Django

That's what so-called pundits where expecting three years ago when the original R6 dropped. Still hasn't happened, not even in the sub-$4K range. So who's going to do it? Sony? Nope, they won't put a new FF sensor that will cannibalise their best selling A7IV inside a $1500 camera. Besides FF 40K60p 10-bit sensor won't work in the tiny A7C body. Panasonic? They just released S5ii, have S5iiX planned with no FF4K60p and they don't do $1500 cameras. Who's left.. slow-poke Nikon? We're still waiting on Z8 (a $4K camera). Like it or not Canon have been pioneering quite a number of things in their mirrorless range, including 6K/8K internal RAW cameras. Something only the $6K Z9 can currently do. So yeah sometimes you just gotta give them credit where credit is due. Too easy to just dismiss it by saying no big deal, someone else will do the same soon when they've literally proven to be years ahead.

That's awesome it is working out so good for you, really makes me wanna try one out ASAP! Could you expand a bit on this, how are you recording audio internally with the sound devices unit? Just via mini jack from stereo out to stereo in?

Something weird going on with N-RAW. Why is there NR going on? Latitude test kinda disappointing. Sigma FP deserves better (12-bit CDNG). Wish Canon RAW was also in the mix, interesting to hear positive comments on your short experience with R3. Its a camera I'm still considering..

Ouch that hurts! EU has about 30% increase from US prices (20% VAT + 10% markup) for Sony & Canon products. It looks like your country has 40%! Brazil I think is the worst. I'd advise grey market at that point. 😉 What is strange and works strongly in the favour of Panasonic is that here their gear is only 19% more than the US. That's less than VAT meaning Panny not only doesn't do a markup, they cut off a percent from their margins for the EU market. Smart strategy that I'm sure pays off!

Check out Lok's R8 test, he sticked it in his oven set at 37 degrees Celsius and it ran for an 1h10mn in 4K25p after what his SD was full and he stopped testing it, the new temp meter was only at about 3 bars. The R50 overheated immediately upon turning on after his initial 5mn off warm up. R8 battery life was I think 53mn (you'll have to check) in those conditions which isn't great but not totally bad. Totally understandable. Not too many scenarios for the EOSHD crowd to go for an R8, we're not really the target. Places like Cined, Gerald Undone etc haven't even bothered reviewing it. Heck even the R5/R6/R5C barely get any traction. Canon is absolutely hated on by pundits. That said, on the field, or even right here, most Canon users are working pros, shooting silently and getting paid while others circle jerk over their bonus features shooting alleys and trees in glorious anamorphic splendour and wobble free stability. Being slightly facetious here, I think all cameras are pretty great right now compared to just a generation or two ago.

We can only speak about what's out now. We can sure hope Sony will refresh the outdated A7C specs but they will have a big challenge with heat management in such a tiny body. Also keep in mind the original R6 that also came out three years ago already had things like FF 4K60p 10-bit, thanks to its sensor coming from the then flagship 1DX3. Its an interesting move from Canon putting flagship tech inside a low/mid tier camera and it sure has paid off (R6 is their biggest seller). I am focused on that feature because I find it so impressive that a $1500 camera can do it. Again you have to step up to a $4K A7SIII to do it in Sony land and its not even an oversampled image! I think not even the S1H can do it in Panny land. So its no small feat. But sure we can talk about other things like the low rolling shutter and DPAF2 that crushes the S5's DFD. But in the end the S5 and R8 target vastly different customers, it's pointless to even compare them. You seem to fail to understand camera segments. Again the R8 is a cut down R6ii or an upgraded RP, however you wanna see it. They made some hardware choices to reach that $1500 entry-level price point. But aside from IBIS on the video side there are no compromises as far as specs. You get everything from the R6ii. You even get some things that aren't in the R5. This is a good philosophy and one can only hope Sony will follow. AFAIK Panasonic don't play in that $1500 FF segment so again pointless to even compare.

I do think what's interesting is that video is finally starting to become equally if not more important than stills for the general public. surely the influence of YouTube, social networks etc. Everybody wants to get into it, do slomo, grade their footage. This has the beneficiary effect of camera manufacturers putting higher video specs than previous generations inside low-mid tier bodies. Its a real change in policy for companies like Canon & Sony that used to really cripple hard on video specs to protect cine lines. I still think FF4K60p in 10-bit with Clog3 is quite a nice surprise in an entry-level FF mirrorless. Yeah its no big deal for all those of us with R5's, A7SIII's, S1Hs etc but think of the little guys 😉

Yeah the R7 as a B-cam to your R5 may work better for you and all the others that chose to buy an R7 for whatever reasons suit them. Other folks just might not want a crop sensor on their EF/RF lenses. And yes there are compromises with the R8. But as gt3rs pointed out, the R6ii takes care of all of them. you just have to pay extra. The R8 is a cut-down R6ii, wether or not it appeals to you is a different matter but rest assured there is a target market at that price point. As someone else pointed the RP is still a big seller on Amazon and such, despite super outdated specs.

It's the most entry-level FF model, that's why it should be compared to the similarly priced A7C. Not a Z9, A1 etc. And yeah Canon should be praised for not gimping the video specs and giving it FF4K60p & 10-bit. Like I said this is beneficial for consumers no matter if you're on a rival system. Like for example hopefully it pushes Sony to replace the A7C with an updated A7IV sensor and also give it 10-bit & 4K60p. Alongside IBIS it would have an advantage and be competitive. Well for starters R7 is an APS-C cam so that's a pretty big compromise if you have FF EF/RF glass. There really isn't much in terms of APS-C RF options. IQ wise, R7 4K60p is line-skipped. You do get a slightly better body & IBIS. But for those that need/want FF on a budget, that is R8s target. Just look at it as the new and enhanced RP. I could see myself grabbing one for a B-Cam + travel cam.

Yeah the R8 hardware isn't crazy but remember the R6 had the 1DX3 sensor and R6ii improved on it and this is what you get inside R8. I still find it pretty crazy you get one of Canons flagship sensors inside a $1500 camera. They didn't gimp it video spec wise either giving it face only detect, a feature not even present in the R5..

Agreed, EF L glass has never been cheaper and is still great. I also have some RF STM primes and they're cheap and compact, have IS and macro. It is a bummer no more third party lenses from Sigma and such though..

Yes FF oversampled 4K60p uncropped. 15ms RS. DPAF2. Those specs are higher than anything the competition offers. You have to step up to 4000€ A7SIII for uncropped 4K60p (and its not oversampled). No IBIS and lightweight body could be an advantage to some shooters. By the way, I love how R8's body gets slammed for not being "ergonomic" yet the Sigma FP gets a pass. Double standards.

Reason it looks a little funky on YT is the footage was downscaled to FHD to soften it up, then upscaled back to 4K. With a heavy film stock grade in the middle. Kind of a weird process but it does come out filmic! I do think a lot of people are sleeping on this cam, I think its the most exciting sensor of all 2022/2023 releases. Would love to find some XH2S ProRes footage to test grade..

There are cost saving measures for sure and of course FF 4K60p will surely overheat under long shooting. But at least is has FF4K60p which neither S5II or even A7IV offer. DPAF2 will also be way superior to S5II AF. Another strong benefit is the fairly low RS (15.2ms in FF / 9.5ms in S35). So for $1500 its imo a great offering. Competition is healthy for us consumers no matter what system you're on.

Yeah some people will probably prefer the absence of IBIS. Lok's channel shows some pretty convincing handheld Vlog footage with lens IS and EIS. No wobble. He also does an overheating test in his oven (!) and the R8 never overheated after an hour so that's also pretty convincing. I was also worried about battery life with the smaller battery but his test shows an hour of recording time in 4K25p which isn't too bad I guess.. plus it has USB-C charging for longer tripod use. Overall this might be the best value FF camera..

Wow the R8 has the same sensor and specs as the R6II including FF uncropped 4K60p in 10-bit Clog3 as well as DPAF2 with subject detect only. It even keeps the handy photo/stills switch. Only thing missing is IBIS. But for a whopping $1K less. That's quite a deal if you can forego IBIS or maybe need a B-cam for your Canon setup. Oh yeah and recording time is supposed to be 2 hours instead of unlimited which is imo a pretty ok compromise. Let's find out about overheating..

Just checked, you can record video in that mode but only in 8-bit. Also don't see the point if its fake open gate. Biggest new feature seems to be EL Zone. Sigma FP/FP-L is still on my radar, sadly the prices went up it seems.

damn I thought they unlocked open-gate for a second there but its only for the director viewfinder mode.

Ok but what happens during recording if you're in continuous AF and you grab the ring to MF? once you let go the focus ring it switches right back to AF and may hunt/pump if it decides to focus elsewhere. That's where toggling on/off AF via quick button config becomes crucial. Can that be done?

Canon lenses usually have AF/MF switches but what's even nicer is most have manual override by simply grabbing the focus ring when lens is in AF. Great for stills but even for video, I always have a quick access dedicated button to toggle AF on/off so I just hit that and pull MF if needed. Not enough cameras allow you to switch AF on/off via button, its just either AF/MF on a switch which I find annoying for video as its almost impossible to remain the camera 100% steady while going back & forth using a switch (I toggle AF/MF a lot). I'm not sure how it works on Panny but the new f1.8 primes have AF/MF switches on them plus: activating AF+MF in the camera’s menu enables the manual focus ring to be used for focusing while the lens is set to AF and the shutter release is held half-pressed. Not a bad solution for stills but for video I guess no direct MF override when lens is set to AF?

Yeah Fuji has the same issue of randomly switching to others when multiple people enter the frame. Totally ruins a shot and drives one mad. The subject-only AF setting of latest gen Canons is definitely a very solid AF feature, I'd call it a game changer even. Panasonic would be wise to try and implement a similar thing.

Speaking of AF but getting back to the S5II, there are couple nice rack focus shots in @hyalinejim footage. The AF is a tad too quick but surely that's a setting but the transition is fluid and decisive. No stepping or pumping which is nice. I'm assuming it was done using tap to focus?

Maybe its the FF aesthetic? Sony FX line remains the most affordable FF sensor cine cams. Look wise I think you can tell this is shot on Alexa, the thick organic IQ, the skin tones, all pretty unique and vastly different to what the FX6 sensor allows. That said I agree the lighting is really great in the interrogation scene, really sets a mood/vibe. Good read overall!

I don't find it tedious or convoluted at all, you just have to learn your AF system, set it up in an intuitive way that works for you and practice. After a while it becomes second nature and can become a very powerful tool. A big part of using AF is also knowing when to use it and when to disengage it, I always have a dedicated button to toggle it on/off. Of course it helps how reliable your AF system actually is, if it randomly hunts or switches to another subject, you are screwed. Again that's why subject detection isn't always the best approach. That said I do shoot MF all the time on manual glass, my FS7 and BMD cams. Hate it for handheld run & gun, love it for controlled scenes / static tripod shots. I do like to shoot wide open on fast primes so yeah critical focus is always a concern of mine. YMMV.

Sounds like some of you have been on Panasonic too long. Soon you're going to be nostalgic about DFD contrast AF. j/k He's done videos about how to master DPAF way back during C100 days. And he's right, just like for photography, AF is a tool that demands technique and control. I have an entire camera configuration and method for video AF. I don't believe the camera should ever be in full control of AF, but rather the other way around. Sure many video AF noobs often just rely on auto subject detection but that is not recommended on a pro level. Even the smartest AI can't guess what you want in focus. The operator should always be in control, even when using latest-gen AF.