Verdict
While it should n’t be misguided for a premium model – the want of in - body stabilisation and video clip time point of accumulation are famous drawback – the canyon EOS R8 is an telling and dependable all - rounder that puts full - frame picture taking and videography firmly in the entryway - floor budget bracket . Pleasingly portable and with secure autofocus performance , it ’s a upstanding first whole tone for both existing Canon substance abuser and newcomers see to seize the reward of a full - bod sensing element .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The EOS R8 is Canon ’s former attempt to add full - anatomy photography to a aggregate audience .
In fact , it ’s the third most affordable full - frame camera of all metre , with only Canon ’s ownEOS RPand theNikon Z5costing less at launching . you could , of course , pick up plenty of sometime full - inning models on the garish , but the EOS R8 also descend packing the latest - multiplication technology and features , making it sound like a tantalizing prospect – on newspaper publisher , at least .
Equipped with the same detector and C.P.U. found in the mid - rangeCanon EOS R6 II , the EOS R8 makes some sacrifice ( which we ’ll get to ) to keep its price down , but makes some grownup hope with regards to autofocus and video public presentation . Does this make it the go - to ledger entry - horizontal surface full - framer ? After spend a few Clarence Shepard Day Jr. in its society , here are my thinking .
Design and handling
After I unpacked it , the first thing that struck me about the EOS R8 was how light and small it was . After all , full - skeletal system mirrorless cameras are n’t recognise for being particularly portable by mirrorless measure . The camera body matter under 500 g and is only 70 millimeter deep , so depending on the electron lens you ’re using it can be a very lightweight and compact setup .
canyon sells it in a £ 1499 big money with a credit card - barrel 24 - 50 mm zoom lens of the eye , and together the brace make a very lightweight package indeed . This is the frame-up I used for most of the photos and videos I accept , although I did try it out with a much backbreaking ( and significantly more expensive ) 28 - 70 mm F2 lens too .
The physical structure is plasticky too , although it feels moderately sturdy in the hand and Canon send for it dust and water - resistant ( if not in full weatherproofed ) . The command apparatus is similar to that of the EOS R6 II , with a consecrated switch for flipping between photo and video fashion and a large telephone dial for flipping between the various priority , automatic and user - customised shot modes . Also , the on / off switch let in a third ‘ lock ’ option that shut off one of the television camera ’s two control telephone dial .
The one control I was surprised and a bit disappointed not to see was a mini joystick on the back for quickly adjusting the autofocus point , but most of the other usual suspects are here , including a dedicated video stopover / start button on top . Overall , I care the restraint setup and the fact that you may also wiretap the 3 - inch touchscreen to line up configurations .
There ’s a decent 2.36 - million dot electronic viewfinder , while the screen is of the usual flip - out and twist vari - angle design , allowing it to be pointed towards the front of the camera for ego - shooting – although you may find it partially embarrass by cables should you choose to make use of the micro HDMI , USB - C , mic , headphone or outside ports .
Unlike the EOS R6 II , the EOS R8 only has a individual Mount Rushmore State bill slot for computer storage , and it ’s situate under the same flutter as the battery rather than in its own compartment .
Features and performance
The EOS R8 uses Canon ’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF II system , and uses it well . For both still and video shooting , the organization is able to recognise and mechanically track a panoptic compass of subjects : people ( optic , faces , heads , consistence ) ; animals ( cats , dog , horses , birds ) ; and vehicles ( motorcar , planer , trains and motorcycles ) . you may nibble the category you desire it to track , or allow it on auto and rent the camera decide for you . I launch it to be mostly very efficacious at acquiring and tracking the topic , although the animal modality does n’t agnise insect as some brands do .
The autofocus is firm and accurate but seems slenderly more effective and effective in stills mode than video . For the latter , I rule that it did n’t lock onto ( and stay locked onto ) human faces with the unerring speed and reliability you might see in a recent Sony camera .
regrettably , there ’s no in - body image stabilization here . You have the option to ferment on electronic stabilization , which can work on in bicycle-built-for-two with any electron lens - free-base optical stabilisation you might be using ( at the cost of a slender craw to the video skeleton ) . I tried it out for some general B vitamin - roll and vlogging transcription and found it okay , but it ’s unquestionably a step behind the gimbal - like firmness offered by , say , thePanasonic Lumix GH7 .
Like many late camera , the EOS R8 can duplicate as a eminent - tone nag - and - gaming webcam for video recording calls and streaming . Connect it to your computer via USB and it should show up as a compatible twist – no additional software required .
The USB - coulomb port can also be used for firm data transferral ( it ’s USB 3.2 banner ) and for in - photographic camera battery charging and perpetual power supply . Interestingly , I found the charging and power to only work with certain adapters and power savings bank , and not with some of the ones I on a regular basis expend to charge my own cameras . So , be cognizant that you may need to invest in some raw paraphernalia to take advantage of this feature .
As for battery life , it ’s just okay . Canon rates a full battery as enough for about 220 shot when using the view finder or 370 when using the screen ( and that ’s to CIPA standards so likely very accurate ) , while for 4 K video I found I could put down for just over an time of day before it required recharge . Your own mileage may diverge depending on the preferences you ’re using , of class .
Image quality
The EOS R8 ’s principal marketing full stop is its full - frame sensing element and , if you ’ve previously been spud with a camera with a smaller APS - C or Micro Four Thirds sensor , you ’ll immediately notice the difference .
The physical sizing of the full - frame sensor meliorate dynamic range and low - light performance ( due to its gravid picture element meet uncommitted light more well ) . It also makes accomplish a minute depth - of - field much easier , as well as offer a wider field - of - view on most RF lenses .
While much will depend on the lens of the eye you ’re using , I found the EOS R8 ’s images to be detailed , both in damage of sharpness and colour depth ; there ’s little to find fault with in damage of hush functioning . I shot the sample distribution photos you see here in RAW , then processed them in Adobe Lightroom afterwards .
Video also impress . While the EOS R8 miss some of the largeness and deepness of option you might find in somewhat pricier models , its power to shoot uncropped 4 K video at up to 60fps or Full HD video at up to 180fps ( for slow - question playback ) is n’t to be sniff at for a television camera this affordable . The only existent drawback I found was overheating when enter 4 K , which limits the duration of the clips you could enter .
In fiat to get the most out of the sensor , I shot my sample B vitamin - whorl in the flat Canon Log 3 colour visibility , then sort out and graded it using DaVinci Resolve 18 . With that said , shooting in any of the received colour profiles yields good result too , so there ’s no special skill needed in capturing great footage .
I should also mention the stills shooting pep pill here as it ’s pretty becoming . If you ’re using the mechanical shutter it ’s only 6fps , but switch to the electronic shutter and you’re able to capture exposure at 40fps with autofocus engaged .
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Should you buy it?
Full - frame shot opens up dozens of novel creative possibility but , despite the big detector , the EOS R8 ’s size , system of weights and Mary Leontyne Price are more than manageable .
It ’s a cheapish route to full - frame , but it ’s not a premium camera and you ’ll need to look elsewhere for features like in - body stabilisation and limitless video recording .
Final Thoughts
At prison term while reviewing it , I almost forgot that the Canon EOS R8 was an ingress - level camera . With its full - frame sensor , broadly splendid autofocus and 4K/60p video recording capabilities , it come with a lot of feature of speech that , not too long ago , would be earmark for high - end models . While it ’s certainly not perfect , it gives those manoeuver on a budget a literal taste of what full - frame picture taking and videography is all about . You might need to swap up to a well - equipped mid - range or high-pitched - end role model after a while , but as a first - sentence full - frame television camera the EOS R8 is hard to scramble .
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We examine every photographic camera we review thoroughly . We use set run to compare features by rights and we use it as our independent gimmick over the reappraisal period . We ’ll always tell you what we get and we never , ever , accept money to review a product .
FAQs
Yes , the EOS R8 has a 24.2 - megapixel CMOS full - frame image sensor .
The Canon EOS R8 can record 4K/60p video with a Canon Log 3 picture profile option .
Full Specs
