairly a match for IBIS system, however we had been shocked by how little it affected our capturing – there aren’t any potential wobbly corners to fret about both.

Verdict

When you’re eager to get into full-frame images or filmmaking with a Canon digital camera, the EOS R8 is tough to withstand. It presents a variety of the identical options because the EOS R6 Mark II, and it does so for a grand much less. Consider the lens you could possibly purchase with the financial savings!

There are some things that we do not like, the simplified controls being the primary one. We particularly missed the rear wheel on this mannequin, and an even bigger battery would sweeten the deal, too. There’s additionally no IBIS, however that posed much less of a difficulty in actuality than we thought it’d.

Canon’s lineup. The R6 Mark II is definitely a greater and extra well-rounded digital camera, and it solves all of our points with this mannequin. However when it prices a lot extra, that worth turns into exhausting to justify. Evaluating it to the R7, effectively, there’s simply no contest, we would decide the R8 any day.

It is the competitors from exterior of the Canon household that makes issues a bit extra difficult, particularly while you take a look at a digital camera just like the Lumix S5II, which solves all of our points and is far much less of a soar in worth. It is definitely not as light-weight or compact, although, and it will possibly’t do 4K60 with no crop.

And that is simply it. The R8’s dimensions are an enormous a part of its attraction, and contemplating the only a few shortcomings it serves up due to it, it comes extremely really helpful.