Canon R7 and R8 as B/C Cams for Long Form Event Video?

[BlueBomberTurbo]

Been looking at ditching my m4/3 cameras (OM-1, GH5) for something better in terms of IQ and AF.   They've been reliable in terms of not overheating or losing files (same as my Sonys), but the quality is meh at best.  OM-1 worked well enough for handheld stuff in terms of AF and IBIS, but the quality from the camera is the worst out of my lineup (A7 III, A6600, OM-1, GH5, R50V).  Poor excuse for Log, digital patterning in the noise structure.  GH5 is just noisy once you start cranking the ISO, and at least 50% of the events I shoot are in low light.

Wondering if the R7 and R8 were reliable, as I've read about issues of overheating around launch (like many Canons), but not much news afterward.  Plus, there are now plenty of fans out there to add on back, which should solve the problem in everything except maybe summer sun.  And yes, I know the R8 is crippled with a 2hr time limit like my R50V.  I rarely need more than 2hrs, but I can (most likely) trigger a restart with an intervalometer like I do with my A7 III. 

[Ty Harper]

Don't know much about the R8 but I did a bit of research on the R7 as I was looking for a C-cam to go with my two R5Cs. The reason I didn't go with it was that there was imo an usually high level of owners on one of the bigger R7 groups on FB reporting mechanical shutter failures. It was particularly troubling for a cam that wasn't even 3 years old at the time (this was at the top of 2025). Either way I have decided to stay away from it and am pretty close to grabbing an R50V for the time being.

[EduPortas]

On 11/19/2025 at 7:53 AM, BlueBomberTurbo said:

 

Owner of an R8 here.

Those big phat sensels and sophisticated AF will help you big time in low light. 1080p is very good, if you need it.

I've had zero problems with overheating in indoor situations, but the body will get warm if you push it all the way to 2 hours of recording. Same goes for SD card. 

Remember that you can use EF APS-C lenses with the official adapter and that opens up a huge panoply of options for the R8 which were never available for EF bodies.

You'll get the APS-C crop in video, of course, but it's still a great option.

Since my R8 lives on a tripod I use mine with a venerable EF-S 17-55 F2.8. That's it. For video I need nothing  more, save for some lights and a good Rode wireless lavalier mic kit. Minimal set-up, every good results.

P.S: if you'll be swapping SD cards in long recording sessions and the camera has to remain on a tripod, avoid the R8. The SD card is placed on the bottom, so you'll be hitting your battery constantly. The battery door is the worst I've ever seen in any Canon camera irregardless of price. Go for the R7 and its side-loading SD card slot, in that case.