Canon EOS R8 Mark II: it looks retro, but it’s not your father’s camera

If you like the idea of a lightweight, easy-to-carry, full-frame camera with stabilization, Canon

did a great job with this one. I love the way it looks. I love the way it shoots. Get it

Hey, this is Jim Fisher, the camera guy at PCMag, and I am here with Canon's latest camera

the EOS R8 Mark II. It is a new model in the lineup

It sits in between the R8, which continues on at $1,650, and the R6 Mark II, which is

still available. This one comes in at $1,900 as a body only or $2,100 with an RF 24-50mm zoom

And it's got some cool stuff going on. Let's go over it. It is the lightest weight camera with a full frame sensor, viewfinder, and 5-axis stabilized sensor

Its sensor is a 24.5 megapixel chip, same as the R8 and the R6 Mark II

Similar capabilities, 40 frames per second photography. with RAW. It's got a better buffer than the R8, lesser buffer than the R6 Mark II. For video

it does 4K60. Digital stabilization is supported as well as the IBIS, so you can get steady

handheld results. It's got what you want for video. It's got a headphone and microphone jack

so you can hook up external audio and get better sound than the built-in mic provides

And it looks great. Canon went back to its archives and found the EOS T80, which was its

first ever autofocus SLR and it went with the design language of that camera. It is all black

which is uncommon for a retro camera but as you see the lines around the viewfinder and the top

plate are far more angular and cut we'll say versus a typical Canon camera which is usually

pretty rounded. It's still comfortable to hold, it's light, the grip is good enough for a small

lens. I'd give it a bigger camera with a telephoto but you know if you're looking for something like

this 28 millimeter pancake I've got on here or the 24 to 50 millimeter kit lens

super comfortable to hold carry around town The other thing I really like about the industrial design here is this kind of two this two texture we call it front It got this nice kind of diamond knurling

rubberized vulcanite around the grip and also on the back near the thumb rest. But the rest of the

body is kind of a flat matte black and it makes a nice contrast. Along with the angular lines

it makes it look unlike another Canon camera, but it doesn't scream retro design in the same way as

like a Nikon ZF or any of Fujifilm's many retro cameras. And it's got a standard PASM mode dial up top

We'll call it a PASM-F because Canon also has that flexible priority option

that I've never liked to use, but you may like to use it, as well as auto modes, scene modes

It's very accessible for people who have maybe cut their teeth with a smartphone camera

and want to say, I want a real camera. I want to take it the creative possibilities that come with full frame, but I'm a little intimidated to jump in

And that's who the R8 Mark II is for. Now, this is a pre-production copy

I don't have final hardware yet, so I'm not writing a full review or doing a full video review

But I did a pretty good hands-on with this. I took a few places with photography, and it's great

It's great. The pictures are wonderful. The focus is fast and accurate

it, you know, for pre-pro, the battery life is a little lesser than you'll get with the

R6 Mark II, but still will get you through, you know, a good photo outing without a problem

Plus, you can top it off on the go with USB-C. Thank you for watching

Once again, this is Canon EOS R8 Mark II. It's available for pre-order today

It's going to ship in late October. This is, again, a pre-production. That's not a review

But if you're interested in it, if you like the idea of a lightweight, easy-to-carry full-frame

camera with stabilization you may as well get it it's a real good camera i had no complaints it's

canon did a great job with this one i love the way it looks i love the way it shoots get it