Canon R8 Comparison Review

The Canon EOS R8 is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that was revealed to the public in February 2023 and is equipped with a full frame sensor. It offers a resolution of 24 megapixel.

Is the Canon R8 a good camera? The R8 has a Camera Elo of 2856. This rating puts the R8 among the top 30 percent of all mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (full frame cameras), the R8 also ranks among the top 30 percent.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size of the Canon R8 vis-à-vis a credit card. Three successive views from the front, the top, and the rear are shown. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Canon R8 alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Canon R8	133 mm	86 mm	70 mm	461 g	220	n	Feb 2023	1,499	amazon.com
2.		Canon 77D	131 mm	100 mm	76 mm	540 g	600	n	Feb 2017	899	ebay.com
3.		Canon M5	116 mm	89 mm	61 mm	427 g	295	n	Sep 2016	979	ebay.com
4.		Canon M6	112 mm	68 mm	45 mm	390 g	295	n	Feb 2017	779	ebay.com
5.		Canon R10	123 mm	88 mm	83 mm	429 g	450	n	May 2022	979	amazon.com
6.		Canon RP	133 mm	85 mm	70 mm	485 g	250	n	Feb 2019	1,299	amazon.com
7.		Canon SL2	122 mm	93 mm	70 mm	453 g	650	n	Jun 2017	549	ebay.com
8.		Sony A7	127 mm	94 mm	48 mm	474 g	340	Y	Oct 2013	1,699	ebay.com
9.		Sony NEX-7	120 mm	67 mm	43 mm	400 g	430	n	Aug 2011	1,349	ebay.com
10.		Sony RX1	113 mm	65 mm	70 mm	482 g	270	n	Sep 2012	2,799	ebay.com
11.		Sony RX1R	113 mm	65 mm	70 mm	482 g	270	n	Jun 2013	2,799	ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Canon R8 was launched in the US market at a price of $1,499. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Check R8 price at
amazon.com

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The imaging sensor is at the core of digital cameras and its size is one of the main determining factors of image quality. A large sensor will generally have larger individual pixels that offer better low-light sensitivity, provide wider dynamic range, and have richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors are more costly to manufacture and tent to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Canon R8 features a full frame sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.0. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Canon R8 among the large-sensor cameras that aim for top notch image quality.

For most cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service is based on lab testing and assigns an overall score to each camera sensor, as well as ratings for dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), color depth ("DXO Portrait"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"). The table below summarizes the physical sensor characteristics and sensor quality findings and compares them across a set of similar cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Canon R8	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4k/60p	24.5	14.7	3295	93
2.		Canon 77D	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	23.6	13.3	971	78
3.		Canon M5	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	23.4	12.4	1262	77
4.		Canon M6	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	23.4	12.6	1317	78
5.		Canon R10	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4k/60p	24.1	13.8	2085	84
6.		Canon RP	Full Frame	26.0	6240	4160	4K/30p	24.3	11.9	2977	85
7.		Canon SL2	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	23.6	13.4	1041	79
8.		Sony A7	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.8	14.2	2248	90
9.		Sony NEX-7	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60i	24.1	13.4	1016	81
10.		Sony RX1	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	25.1	14.3	2534	93
11.		Sony RX1R	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	25.0	13.6	2537	91
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Many modern cameras cannot only take still pictures, but also record videos. The R8 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the R8 can use is 4k/60p.

Feature comparison

Beyond body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the R8 has an electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 2360k dots. The viewfinder offers a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.70x. The adjacent tables list some of the other core features of the Canon R8 along with similar information for a selection of comparators.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Canon R8	2360	n	3.0 / 1620	swivel	Y	1/4000s	6.0/s	n	n
2.		Canon 77D	optical	Y	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	6.0/s	Y	n
3.		Canon M5	2360	n	3.2 / 1620	tilting	Y	1/4000s	9.0/s	Y	n
4.		Canon M6	optional	n	3.0 / 1040	tilting	Y	1/4000s	9.0/s	Y	n
5.		Canon R10	2360	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/8000s	15.0/s	Y	n
6.		Canon RP	2360	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	5.0/s	n	n
7.		Canon SL2	optical	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	5.0/s	Y	n
8.		Sony A7	2400	n	3.0 / 1230	tilting	n	1/8000s	5.0/s	n	n
9.		Sony NEX-7	2359	n	3.0 / 921	tilting	n	1/4000s	10.0/s	Y	n
10.		Sony RX1	optional	n	3.0 / 1229	fixed	n	1/4000s	5.0/s	Y	n
11.		Sony RX1R	optional	n	3.0 / 1229	fixed	n	1/4000s	5.0/s	Y	n
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

The LCD screen on the Canon EOS R8 is flexibly attached to the body. In particular, the LCD is hinged on the side and can be flipped out for odd-angle shots in both portrait and landscape orientation. Also, this fully articulated, swivel type of LCD attachment is often appreciated by videographers for its flexibility. Moreover, v-loggers like the design because the screen can be turned to be front-facing.

It is worthwhile pointing out that the R8 has a touchscreen. Touch control can be particularly helpful, for example, when trying to adjust the focus point.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Canon EOS R8 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Canon R8	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.2	Y	-	Y
2.		Canon 77D	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	Y
3.		Canon M5	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	Y
4.		Canon M6	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	Y
5.		Canon R10	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
6.		Canon RP	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
7.		Canon SL2	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	Y
8.		Sony A7	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
9.		Sony NEX-7	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
10.		Sony RX1	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
11.		Sony RX1R	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-

It is notable that the R8 has a microphone port. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

Further information on the features and operation of the R8 can be found in the free online Canon R8 Manual or on the Canon support site.

Expert reviews

While the specs-based evaluation of cameras is instructive in revealing their potential as photographic tools, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the handling experience and imaging performance when actually working with the R8. User reviews, such as those found at amazon, can sometimes inform about these issues, but such feedback is often incomplete, inconsistent, and biased. This is where reviews by experts come in. The table below summarizes the assessments of some of the best known camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Canon R8	4.5/5	+ +	4.5/5	87/100	4/5	4.5/5	Feb 2023	1,499	amazon.com
2.		Canon 77D	4.5/5	..	4/5	82/100	4.5/5	4/5	Feb 2017	899	ebay.com
3.		Canon M5	4/5	+	4/5	82/100	4/5	4/5	Sep 2016	979	ebay.com
4.		Canon M6	..	..	..	80/100	4/5	4/5	Feb 2017	779	ebay.com
5.		Canon R10	4/5	..	4.5/5	87/100	4/5	4.5/5	May 2022	979	amazon.com
6.		Canon RP	4/5	+	4/5	..	4.5/5	4/5	Feb 2019	1,299	amazon.com
7.		Canon SL2	4/5	+ +	4/5	78/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2017	549	ebay.com
8.		Sony A7	5/5	+ +	..	80/100	5/5	5/5	Oct 2013	1,699	ebay.com
9.		Sony NEX-7	5/5	+ +	..	81/100	4.5/5	5/5	Aug 2011	1,349	ebay.com
10.		Sony RX1	5/5	..	..	79/100	4/5	4.5/5	Sep 2012	2,799	ebay.com
11.		Sony RX1R	5/5	..	..	..	4/5	4.5/5	Jun 2013	2,799	ebay.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The ratings were established in reference to similarly priced cameras that were available in the market at the time of the review. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera's market launch date and its price, and comparing ratings of very distinct cameras or ones that are far apart in terms of their release date have little meaning. Also, kindly note that some of the listed sites have over time developped their review approaches and their reporting style.

Check R8 price at
amazon.com

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you are interested in seeing how this camera compares to another one, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. Alternatively, you can follow any of the listed hyperlinks for comparisons that others found interesting.

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