{"id":11616,"date":"2023-06-20T22:17:24","date_gmt":"2023-06-21T03:17:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/?p=11616"},"modified":"2023-06-24T10:15:46","modified_gmt":"2023-06-24T15:15:46","slug":"review-canon-eos-r8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/review-canon-eos-r8\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Canon EOS R8"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This past February, Canon announced the new EOS R8, taking a lot of what made the R6 Mark II a compelling camera, and bringing it into the body of the now four year old RP. The R8 is poised to actually replace the original Canon EOS R in Canon’s lineup, offering a high quality camera body at a more affordable price than the more professional grade R5 and R6 Mark II. Historically, Canon has been known to lay the ‘cripple hammer’ down on cameras that try to fill this niche, but in a very nice change of pace, Canon instead made the R8 a compact powerhouse of a camera. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Canon EOS R8 is the latest full-frame mirrorless body from Canon, and fills the lower mid-range of the R lineup<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Note: I review gear from a real-world shooting perspective, determining how a piece of gear handles for me in actual use.  I also am not a videographer, so my camera reviews cover the still-imaging aspects of a camera.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Body and Ergonomics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The R8 shares the vast majority of its body with the earlier Canon EOS RP. While the top plates differ slightly with a more rounded EVF hump and a change to the On\/Off switch location, everything below that is identical to the RP. The grip, the rear controls, the screen, the bottom of the camera and battery\/SD card door are all the same as the RP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Canon EOS R8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I think this is a great move by Canon for a few reasons. First, it allows Canon to re-use portions of the RP manufacturing line, thus lowering costs. Second, it maintains what was already an outstanding grip for a small camera. Third, it preserves compatibility with all of the RP’s accessories, including the EG-E1 extension grip, any arca-swiss camera plates, third party battery grips and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The R8 is a very compact full-frame body, and is also exceptionally lightweight, coming in at a mere 460g with the battery installed. Despite the small size, the EOS R8’s ergonomics and comfort are outstanding. Many compact mirrorless cameras make serious sacrifices in handling and comfort for the size. The R8, however, is extremely comfortable to hold and controls are very well placed. Canon knows how to make comfortable grips, and the R8’s grip is truly excellent. While the bare camera is a little too short to allow your pinky to fit entirely, the grip is deep and well contoured. For added comfort, see the section below on the EG-E1 extension grip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The EOS R8’s 24 megapixel Full Frame sensor<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps most importantly, Canon has left tons of room between the grip and the lens mount, and as such the R8 has plenty of clearance between the grip and any lens you would care to mount on the body. Even with the very fat RF 85mm f\/1.2L, the R8 has ample room between my fingers and the lens while I’m operating the camera. After dealing with Sony’s cramped fingers on such lenses with their cameras, this is simply wonderful in a small consumer-grade body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The R8’s grip has plenty of room for your fingers, even with large diameter lenses like the RF 85mm f\/1.2L<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The overall construction of the camera is also on a high level for the price point. The camera is tightly assembled, with no creaks or flex anywhere, and feels very rigid even with heavy lenses. The body has some degree of weathersealing, but not quite to the level of the higher-end R6 II and R5 bodies. There’s no definitive measure given by Canon, but I think it would be safe to assume the R8 could handle some raindrops if caught unaware, but I wouldn’t be rushing out to spend the day in a downpour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of the ports located on the sides are sealed with rubber flaps that sit securely in their places. The dials and buttons operate with excellent tactility with a few exceptions, and feel great to use. The exceptions are the four way D-pad, which has rather shallow range of movement, and therefore lacks some positive tactility. The other is the On\/Off switch, which operates with a nice crisp movement but is the only control on the camera that feels a bit cheap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

EG-E1 Extension Grip<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The R8 handles very nicely for a small camera, but like the RP, the EG-E1 extension grip can be added for a bit more real estate to the bottom of the camera. The overall footprint is still very compact with the grip mounted, but the height of the camera increases so that it grows to be slightly taller than the R6 Mark II. In my opinion, the EG-E1 is one of the first accessories owners of the R8 should consider. While the R8 is comfortable to operate without the extension grip, it becomes an absolute joy to hold with it. The grip increases the leverage and control you have with the body, and makes shooting with heavier glass more comfortable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The EG-E1 extension grip, here shown in both black and red.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The EG-E1 is available in three colors. The black color has the same texture and finish as the bare camera, and so blends very well with the body in both looks and feel. The grip can also be had in either red or blue. Those colors have a smooth finish and give a nice pop of color to spice things up. I have owned the red grip since I first bought an RP several years ago, but added the black grip as well for when I use the R8 in a more professional setting. I like both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The EG-E1 extension grip mounted to the R8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The grip mounts securely to the camera, and has an access door in the bottom so you can change batteries or remove the SD card without having to remove the grip. The door on the grip has a foam weather-sealing gasket around it, and the locking knob has a tripod socket in the bottom so plates or heads can be mounted directly to it. Overall, it’s a highly recommended accessory for the camera, especially if you have large hands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Controls<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As with the general body, the control points on the EOS R8 are largely identical to those of the RP that came before it. However, due to significantly expanded customization options, the overall control package is significantly improved from that camera. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The top of the camera is where the most notable changes have occurred. The R8’s top controls now precisely follow the top controls of the EOS R6 Mark II, with the familiar shutter button, front control dial, M-Fn button and video record button that all R series cameras feature. But also like the R6 Mark II, the R8 has moved the power switch from the left side of the camera to just in front of the top rear control dial. On the left side now sits a toggle switch for changing between stills and video shooting. This is a nice control to have, but it really makes the video record button somewhat redundant. Thankfully, that button is fully programmable, as are most of the buttons on the R8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The top controls of the Canon EOS R8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The R8 is controlled with a standard PASM dial, which has the usual exposure modes, plus Canon’s unique Fv mode, which is an on the fly autoexposure mode where you can set any or all exposure parameters to manual or auto. There is also a full auto mode, Canon’s consumer-facing scene modes, and two customizable modes, which can of course be programmed for specific scenarios in which you may find yourself. I have C1 set up with autofocus and drive settings ideal for shooting moving wildlife, while C2 is set-up for people event shooting. I do wish it had a C3 selection instead of the scene modes that I will never use. (On my R5, my C3 is set up for quick settings when using flash, such as turning off exposure preview). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rear of the camera is identical to the EOS RP, with an AF-ON, AEL, focus point selection, Info, Q, Trash and Play buttons, along with a four way controller (D-pad). All of these buttons, save for the Q, play and trash buttons, can be fully customized. The AF On, AEL, M-Fn and movie record buttons can be set to one of 65 different functions, while the rest of the buttons can select any of 50 different functions for stills shooting. These buttons can also be set to different functions for both stills and video. The video options include 41 different functions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The rear of the R8 is identical to the Canon EOS RP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There is also some real power available with some of the customization options. For instance, for typical shooting, I have the camera set to One Shot Autofocus, with spot point, with subject and eye detection turned off. This allows me to pinpoint where I want focus at any time. However, I also have the AF-On button set to start metering and autofocus, and that can be customized to whatever settings you want. As such, I have it set to do ServoAF with wide area focusing, and auto subject and eye detection. With it set up this way, I can switch between single spot autofocus and wide area tracking autofocus with eye detection without having to change a single setting…I just press a different button. As you can see, the R8 is extremely customizable, and allows you to fine-tune the controls to your liking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the customization possibilities make the R8 feel closer to the R6 II than to the RP, the lack of a rear dial and a focus joystick are notable omissions. Moving the focus point without the joystick isn’t quite as quick and seamless as with one, but the R8 does give you options for that control. First, you can use the touchscreen to either tap on the back to set a point, or when using the EVF, you can use the screen as a touchpad to slide the focus point around with your thumb. Second, setting the D-pad to direct focus point control makes moving focus points around nearly as fast as with a joystick. I do miss the rear dial, but setting the lens control ring on RF lenses to control ISO has made even that loss bearable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The R8’s menus are dense, but well laid out, and feature a customizable ‘My Menu’<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The menu system is laid out very well, which is typical for Canon, with tabs for grouping similar items. The menu can be fully navigated by touch as well as the d-pad or the front and rear control dials. Like the higher end Canon bodies, the R8’s menu has an absolute load of items, with 10 pages of camera settings for shooting and image quality, 6 pages for autofocus, 4 pages for playback, 2 pages for wireless connectivity, 5 pages of camera settings, and 5 pages of custom functions. And that’s just for stills. The menus change when you switch into video mode. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s a lot of functions, and while everything is very well organized, it can be tricky to remember where a specific setting is. Thankfully, like most manufacturers these days, Canon offers a customizable menu that can be populated with the settings most important to you. Up to 5 pages with 6 items each can be added to your ‘MyMenu’. You can also set the camera to directly open to the MyMenu tab every time, or to open to the last selected menu section. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, the controls are well laid-out, and provide a healthy dose of control points for a mid-range body. The extensive customization options also add to the functionality, and make the R8 a very nice camera to operate in the field. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continue: Viewfinder and Performance<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Viewfinder and Rear Screen<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The EOS R8 inherits the RP’s 0.7x magnification 2.36 million dot EVF. By today’s standards, it’s a low-end finder, and it certainly is visibly smaller than the rather large viewfinder in many other full-frame mirrorless cameras. However, it’s still a reasonably good finder, and I don’t mind taking a slightly lower end EVF in this camera, which I’m sure helped Canon include all the other goodies and still hit the sub $1,500 price point. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The fully articulated rear screen of the EOS R8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Viewfinder is still reasonably large, and clear enough for shooting in most any light. The EVF by default refreshes at 60fps, but can be turned up to 120fps, at the expense of battery life. For me, that tradeoff is worth the battery hit, as it provides a much clearer and more responsive view. It’s not going to wow anyone who has used a newer high end mirrorless body, but it certainly gets the job done without hindering usage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rear screen is also the same 1.6 million dot, 3.0″ touchscreen that is found on the RP. This screen is bright and clear, and has full articulation – allowing you to see the live view from most any position, including from the front of the camera. The touch controls are responsive and intuitive. Despite being a little smaller than the screen on something like the R5, this is still an excellent panel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Autofocus<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Up to now, I’ve discussed the R8’s physical features and controls, and I’ve talked a lot about things that are shared with the decidedly entry-level and somewhat dated EOS RP. Now we get deep into more of the things that make the R8 a powerful and compelling camera, and that begins with the autofocus system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The EOS R8 shares the same sensor, processor and autofocus system with the more expensive EOS R6 Mark II, which itself inherits a lot of its autofocus DNA from the flagship R3. The autofocus uses Canon’s Dual Pixel AF II, with enhanced tracking and subject recognition beyond that which first appeared in the R5 and R6. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’ve used either the R5 or R6, the AF system works very similarly, but with most things just a bit better. I’ve found subject recognition to be more sure, and stickier on the eyes of human and animal subjects. The whole area tracking Servo AF setting allows you to use whatever focus point mode you want, and then have tracking take over, and also recognize subjects in the frame as well. It’s a hybrid of Canon’s previous tracking when setting initial point and standard Servo AF with a selectable point, and functions quite similarly to Sony’s Real time Tracking AF mode. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Approaching Conflict – Canon EOS R8 with Canon RF 800mm f\/11 IS STM @ f\/11, 1\/1000s, ISO 12,800<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One very nice benefit to the R8’s autofocus system is that it allows for a wider focus area on the RF 800mm f\/11. On the R5 and R6, the 800mm is limited to only focusing in a central square that takes up approximately 50% of the frame. On the R6 II and now the R8, that area has expanded to a rectangle that fills approximately 80% of the frame, which makes the lens far easier to use when tracking wildlife. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I found tracking accuracy on moving subjects to be very good, and a slight improvement on the already excellent autofocus from the R5. The system can also maintain focus on the subject even when distracting elements get in the way. While shooting some birds along a river, I was tracking a duck landing, and noticed it was headed for another duck to fight (the shot above). I shot the entire sequence, from landing to finish, and the camera maintained focus on the ducks, even with huge amounts of splashing water obscuring them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mallard Battle – Canon EOS R8 with Canon RF 800mm f\/11 IS STM @ f\/11, 1\/1250s, ISO 6400<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On the down side, I did notice that in dim light, the R8 isn’t quite as quick at locking focus as my R5. It still is accurate and works fine, it just takes a tick longer to finalize the focus point, especially with a slower focusing lens like the RF 35mm f\/1.8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Performance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While Canon has limited a few things with regards to performance, the R8 also largely maintains the same outstanding performance of the R6 Mark II as well. The camera uses the same Digic X processor found in the R5, R3 and R6 Mark II, and that means the camera is fast and responsive in everyday use, and image processing is fast as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Canon makes good use of the excellent autofocus system, as the continuous burst rate maxes out at an astonishing 40 frames per second with electronic shutter. In electronic shutter mode, one can shoot at 40 frames per second in H+ drive mode, 20 frames per second in H, and then at a maximum of 6 frames per second with the mechanical shutter. Note that the R8 lacks a two curtain mechanical shutter, but rather an electronic first curtain shutter (EFCS), with mechanical second curtain. When I refer to the mechanical shutter in this review, I am referring to EFCS. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Running – Canon EOS R8 with Canon RF 70-200mm f\/2.8L IS @ 200mm, f\/2.8, 1\/1000s, ISO 100 (Eye detect, electronic shutter, from 20fps burst)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While the mechanical shutter does not have an exceptionally high burst rate by modern standards, it’s still reasonably quick for a lower mid-range body. The electronic shutter, however, is quite usable for a wide variety of action shooting. The R8’s readout speed is approximately 1\/70s, which is faster than the original R6 and the R5. It isn’t as fast as the stacked sensor of the EOS R3, but it’s still fast enough to provide natural looking images of things like birds, running people (see shot above), and other action. You will not want to use it for fast ball sports like tennis or baseball, due to rolling shutter. If panning on very fast moving subjects, you’ll also see some slanting of the background (this can often be corrected in post, however). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One area where Canon differentiates the R8 from the R6 Mark II is in buffer size, where the R8 has a notably smaller buffer than the R6 II. With that said, the buffer on the R8 is still rather good, especially for a camera in this price range. If shooting at 6fps with the mechanical shutter, the buffer is essentially unlimited for JPEG, RAW or cRAW shooting. With the high speed electronic shutter modes, you will run out of buffer moderately quickly in the fastest shooting modes. Below is a table of maximum bursts before slowing, in my experience with the R8 using a Sony Tough M 64 GB UHS-II card, rated for 150MB\/s writing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frame Rate<\/strong><\/td># of Shots before Slowing<\/strong> (RAW)<\/strong><\/td># of Shots before Slowing (cRAW)<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
6 fps (Mechanical)<\/td>Unlimited<\/td>Unlimited<\/td><\/tr>
20 fps (Electronic)<\/td>60<\/td>121<\/td><\/tr>
40 fps (Electronic)<\/td>54<\/td>98<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>
Table: Buffer comparison of different settings with the R8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While you will run out of buffer after a little more than a second when shooting at full RAW and 40fps, that can be extended to two and a half seconds by using the cRAW setting, which has essentially no visible impact on file quality. Switching to 20 fps gives you over 6 seconds of continuous burst before slowing. Most of the time I shot at 20fps for action shooting, and as such I never really ran into any buffer issues with the camera. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s interesting to note that Canon’s flagship sports DSLRs didn’t exceed the R8’s buffer depth at their top speed until the 1DX Mark III in 2020. The 1DX Mark II had a buffer depth of 57 shots at 14 frames per second in RAW, falling 3 short of the R8’s 20fps buffer depth. The original 1DX had a buffer of only 38 RAW files at 12fps, while the 1D Mark IV could only shoot 28. It’s truly amazing what modern cameras are capable of. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

RAW Burst Mode<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

A feature that first made its appearance on Canon cameras with the professional grade R3 is also present on the EOS R8: RAW Burst Mode. This is a special mode that needs to be activated in the menu system, and it allows the camera to take a 30 fps burst that begins a half second before the shutter was pressed. It accomplishes this by beginning a rolling buffer of RAW images that continually captures 30 fps bursts, overwriting themselves every half second. When the shutter is depressed, it saves the 15 frames captured before the shutter was pressed, and then however many you shot afterwards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a great feature to capture images that are otherwise just exceptionally difficult to get, such as lightning strikes (with short shutter speeds or without a lightning trigger), birds taking off from a branch, or any other situation where the action happens quickly and unpredictably. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Exporting a single frame in a RAW burst file, in camera<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There are a few downsides to this feature, however. First, all the RAW files captured in a burst are combined into a Burst Stack, which is a single file. This file is unreadable by third-party RAW converters, and so can only be processed directly using Canon’s Digital Photo Professional. To use a RAW file from the burst in Lightroom, you must first extract selected frames using either the camera (see the image above), or with Digital Photo Professional. I very much wish it would just write the individual RAW files to the card when shooting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The RAW Burst Image Tool in Digital Photo Professional<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Using DPP is also quite convoluted, as the burst stacks appear as regular RAW files, and when you open them, it simply processes the image captured right when you pressed the shutter. To access the other frames, you need to select the file, go to the menu and open “Start RAW Burst Image Tool” and then select frames and extract them. There’s the option to select multiple frames and extract them too, and while you’d think it would export all of those as individual RAW files at that point: Nope. It just creates a different Burst Stack file. The end result can sometimes be worth it, but Canon HAS to make usability improvements here, because the processing aspect here is simply awful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Blackbird Taking Flight – Canon EOS R8 with Canon RF 800mm f\/11 @ f\/11, 1\/2000s, ISO 12,800 (RAW Burst Mode)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The second potential drawback of using the RAW Burst mode is that it really is only for capturing that one moment. After shooting, the camera has to flush the entire buffer, save it to card, and then re-fill the buffer on the pre-roll, so there is a delay of a couple of seconds after triggering the RAW burst before you are able to shoot again. So, if you are planning on shooting a burst and then immediately continue shooting, you will be unable to do so. Despite the drawbacks present, it is a nice feature to have in the right circumstances, but I think Canon can improve the implementation, especially with regards to file handling and software. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continue: Key Features<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Key Features<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Some descriptions of key features are borrowed from my R6 review, in situations where the functionality is similar or identical. Pertinent changes have been described where differences occur. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wi-Fi \/ Connectivity<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Like all recent cameras, the R8 contains Wi-Fi and bluetooth connectivity, allowing for the wireless transfer of images to a mobile device, or remote shooting. The R8 has the same connectivity of other recent Canon cameras, such as the R5 and R6. Like the other Canon bodies, the initial setup process takes a few steps, but Canon has a nice guide built into their Camera Connect app to get you through the process. I have to say that the app and connection stability seems to be better on Android than on iOS. My iPhone still works with it pretty well, but I sometimes need to turn the camera on to enable the connection. Overall, the connection proecess isn’t as reliable as when using Android. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once paired via bluetooth, opening the app will start looking for the camera and will connect to it within a few seconds. Like the R5 and R6, the camera will connect to your phone even when the camera is turned off, and you can browse and transfer images. When selecting images, you can choose which card slot to read the files off of, select your images and transfer them. You can transfer processed JPEGs or get full size JPEGs from RAW files in the transfer process, even if you didn’t shoot RAW+JPEG. <\/p>\n\n\n\n