Canon introduces EOS R8 full-frame mirrorless camera in a compact body
Canon has announced an entry-level full-frame mirrorless camera with the EOS R8. The camera is based on the EOS R6 Mark II, but has a more compact design. The camera has a 24.2-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor.
Due to the compact housing the EOS R8 Canon’s lightest full-frame mirrorless camera to date with a weight of 461 grams. The Digic X processor found in more expensive models such as the R3 and R6 Mark II is also in this R8. That makes the camera capable of shooting up to 40fps in burst in silent mode. With the first curtain shutter mode this is reduced to 6fps. For comparison, the R6 Mark II can do this at 12fps. The R8 has a single card slot for UHS II cards. It is possible to shoot up to 100 photos in both raw and jpeg format in succession. The standard ISO value is up to 102400 and can be expanded to 204800.
As for video, the R8 is capable of recording 6k oversampled in 4k at 60fps. It does this in Canon Log 3 at 10bit YCbCr 4:2:2 H.265 or 10bit HDR PQ format with a maximum recording time of two hours. Slow motion recording is also possible at 180 and 120fps with a recording time of 20 and 30 minutes respectively.
The camera’s autofocus system is the Dual Pixel CMOS AF II system which is the same as in Canon’s R5 and R6 and has 1053 autofocus points. The R8 uses AI to recognize people, animals and vehicles. It also offers head, face and eye detection for accurate focusing. To combat focus breathing during moving shots, the EOS R8 has a function that compensates for changes in the angle of view when adjusting the focus distance.
Canon’s previous mirrorless cameras could overheat over time while filming in 4k. Canon claims that at a starting temperature of 23 degrees Celsius, at least half an hour can be filmed in 4k mode. In other modes, according to Canon, there is no limit due to heat generation.
The Canon EOS R8 will be available from April and will have a suggested retail price of 1819 euros. The kit lens that comes with the R8, the RF 24-50mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM, should cost 409 euros.