Canon Announces EOS R8 Mark II With Retro Body and In-Body Stabilization

The 24.2-megapixel camera uses the same full-frame CMOS sensor as the R6 Mark II, while the newer EOS R6 Mark III has a 32.5-megapixel sensor. At 1.2 pounds, the R8 Mark II is slightly heavier than the original R8 because of the stabilization system, but it is lighter and cheaper than last year's EOS R6 Mark III, which costs $2,799. The original R8 launched at $1,499.

The stabilization offers up to 7.5 stops of shake correction and can be expanded when paired with a lens that has its own stabilization. Like its predecessor, the R8 Mark II relies on an electronic shutter only and can shoot at up to 40 frames per second. A pre-continuous shooting mode captures up to 20 additional frames before the shutter button is pressed. Engadget reported the camera captures 58 percent more JPEG and 30 percent more RAW images in a burst than the R8.

Autofocus uses Canon's Dual Pixel CMOS AF II system. Canon told Engadget the system offers 100 percent coverage and tracks people, animals and vehicles with more tenacious tracking than the EOS R8. It can also register up to 10 people by face and rank their priority, a feature previously seen on higher-end models such as the EOS R6 III.

Video specifications remain close to the R8's. The camera can record 4K at 60fps oversampled from the full 6K sensor width, and uncropped 1080p at up to 180fps. It supports 10-bit 4:2:2 capture with Canon Log3 in HEVC or AVC at bit rates up to 250 Mbps. Video autofocus gains the same subject detection and tracking features as still photography.

For amateur photographers, Canon includes 16 color filters, an easy depth-of-blur control that automatically handles settings such as f-stop and shutter speed, and creative bracketing that takes three photos with different brightness and color tones. Engadget reported new Positive Filmtone, Negative Filmtone and Night Scene film looks, an A+ Automatic Exposure mode with a blurred background setting for movies, and a separate Slow & Fast mode. The camera has a single UHS-II card slot, a 3-inch 1.62-million-dot vari-angle display and a 2.36-million-dot EVF. The LP-E17 battery is rated for 340 shots in power-saving mode.

The body moves away from the rounded shape of the original R8 toward a boxier, more angular design. Canon credits the nearly 40-year-old EOS 650 and its pentaprism housing as inspiration. A new multi-controller joystick sits above the screen for selecting focal points, and the single SD card slot is moved to the side so it remains accessible when a tripod is attached. Canon will sell a $99.99 accessory grip that extends the camera's grip for larger lenses. Engadget lists the optional EG-E2 Extension Grip at $100 and a new Speedlite EL-5 Ver.2 flash at $379.

In October, Canon will also release a free Windows app called Dual Pixel 3D Converter. The app uses information captured by Canon's dual-pixel autofocus system to generate 3D imagery from 2D photos. Users can create a 3D photo with a movable background, a 3D model with the background removed, or short 3D videos showing animated perspective adjustments of close-up subjects.

Some coverage differed on how retro the new design appears. TechRadar's headline said the EOS R8 II is not the retro camera fans expected and described a "modern twist," while The Verge and Engadget said the body borrows styling from Canon's classic EOS 650 SLR film camera.