Canon EOS R8 £1,699/$1,499 (body only)

A remarkably light and powerful full-frame camera

- 

The EOS R8 reminds us of just what a long way Canon has come since launching the original EOS R nearly four years ago – and just how many cameras, for many kinds of consumers, the R system now encompasses.

At the end of 2022, the R series was up to 11 camera bodies and 31 lenses, and after producing some of the best Canon cameras to date, from the flagship Canon EOS R3 to the entry-level Canon EOS R10, the company has showed no signs of slowing down.

The Canon EOS R8, despite being one numerical value below the APS-Cequipped Canon EOS R7, actually sports a full-frame sensor. Canon says that the R8 sits between the Canon EOS RP, its entry-level full-frame camera, and the Canon EOS R6 Mark II, for serious enthusiasts and professionals. And the EOS R8 is certainly a bit of a Frankenstein’s monster of the two, whether you see it is an upgraded RP or a down-specced R6 Mark II.

Key features

The Canon EOS R8 uses the same 24.2MP sensor as the R6 Mark II and also offers the same ISO range (which is expandable up to a whopping 102,400). The R8 can autofocus down to -6.5EV.

It also replicates the incredible electronic shutter speed from the R6, with a blazing-fast 40 frames per second, making it one of Canon’s fastest cameras – and a real contender for sports and wildlife photography, although you might still be best served by the Canon EOS R7, thanks to its 1.6x crop factor and in-body image stablisation. The R8 also has a 6fps first-curtain electronic shutter.