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Feelings and numbering aside, in the DSLR era we had 3 FF bodies families (6D, 5D and 1D), now we seem to have 5 (R8, R6, R5, R3 and R1)Hello! My thinking is this:
At the advent of the R6 / R5 there was no other R camera beyond the R and RP. RP clearly is a 6D2 successor, but I felt that the mantle moved to the R6 when it arrived and the RP simply... remained. So, in my mind, when July 9, 2020 came around the R6 was the natural successor because it had the number 6 and was priced below the R5. It cost more, yes, but so did everything Canon released around that time.
Fast forward to 2025 and I'd agree with your thinking -- or, at least, I wouldn't disagree in many conversation spaces. There's probably an argument that the R8 also exists to placate those who used to buy the x0D series as well. Maybe it does double duty?
Having owned the 80D (well, it was my wife's and now my son's), I felt it was a fun, geeky, and relatively affordable alternative to the much more expensive full frames: it gave the "feel" of an "upscale camera" as seen in the hands of the well-heeled out on holiday, like that stranger who steps onto a float plane in Alaska with their 5Dx amidst the sea of people clutching their Best Buy bodies. Canon kind of lost that feel with the R transition, I think, although cameras like the R8 are probably their attempt to at least slot in a price equivalent. I don't think the R8 spiritually captures what was happening, but it sits at a good price point in the catalog. They'd do well, I feel, to make a mini R5 body in crop form and re-introduce the X0D series as an X0R line -- and that's where the new video functionality they've been pushing for the new gen would fit very, very comfortably for people like my kiddo and his friends. But I agree, it also fills that 6D character as well -- competent, trade-offs, but serves. Someone mentioned earlier here that the R6 is kind of the 5D of yesteryear and the R5 is something new (or maybe the new 5DS/R?), in which case the R8 is now definitely the 6D equivalent.
I'll say this, though, because it's probably not obvious from my limited chatter here: I've had the privilege since 2005 to use a multitude of Canon's digital bodies -- either through ownership or via family and friends. I think they're all great for their time and serve a need or scratch an itch in one way or the other. They all take great photos when used well. I wouldn't turn down the chance to play with any! 600mm of big glass on a Rebel is so much fun, especially if you bring it along with a pal and pretend it's your serious body for the day.(And the memories it captures today are just as good as when it first hit my bag.)
And yes, the R6 captured a special place in my heart. Like the Rebel and my Mac 512ke, I'll probably never part with it even though I eventually will move forward with the times.
They grow so fast!Good Lord, my camera is already 7?!![]()
There was the Light L16, a bizarre camera that had 16 lenses (hence its name), although it had multiple lenses of only 3 focal lengths. The concept was that it'd use computational software to make high quality images of your desired focal length. It cost $65 million to develop and was a complete failure. Not because it didn't sell (well, yes actually) but because it didn't even work. It'd crash, fail, freeze, etc. If you happened to actually get photos, they looked lousy.I don't understand why no one hasn't came up with an iphone-like camera that would fix the issues that a smartphone has – because it also needs to serve as a smartphone.
Unlike all compact cameras, it would use multiple FIXED lenses or some combination of a zoom and fixed. Compact cameras rarely have anything wide because it is hard to make a small zoom that goes from ultra-wide to tele. But a combination of a zoom and fixed ~16mm would work or an array of fixed lenses. Digital zoom between them.
They are (pics where screen grabs, not even exports, to show lens used), it's just I don't have any medium/long distance shots, because I only used the combination indoor for closeup art nudes details, so the DoF is always razor thin, and it's not easy to show you examples because I have to censor the parts that are actually in focus.
I guess the following belly button, that I can post full size (hope it opens that way when you click and then zoom) and with no censor, show how sharp it felt (it's f11 in this instance), on the very thin focus plane you can see single body hairs, and the texture of the skin
View attachment 226697
This instead is the EF 70-200 f2.8 L classic (non-IS) with the same EF2.0 II extender, again at f11
View attachment 226698
CNCI don’t know how canon does things, but microstepping is a thing for stepping motors.
Good Lord, my camera is already 7?!Well, Canon's not really going to appease to a camera that is 7 years old.
IS adds size and cost, and that seems to be against the two big things about this design. This is also f/1.2......
I was looking at the physical size, but the result is important too. I had a 50/1.4 Canon for several years. It wasn't stellar but it wasn't as soft as the images you've provided. And by f/2, it was very sharp in the middle. 2.8, sharp across the field.This is what EF 50 1.4 look on Canon R against RF 50 1.8 and Sigma 40 1.4 Art
And no, it's not sharp![]()
Rain donutsAnother very nice series, Dragon. Pretty cool with the raindrops.





Anche al mio si erano allentate le viti e ballava un po' dopo 6 mesi circa dall'acquisto (nuovo), me l'han sistemato in garanzia anche se era europea e non italiana (per questo motivo non ho potuto portarlo direttamente in assistenza, l'ho dovuto spedire a Galaxiastore, da cui l'avevo comprato, con etichetta prepagata mandata da loro, lo han fatto poi riparare loro e me lo hanno rimandato, turnover totale circa 3 settimane), da lì ha lavorato quasi 10 anni senza mai più un problema. Venduto solo per passare al 40 Art, ma lo ricomprerei domattina, obiettivo splendido.I've had a hefty sigma 50 1.4 ART for a few years, worked with it on 5D3 and 4, then R6 and R6II, I've never been happier trading a lens than this one: it never matched the image quality of my L lenses fleet, you could easily tell which photos were shot with it, and not in a pleasant way. Finally found a EF 50 1.2 at an irresistible price, it's easily the best 50mm i've ever used: it is plenty sharp at any aperture above 1.6, in any part of the image, it's very three-dimensional even at f4 or 5.6 when shooting group photos. unbelievable. the only downside is, it's an old lens with an old focus motor, it does not support the full burst capabilities of the EOS-R cameras, it's blackout time between shots is a little bit more noticeable than more recent lenses, but that is it. it's half the size of the 50ART, which, I almost forgot, happened to fail me twice, on paid jobs: once, the lens mount screws got loose, luckily I found a hardware store halfway between the wedding ceremony and reception, and fixed it while my assistant covered the aperitivo (hello from italy!). another time, again working at a wedding, one screw got loose and the whole lens group moved inside the barrel. luckily, everything worked anyway, it did focus (thanks mirrorless system!), so I could keep on working. I was checking focus a lot more often than i normally do.
if this 45 is real, its image quality matches the EF 50 1.2, has good 2026 focusing capability, and it's not going to break the bank, i think i'm going to have one permanently mounted to my R6.