The Canon EOS R8 and the Canon EOS M50
I recently had my hands on the New Canon R8 and the Canon M50 Mirrorless Camera systems; here are my thoughts on the two new Bodies.
I was impressed with the Canon R50 as a small, bang for your buck Vlogger Camera. It is a lightweight, perfect on-the-go camera for both carrying around all the time or even travelling. This is the significant next step in using your Smart Phone, offering you better quality images and video since it has almost 4x the sensor size than a smartphone. The M50 has the same 25.3MP APS-C Sensor as the R10 from my previous blog.
The R50 can also capture moving subjects with its 15 frames per second and is handy when travelling content or even shooting kids or pets. To make it even better, it has high-performance subject tracking for animals, people and vehicles.
The R50 can shoot 4k 30p movies oversampled from 6K. The M50 also has a Shooting Mode Guide to teach and guide you through various functions. It is also compatible with smartphones, making sharing on social media a breeze. The R50 also supports vertical movies allowing videos to play in a vertical orientation, which is great for Instagram and viewing on a smartphone.
Here is a comparison between the DSLR M50 Mark11 compared the Mirrorless R50:
| EOS M50 Mark11 | Canon R50 | |
| Release Date | 27 November 2022 | 7 February 2023 |
| Weight | 387g | 375g |
| Dimensions | 116.3 x 88.1 x 58.7mm | 116.3 x 85.5 x 68.8mm |
| Mega Pixels | 24.1 | 24.2 |
| Processor | DIGIC 8 | DIGIC X |
| ISO | 100-25600 (expanded to 51200 equivalent) | 100-32000 (expanded to 51200 equivalent) |
| Frame Rate | 10 shots/sec (electronic 1st curtain) | 15 shots/sec (electronic shutter) 12 shots/sec (electronic 1st curtain) |
| Recording Size | 4K 23.98p (cropped) | 4K 30p (6K oversampling uncropped) |
| Recording Frame Rate & Focus System | HD 120p (uncropped) Contrast AF (4K) Dual Pixel CMOS AF II (non 4K) | Full HD 120p (uncropped) Dual Pixel CMOS AF II |
| Subject Detection | People (eyes/face) | People (eyes/face/head/body) / Animals (dogs, cats, birds) / Vehicles (cars, motorcycles) / Auto |
| Screen | Vari-angle 3.0″ touchscreen Approx. 1.04 million dots | Vari-angle 3.0″ touchscreen Approx. 1.62 million dots |
| Battery Info | LP-E12 (875mAh) Approx. 250 shots (with finder) Approx. 305 shots (with monitor) | LP-E17 (1040mAh) Approx. 310 shots (with finder) Approx. 440 shots (with monitor) |
I am by no means a Vlogger 😊 so we decided to shoot a quick basic making-a-coffee video to test its ability in the studio.
The Canon R8 is an excellent addition to the Canon Mirrorless lineup. Coming in at around R35k is more affordable than its predecessors. It’s a Full Frame Camera with a 24.3 Megapixel Sensor and great low-light performance. The camera is weather-resistant and light if you are travelling in harsh conditions. It can capture up to 40fps High-Speed continuous shooting using the electronic shutter and 6fps high-speed shooting on Electronic 1st Curtain Shutter. It can produce Raw, C-Raw 14-bit, Jpeg 8-bit and HEIF 10-bit files. The UHS-II SD Card Slot is an excellent benefit for high-speed shooting.
The Dual Pixel CMOS AF II focusing system, the same as found in the R6 Markii and the intelligent AF, is fantastic and includes tracking horses, aircraft and trains. The AF allows for tracking subjects right to the edges of the frame. The Pre-Burst mode is also fantastic for capturing moments we often miss while waiting for a subject to move. You also can touch the screen and focus on one particular subject in a group, and it will focus and follow that specific subject.
I find the fact that you have an easy switch button between video and camera a great addition.
The only thing I would say you need to remember is that this camera uses a smaller battery than its predecessors, the LP-E-17 Battery. I would recommend buying 1, maybe even two extra batteries. Shooting at these kinds of frame rates, you would need some extra batteries.
This camera has a lot of technology and performance crammed into this great lightweight body that is weather sealed and a great addition as a second body or for someone moving over to the Mirrorless system for the first time and who shoots a variety of genres.
Here are the full specs of the Canon R8 Mirrorless Camera:
| Weight | 461 Grams |
| Dimensions | 133 x 86 x 70 mm (5.24 x 3.39 x 2.76″) |
| Mega Pixels | 24 Megapixels |
| Processor | Digic X |
| ISO | 100-102400 |
| Frame Rate | At max speed, you’ll get approximately 40 fps burst shooting. However, in first-curtain shutter mode, the camera maxes out at 6 fps |
| Recording Size | Full HD at 179.82fps, 150fps, 100fps or 119.9fps27 Recorded as a 1/6-speed slow-motion movie Single scene full recording up to approx. 20 mins, 179.82/150fps 30mins 119.88/100fps |
| Canon Log | Yes, Canon Log 3 |
| Recording Frame Rate | Full HD at 179.82fps, 150fps, 100fps or 119.9fps27 Recorded as a 1/6-speed slow-motion movie A single scene full recording up to approx. 20 mins, 179.82/150fps 30mins 119.88/100fps |
| Recording Focus System | Dual Pixel CMOS AF II with Eye/Face Detection and Tracking AF (people, animals and vehicles), Movie Servo AF, Manual Focus |
| Subject Detection | Yes |
| Scene Intelligent Auto | Yes |
| Screen | 3” Fully Articulated screen with 1,620,000 million dots |
| Battery Info | LP-E17 |
Here is a series captured with the R8 | Canon 100 – 400mm EF Lens a Jackal Buzzard in Flight
Always remember reviews are based on user experience and how and what the reviewer captures. What may be necessary to them may not be important or needed by you.
I hope this blog will help answer some of the questions that you may have had about these cameras. Please feel free to comment on this blog or email me with any other questions.
Love and Light
Melanie C
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