Canon's EOS R mirrorless family has grown by two. The R8 is billed as the lightest full-frame EOS camera so far and is aimed at "the up-and-coming video or photo enthusiast" while the R50 is for smartphone creators looking to step up.
The EOS R8 is designed to satisfy the needs of entry level users looking to boost their photo and video game, and essentially combines the compact dimensions of the four-year-old EOS RP with technology trickled down from last year's EOS R6 Mark II.
It squeezes in the same 24.2-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor and Digic X image processing engine, and also features Dual Pixel CMOS AF II with 1,053 autofocus zones for still images and videos, which can zero in on a subject in as little as 0.03 seconds.
Subject tracking is able to keep a wide variety of moving subject types in focus (including horses, aircraft and trains), with head/eye/face detection allowing for extra precision when human subjects are in the frame. The camera can also be set to automatically determine the subject type so users won't need to dive into the settings.
The R8 is capable of up to 40 frames per second continuous shooting in full electronic shutter mode, or 6 fps with the first-curtain electronic shutter – which promises to cut down distortion on moving subjects. The camera also boasts low-noise ISO100 to 102,400 light sensitivity, which can be expanded to ISO204,800. Canon has sacrificed in-body image stabilization for this model though, but with a suitable RF lens this shouldn't be too much of a problem for run-and-gun content creators.
It can record full-width 4K UHD footage from oversampled 6K data at up to 60 fps for the promise of sharp, detailed video, while lowering the resolution to Full HD opens the door to slow motion capture at 180 fps. There's a feature which compensates for a user's breathing motion during recording, and vloggers can look forward to continuous 4K recording for up to 2 hours at 30 fps.
Canon gives creators the choice of oven-ready 10-bit HDR for immediate viewing on televisions, monitors and mobile devices or a C-Log 3 profile at 10-bit YCbCr 4:2:2 H.265 for those who like to tweak in post. The R8 can also serve as a webcam over USB-C for Full HD livestreaming thanks to UVC/UAC compatibility.
Elsewhere, the full-frame mirrorless features a 2.36-mil-dot OLED electronic viewfinder that supports a refresh rate of 120 fps, plus there's a mode that simulates an optical viewfinder experience. Below this sits a 3-inch 1.62-mil-dot vari-angle LCD touch monitor for liveview and menu access. And Bluetooth 4.2 and 802.11n dual-band Wi-Fi are onboard for wireless data transfer and remote operation.
The EOS R8 measures 5.22 x 3.39 x 2.76 in (132.5 x 86.1 x 80 mm) and is a fairly lightweight carry at just over a pound (461 g), including the battery and single UHS-II SD card. It's up for pre-order now with a body only price of US$1,499, or with the new RF24-50mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM zoom lens for $1,699. Shipping is expected to start from mid-April.
The EOS R50 is your everyday carry camera, and is aimed at content creators looking to enter Canon's mirrorless universe. Users get the same sensor resolution as the R8, but in APS-C format rather than full-frame, and the same image processing engine is cooked in too.
It also rocks that flagship Dual Pixel CMOS AF II system, though with fewer AF zones available, and the subject tracking is slightly less capable as well, only picking out people, cats, dogs, birds, cars and motorbikes.
Canon has included something called Advanced A+ Assist for simplified advanced settings adjustment. The camera can manage 15 fps continuous shooting via the silent electronic shutter or 12 fps with the first curtain option activated. It can also manage uncropped 4K video from oversampled 6K sensor data, but tops out at 30 fps.
The R50 has UVC/UAC compatibility for livestreaming via USB, and comes with a close-up mode that automatically zooms in on an object placed in front of the camera, which should be great for product showcases. It also benefits from the same specs for the vari-angle rear display and EVF as the R8, and the same wireless connectivity chops.
The EOS R50 is available for pre-order now for a body only price of $679.99, or you can include a RF-S18-45mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM lens for an extra hundred bucks, or with RF-S18-45mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM and RF-S55-210mm F5-7.1 IS STM lenses for a total of $1,029. Shipping will start on March 16.
