Big test
fully depressed. At that point, images from the previous half a second are written to the card and more shots are captured until the bar indicator in the viewfinder turns red. Then, the camera stops working and you have to wait for the buffer to completely clear, signified by the bar indicator turning green. In pre-shot mode, you don’t get a series of individual files. Instead, you get the burst as one file – and reviewing the pictures in-camera lets you scroll through and extract images as JPEG, Raw or HEIF. JPEG and HEIF can be edited for brightness, picture style, white-balance and high-ISO speed reduction, but when saving to Raw no adjustments are possible at this stage. Working in-camera is a slow, tortuous process that consumes
battery power – but it doesn’t get much quicker on a desktop. This process is possible in Canon’s free Digital Photo Professional (DPP) software using the Raw Burst Image Tool. The files have a CSI prefix and can’t be opened in Photoshop. Of course, it is a completely subjective matter, but personally I prefer to see and work with a pre- shot sequence as thumbnails on a large screen in Lightroom, so I can quickly compare and pick the shots I want to keep. In DPP, you have to scroll through images one at a time and can’t directly compare shots. Then you have to save each file one at a time rather than the full burst or a selected sequence in a batch. With upwards of 30 shots to go through for each burst, it’s a slow process. Use pre-shot a number of times in a shoot and be prepared for a significant session at the computer. Pre-shot is a great feature, but Canon could learn a lot from OM System’s implementation of its Pro Capture mode – where each shot is saved individually. Or at least provide a less clunky workflow solution. Canon has developed its AF a significant amount with its last few models, and even its relatively low-cost APS-C format EOS R7 has a very capable system with technology from high-end models. The EOS R8 keeps the trend going using the Dual Pixel CMOS AF II sensor with deep learning and the latest subject detection and tracking technology. Body, head and eye detection work in all modes for stills and video, and
I fell short of that figure with 203 Raws before it paused, although with CRAW I got to 400 shots with the camera still going strong. Shooting normal Raws on the electronic shutter, I managed 40 shots instead of the claimed 56 at 40fps – and then the camera paused for a second or two before the buffer started to empty. With CRAWs I got 50 frames and with JPEGs I got 78, in comparison to the 100 and 120 respectively claimed in the specs. Whichever shutter you’re using, if you shoot until you hit the buffer there is a slight delay before it starts to empty, taking around ten seconds to fully clear. By shooting in short rather than prolonged bursts, it’s possible to capture a large number of shots without hitting the buffer. A 30fps Raw burst mode is available with the electronic shutter – and here, pre-shooting is possible. In pre-shot mode, partial depression of the shutter release means shots are being captured but not recorded to card until the shutter button is POWER UP The EOS R8 uses the LP-E17 battery that can be charged in-camera via the USB-C port. A mains charger comes with the camera
DINING OUT The EOS R8 does not have in-body image stabilisation, but its soft shutter action helps with sharp shooting at slow shutter speeds. Here, 1/25sec was used at f/5.6 and ISO 6400. No noise reduction was applied
subject detection has an expanded repertoire of subjects. This includes horses, cats, dogs and birds under the animal detection setting, and in vehicle detection there are modes for planes, trains, cars and bikes. Specific subjects aren’t selectable, so you have to rely on the camera to work out which it sees. I tried vehicle detection on trains, cars and planes, and the camera had no problem recognising a black cab, train and Airbus A380. In animal detection, it switched from cat to bird easily enough. An auto setting is available, using a switch detection algorithm to automatically change between subject detection settings. I have to say that, on the whole, the autofocus system works really
well – as I would expect from Canon. I didn’t have the camera long enough to try it with flying birds and a long lens, but for general shooting of a good mix of subject matters in different lighting conditions, the autofocus was prompt and accurate. Subject detection wasn’t infallible, and in people detection mode, a busy scene can often confuse the camera. Also, the AF system – as with other Canons – doesn’t always recognise a blurred subject in the foreground. I prefer single AF point mode, although it was interesting having an option to set people detection in the menu so the camera automatically switches to face/eye detection regardless of which focus area is engaged. Clearly, it depends on
LET’S CONNECT The R8 demonstrates how it aims to appeal to hybrid users with a mic input, headphone output and mini HDMI connector
PERFORMANCE: ISO
1600
100
800
3200
6400
12,800
examined at 100% on-screen, detail looked especially crisp and clear. A high level of image quality was still experienced at ISO 6400 – and this was without any software noise reduction applied. Out of interest, I put the ISO 6400 and 12,800 TIFFs through Topaz DeNoise AI (PureRaw 3 was not compatible at time of testing) and they cleaned up very nicely indeed. Even with shots taken at such high speeds, the shadows of our test scene looked incredibly clean and noise free, and detail was nice and crisp.
The EOS R8 is endowed with an impressive native ISO range extending from 100-102,400 with expansion to ISO 50 and 204,800 equivalents. Our test shots were full Raws taken with no in-camera software – and no noise reduction was applied at any point. With its impressive native ISO range, it was no surprise to see the EOS R8 doing particularly well at higher speeds. Images were very clean up to ISO 800, showing only faint graining by ISO 1600 – though this became more obvious at ISO 3200. Even at this speed though,
25,600
51,200
102,400
Photography News | Issue 106
16
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