Review: Canon EOS R8 v Canon EOS 5Ds. Sort of.

To test the Canon EOS R8, I approached it from a different angle than the norm. Ordinarily, I’d probably take landscapes photos, or if at the right time of the year some motorsport shots. But this time, I thought why not? It’s been a full moon, so why not use the R8 for some astrophotography?

So I asked Canon if they could also send an adaptor with the review unit so I could use both my EF lenses I have for my own 5Ds and also the T-Ring adaptor for my Skywatch reflector telescope.

As it turned out, it was brilliant to use. The biggest difference was the weight. At nearly 1Kg (body only), the 5Ds is a heavy camera whist the R8 at ½ of that was less cumbersome when connected to the telescope.

The controls were easier too as the evolution of the design of Canons has to my mind simplified things somewhat and added easier functionality to basics like setting aperture, shutter speed and ISO.

Another advantage is with the LCD. The 5Ds has a fixed LCD screen, which when the camera can be at odd angles for astrophotography as is often the case, makes it hard to see be hard to see making focussing and framing difficult. Conversely, the R8 has a swing out LCD with 270° rotation negating these issues.

One other major difference though swung in the favour of the 5Ds – battery life. The R8 is rated at 370 shots against the 5Ds at 700 so for astro stuff where you can take a lot of individual images to later “stack” into a composite, a larger battery capacity is a good thing.

But the pendulum goes back t’other way when it comes to ISO capability. The 5Ds maxes out at 12800, whereas the R8 goes up to a whopping 102,400. And yes, I know I once queried who would ever use that sort of level but later recanted when my good mate Ross Gibb from Ross Gibb Photography, a genius at nature photography and eminent motor sport snapper extraordinaire, gently chided me and gave me an example. He often uses high ISO to shoot race cars in low light and with headlights on using very high shutter speeds.

Conclusion

Pitting one camera against another on picture quality alone is potentially fraught with danger. There is always the one variable that cannot be calculated and that is the skill of the photographer. Give someone who knows little about taking images or video, and no matter how good the camera is, you’ll not get decent results -or at least, not up to the capability of the camera.

This was proven to me many years ago on a vendor junket to Lady Elliot Island where about 8 journos were all given the exact same camera as a very well-known Aussie pro landscape photographer. This camera was a basic point and shoot that sold for around AUD$600 at the time, and we were told to all take exactly the same photo – a beach sunset image – at exactly the same time.

Everyone could still tell which image was taken by the pro despite the fact all the images were identical

As I said, skill.

In this case, where I have pitted two cameras based on a specific usage, overall the R8 would be my choice. They both take excellent images, but the ergonomics of the R8 coupled with the lighter weight is the deciding factor.

The 5Ds when it was available (it is now discontinued) was AUD$3299 body only. There are quite a few around on the 2^nd hand market for AUD$1600. The Canon EOS R8 brand new can be had for between AUD$2000 and AUD2400 depending on who has a sale going, and in truth, battery life aside, you get a lot more camera for your money.

PS: Astro photography is a very satisfying and frustrating pastime. When you get it right, it brilliant, but it is a little like any sport photography actually – the one money shot takes dozens of duds to get! If you are interested in learning more, I have two tutorials (here and here) and more on the way. I am also learning as I go so do not count myself as an expert but simply passing on what issues I find so you can perhaps bypass them.