Canon EOS R8 Body

The Canon EOS R8 is a light and compact system camera. Despite the large full-frame sensor, the body is small. I find that very useful, because I like to take my camera with me on a trip. I now use the 24-50mm lens on the EOS R8. This lens is also quite light and small. As a result, the camera is well balanced. With a bigger and heavier lens, I feel the camera leans forward.

Fast autofocus with object recognition I find the autofocus very fast and comprehensive. When I put someone in the picture, the camera immediately recognizes the eyes. The autofocus extends almost all the way to the edge of my screen. In the menu I choose which eye the camera focuses on. This works from my model's point of view. I choose the right eye, but see on the screen that the camera then selects the left eye for me. He also recognizes cars and trams very well. The camera automatically focuses on the front. I am testing this from the 6th floor of a building. For example, he has a little more trouble recognizing vehicles. That's because I shoot from above. The design of the vehicle is less visible from that angle.

Good lighting during filming For videography, I like the manual focus peaking function. The camera shows which parts of the image are overexposed and which are too dark. For example, if I record a vlog during the day and have windows in the background, this function ensures that the windows are well lit. I then expose all parts in the foreground that are too dark with extra studio lights.

Quickly delete photos What I also find very useful is the deletion of photos. If I shoot many photos in succession in continuous shooting, the camera recognizes the scene. This is how I delete all photos of the same scene at once. This saves me a lot of time as I don't have to delete all the photos one by one. Even if I have made a RAW burst, this works fine. In this mode, the camera takes up to 40 photos per second. Once I've chosen the perfect shot, I delete the rest at the touch of a button.

The camera initially left me a bit cold, and even caused/causes some frustrations. After switching from the Canon 70D*, which was already feeling a bit worn out, I had high expectations, especially after a lot of glowing reviews. Initially, that was a bit disappointing... Why? Well, I use the control dials on the 70D quite a lot, and thought I wouldn't miss them/be able to bypass them on the R8. It turned out that this was absolutely not the case for the autofocus: it works absurdly slowly via the 4-way button, but half with the control dial and the autofocus by using the screen as a trackpad is only useful if you are very handy with your nose. One extra wheel on the back would have actually lifted this camera from "just a bit better than point and shoot" to "not quite a professional camera". This is half-heartedly compensated for by a multifunction key that hides an entire menu, I am not a fan.

After a 4-week trip, the solution turned out to be that I have to handle the camera differently. For landscapes or architecture, I can still compose perfectly via the viewfinder, for portraits or street, the screen is the best way. Via the viewfinder (which is very pleasant to use by the way) I just let everything happen in auto, but if people or something come into the picture, I hold the camera in front of me and I can start tracking with a quick tap on the screen. For people who come from a smartphone or camera with few buttons, this will feel much more natural, I think. In the settings, there is also some serious fine-tuning with the autofocus and tracking, which I was able to adjust more to my liking after a while.

But now for the good: The photos are absurdly good. With good lighting during the day, you don't notice that super, but once the camera has to use its dynamic range, the results are simply amazing. Open sky and full shadow in 1 photo? No problem! Even hardly any noise! (I shoot in RAW, no idea what this camera does with jpegs).

This camera is really light and small, especially for a full frame. An R10 was my initial choice but a Canon action on the R8 and the much more logical choice of RF lenses on FF made me change my mind. Especially because the R10 also lacks that wheel on the back and I can't care less about that joystick: my nose is in front of it anyway.

The autofocus (tracking). A love-hate relationship: I haven't really figured out how to make it work properly yet, but when it does it's magic. Especially with photos with the lens wide open, good focus is a must and the camera is damn good at that. Also with EF lenses in an adapter, which is also a bonus!

If you set this camera to "silent shutter" you simply don't hear anything. What a relief.

Unfortunately I discovered an "unimportant" function too late: the "lock" mode between off and on. Please use this when someone else is taking a family photo because otherwise your settings will be everywhere but where you want them to be. And of course you won't realize that until way too late. By the way, you can set what is and isn't locked.

Also don't get caught out by comments about the limited battery or the lack of weather sealing.

• The battery lasts for more than a day, if necessary take a few extra batteries with you (3rd party doesn't have to be expensive).
• Weather sealing? Unless you're going to photograph snow leopards in the Himalayas and have no other choice, just don't hold the camera in the rain.

The lack of a flash is a bit of a shame, so I'll have to buy one again. Not a dealbreaker though.

*disclaimer: the 70D actually still works perfectly, but it weighs twice as much. So I can actually feel the ravages of time?

I was allowed to test this Canon R8 for a few weeks and it pleasantly surprised me. Compared to my older Canon 5D Mark III, this camera is really small and light! For me as a woman, the smaller size is ideal, especially during long photo sessions or travels. The weight makes this full-frame camera perfect for photographers who want to avoid heavy equipment.

In combination with the affordable Canon RF 50mm f1.8 lens, the R8 creates really beautiful bokeh effects, which makes it very suitable for portrait photography while traveling. The combination of a small lens with the light and small body of the R8 is really ideal.

The first thing I noticed when I started shooting was the lightning-fast autofocus. The camera automatically recognizes subjects such as people, animals and vehicles and can follow them effortlessly. You can even set which subjects it should track. In combination with RF lenses, this system delivers exceptional sharpness and speed. The camera also performs super well in low-light situations.

However, there are a few drawbacks. The single card slot and limited battery life make it less suitable for professional use, such as weddings. In addition, the operation is different from older models such as the Canon 5D Mark IV, which can take some getting used to. But for enthusiasts who like to shoot with a full-frame camera, the Canon EOS R8 is definitely recommended!