Canon’s EOS R line-up has proven to be some of the most powerful and currently popular content creation tools to date. It is also an indication of a new direction that the entire camera industry is moving toward – mirrorless. Then again, Canon only has the EOS R5, R6, and RP helming their mirrorless camera division. Now there is a new one, the new EOS R8. If you were not convinced by Canon to start going into their mirrorless ecosystem, you might be now.
The Canon EOS RP is and will still be Canon’s most affordable EOS R series camera to date. The Canon EOS R8 is not meant to replace the EOS RP then. It is meant to complete the EOS R collection and fill the gap between EOS RP and full-frame EOS R6. At the same time, it is Canon’s lightest EOS R camera yet, even lighter than EOS RP.
At 461g, the Canon EOS R8 is 20g lighter than the already light EOS RP. That weight has taken the battery and SD card into account. That weight also allows cameramen to haul the EOS R8 and shoot for longer and offer even more shoot flexibility.
For high-resolution, clear, and detailed photos, the Canon EOS R8 comes with a brand-new 24.2-Megapixel sensor. The new CMOS sensor works with their proven DIGIC X image processor. The new sensor is also capable of shooting at ISO 102,400 (stills). In video mode, it goes up to ISO 25,600, which is still rather high for shots in low-light conditions.
While it is a traditional interchangeable lens camera, the Canon EOS R8 is made to be excellent for videographers. That is not to say that it will be rubbish as a point-and-shoot stills camera. It is still an excellent photographer tool. You can get up to 40fps high-speed continuous shooting with the electronic shutter. If you prefer shooting in RAW, you get up to 30fps with that too. After all, it is a Canon camera.
The lack of weight in the camera is rather perfect for extended free-handed video shoots. At the same time, Canon specifically developed something called the Movie Digital IS for the EOS R8. It is, technically, the same 5-axis in-body stabilization mechanism you can find in the highly acclaimed EOS R6 and R5. The Movie Digital IS adds tilt correction on top of that for extra stable footage in video shoots even without a gimbal. Since it is an in-body mechanism, it works even with lenses without optical stabilization.
The Canon EOS R8 is capable of shooting videos in up to 4K UHD resolution, which is expected from all of Canon’s latest cameras at this point. You can even shoot the videos with HDR 10-bit 4:2:2 colours baked in, if you want. It is an even more capable video shooter too than the EOS RP with up to 60fps 4K UHD video recording for up to 30 minutes (4K 30p limitless recording). That 4K UHD footage from the new 24.2-Megapixel CMOS sensor is also even more detailed than before since the entire sensor is being used to oversample the footage in 6K resolution before being recorded in 4K.
Canon’s very fast autofocus is rather famous in the camera industry, The new Dual Pixel CMOS AF II technology developed for the EOS R6 II makes an appearance here too for ultra-fast autofocus speeds. It can get a hold of an object in mere 0.03 seconds for that matter. It can lock onto and track various subjects including people, animals, and even vehicles. For video workflows, the clever focus breathing correction eliminates any sort of distortions or fluctuations when the focus changes from one object to the other.
Shooting videos in Logs is always recommended, especially if you want your videos to look extra sharp and detailed. In that case, you can shoot with Canon Log 3 at up to 40fps. It is not quite the 60p if you shoot without the Canon Log, but you are getting above 30fps videos with highly flexible colour grading options in post-production.
If you need a do-it-all camera for your streaming needs, the Canon EOS R8 is that one camera too. You can plug the camera to your streaming PC via USB type-C and get up to Full HD footage via the streaming apps or in video calls. You can get the camera running even without going through Canon’s app on your PC.
Alongside the Canon EOS R8, Canon is also launching the RF24-50mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM RF mount lens for full-frame cameras and RF-S55-210mm f/5-7.1 ISTM STM zoom lens for APS-C EOS R cameras. The RF24-50mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM zoom lens will be Canon’s lightest RF-mount lens available at 210g. It also features up to 4.5 stops in optical image stabilization. Combined with EOS R8’s Movie Digital IS, it offers up to 7 stops in image stabilization.
The Canon EOS R8 is now available for pre-order in the European and North American regions. There are no confirmed availability dates for Malaysia just yet. It is priced at about US$1,500 for the North American market. We are guessing that prices will hover around MYR 6,500-7,000 when it comes to Malaysia, but we are only speculating since there are no indications to local pricing at this time. More information on the Canon EOS R8 can be found on their website.
