why this camera is excellent value for money to get started in pro photography

Announced last April, Canon’s new full-frame camera, the EOS R8 is the latest in the EOS R range. It’s also the most affordable with an introductory price of less than 1800 euros, bare body. With a slick technical sheet and few concessions, this camera is positioned as an excellent gateway into professional photography.

Full-frame mirrorless cameras are among those most popular with both professionals and discerning amateurs. Perfect in-between, they offer excellent image quality in a compact format. Their main flaw? Their price which often exceeds much more than 2000 euros. Canon, with its new EOS R8 body at a more affordable price of 1799 euros, wants to make professional photography accessible, and it has all the arguments to achieve this.

Sensor size matters

The main asset of this EOS R8 is undeniably its full-frame sensor. With a size of 24×36 mm, its size corresponds to that of our good old photo films. At present, it is the second largest sensor format after the medium format (which is much larger and much more expensive). It is also the most common format in professional photography for several reasons:

• its large size allows it to capture more light;
• full-frame sensors have greater definition and resolution than APS-C or micro 4:3 sensors, thus offering more detailed photos;
• today they are as light as bridges and much more compact than medium-format cameras (or full-format cameras with optical sight);
• no conversion is to be done with the optics. A full-frame 50mm lens frames like a full-frame 50mm, and that’s it.

If you want to know more about the sensor of your camera, we advise you to consult this detailed article on the different sensors and their characteristics, written by the editorial staff of CssTricks.

On this new EOS R8, it is therefore necessary to rely on a full-frame CMOS sensor of 24.2 million pixels, the same as on the EOS R6 II, the manufacturer’s more high-end model. Excellent definition that will allow you to capture the smallest detail, in any light condition. The OES R8 also takes over the autofocus of the R6 II which allows triggering in just 0.03 seconds and can shoot 40 images per second in JPG or 30 in RAW format.

To complement this large sensor, Canon has implemented on this new R8 a comfortable 2.36 million dot OLED electronic viewfinder with a refresh rate of 120 frames per second, covering almost the entire sensor. Enough to make you forget the beauty of the optical sight, or almost.

Much higher sensor sensitivity

Who says big sensor says bigger or more photosites. We therefore capture more light and the ISO sensitivity range is wider. On this new EOS R8, it can go up to 102,400 ISO, expandable up to 204,800 ISO if necessary.

The Canon EOS R8 will therefore be perfectly capable of accurately capturing the most complex scenes, including in low light conditions while retaining detail.

Keep in mind, however, that the most convincing results in terms of digital noise are generally obtained on a range contained between 50 and 3200 ISO and that from 6400 ISO, smoothing and noise begin to become really visible. For the more adventurous, however, RAW images will be perfectly retouchable, including at ISO 102,400.

The video is not left out

On this new hybrid, Canon has not forgotten videographers either and allows recording in 4K 60p without cropping and oversampling from 6K.

For those who also wish to dive into video in a more professional way, can record in Canon Log 3 in 10 bits 4:2:2 H.265, a format that is close to a video RAW format which allows greater amplitude in retouching and color grading.

The optical park is already large

Another significant advantage, the EOS R8 not being the first product in the EOS R range, the optical fleet is already rich with a good number of lenses, from wide-angle to telephoto.

Older lenses, EF or EF-S mount, also benefit from an adapter ring that allows you to attach them to R mounts. However, EF-M lenses are not compatible.

Good news finally, for its launch, the Canon EOS is accompanied by a 24-50 mm lens f/4.5-6.3 aperture, light, versatile and stabilized which will allow you to cover landscape photography as well as portrait photography.

More than reasonable concessions

With such a complete technical sheet, one can legitimately wonder what Canon had to make its concessions on. In the end, on very few things.

The only real compromise made on this new full-frame hybrid: the lack of stabilization of the sensor. A slight sacrifice that can be compensated by the judicious choice of stabilized optics.

On the video side, Canon has therefore opted for digital stabilization, which inevitably leads to a small cropping, but nothing too bad.

Exit also the multiple SD slots, on this case, it will be necessary to deal with a single insert for an SD card.

Finally, the Canon EOS R8 is a full-frame hybrid with multiple advantages: it is fast, it has a large, very well-defined sensor, it offers a burst and a more than effective autofocus and it also knows how to adapt to the needs of videographers. . With a price of 1799 euros, it is one of the best quality / price ratios on the hybrid market. For its launch, it is also offered as a kit at Fnac with a good 24-50 mm lens, perfect for beginners in photography with a full-frame camera.