Canon Eos R8+RF 24-50mm F4.5-6.3 - Cameras

The Canon EOS R8 is an excellent camera. For reference, I am a beginner/hobbyist photographer.If you are considering the R8, you should also consider the lenses. Canon has some very expensive L lenses for $1000 and up that are top quality. Then there are budget lenses- with STM focus motors, which are slower to focus, and add sounds to videos. And the budget zoom lenses with dim apertures will really limit you to shoot only outside in good light.If you have EF lenses, you can use them with any of the 3 Canon RF-EF adapters. And, you can find used EF lenses for cheap. But, why should a beginner want to buy DSLR lenses, when the mirrorless ones are lighter and focus faster?Canon doesn't really have middle class lens options. If you are on a budget, and the R8 is ... MoreThe Canon EOS R8 is an excellent camera. For reference, I am a beginner/hobbyist photographer.If you are considering the R8, you should also consider the lenses. Canon has some very expensive L lenses for $1000 and up that are top quality. Then there are budget lenses- with STM focus motors, which are slower to focus, and add sounds to videos. And the budget zoom lenses with dim apertures will really limit you to shoot only outside in good light.If you have EF lenses, you can use them with any of the 3 Canon RF-EF adapters. And, you can find used EF lenses for cheap. But, why should a beginner want to buy DSLR lenses, when the mirrorless ones are lighter and focus faster?Canon doesn't really have middle class lens options. If you are on a budget, and the R8 is definitely a budget camera, I would recommend going with Sony because they have robust 3rd party support. The problem is, that Sony doesn't have as good ergonomics or colors as Canon. I tried the original Sony A7C but I returned it, because there is no Variable Shutter to prevent banding like the A7C 2, and Sony skin tones looked orange and too saturated. I did not have the time or the patience to edit RAW files. I believe Sony's colors improved with their latest cameras, but those are very expensive. On the other hand, think of it like an investment; a camera you buy only once, but lenses you will probably want several.Pros:Face Autofocus is very fast for every situation you will encounter. Eye Autofocus works really well for walkers, dancers, singers, & speakers, but not so well for jumpers, runners, and sports. How did I test? With a Canon RF 70-200 F4 USM L lens & autofocus set to track people with Eye AF on, I watched the Eye AF box go from a small box around the eye to a box around the face when people moved very fast.When people are turned sideways, it struggles to find the eye, and it's usually focused on the ear, cheeks, or hair.Keep in mind, that you will see the fastest performance if you choose the correct mode, such as, People, Animals, or Vehicles, instead of Auto.Excellent image quality.Sharp and detailed videoExposure is very accurate, even in a difficult lighting situation like a concert that had mostly black backgrounds and lights that strobed from 0% brightness to 100% quickly. And, you can use exposure compensation during video just in case it guessed wrong.Colors and skin tones look great!Ergonomics feel very good.40 Frames per second in Electronic shutter.Faster readout speed than Canon EOS RP.High ISO Noise is well controlled in the highlight areas, but not as well in the shadow areas. I can go up to ISO 10,000 and still get nice pictures.Good Price especially if you get it on sale for $1,300.Small and lightweight!Flip-out touchscreen is very helpfulIn camera corrections work wellCan be used as a webcam without relying on Canon's EOS Webcam Utility softwareUSB file transfers are lightning-fastWIFI works fast with the Canon EOS Utility desktop app, but you cannot use WIFI without the app. I haven't tried the Camera Connect smartphone app, so I don't know how well it works.Cons:The EFCS shutter is too loudSome RF lenses have Focus breathing at minimum focusing distance. This affects people that do a lot of video and macro work. The R8 has focus breathing correction that works well for video. As for macro, the camera can automatically crop and align the image.Most RF zoom lenses are not power zooms; you zoom by turning the lens, and it's hard to zoom smoothly when taking video.No In Body Image Stabilization (IBIS). But you can choose lenses with Image Stabilization.No Dual Card SlotsBattery life- I've read the complaints about the battery, and, while I agree that Canon could have used a higher capacity battery, with WIFI & Bluetooth set to OFF, Airplane mode set to ON, & Power Saving set to the least energy sucking settings, I can get a lot of pictures and videos combined with just one battery. You can buy more batteries if it bothers you, and a Power Delivery (PD) Power Bank rated for 45 watts or higher can power the camera for even longer. Canon customer service did not want to tell me which kind of power bank works, but you can easily find this info on the internet. I bought the Yoocas PD 65w laptop power bank from Amazon for $49 and it worked. The battery icon became greyed out. You can also get the Vello Battery Grip for the R8 for $60.Banding with the Electronic Shutter under most common household LED lighting- which flickers at every 120 of a second. On the R8 there is a setting called High Frequency Anti-Flicker where the camera automatically determines the flicker rate and sets the shutter speed to the exact decimal to avoid banding. However, keep in mind, that depending on the flicker rate, you will probably be limited to shooting at slower shutter speeds, like 199.9 of a second. For faster shutter speeds, use EFCS combined with Anti-Flicker.The cheaper Canon RF lenses have STM motors, which are slower to focus than USM, and the movement adds sounds to videos.Very little autofocus 3rd party lenses. Canon's lawyers have shut down 3rd parties that tried making autofocus lenses for the RF mount. At the time of writing this review, Canon has said that they will allow 3rd party autofocus lenses on a case by case basis. But 3rd party autofocus lenses are slow to be approved, and I assume it will take Canon a long time until they reach the same level of 3rd party support as Sony.The shutter does not come down to protect the sensor when changing lenses.Google: Petapixel- Canon has a hot shoe problemReading David Busch's Book (print edition) on the Canon EOS R8 really helped me learn how to use the camera. I read it in random order and still got a lot out of it. There are a few minor mistakes in the book, (Example: he talks about IBIS when the R8 has none,) but in general it was very helpful.In conclusion, the R8 is not perfect, but it's worth it for a beginner if you are okay with the price of Canon lenses and don't need 3rd party lenses. I bought the Canon RF 28mm F2.8 STM prime lens, and the Canon RF 70-200 F4 USM L lens. Both lenses have amazing image quality.

I still can't believe this camera is priced so low. Canon's entry level build quality is outstanding. The camera is definitely not in the same league as my R6 Mark II in terms of build, but it's lighter and smaller. I like the lack of fussy buttons--just customize this camera and go. Grip makes this work with larger lenses but awesome with smaller primes. Like the RP, but faster and with a cleaner sensor (to take advantage of that incredible full frame low light performance). Great JPEGs right out of the camera. If you are an advanced photographer looking for a second body or something lighter/more portable, or an amatuer, this is a great choice for stills and video. Great as an entry into serious photography--the Canon menus and layout are so thoughtful and ... MoreI still can't believe this camera is priced so low. Canon's entry level build quality is outstanding. The camera is definitely not in the same league as my R6 Mark II in terms of build, but it's lighter and smaller. I like the lack of fussy buttons--just customize this camera and go. Grip makes this work with larger lenses but awesome with smaller primes. Like the RP, but faster and with a cleaner sensor (to take advantage of that incredible full frame low light performance). Great JPEGs right out of the camera. If you are an advanced photographer looking for a second body or something lighter/more portable, or an amatuer, this is a great choice for stills and video. Great as an entry into serious photography--the Canon menus and layout are so thoughtful and well-developed. One recommendation: skip the 24-50mm kit lens. It's truly mediocre. Try the slightly older 24-105mm f/4.8-7.1 zoom--it's optically outstanding! Know that you'll want a lens with IS built in, as the body doesn't have it--but the lens IS is so good, some handheld video moves can look like they were on a gimbal.

This is my first proper camera apart from point-and-shoot and chose entry level full frame body with lens kit.Key highlights are light weight, good image quality including low light, fast and accurate auto focus. The photos on big screen look like you're physically at the scene in the sense that it's natural and good replication of the actual scene. When editing RAW photos they contain incredible amount of detail that you can bring back to life that will surpass JPEG straight out of the camera. It is full featured that you can shoot in manual, add accessories, shoot in RAW, etc.For me it has two main downsides. First is the body is small, that for my hands it's too small compared to higher spec'd bodies. To compensate because there is no genuine battery grip ... MoreThis is my first proper camera apart from point-and-shoot and chose entry level full frame body with lens kit.Key highlights are light weight, good image quality including low light, fast and accurate auto focus. The photos on big screen look like you're physically at the scene in the sense that it's natural and good replication of the actual scene. When editing RAW photos they contain incredible amount of detail that you can bring back to life that will surpass JPEG straight out of the camera. It is full featured that you can shoot in manual, add accessories, shoot in RAW, etc.For me it has two main downsides. First is the body is small, that for my hands it's too small compared to higher spec'd bodies. To compensate because there is no genuine battery grip from Canon for R8 (second downside) I had to get an extension grip. At the time of purchase there was none in stock in Sydney, so had to buy it in Japan when I was there and even over there it was the last in stock.Overall, do recommend R8 for beginners/those are new to the hobby like myself, especially if you don't mind or after smaller sized bodies. It's a good camera to learn about mirrorless cameras.