The Canon EOS R8, released in April 2023, is Canon’s lightest full-frame mirrorless camera thus far. Sporting a 24.2MP CMOS image sensor and a Digic X processor, this unassuming camera is surprisingly adept at all types of photography and even makes short work of astrophotography.
Due to its full-frame 35mm image sensor and excellent on-board processing there’s minimal high ISO noise despite having an enormous range of as much as ISO 102,400 natively, expanding to 204,800 with a lift. While it isn’t the primary camera we would recommend for night photography we were impressed with our test results.
The R8 is ideal for anyone seeking to dip a toe into Canon’s full-frame mirrorless ecosystem without dropping too many dollars so long as they don’t seem to be expecting anything ground-breaking spec-wise for stills photography or video.
That said, the Dual Pixel CMOS AF II autofocusing is actually outstanding and with as much as 100% coverage edge-to-edge plus the power to discern people, animals or vehicles (or automatic detection) plus even biasing left or right eye focusing and blisteringly fast results. This does not help much with astro, but for photographers wanting a more generalist camera that excels at astro inside its limits, is actually useful.
Canon EOS R8 review
Canon EOS R8: Design
- Lightest Canon full-frame mirrorless
- Great button layout despite compact design
- Some features awkward to access
Canon highlights that the EOS R8 is the lightest Canon full-frame mirrorless camera, on the time of writing, and for good reason. At 0.91 lbs / 414g and 5.22 x 3.39 x 2.76-inches / 132.5 x 86.1 x 70.0mm for the body only, we felt this within the hand and will see its compactness from its slim profile. It’s a full 0.09 lbs / 26g lighter than the previous lightest full-frame mirrorless Canon camera the Canon EOS RP.
Traveling long distances or packing for a journey is where we predict the EOS R8 stands out. It’s smaller than many lenses that an astrophotographer might attach to it, especially a quick ultra-wide angle zoom lens which is usually large and weighty as a consequence of the premium glass construction needed to accumulate sharp, color fringe-free images.
This has a knock-on effect on other camera accessories too, like with the ability to buy a inexpensive tripod that has a lower maximum payload limit and even investing in a travel tripod somewhat than a full-sized one. Often astrophotographers will likely be setting out a telescope as well so carrying the gear from the home or automotive can get quite tiring when heading out to dark sky locations.
Specifications
Sensor: Full-frame 24.2MP
Lens mount: Canon RF
ISO range: 100-102,400 (expandable to 204,800)
Video: 4K UHD 59.94 FPS maximum
Weight: 0.91 lbs. / 414g (body only; without battery, memory card or body cap)
Memory card slots: Single SD UHS-II
Despite the compact design, we didn’t want for any more of the commonly used buttons than it featured and every little thing seemed in an intuitive location when using it. A lot so, that after we were forced to operate it at the hours of darkness, even with out a red light headlamp, we could set the aperture and shutter speed with out a hitch. We weren’t impressed with the tactic we had to make use of to regulate exposure compensation with the default layout, but more on that in our Functionality section.
Canon EOS R8: Performance
- Really impressive astro abilities for its price point
- Outstanding autofocusing system for tracking a variety of subjects
- No in-body image stabilization forces users to depend on lens IS
It’s known that full-frame cameras perform higher at astrophotography because they’re higher at handling image noise caused through using high ISO sensitivities. The Canon EOS R8 is nothing wanting astounding on this respect. Considering it’s Canon’s entry-level, second-cheapest full-frame mirrorless camera we couldn’t been fooled into pondering it is available in at twice its current price ($1499 at time of writing).
The standout performance of the Canon EOS R8 for us is its image noise handling when shooting wide-field astrophotography at high ISO sensitivities. What we might once have grit our teeth over when shooting within the 2000 to 3200 range, the EOS R8 comfortably handles 5000 and above. Repeatedly when zooming in to 100% in photo editing software we saw minimal image noise and when it was there it was uniform across the image, with little or no color distortion and noise that was easily removable with the assistance of some Denoise processing.
The rear screen is vivid, colourful and sharp and really helped us compose images, especially at awkward shooting angles where the vari-angle touchscreen really got here in handy. Nonetheless, owners needs to be aware that we noticed that while the photographs seemed great on the rear screen, once we opened them up on the pc later they were just a little less clear than we would have expected.
Pixel peeping at 100% zoom we could see the constraints of the EOS R8’s dynamic range. Underexposing scenes to avoid clipping highlights we boosted shadows in select areas using Adobe Lightroom and were met with disappointingly clipped shadows. That is something higher-end Canon models just like the Canon EOS R5 don’t exhibit.
We were seriously impressed with the high ISO noise handling for a camera at this price point. We paired the EOS R8 with a Canon RF 24-105mm f/4-7.1 which is not ideal for astrophotography but even when pushing the sensitivity up above ISO3200 the image noise was minimal. We predict that using this with a quick wide zoom just like the Canon RF 28-70mm f/2L USM could yield incredible results.
Image noise again wasn’t an issue when viewing on the rear screen, but loading them up into Lightroom we spotted more image noise than was visible on the rear LCD screen on the camera.
Although not a useful feature for astrophotography, the EOS R8’s silent electronic shutter can capture as much as 40FPS stills with as much as 6FPS electronic first-curtain shutter. The previous is beneficial in situations where subjects and camera are mainly still as a consequence of the rolling shutter effect, so quiet wedding settings, group portraits and stationary wildlife shoots will profit from this.
Canon EOS R8: Functionality
- Foolproof working straight out of the box
- Button placement perfect, with one small niggle
- Video stabilization less impressive than costlier Canon models
After loading up a battery and a memory card it couldn’t feel more intuitive to begin snapping shots on the EOS R8. Command dials and back-button focusing (AF-on) plus metering buttons are all in just the proper spot. The body is slim however the grip is deep enough to offer adequate grip when transporting it handheld, even with out a neck strap.
One small niggle we had during testing was shooting in Av (Aperture value, or aperture-priority) or Television (Time value, or shutter priority) and attempting to adjust exposure compensation to brighten/darken the shot. To do that we needed to hold down the asterix button on the rear right-hand side of the body and concurrently scroll the Quick Control dial above it. This requires finger dexterity higher than legendary guitarist Steve Vai and completely removes the power to press the shutter release button at the identical time.
We’re aware that it’s possible to establish the Lens Control Ring to regulate ISO on lenses which have one. But for us and plenty of other photographers that prefer to make use of this to regulate other settings, this criss-crossing of the fingers on the body by default seems backwards. If it was shifted to the Principal dial by default this may be a lot better.
A part of the large draw with mirrorless cameras is that they feature in-body image stabilization (IBIS). That is where the camera stabilizes the scene within the camera body, somewhat than counting on image stabilization (IS) within the lens. Some Canon models can work in tandem combining the ability of each IBIS and IS of camera and lens together. Sadly, The EOS R8 doesn’t have IBIS so stills photographers that may shoot handheld in low light conditions or videographers that need extra stability might want to stock lenses which have IS built-in and maybe also spend money on stabilizing gear reminiscent of a monopod or a gimbal.
With the above said, these are small points and most beginner and hobbyist users (heck, much more intermediate shooters) will probably not even recognize this as being an issue, in any respect. It’s a really solid camera, super light and inordinately useful and inexpensive.
Do you have to buy the Canon EOS R8?
In case you’re seeking to get into the full-frame mirrorless game and wish to shoot Canon without breaking the bank, the Canon EOS R8 is the camera to beat. For our money, we would not go together with the rest from Canon’s line-up for shooting astro on a budget. Since it’s full-frame you possibly can reap the benefits of your complete field of view of those full-frame lenses as well. The shortage of in-body image stabilization shouldn’t hassle astrophotographers who will all the time be using a tripod anyway, but when purchasing as a generalist camera to shoot throughout the daytime too, this only is sensible if budget is restricted. Saving that cash is an important profit because you possibly can drop some serious dollars on big, fast glass, just like the Canon RF 28-70mm f/2L USM or Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM after which upgrade your EOS R8 to something beefier just like the EOS R5 in the longer term without having to reinvest in higher lenses.
If the Canon EOS R8 is not for you
It is a full-frame camera that shoots 40FPS (electronic shutter) captures 4K 60FPS video and is stunning at astrophotography. So what’s not to love? Well, nothing in and of itself but there are some users that can want for more out of their camera. To start out with the EOS R8 has just one memory card slot and its 40FPS is at risk of rolling shutter so it’s useless for things like sports and motion. As a substitute, we would recommend the Canon EOS R3 which is built for skilled use and is a lot better adept at sports shooting at 30FPS (mechanical shutter) with no buffering issues to talk of.
Nonetheless, for astrophotography on a mirrorless camera we predict the Sony A7R IVA is the general winner in the intervening time. Top of our Best cameras for astrophotography guide (other than two dedicated astro cams) and its non-A sibling the Sony A7R IV within the primary spot on our Best cameras for photos and videos page, we were impressed enough to provide it 4 and a half out of 5 stars. Deftly detailed with 61MP stills resolution and an incredible autofocusing system it does almost every little thing excellently. Though, video shooters remember it tops out at 4K video recording.