Canon EOS R8 specifications

[koenkooi]

[...] But they're all subject to NDA's, and know that if any leaked photo is traced back to them that they'll get sued by Canon and never be trusted with one of their cameras again [...]

It's likely more of the latter than the former, for the smaller reviewers you won't get much money from suing them and the negative attention is likely to be a PR nightmare.

Anyway, most people don't bite the hand that feeds them, so the actual enforcement mechanism isn't likely to get tested.

 

[Maximilian]

Ooooooooooooh the excitement is too much to bear

I'm posting right now after passing out and just getting a kiss of life from my wife

 

[Sporgon]

Assuming it has got an EVF, and is constructed to the same standard as the RP which is on a par with the R6, I’d certainly be interested. I bought the RP with the intention of trying it out, then moving on to a more up market R series if I liked it, but it’s such a handy little camera I can’t part with it !

 

[unfocused]

Leaked photos are now on PhotoRumors. The R8 doesn't seem like a big change with its "new" form factor. Maybe a more pronounced grip? Both cameras appear to have EVFs.

 

[RMac]

Thinking about this a bit more...
Honestly I'm a bit surprised at the feature set being discussed. I would sort of expect a camera at this price point to have several of these features nerfed - like no 180 FPS, no oversampled 4k60 (honestly would expect no 4k60 oversampled or otherwise), and no 40 fps ES photo burst. I guess kudos to Canon for including these features.

That said, I bet there will be several things missing/lower-spec'd that will make this camera less suitable for pro work that the R6ii/R6/R5 bodies are targeted for:

1. Single card slot (as mentioned above)
2. No built-in EVF (mentioned by several others)
3. No rear thumb dial or joystick.
4. Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 (for mechanical, ES goes to 1/8000 or 1/16000)
5. Slower flash sync speed (maybe 1/180 - same as RP) (1/200s in EFCS vs 1/250s for the R6ii)
6. Lower burst rate with mechanical shutter - maybe 5 or 8 fps. (6fps)
7. Smaller battery
8. Minimal to no "weather sealing" ???
9. No place for your pinky
10. Maybe this one overheats in 4k60 considering the smaller body. ??? (Has a 30-min recording limit in 4k60 while R6ii does not)

Things they could nerf that I bet don't get nerfed:

1. Probably no artificial record time limit (since the R10 doesn't have one). If so, that would be great and a sign that Canon is done with that silliness. (sort of - 2 hours in 30p, 30 min in 4k60 which are not limits on the R6ii - not as bad as it used to be and much less likely to be an issue)
2. Probably has the new multi-function hot shoe (again, since the R10 did). Makes me wonder if the EVF-DC2 physically interfaces with the new multi-function hot shoe...

Finally, things that may get nerfed for no technical reason that would sort of show that Canon is still trying to protect/differentiate the value of the R6ii:

1. High-Frequency Anti-Flicker ???
2. Burst mode with pre-shooting ???
3. Focus Bracketing ???
4. A quick video/photo mode switch with retained settings in each respective mode. (has it, not sure about retaining settings)
5. RAW output over external HDMI (maybe this doesn't even have an HDMI output). (not supported on R8)

Overall, if this ends up being the same sensor as the R6ii (which is a pretty good sensor only bested by the R5 and R3 among Canon cameras) in a package more like an M6/M6ii, then at $1500 it is quite a good value - compelling for more casual use. Also really interesting for more straight-up image capture - things like timelapse and for use in astrophotography (where it's helpful to have a less massive camera).

Note - everything I've said above is pure speculation. It's fun to guess and then see how wrong you are about it a few days later when the full specs come out.

Grading my predictions after a quick look at the specs...

https://downloads.canon.com/ow/camera/EOS-R8-Spec-Sheet.pdf

 

[Michael Clark]

No IBIS, no buy, like - absolutly. Cameras without IBIS should not exist.

So the entire RED and ARRI lines should not exist?

 

[Michael Clark]

If my R6 keeps chugging along it will be my last. It does everything I want and I cannot see putting as many clicks into it as I did my 5D3 before it (far more than the expected shutter life) since I shoot far less these days than I did with that camera. So last it is.

These young pups are still under the delusion they are going to live forever and be able to maintain the same physical capabilities they now have.

 

[Michael Clark]

To say any item is your "last" is either 1) a statement that you are looking forward to pushing up dasies or 2) a statement that you don't think there is anything left in life that will pique your interest. Pretty much the same thing, actually. Those who look forward to doing something tomorrow that they have never done before are the ones who live the longest. Michaelangelo lived to be 88 years old (when the average live span was about 35) and he spent half his life drenched in lead paint but he always had a dream of what he could do tomorrow.

On the other hand, after Michelangelo finished 'Pieta' at age 24, 'David' at age 29, and 'Moses' at age 39 he realized neither he nor anyone else would ever top them as large scale neo-classical sculptures of humans and moved on to other art forms and styles of sculpture (save a few smaller scale Pietas similar to the one from 1699, and 'Rachel' and 'Leah' for which he was handsomely paid and which were mostly done by his apprentices under his supervision in the 1540s, sharing much in common with the 'Madonna of Bruges' completed the same year as 'David' in 1504). His later sculptures showed humans with flaws and imperfections in a style unlike his neoclassical sculptures, which is the direction European sculpture and the visual arts in general moved in the early Baroque period after his death.

He was only 37 when he completed the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and often claimed that he was not a painter. After age 40 his greatest sculptures and paintings were mostly completed and he concentrated on architecture for the remainder of his career.

 

[Michael Clark]

To say any item is your "last" is either 1) a statement that you are looking forward to pushing up dasies or 2) a statement that you don't think there is anything left in life that will pique your interest.

...or 3) that you are planning on retirement soon so that you can enjoy many of the things you've never had the time for and realize your GAS budget will be severely diminished.

 

[Michael Clark]

i won’t buy a mirrorless camera Canon or otherwise without IBIS. it should be a standard feature in these types of cameras.

Who sells a $1,500 or less FF mirrorless camera *with* IBIS?

No one.

If you want IBIS in a FF camera, be prepared to pay the price for it.

 

[Michael Clark]

Good point about the APS-C line.
But the FF pricing almost makes sense !

Camera	Price (US $)	Increase (%)
RP	1000
R8	1500	50
R6 Mk ii	2500	67
R5	3500	40
R3	5600	60
R1 (projected -- 50% more than R3)	8400	50

$8,900 at (roughly) 60% more than the R3 is probably more realistic.

 

[Michael Clark]

My limited understanding, based on what I’ve read in various on-line articles, is:

M43 bodies are similar in size to small FF bodies, which means that the IBIS unit can be made larger (therefore more efficient) in relation to the sensor size. Less movement between consecutive frames in a burst = more accurate merging of frames.

Smaller sensors have a smaller area of circuitry (other things being equal), which leads to faster data transfer, and (assuming the same processor power) faster data processing.

The (mechanical) shutter on M43 is smaller and lighter (than FF), therefore potentially faster in terms of the delay between each cycle of a burst. That results in potentially much faster fps - further reducing camera movement between consecutive frames.


In combination, the above mentioned factors provide the potential for faster bursts, less camera movement between frames, and faster data processing, which makes merges of consecutive frames potentially faster and more accurate than is possible with full frame. In conjunction with AI “computational photography” it will allow M43 to (amongst other things) offer very efficient focus stacking, noise reduction, stabilisation, and hand-held hi-res pixel shift (even with moving subjects).

The above, together with the much smaller and lighter M43 lenses (for a given angle of view and light-gathering power) are some of the reasons why I believe that M43 has a very bright future. The only fly in the ointment is that Canon, Nikon and Sony are not in the M43 alliance, and are unlikely to join it. So it’s very likely IMO that within 10 years the big brands will launch new, smaller mounts, to accommodate smaller sensors (1” anyone?).

The fly in the ointment for that theory regarding µ4/3 is that many of their lenses distort fairly heavily and lens correction is hardwired into the processing chain (and even into the default settings for raw conversion applications). This might make aligning and merging stacked images with even mild camera movement more difficult.

 

[Michael Clark]

Canon is a huge company and can afford to offer multiple choices, so why not? Be grateful that there is so much choice!

Canon won't launch an "R1" until they are satisfied that they have a product that will equal or better the Nikon Z9 and the Sony a1. They nearly always time the launch of their flagship to coincide with the Olympics, so I don't expect a R1 until summer 2024, and the first glimpses of a prototype R1 being tested "in the wild" probably won't come until spring 2024. In the meantime the R3 and R5 are more than capable of fulfilling the needs of 99.9% of pros and serious hobbyists.

Keep your eyes open for cameras with lots of tape covering the logos at major sporting events this fall.

Canon usually releases a 1-Series in late March or early April for a late August Olympiad. February if it's a mid-July one. The 2024 Paris Games will be right in the middle from July 26 - Aug 11.

 

[Michael Clark]

It's hard to imagine Canon, having been the first company to drastically change the shape of DSLRs (EOS!), to turn back to retro design.
I can rather see them applying a "form follows function" concept than the opposite. I only hope it won't be about full touch screen controls using a plethora of sub-sub-sub menus.

EOS DSLRs are very similar stylistically to EOS SLR film cameras.

The style started with the T90, the very last FD mount camera Canon created before introducing the EOS system in 1987. In many ways., the T90 was the test bed for much of the technology that was integrated into EOS from Day 1.

 

[Michael Clark]

I see your point, but all in all, there would still be many complaints about that naming. And if Canon would like to make even more advanced APSC camera (a true decendent of the 7D series)? Or an M6 markii into RF body with all the bells and whistles?
But, let them have their naming department have fun developing new names

The R7 (and any possible R7 mark II, etc. successors) is the only descendent of the 7D series we're going to see for a very long time, if ever. The handwriting has been on the wall about that almost long enough that Daniel could have interpreted it for Nebuchadnezzar II.

 

[Jethro]

On the other hand, after Michelangelo finished 'Pieta' at age 24, 'David' at age 29, and 'Moses' at age 39 he realized neither he nor anyone else would ever top them as large scale neo-classical sculptures of humans and moved on to other art forms and styles of sculpture (save a few smaller scale Pietas similar to the one from 1699, and 'Rachel' and 'Leah' for which he was handsomely paid and which were mostly done by his apprentices under his supervision in the 1540s, sharing much in common with the 'Madonna of Bruges' completed the same year as 'David' in 1504). His later sculptures showed humans with flaws and imperfections in a style unlike his neoclassical sculptures, which is the direction European sculpture and the visual arts in general moved in the early Baroque period after his death.

He was only 37 when he completed the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and often claimed that he was not a painter. After age 40 his greatest sculptures and paintings were mostly completed and he concentrated on architecture for the remainder of his career.

And poetry too. In his lifetime, he was probably more internationally (ie outside Italy and the Vatican) famous as a poet than a painter / sculptor / architect.

 

[neuroanatomist]

the R6 Mark II full-frame sensor in a body with a new form factor? I am listening now! Please take LP-E6NH batteries and not the smaller battery from the R10.

You’re late to the party. The R8 was announced, it takes the smaller LP-E17 battery.