Rumors have been swirling that sometime next month, Canon will announce a replacement  for the highly popular Canon R8 – an R8 Mark II.  Many are speculating that, due to the 50th anniversary of the AE-1, the new R8 Mark II will be “retro” styled.  The AE-1 is a beautiful camera, so a full-frame RF mount camera that’s similarly styled is appealing.  But looks aren’t everything.

The latest rumors also point to the R8 Mark II as having a CMOS 24mp sensor.  Since the R8 has been positioned as a more budget offering, I think it’s safe to assume the Mark II won’t use the R3 sensor.  Instead, it’s sounding more like Canon will recycle the 24mp sensor from both the R8 and the R6 Mark II for the R8 Mark II, and that it will be a “photography first” camera body with little if any video functionality.

Again, there’s nothing particularly wrong with this approach.  Do I need this type of camera?  Unfortunately it doesn’t sound as though the camera will bring any capabilities I don’t already have in my R5 Mark II and R6 Mark III.  It could be smaller and lighter…but many (if not most) RF lenses aren’t.  And if the camera body is silver (like the AE-1) then the current all-black RF lenses won’t look great.  Maybe Canon will release it with an all-silver version of the RF 50mm f1.8.  That would mirror how the AE-1 was often paired with the FD 50mm f1.8.  That approach could appeal to many people…but not likely me.  If I want smaller and lighter, I’ve got my Fujifilm X100VI.  And as nice as a smaller, lighter RF body would be, I think it would look weird and handle poorly with my bigger RF lenses.  I just don’t see Canon making a lot of lenses specifically for this camera body.

I see the customer base for such a camera falling into two camps – existing Canon shooters who might like it purely for nostalgia if for no other reason, and more budget conscious/entry level shooters wanting a lower priced full frame camera.  The current R8’s official price makes a launch price for a substantially redesigned R8 II rather difficult to peg. If Canon adds bespoke retro bodywork, physical controls, a new EVF/body design, etc., I could easily imagine Canon positioning it at $1,699–$1,899 – putting it in direct price competition with the aforementioned X100VI.  And that’s an interesting comparison because Fujifilm has designed an entire compact camera and lens around the retro shooting experience, while Canon would be putting a retro body into an RF system largely designed around modern black lenses.

 Time will tell – the R8 Mark II is rumored to be announced in mid-later September.