Traveling with Canon’s entry-level EOS R8 and R100 mirrorless cameras

Two weeks ago I was thinking about how to test Canon’s entry-level EOS R8 and EOS R100 cameras in the harsh French weather when I thought: “Hey, why not take a vacation somewhere warm to test these models out?” on Google After searching online for the nearest location with temperatures over 75 degrees, I found myself in the warm Canary Islands. It turned out to be a great place to take photos too, so everything worked out perfectly.

The price of these two cameras is quite different, currently around $450 and $1,300 respectively. Still, they’re the company’s cheapest new full-frame and crop-sensor mirrorless cameras, and Canon pitches them as ideal for travel and adventure – so I thought it would be a good way to test the capabilities of both.

Like any potential buyer, I wanted to see if they were better suited for travel than smartphones—especially if the larger sensors could compete with smartphones’ AI-powered photography. I also looked at ease of use and automation, the flexibility of a sunny beach or dark bar, video blogging, and more. After trying them out in some of the most scenic spots in Gran Canaria, I found one camera to be worth buying and the other not so much.

Smartphone Computational Photography

Before I go into detail about my experience with these cameras, I want to talk about computational and AI photography. Most smartphones incorporate these tricks, such as taking multiple photos in quick succession to get the best one or to improve low-light shots. They also generally produce better-exposed photos with better white balance. However, there’s a price to pay for over-sharpening and other artifacts that can make photos look unnatural.

Like many travel photographers, I tested this by taking a few photos with the Pixel 7a and the camera on automatic settings. As I suspected, at first glance the photos on the smartphone look better, but a closer look reveals that the photos taken by the camera are superior in terms of detail, color accuracy, skin tones, realistic noise levels, etc. . I think it’s important for buyers to understand this and understand the basic concepts of how to adjust images in post-production, otherwise their new purchase may end up in a drawer.

Canon EOS R100

Steve Dent

The 24-megapixel APS-C EOS R100 seems like it should have a lot to offer travelers. It’s small and lightweight, weighing only 356 grams, so it’s not a huge burden compared to a smartphone with a compact lens. At the same time, a larger sensor may offer superior quality and the flexibility of interchangeable lenses.

However, the small size also comes with big compromises. The controls are mediocre and the settings aren’t super intuitive. I’d love to tell you that you can control it on the screen, but the display isn’t touch-sensitive and is pretty much useless for vlogging since it’s also fixed in place. Electronic viewports have low magnification and are relatively dark, making them difficult to use in the sun – especially with glasses – which is unfortunate if you’re at the beach, for example.

It only has a UHS-I card slot, so storage is relatively cheap, but if the card fails, you won’t be able to back it up. You get a microHDMI jack for output to the TV, and a microphone input, but no headphone jack. The USB-C 2.0 port can only transfer files, but it doesn’t charge the camera or let you use it as a webcam.

It supports Canon’s smaller LP-E17 battery, but can take 430 photos on a single charge, even more in real life. A big bonus is that the built-in flash has exposure compensation for dimming the light – although the settings in Full Auto mode, which most beginners will use, are limited.

Performances and Videos

Steve Dent

The performance of the R100 was poor, to put it mildly. Its shooting and focusing speed tops out at just 3.5 fps, the slowest in its class. When shooting RAW photos, even in single-shot mode, it feels laggy. Fortunately, it’s more responsive when shooting JPEGs.

This sensor has the worst rolling shutter I’ve ever seen in silent mode. Fortunately, it does have a front-curtain mechanical shutter that eliminates this, and the silent mode setting is hidden somewhere many people will never find.

Eye-detection autofocus only works on people, and it works well if your subject is close to the camera. This is fine for family photos and the like, but not ideal for candid or street photography on the go. Autofocus isn’t great in low light either, but is otherwise pretty reliable.

The R100 is fine for grabbing the odd travel video, but not for content creators. The maximum resolution is 4K 24p, but with a 1.5x crop, or 2.2x electronic stabilization, which eliminates the bokeh advantage of a large sensor. And there are no options for logging, 10-bit, or any other high-end video features. That said, 4K footage is relatively sharp, with nice and accurate colors.

Picture quality

The highlight of the EOS R100 is the photo quality. As you’d expect from a Canon, image quality is excellent, with warm skin tones and accurate colors straight out of the camera. It also handles low-light shots well, with little noise at ISO 6400, thanks to the large sensor. All of this will help you capture great photos of mountains, beaches, nightlife, and other typical vacation scenes. The ability to shoot RAW along with the mechanical shutter is another good reason why this model is better than most smartphones. Finally, the built-in flash helps you achieve beautiful images even in dark environments.

EOS 100 Summary

So would I recommend the EOS R100 for traveling, especially via smartphone? Sorry Canon, but no. It’s too stripped-down to replace a good smartphone, and while it does offer better image quality, it’s too complex. Instead, I recommend Canon’s older EOS M50 Mark II, as it offers the same image quality but has a touch screen, is smaller, and still offers a good lens selection. Sony’s A6100 has better autofocus and video options, and if you can afford a little more, Canon’s own R50 is the same size but more powerful.

EOS R8

Steve Dent

Like the EOS R100, the Canon R8 is the company’s leanest and cheapest new full-frame camera. It gives you the same sensor and image quality as the $2,000 EOS R6 II but costs $700 less, losing some speed, video capabilities, and more.

The main feature the R8 lacks is in-body stabilization, so it relies on lens and electronic image stabilization – but this actually worked pretty well for me. It also lacks a full mechanical shutter, but has a front-curtain shutter that eliminates the rolling shutter. EVFs are more basic and have lower resolution and magnification.

On the plus side, it has the same flip-out display as the R6 II, which means it can serve as a capable vlogger and selfie camera. It also has a nice range of manual controls, including dual dials for main settings, a full range of manual and automatic settings, and dedicated photo and video switches. It’s also smaller and lighter than the R6 II, making it a better travel option.

It has microphone and headphone jacks, as well as a microHDMI port. It can capture photos to a UHS-II card at high speed, but has only one slot. The biggest compromise is using the same battery as the R100. Given the extra power requirements of the larger sensor, it can only take up to 290 photos on a single charge, and the video capture time is less than an hour.

Performances and Videos

Steve Dent

For a budget camera, the R8 is fast. It only supports electronic curtain shutter at 6 fps, but can handle burst shooting at 40 fps in electronic mode. There is a noticeable rolling shutter, though, so keep that in mind when shooting action shots.

The R8 features Canon’s latest AI subject recognition technology, which means it can accurately track animals and humans. It also has an auto-setup feature that allows the camera to determine the subject and track it accordingly.

I think autofocus is one of the most important features for travel photography, and the R8 delivers. It can locate and lock onto a variety of subjects and quickly track them across the frame. This makes it more powerful than other recent models like the Sony A7 IV and Nikon Z6 II. You can select focus through the touch screen and look at the electronic viewfinder, which works well, but be sure to enable the “Touch and Drag” setting in the menu.

It’s also a great camera for video and content creation, but there are a few caveats. You can shoot uncropped video up to 4K 60p, and it supports Canon’s C-Log 3 10-bit capture as well as HDR PQ. 120 fps super slow motion available in 1080p. That said, 4K 60p has some pixel binning, so it’s not as sharp as the 30p mode. The lack of in-body stabilization also makes it less useful for vlogging, as electronic stabilization adds 1.25x cropping.

Picture quality

Image quality is also a strong suit of the R8, especially for travelers who want something their smartphones can’t offer. This is a great camera for people and landscapes, with rich skin tones and accurate colors. At the same time, the full-frame 24-megapixel sensor performs well in low-light conditions, delivering a large amount of detail and providing beautiful background bokeh. Serious photographers can shoot RAW photos and get the same level of detail as more expensive cameras.

EOS R8 summary

Canon’s entry-level full-frame R8 is definitely worth your trip. It offers impressive image quality and is also very useful for content creators. The main drawbacks are the lack of stability and the small battery, but it’s fine if you carry an extra battery or two. Rival options include Nikon’s Z5, which has comparable image quality but poor autofocus and video, and if you’re more into vlogging, the Panasonic S5 is a better choice for less money. If you’re looking for the most affordable hybrid full-frame camera, the Canon R8 is a great choice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget: https://www.engadget.com/traveling-with-canons-entry-level-eos-r8-and-r100-mirrorless-cameras-160054076.html?src=rss

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