Canon has unveiled two new mirrorless cameras, the EOS R8 and R50. The former is a lightweight full-frame camera and the latter is a more budget-oriented APS-C body, joining the R7 and R10 as the brand's RF-mount APS-C options.

Both cameras are up for pre-order now, with the R50 expected to ship towards the end of March, and the R8 towards the end of April. Let's take a closer look at each.

Canon EOS R8

  • $1499 / £1699
  • Launching in April

Canon says the EOS R8 is its lightest full-frame camera to date, and it slots into the lineup as the entry-level full-frame body. It's a lot cheaper than the EOS R6, but roughly the same price as the APS-C R7, so it could be a tempting entry point to Canon's full-frame ecosystem.

The EOS R8 features a 24.2 megapixel CMOS sensor paired with Canon's Digic X image processor. It can shoot up to 40fps bursts with the electronic shutter or 6fps with the mechanical.

For video, it can shoot oversampled 4K videos from the 6K sensor at up to 60fps. It can also shoot slow motion at up to 180fps in 1080P. There are no fancy codecs, but it'll record in either H.264 or H.265 and benefits from focus breathing compensation as well as the ability to record in 10-bit C-Log 3.

The body is weather resistant and features a 2.36 million dot OLED EVF with a 120Hz refresh rate. The monitor is a flip-out design with a 3-inch 1.62 million dot touchscreen LCD display.

There's only a single SD card slot, and, unfortunately, a micro HDMI, just like the R6 and 7. There's no IBIS, but you'll still benefit from digital and lens-based stabilisation, as well as Canon's excellent Dual Pixel CMOS autofocus system.

Canon EOS R50

  • $679 / £789
  • Launching in March
Canon EOS R50
Canon

The EOS R50 is aimed squarely at content creators and is designed to be the most affordable entry point into Canon's RF-mount system.

It's a very compact body, and it's available in black or white, which is something that's not so common in Canon's portfolio. In both aesthetics and button layout, it's similar to the now-discontinued M50.

The camera has a 25.5MP APS-C CMOS sensor and a Digic X processor. It can shoot bursts at up to 12fps with the mechanical shutter and 15fps with the electronic shutter.

For video recording, it'll shoot 4K video at up to 30fps and can shoot slow motion at up to 119fps in 1080p. It supports both vertical and horizontal video, to fit the needs of today's content creators.

This model also uses a micro-HDMI port and has a single SD card slot. There's no IBIS, but again you get Canon's Dual Pixel CMOS AF II system.

The Canon R50 has a wealth of features for connecting to smartphones and can be used as a webcam, too. It looks like it could be a great option for those currently shooting on a phone, and wanting to take things to the next level.