There are two variants of the new Pixel 8 series. The Pixel 8 has its own review and the Pixel 8 Pro. Here we review the 8 Pro, which offers a triple lens system, compared to the 8’s dual.

The Google Pixel 8 Pro in “Bay” (Blue). Photo: Amy Davies

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Google Pixel 8 Pro – At a glance:

• Price as reviewed: $999-$1179 / £830 – £1100
• 50MP wide camera, f/1.68 aperture, 25mm equivalent
• 48MP ultrawide camera, f/1.95 aperture
• 48MP 5x telephoto camera, f/2.8 aperture, 113mm equivalent
• 6.7” Super Actua LTPO OLED screen
• Android 14
• Manufacturer: Google

Looking at these specs alone, there are a few interesting differences between this and the older model – improvements to both hardware and software (there have already been AI updates for the Pixel 8 Pro since its release)

Read on for the details…

We review smartphones from the perspective of their photography and camera performance; so here we look mainly at the Google Pixel 8 Pro cameras and features included for photography and video.

Google Pixel 8 Pro – Features

Like its predecessor, the 8 Pro features a triple-lens setup. While the focal lengths have remained the same, we’ve seen some improvements in resolution and other metrics.

The main sensor of the 8 Pro has 50MP, and is 1/1.31” – that’s the same as last year’s Pixel 7 Pro, but the accompanying 25mm equivalent lens is now f/1.68.

The Pixel 8 Pro’s “visor” camera housing Photo: Amy Davies

It is joined by two 48 megapixel sensors. The ultrawide has an f/1.95 lens. This compares with last year’s 12MP, f2.2 lens. There’s also a 5x telephoto, which remains similar (now 113mm, previously 120mm ). The sensor size remains, but the maximum aperture is now f/2.8, rather than f/3.5 – so expect improvement in low light performance. Digital zoom for the Pixel 8 Pro reaches 30x, as before.

The 10.5MP f/2.2 selfie camera now has autofocus too, which again could mean some slight improvements in this area too.

In software improvements, Pixel 8 Pro brings a new “Pro” mode, which provides controls over things like shutter speed and white balance. Other AI features, including “Best Take” and “Magic Editor” allow for enhancements to photographs, such as swapping out faces in group shots. These improvements – being software related – may eventually come to older Pixel models, but for now at least, are restricted to the latest.

Pixel 8 Pro front. Photo: Amy Davies

Other features include the screen, which remains at 6.7” but is slightly different in shape, and ever so slightly lower in resolution – it has improved tough credentials though and is brighter. The battery is 5050mAh and boasts both fast charging and wireless charging.

The Pixel 8 Pro is the first phone to feature Android 14, but other models can now upgrade to the latest OS.

Google Pixel 8 Pro – Handling and Design

With its 6.7” screen, the Pixel 8 Pro is on the large side, but it matches other similar high-end smartphones, including the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and its own predecessor, the Pixel 7 Pro. The Samsung S23 Ultra is bigger, at 6.8”. For their large proportions, these phones are good for displaying photos and videos well.

The overall dimensions of the Pixel 8 Pro come in at 162.6 x 76.5 x 8.8mm; similar to its predecessor, and weighs 213g – just 1g more than the older model. The corners of the screen however have been rounded – you could say it’s got more of an iPhone look, where previously it resembled more a Samsung. The screen now uses Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, so should withstand scratches even better. We haven’t tried to damage test the screen, and it’s resisted normal usage.

The Pixel 8 Pro has more rounded corners than its predecessor. Photo: Amy Davies

Flipping to the back of the phone and we see a “visor” set up for the camera housing similar to previous generations. The cameras are found in a horizontal strip across the top of the phone. A new addition noticeable in this strip is a cutout for a new sensor – this is a temperature sensor which can measure the same of various things (not yet approved for human use). This has nothing to do with the camera.

Google Pixel 8 Pro – Native Camera app

The native camera apps in Google Pixels have generally been noted for their simplicity of use; a little like iPhones in this regard. That changes somewhat for the Pixel 8 Pro, which for the first time in a Pixel model introduces a “Pro” mode. Note that the standard Pixel 8 does not have this.

A new Pro mode introduces the ability to change certain parameters. Photo: Amy Davies

Pro mode is accessed by tapping an icon from the main Photo screen – upon doing which, a set of adjustable parameters appears. This includes white balance, shutter speed, and ISO. You can also engage manual focus, as well as switch on useful functions such as focus peaking. After making multiple changes to settings, there’s a “reset all” option to revert to the default ones.

Slightly confusingly, there are also separate “Pro” options available when swiping up in the main Photo mode. Here you can change the resolution from the default 12MP to 50MP, as well as switch on raw shooting (you’ll get both a DNG and a JPEG if you do that).

A secondary “Pro” section enables high-resolution and raw shooting. Photo: Amy Davies

Other settings can also be accessed by swiping up here, including switching on the Timer, allowing macro focus to automatically engage, and changing the aspect ratio. More settings can be accessed in the main menu, such as switching on a grid and so on.

In the main Photo mode, if low light levels are detected, “Night Sight” should turn on automatically. However, you can also activate it manually – this can be helpful in mixed lighting situations. Just like with the 7 Pro, within Night Sight mode, there are additional options, including Astrophotography, which can be used if you place the phone on a steady surface or tripod.

Another photo mode is “Portrait”, which enables capture of shallow depth of field effects. You can shoot at either 1.5x or 2x. You can combine Portrait mode with Night mode for capturing portraits in low light, and there are other options, including face retouching, too.

Google makes use of AI technology for a couple of the other photo modes, including Long Exposure, which can be used to capture blur with moving subjects, while keeping the background sharp. Similarly, there’s also Action Pan, where the moving subject is kept still, with the background blurred to create a sense of movement that way. Both are incredibly easy to use – you just point the phone at a moving subject and it’ll do the work for you. Some subjects work better than others, but being able to do this directly from your phone with very little intervention is impressive nonetheless (albeit not new for the Pixel 8 Pro – the 7 Pro had these modes too).

The photo and video modes now have separate tabs. Photo: Amy Davies

All of the video modes have been separated into a different tab. This is a departure from the 7 Pro, however, if you update the 7 Pro to Android 14, you’ll see the same division too. In the Video section, you’ll find the standard ordinary Video mode, as well as other options such as Slow Motion, Time Lapse, and Pan (for creating panning video with smooth stabilisation).

A fair amount has been made of the Pixel 8 series’ new editing tools, particularly Best Take and Magic Editor. We’ve taken a closer look at how the Pixel’s Magic Editor works in a separate feature. But, to sum up, there’s a number of edits you can make, with perhaps the most interesting being to erase objects, move them around the frame, or make them bigger or smaller.

Sometimes it’s very successful, other times less so – it’s certainly worth experimenting with and can be useful for removing distracting elements. It does have some drawbacks though – for example, it’s quite slow to use and you’ll need to back up (all of your) your images to Google Photos before you can use it.

An image shot with the “Action Pan” mode on the Google Pixel 8 Pro. Photo: Amy Davies

Pixel 8 Pro · f/1.68 · 1/863s · 6.9mm · ISO21

Best Take is a fun feature for group portraits and selfies. When you take a series of portraits with faces in, you can head to the editor afterwards and select the best of the faces – perhaps somebody was blinking or looking miserable – in one shot. Again, sometimes this works better than other times – it can be confused by things like glasses on occasion, but generally it’s a fun feature that can certainly “save” a family photo that’s gone awry and requires no special editing expertise.

Google Pixel 8 Pro – Image Quality and Performance

We have been continually impressed by the quality of imagery from the Pixel series, right from the very first model – and the 8th generation builds on everything the previous models have done to produce the Pixel’s best quality images yet.

The Pixel 8 Pro produces great colours – they’re bright without being overly vibrant. Photo: Amy Davies

Pixel 8 Pro · f/1.68 · 1/504s · 6.9mm · ISO18

Shooting in good light yields the best results, with images which display a good level of detail, accurate exposures and colours which strike an excellent balance between vibrant and realistic. Comparing it with models such as the iPhone 15 Pro Max – which tends to be a little flatter – and the Samsung S23 Ultra – which goes far too vibrant, the Pixel 8 Pro sits neatly in the middle. What’s more, there’s excellent colour matching between the three different lenses available too.

In good light, the differences between the Pixel 7 Pro and 8 Pro aren’t huge – on the whole the two models put in a fairly similar performance, especially from the main lens. However, I noticed that on several occasions when I thought I was shooting with the 5x lens with the 7 Pro, it was in fact utilising the 1x sensor. This never happened with the 8 Pro, which has a wider aperture, so it’s likely that it’s down to the available light – even when it’s not particularly dark. As a result, images shot with the 5x lens selected from the 8 Pro produces consistently better results.

An image shot with the Pixel 8 Pro’s 1x lens. Photo: Amy Davies

Pixel 8 Pro · f/1.68 · 1/1689s · 6.9mm · ISO19

The same scene shot with the ultrawide lens. Photo: Amy Davies

Pixel 8 Pro · f/1.95 · 1/2179s · 2.23mm · ISO38

Here we see the 5x lens in action. As we can see from all three of them, colours are matched well between them all. Photo: Amy Davies

Pixel 8 Pro · f/2.8 · 1/315s · 18mm · ISO14

On the whole, the 5x lens is very good. Some might argue that 5x is “too long”, compared to the 3x lenses you’ll find on the S23 Ultra and the iPhone 15 Pro (not the 15 Pro Max which also has a 5x lens), but you can also shoot at 2x or 3x with the 1x lens (which will use the central portion of the sensor). My feeling therefore is that it’s good to have a dedicated lens for getting just that bit closer. Digital zoom is available up to 30x. Up to around 10x, the results are usable, especially at smaller sizes, but beyond that, the images become a bit too smudgy for anything but a record shot.

The ultrawide lens also produces more detail, and copes better in low light – as is to be expected from the jump in resolution and wider aperture. This also means that macro images are also better from the 8 Pro too, which uses the ultrawide angle lens. Here you’ll find that close-up shooting yields some very detailed and impressive results.

The Pixel 8 Pro’s Macro mode resolves lots of detail. Photo: Amy Davies

Pixel 8 Pro · f/1.95 · 1/61s · 2.23mm · ISO105

When it comes to Portrait mode, there’s not a dramatic improvement here from the last generation. Considering how much AI usability Pixel models have, it’s perhaps a surprise not to see some kind of automatic portrait recognition, but otherwise, the results are pretty good – with a natural drop off between subject and background, particularly if you’re only looking at them on your phone screen. You can adjust the strength of blur, and the focus point, after you’ve taken the picture if you want to – which comes in handy on the rare occasion there’s been a misfire.

A portrait taken with the Pixel 8 Pro. Photo: Amy Davies

Pixel 8 Pro · f/1.68 · 1/70s · 6.9mm · ISO20

The introduction of autofocus for the selfie lens means you get much sharper results – arguably this makes them less flattering, but either way, from a photographic point of view, it’s hard to deny they’re “better”. You can switch on “Portrait” mode for selfies to create a shallow depth of field effect. The result is a bit “obvious” here – we’ve seen much better results from the iPhone 15 Pro Max, but if you only intend to look at your selfies on a small phone screen, the effect is not too bad.

The Pixel 8 Pro’s selfie camera now has AF – here shown with “Portrait” mode. Photo: Amy Davies

Pixel 8 Pro · f/2.2 · 1/544s · 2.74mm · ISO46

Low light is where we see some excellent results. We thought the Pixel 7 Pro was very good, but it just goes to show that there’s still plenty of improvements that can be made. The wider aperture lenses are probably helping here, with the sensors able to gather more light, but there’s also no doubt some more advanced computational wizardry on display too. There’s very little in the way of lens flare – which can sometimes be an issue with the 7 Pro – while in general, there’s much more detail on show from images from the 8 Pro. It also compares very well with other flagships like the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Samsung S23 Ultra – in short, if low light is your thing, I’d wager that the Pixel 8 Pro is one of the very best for low light photography you can currently buy.

The Pixel 8 Pro’s “Night Sight” mode produces excellent results. Photo: Amy Davies

Pixel 8 Pro · f/1.68 · 1/8s · 6.9mm · ISO114

Shooting with the ultrawide in low light also yields fantastic results. Photo: Amy Davies

Pixel 8 Pro · f/1.95 · 1/8s · 2.23mm · ISO419

Video performs very well too, with smooth results that are nicely detailed. Stabilisation works well at 4K 60fps, and with a range of other video options, it’s a good choice for content creators who want lots of different styles to experiment with. No 8K video here, but that’s still a very niche requirement.

Google Pixel 8 Pro – Value for Money

The Pixel series has always been known for its excellent value for money – especially in relation to other flagship brands.

There’s been a bit of a price hike this year for the Pixel 8 Pro, with it now reaching the minimum £999/$999 mark for the first time – for that you’ll get 128GB of memory.

You can pay a bit more (£1059/$1059) and get 256GB, or more again (£1179/$1179) for 512GB. While it’s more expensive than last year, it’s still significantly cheaper than the iPhone 15 Pro Max (£1199/$1199 for the 256GB version – there is no 128GB with the Apple device), or £1399/$1399 for the 512GB.

Despite being expensive, you get quite a lot for your money with the Pixel 8 Pro. Photo: Amy Davies

It’s also a fair amount cheaper than the S23 Ultra, which will set you back quite a bit more, at £1249/$1249 for 256GB, £1399/$1399 for the 512GB. Again, there’s no 128GB version for the S23 Ultra. Additionally, both the S23 Ultra and the iPhone 15 Pro Max have 1TB options, so if you’re keen on outrageous amount of storage, you won’t find that with the Pixel.

So, while the 8 Pro certainly isn’t “cheap” by any means, it’s well-priced compared to its nearest rivals. If you want to save a bit of cash, going for the older 7 Pro is worth considering – with prices starting at £849/$899. You can buy the 7 Pro directly from Google at this cheaper price, and you may also be able to find them in the second-hand market for even better prices too.

Results are great from the Pixel 8 Pro. Photo: Amy Davies

Pixel 8 Pro · f/1.68 · 1/1912s · 6.9mm · ISO21

That said, of course by opting for the older model, you lose out on some of the great new features of the 8 Pro, and may feel you want to upgrade sooner – the slightly more expensive choice might therefore be better value for money over the longer term.

It’s also worth pointing out that Google offers an incredible 7 years of update support for the Pixel 8 Pro, which makes it the best mainstream smartphone on the market in terms of ongoing support – again, increasing its value proposition significantly.

Google Pixel 8 Pro – Verdict

Exposures are well-balanced. Photo: Amy Davies

Pixel 8 Pro · f/1.95 · 1/1466s · 2.23mm · ISO37

After Apple phones and Samsung phones, Google Pixel phones seem to be the ones you see most readily in people’s hands. Perhaps this is confirmation bias based on their distinctive-looking camera setup on the back, but either way, we often think of the Pixel series as being one of the “big three” when it comes to the best smartphones for photographers.

Using a combination of excellent hardware and advanced software, the Pixel 8 Pro takes what the company has already done with its existing models and improved it even further to make it extremely impressive.

It produces excellent images in a wide range of conditions, and there’s been a noticeable jump in image quality from its predecessor – something that is often harder to spot from the likes of Apple and Samsung, where each new version seems to be a lot more gentle.

Colours are realistic from the Pixel 8 Pro. Photo: Amy Davies

Pixel 8 Pro · f/1.68 · 1/100s · 6.9mm · ISO113

That said, if you’ve got a Pixel 7 Pro, there’s probably no need to immediately go out and upgrade. Yes, the 8 Pro is better, but with the main differences coming to low light and if you scrutinise things like detail at close quarters. There are also software improvements, such as the Pro Mode and Best Take – but how often you’ll want to use those is questionable. If this is how good the 8 Pro is – you might question, how good will the 9 Pro be – perhaps if you’ve got a 7 Pro already, it’s better to wait. You’re more likely to notice a bigger difference if you’ve got an older Pixel.

If you’re coming from a different brand altogether, unless you’ve already got one of the other flagships, the Pixel 8 Pro is likely to give you noticeably better pictures than what you’re already used to as well. It doesn’t quite snatch the crown from the Samsung S23 Ultra as the ultimate device for photographers – that phone’s extra zooming capability, plus 8K video recording means it just about pips it, but it’s an extremely close-run thing.

Overall, there’s a huge amount to like about the Pixel 8 Pro – and very little to dislike. It takes great pictures, is very pleasant to use and won’t set you back quite the fortune that other flagships will. Will you be getting one?

Related reading:

• Google pixel 7a – new budget phone king
• Google Pixel review – Mid-range phone shines
• Google Pixel 7 Pro Review – Premium camera performance
• iPhone 14 Pro vs Google Pixel 7 Pro – cameras compared

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The post Google Pixel 8 Pro Review – Great Hardware meets AI Magic appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

Canon EOS R3 at a glance:

• New $6,975 / £5,499 body only
• Canon RF mount
• 24.1MP CMOS stacked back-illuminated sensor
• DIGIC X processing engine
• ISO 100-102,400 (expandable to ISO 100-204,800)
• 5-axis in-body image stabilisation
• 30fps continuous shooting with AE/AF tracking (12fps with mechanical shutter)
• 195fps with fixed AE/AF
• Top 1/64,000sec with electronic shutter, 1/8000sec with mechanical shutter
• 6K 60p raw, UHD 4K 120fps, FullHD 240fps
• Dual card slots (CFexpress type B and UHS-II SD slots)
• Weather-sealed body
• Canon LP-E19 battery

The Canon EOS R3 was first revealed as being ‘under development’ in April 2021. Five months later in September 2021 it was finally introduced into Canon’s ever-evolving EOS R lineup. Take up of the camera was initially so good, many photographers found it extremely difficult to get their hands on one. Today, the EOS R3 is readily available in most reputable camera stores and online, with excellent condition used examples fetching around $4,844 / £3,819. Hire prices, such as those offered by Hireacamera, typically start from around $150 / £180 per day or for a weekend, inclusive of VAT.

Canon’s high-speed full-frame mirrorless EOS R3 is designed for professional use

Eye-control focus is back

Arguably, the EOS R3’s most exciting feature is a new twist on an old Canon technology, eye-control focus. This means the camera can detect what the user is looking at in the viewfinder, and then autofocus on it. This futuristic-sounding feature was found on several of the firm’s film SLRs in the 1990s, but the big difference lies in the way it now works in concert with subject recognition technology.

The EOS R3’s pro-spec body is completely covered in controls

With a body-only price of $6,975 / £5,499, the EOS R3 clearly isn’t aimed at the average enthusiast. If this is well out of your budget, but you still fancy a full-frame camera, have a look at some of the other best full-frame cameras available.

As its price suggests, the EOS R3 is designed for professional sports and news photographers who demand speed and reliability along with rugged build and intuitive operation. At this price, it exists in the same rarefied space in the pro market as the Sony Alpha 1 and Nikon Z 9. It’s perhaps less of an all-rounder than these other two big-hitters, but its remarkable speed and autofocus system make it an extremely impressive offering, nonetheless.

Canon EOS R3: Features

Canon has built the EOS R3 around an all-new 24.1MP full-frame stacked CMOS sensor, which offers a standard sensitivity range of ISO 100-102,400 that’s expandable to ISO 50-204,800. The stacked architecture brings remarkable speed, including a world-record top shutter speed of 1/64,000sec, and the ability to combine flash with the silent electronic shutter at a sync speed of 1/180sec. The shutter lag is just 20ms, which is so short that Canon offers a menu option to lengthen it to match its DSLRs.

The EOS R3 is based around a 24MP full-frame stacked CMOS sensor

That headline top shooting speed of 30fps with AE/AF tracking and full resolution files is achieved using the electronic shutter, with a buffer of 150 14-bit raw files. The top shooting speed has increased up to 195fps with fixed AE/AF up to 50 frames with firmware update v1.21. Switch to the mechanical shutter and the speed drops to a still-impressive 12fps, but now with a vast 1000-shot raw buffer. Canon also claims that image distortion due to rolling shutter effects is almost completely eliminated, while flicker suppression is able to combat colour banding effects under LED lighting.

Resolution

Canon’s choice of 24MP resolution stands in contrast to the Sony Alpha 1 and Nikon Z 9, which employ 50MP and 45MP sensors respectively. But the firm believes this provides the ideal balance between image quality and file size for pro shooters who need to be able to transmit files back to their news desks as quickly as possible. Let’s not forget that the EOS R5 already offers 45MP at 20fps for those who want both speed and resolution.

Microphone and headphone ports are placed forward on the side, out of the way of the screen, with a PC flash sync socket below

Autofocus is based on Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF II technology, where every sensor pixel is split in two to enable phase detection anywhere in the frame. No fewer than 4779 focus points are available, and the system is specified to operate in incredibly low light levels equating to -7.5EV with an f/1.2 lens. Canon has also updated its subject recognition system, so it’s now capable of recognising vehicles such as cars and motorbikes for motorsports photography, in addition to humans and animals. A detailed AF settings menu includes an array of Servo AF presets to deal with different scenarios, much like on the EOS-1D X Mark III pro sports DSLR.

Eye Control AF

The really big news, though, is Canon’s re-introduction of Eye Control AF. This employs an array of infrared LEDs to determine where you’re looking in the viewfinder, which is indicated by a circular blue cursor. The camera then uses this information to select a subject for tracking when the shutter button is held half-pressed. The system must be calibrated to each individual photographer’s eye, but thankfully, this is a straightforward process.

Firmware update v1.21 enhanced the EOS R3’s focus skills further with focus bracketing and in-camera merging of the multi-shot sequence now possible. The feature gives an accurate on-location preview of what can be achieved with the sequence later when back in front of the computer.

Canon has equipped the EOS R3 with CFexpress Type B and UHS-II SD card slots

In-body image stabilisation

As is becoming increasingly standard, 5-axis in-body image stabilisation (IBIS) is built in. This works together with optically stabilised lenses to provide up to 8 stops of stabilisation, according to CIPA standard ratings. There’s no IBIS-based high-resolution multi-shot mode, but given the camera’s target audience, that’s no great surprise (or loss).

Two card slots are provided for recording files: one accepts super-fast CFexpress type B media, while the other takes more affordable UHS-II SD cards. You can use them at the same time in backup mode, sequentially, or record different file types to each. It’s good that Canon doesn’t force you into only using expensive CFexpress cards, but the flipside is that if you want to use the two slots in backup mode, you’ll be limited by the speed of the SD.

Power is provided by the LP-E19 battery, which slots into the vertical grip

Battery stamina

Power is provided by the same chunky LP-E19 battery as used by the EOS-1D X Mark III DSLR. It slots into the vertical grip and is rated for 860 shots using the LCD, or 620 with the EVF. This may sound low compared to a pro DSLR, but in reality, you can get many times more when shooting high-speed bursts using the electronic shutter.

Pro-level connectivity is included for rapid file transfer, including 5GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, and a built-in Gigabit Ethernet port. The EOS R3 is compatible with both Canon’s Camera Connect app, and a new Mobile File Transfer app for sending files to an FTP server via mobile networks, which could be an invaluable tool for news shooters. For this purpose, the camera is MFI certified to support wired connection to an iPhone.

Canon EOS R3: Video features

Video recording capabilities are just as impressive as for stills. The EOS R3 can record 6K raw at up to 60fps; DCI 4K at up to 60fps; and 4K UHD at up to 120fps. Firmware update v1.21 has added the ability to shoot FullHD at 240fps. Canon promises up to 6 hours of video capture, raw video can be recorded internally, and both Canon Log 3 and PDR HQ are available for extended dynamic range. Conventional 3.5mm stereo microphone and headphone sockets are built in, but slightly disappointingly, the HDMI port isn’t full-size.

Here you can see the USB-C, micro HDMI and ethernet connectors

Canon has also included a new multi-function hot shoe that allows wireless connection of a microphone, with the ability both to accept a digital audio input and to supply power to the connected device. This works with Canon’s DM-E1D directional stereo microphone ($299 / £37-0) and the Tascam CA-XLR2d-C adapter ($475 //£520) that enables connection of two XLR microphones. There’s also a remarkably small ST-E10 off-camera radio flash controller which costs $119 / £159, and an AD-E1 hot shoe adapter ($40 / £59) that’s required to maintain weather sealing with Canon’s existing Speedlites.

Canon EOS R3: Key features

When the camera is powered off, the sensor is protected against dust

• Sensor shield: The shutter closes when the camera is switched off, protecting the sensor from dust during lens changes. Canon also runs a sensor-cleaning cycle every time you change lenses
• Storage: Canon has included a conventional UHS-II SD card slot alongside a high-speed CFexpress B slot. You can use them simultaneously or sequentially, or record different file types to each. For the fastest burst sequences you’ll need to use CFexpress B cards.
• Power: Canon has used the same LP-E19 battery as in the EOS-1D X Mark III DSLR, which is rated for 860 shots using the LCD and 620 with the EVF. In practice, it’ll often deliver many times more than that
• Connectors: On the side you’ll find headphone, microphone, micro HDMI, USB-C and ethernet sockets. There’s a connector for Canon’s RS-80N3 cable release on the front
• Top-plate display: A small LCD panel on the top displays essential shooting information at a glance, including exposure mode, shutter speed, aperture, ISO and exposure compensation
• Connectivity: Pro-level connectivity is included for rapid file transfer, including 5GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, and a built-in Gigabit Ethernet port. A new Mobile File Transfer app allows files to be sent to an FTP server via mobile networks

Canon EOS R3: Build and Handling

One area where the EOS R3 stands out is with regards to its handling. It has a similar design to the EOS-1D X Mark III pro DSLR, with an integrated vertical grip for portrait-format shooting. Being mirrorless, it’s rather smaller and lighter, although it still weighs in at over a kilogram. As usual with a pro camera, its body is covered with buttons and dials that give fingertip access to the most important settings, with the key shooting controls replicated across the two grips.

A small status screen on top shows the key exposure settings

In your hand, the weather-sealed magnesium alloy body provides the same kind of robust, bomb-proof feel as its DSLR cousin, while the distinctively textured rubberised coating offers excellent grip. However, Canon says it’s not quite built to 1D standards, which is why it gets the ‘R3’ moniker. Given that Nikon’s Z 9 offers top-spec build for less money, this feels like a slight let-down, but the EOS R3 is noticeably less heavy in return.

Control layout

In terms of control layout, the EOS R3 closely resembles the EOS-1D X Mark III. So you get Canon’s familiar electronic dials behind the shutter button and on the back for changing exposure settings, along with a joystick for setting the focus point, and a large AF-ON button beneath your thumb. But the R3 also benefits from Canon’s latest design thinking, including an extra control dial under your thumb that’s used to change the ISO. Like on the EOS R5 and EOS R6 II, this dial can be used to shift the ISO setting temporarily when Auto ISO is engaged, which can be really useful.

The back is covered in buttons and dials, including replicate controls for portrait-format shooting

With the EOS R3’s raison d’etre being its sophisticated autofocus system, unsurprisingly many of the buttons are given over to controlling it, eliminating any need to dive into menus. Press the AF area selection button on the shoulder, and you can cycle through AF area modes via the small M-Fn button beside the shutter release. A button on the front turns subject tracking on and off, while the Set button in the centre of the rear dial toggles eye control focus.

Smart controllers

As on the EOS-1D X Mark III, the AF-ON buttons double up as ‘smart controllers’, allowing you to move the focus area by dragging your thumb across their surface. It’s all extremely well thought-out and impressively quick to use, especially when compared to the Sony Alpha 1.

Pairs of buttons on the front beneath your second and third fingertips engage subject tracking and DOF control

Pretty much every physical control is customisable to suit your preferences, and you can also save up to three custom exposure modes for different shooting scenarios. Inexplicably, though, if you save camera settings to the C2 or C3 slots and then attempt to recall them, you’ll find they’re greyed out and inaccessible. It turns out you have to enable them separately in the menu, which makes no sense.

Intuitive interface

As usual for Canon, the entire user interface, including the main menus, can also be operated quickly and easily using the touchscreen. Here the onscreen Q menu provides an alternative means of changing many of the major settings, without lots of button-pressing. Notably, this is the easiest way of switching the subject recognition system between people, animals and vehicles, or turning it off completely.

Have a look inside the Canon EOS R3:

On display at The Photography Show 2021, Canon showed the internal construction of the Canon EOS R3, and the tough looking magnesium alloy shell:

Canon EOS R3 Magnesium Alloy Body (Internals) – Front

Canon EOS R3 Magnesium Alloy Body (Internals) – Top

Canon EOS R3 Magnesium Alloy Body (Internals) – Side

Canon EOS R3: Viewfinder and screen

The EOS R3 is equipped with a 5.76m-dot viewfinder that offers 0.76x magnification and a choice of 60fps or 120fps refresh rate. It also provides a blackout-free view in burst mode, with a flickering frame around the edge providing visual feedback during continuous shooting.

Canon has used a similar viewfinder to the EOS R5 and R6, but now with a huge eyecup

The eyepiece is surrounded by a vast eye cup whose primary function is clearly to maximise the effectiveness of the eye control function. But it also does a great job of blocking out most peripheral light, making the viewfinder particularly easy to see in bright conditions.  

Display modes

You can overlay lots of useful additional information in the viewfinder display, including gridlines, levels, and an RGB histogram. Pressing the Info button cycles through display modes, allowing you to switch easily to a clean, uncluttered view.

The fully articulated rear screen can be set to face almost any angle

By default, Canon previews colour and exposure, but not depth-of-field; instead, this is done the old-fashioned way, by pressing a button on the front of the body. However, a full-time depth-of-field preview option is available in the menu if you prefer. There’s also an opaquely named ‘OVF sim. view assist’ option that aims to mimic the experience of using an optical viewfinder, which can be handy in high contrast conditions. Unfortunately, it can’t be toggled on and off using a function button.

One advantage of this screen design is that it enables waist-level shooting in portrait format

On the back you get a stunning 3.2in, 4.2m-dot fully articulated touchscreen, which can be set to face in almost any direction for shooting at awkward or unusual angles. It can also be turned inwards against the body for protection against splashes or scratches. It’s perhaps not as quick and easy to reposition as the Nikon Z 9’s 3-way tilting screen, but it’s vastly better than the Sony Alpha 1’s unit, which only tilts up and down.

Canon EOS R3: Autofocus

Once you’ve got the hang of how the EOS R3’s AF system works, it’s phenomenally capable. Naturally, it’ll focus on static subjects in an instant and with unerring accuracy. But the real magic happens when you start shooting moving subjects, where the combination of subject recognition and eye control gives an experience unlike any other camera. I got an impressively high proportion of in-focus ‘keepers’, and not just with high-end telezooms such as the RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM, but also with the relatively small and affordable RF 600mm f/11 IS STM and RF 800mm f/11 IS STM primes. For more options have a look at the Best Canon RF lenses for wildlife photography.

You can switch the AF system between different subject types using the onscreen Q menu

Selecting AF area size

You can choose practically any AF area size from a small spot to the entire frame, including three flexible zone settings where you can define the AF frame’s height and width. This is particularly useful if you know your subject will only appear within a defined area, such as a cars or runners on a racetrack. When there are multiple possible subjects, the ability to choose between them just by looking at one on the viewfinder is incredible. After a while, it becomes such an intuitive way of shooting that you almost forget it’s even happening.

Eye control AF is a brilliantly effective way of choosing between two possible subjects, but it needs to be correctly calibrated first. Canon EOS R3, Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM, 1/2000sec at f/11, ISO 1250. Shot with a pre-production EOS R3.

Canon’s subject recognition is likewise extremely impressive. It’s uncanny how the AF system can recognise the requisite type of subject instantly, and then track it as it moves around the frame. Even if you’re looking at an animal that’s distant and small in the frame, chances are the camera will pick out and focus specifically on its head or even eye.

Subject recognition is invaluable in situations like this, where foliage was blowing in the wind and intermittently obscuring the subject. Canon EOS R3, Canon RF 600mm f/11 IS STM, 1/500sec at f/11, ISO 1600. Processed using DxO PureRAW

AF in low light

I was also impressed by how staggeringly well the AF system works in low light. In fact, it continues to recognise and track subjects in conditions where it’s almost too dark to even see, let alone take pictures. I watched mandarin ducks and a heron foraging in a shaded pond well after dusk, in light so low that it required ISO 51,200 at least, and the camera was still reliably tracking and focusing on their eyes.

Autofocus tracking works reliably in extremely low light. Canon EOS R3, Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM at 200mm, 1/250sec at f/2.8, ISO 80,000. Processed using DxO PureRAW

Naturally, the autofocus system isn’t perfect, either with regards to subject recognition or eye control. For example, it’ll pick up planes when set to detect animals, as they look quite like birds. And while eye control works brilliantly in many situations, I found it’s not so great with subjects such as birds in flight that move quickly and erratically, so you don’t know where to look in the viewfinder. In such cases, the conventional wide AF area settings tend to be a better choice. But this is where I really appreciated how easy Canon makes it to change settings quickly to suit different situations.

Canon EOS R3: Performance

With the EOS R3 essentially expected to take on the same kind of jobs as pro DSLRs, it’s got to perform to the same standard. In almost every respect, it achieves this; it starts up pretty much instantly when you flick the power switch, and then responds instantly to all the controls. It’s just as snappy when you’re using the touchscreen as the physical controls. However it does take a moment to wake up from its standby mode, so it’s worth getting into the habit of half-pressing the shutter button as you raise it to your eye.

The EOS R3 is in its element photographing events like this political demonstration on a rainy afternoon in Whitehall. Canon EOS R3, Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM at 142mm, 1/500sec at f/4, ISO 320

While the mechanical shutter is quiet and unobtrusive, the electronic shutter is completely silent, although you can add a sound. I couldn’t find any significant disadvantage with using the electronic shutter, either; there’s neither rolling shutter distortion, nor banding under artificial lighting. It seems Canon could have left out the mechanical shutter completely, like Nikon did with the Z 9.

The 24MP sensor provides some scope for cropping, but not as much as the EOS R3’s rivals. Canon EOS R3, Canon RF 600mm f/11 IS STM, 1/2000sec at f/11, ISO 8000. 6MP crop (1200mm equivalent), processed using DxO PureRAW

Buffer performance

As the specs suggest, the EOS R3’s continuous shooting capability is impressive. In my tests, it matches Canon’s specified 30 frames per second for 150 frames in raw. However, if you switch to the cRAW format, which gives smaller files, the buffer practically doubles to about 300 frames. Drop the shooting speed to 15fps, and it’ll keep on going indefinitely (or at least, until your memory cards fill up).

Canon has improved the EOS R3’s continuous shooting speed further in firmware v1.21. This update makes it possible to shoot up to 50 full resolution Raws, HEIFs and JPEGs at the remarkable continuous shooting rate of up to 195fps.

The EOS R3’s pacey shooting is ideal for capturing fleeting moments. Canon EOS R3, Canon RF 600mm f/11 IS STM, 1/800sec at f/11, ISO 1250

Battery life

When it comes to battery life, everything comes down to how you use it. If you shoot the occasional single frame using the mechanical shutter, chances are you’ll get something close to the 620-shot CIPA rating. But if instead you fire off lots of high-speed bursts using the electronic shutter, you’ll get many times more than that. In my experience, getting 10,000 shots from a single charge isn’t out of the question.

You can shoot long bursts of images without having to worry about battery life. Canon EOS R3, Canon RF 600mm f/11 IS STM, 1/2000sec at f/11, ISO 1250

Just as with the EOS R5 and R6, Canon’s in-body image stabilisation works very well, especially in tandem with IS lenses. Using the RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM, I found it’s possible to get sharp shots hand-held with shutter speeds as slow as 1 second, and even longer if you’re prepared to tolerate a little pixel-level blur.

Canon’s hybrid in-lens / in body stabilisation system is very effective. Canon EOS R3, Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM at 33mm, 1sec at f/2.8, ISO 640, hand-held

Handholding telephoto lenses

At the other end of the scale, you can also hand-hold long telephotos confidently at slower shutter speeds than you might expect; I got perfectly usable images from the lightweight RF 600mm f/11 IS STM at 1/50sec. Of course, with this camera you’ll often be trying to keep shutter speeds high to avoid unwanted motion blur.

Canon EOS R3, Canon RF 600mm f/11 IS STM, 1/50sec at f/11, ISO 100. 6MP crop (1200mm equivalent)

The EOS R3 is fully compatible with EF-mount SLR lenses via Canon’s Mount Adapter EF-EOS R. However, to get the most out of the camera, you’ll need to use Canon’s matched RF lenses. For more options have a look at the Best Canon RF mount lenses. In contrast, Sony E-mount users have access to a much wider range of lenses.

The EOS R3 works well with adapted EF-mount lenses. I shot this using a 1990s-vintage 100mm f/2.8 Macro. Canon EOS R3, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro, 1/400sec at f/5.6, ISO 100

Colour rendition

When it comes to image quality, the EOS R3 barely puts a foot wrong. In typical Canon fashion, exposure and auto white balance are close to perfection, while the camera’s JPEG colour rendition is really attractive, too. This is important from a pro camera, as it means JPEG files can be sent to a news desk and used directly, with little need for any adjustments. Canon’s noise reduction is pretty effective as well, and I’d be quite happy shooting JPEGs at sensitivities as high as ISO 25,600.

Canon’s JPEG colour rendition is generally very attractive. Canon EOS R3, Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM at 115mm, 1/250sec at f/4, ISO 100

Dynamic range

Shooting raw brings more flexibility of course, particularly in terms of dynamic range. Not so long ago, high-speed cameras often lagged behind in this respect, but the EOS R3’s low-ISO raw files are extremely malleable. At ISO 100 you can push shadows by at least four stops before noise becomes at all problematic (of course, there’s not a lot you can do about highlights that are clipped to pure white). This doesn’t necessarily persist at higher ISOs, though; instead you can run into blotchy low-frequency colour noise in dark tones that’s difficult to suppress.

At low ISO, the sensor’s dynamic range facilitates ‘one-shot HDR’ processing without ugly noise. Canon EOS R3, Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM at 37mm, 1/40sec at f/16, ISO 100

Adobe Camera Raw doesn’t do as good a job at suppressing high-ISO noise as Canon’s in-camera processing, although it is better at retaining detail. But you can get the best of both worlds using AI noise reduction software such as DxO PureRAW, which gives much better files in the ISO 6400-25,600 range, and perfectly passable results at ISO 51,200, maybe even a little higher.

The EOS R3 give very usable shots at ISO 25,600, especially if you use AI noise reduction in ediitng. Canon EOS R3, Canon RF 600mm f/11 IS STM, 1/2000sec at f/11, ISO 25,600

Manageable file handling

This just leaves the thorny topic of resolution. At 24MP, the EOS R3 lags behind the its similarly priced peers pro-focused, the Nikon Z 9 and Sony Alpha 1. With this type of camera, in practice this generally translates into a reduced ability to crop into files while retaining good levels detail, for example when photographing distant animals. On the other hand, it does make file handling much more manageable. Some users may well prefer Canon’s approach.

Canon EOS R3: ISO and Noise

While the EOS R3 may not offer as high a pixel count as some of its peers, it still delivers crisp, highly detailed files. There’s barely any visible noise or loss of detail at ISO 3200, and it’s only when you hike the sensitivity to ISO 12,800 that fine detail obviously starts to blur away. But I’d still be entirely happy shooting at ISO 25,600, while even ISO 51,200 isn’t out of the question when it’s necessary to get the shot. However, ISO 102,400 is decidedly ropey, and I’d avoid the extended ISO 204,800 setting, if at all possible.

Canon EOS R3, ISO 100, raw + Adobe Camera Raw

Canon EOS R3, ISO 1600, raw + Adobe Camera Raw

Canon EOS R3, ISO 12,800, raw + Adobe Camera Raw

Canon EOS R3, ISO 25,600, raw + Adobe Camera Raw

Canon EOS R3, ISO 51,200, raw + Adobe Camera Raw

Canon EOS R3, ISO 102,400, raw + Adobe Camera Raw

Canon EOS R3, ISO 204,800, raw + Adobe Camera Raw

Canon EOS R3: Our Verdict

It’s tempting to compare the Canon EOS R3 to the Nikon Z 9 and Sony Alpha 1, and then dismiss it on the basis of its resolution. Why spend the best part of $6,975 / £5,500 on a 24MP camera, when you could get double the pixel count elsewhere? But judging a camera, and particularly a specialist one, by its resolution alone is like judging a car purely by its top speed. What you really need is enough to get the job done, at which point other attributes become equally, if not more important.

With to its sophisitcated autofocus, including eye control, the EOS R3 delivers a great shooting experience

Which is a roundabout way of saying that, if 24MP is enough to get the job done, the Canon EOS R3 is an intoxicatingly brilliant camera to shoot with. It boasts one of the most sophisticated autofocus systems around, but makes it remarkably easy to use, allowing you to change settings quickly to suit the situation. There’s no doubting the value of eye control focus, especially now that it works together with subject detection. It’s a technology that I could never quite get to work properly on the 35mm film EOS 3, but with the EOS R3 it’s much more reliable, which makes it immeasurably more useful.

It’s quite something to be able to shoot easily hand-held at 600mm on full-frame. Canon EOS R3, Canon RF 600mm f/11 IS STM, 1/500sec at f/11, ISO 25,600, processed using DxO PureRAW

Final thoughts

It’s not just the autofocus system that’s impressive, either. This is a ludicrously fast camera that handles brilliantly and delivers excellent image quality, not only in raw, but also JPEG files direct from the camera. It’s something of a low-light demon too, giving perfectly usable results at very high ISO settings, while including excellent in-body stabilisation. As a result, it’ll nail the shot in conditions where other cameras would struggle.

You can use the EOS R3 just to take pretty sunset pictures, but that’s not really what it’s designed for. Canon EOS R3, Canon RF 600mm f/11 IS STM, 1/200sec at f/11, ISO 200. Hand-held, camera JPEG

Of course, even for most enthusiast users the EOS R3 is overkill. You can buy the brilliant EOS R6 II for considerably less ($3,526 / £2779), and spend the money saved on some very nice Canon RF mount lenses. But for Canon users who demand the ultimate speed and autofocus performance, the EOS R3 is the camera to get.

Find more great full-frame cameras in our guide to the best full-frame mirrorless cameras.

Canon EOS R3: Full Specifications

The post Canon EOS R3 review appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

The Google Pixel 8 is of particular interest to those who don’t want to pay a grand for a flagship phone, as the Pixel 8 can be found for around $640 or £649 (less if you shop around).

However, go for the $999 / £949 Pixel 8 Pro and you get even more, with a 5x telephoto camera, AF selfie camera, as well as manual controls. Both cameras benefit from Google’s latest AI image editing features, including the new Magic Editor.

NOTE since December that Google Pixel 8 Pro got more AI updates

Google Pixel 8 home screen. Photo JW/AP

Buy now

Key Features at a glance:

• 50MP wide-angle camera, f/1.68, OIS, PDAF, 25mm equivalent
• 12MP ultra-wide-angle camera, f/2.2, AF, 13mm equivalent
• 10.5MP selfie camera, f/2.2, 21mm equivalent, without AF
• 4K video at 60fps video from rear and front facing cameras
• 6.2inch OLED 120Hz screen, HDR10+, Gorilla Glass Victus
• 4565mAh battery, 27W wired charging, 15W wireless
• 8GB, 128/256GB RAM / storage options
• Android 14
• 150.5 x 70.8 x 8.9mm
• 187g weight

Google Pixel 8 cameras. Photo JW/AP

The Pixel 8 is quite a compact phone by today’s standards, with a 6.2inch screen, and very curved corners. Whilst the screen is only slightly smaller than the 6.3inch Pixel 7, it does feel noticeably smaller in-hand.

For photography fans everywhere, it comes with Google’s impressive range of AI powered computational photography features such as those we’ve grown to love since the Pixel 6. This includes Magic eraser, Long exposure, Action pan, and more, plus there are a range of new features, including:

• Best take – lets you swap out the best portraits in photos of people
• Magic editor – includes sky replacement, object removal and moving, and further AI enhancement
• Audio magic eraser for video – removes unwanted sound from video

This “in-camera” editing has the ability to make changes within Google Photos, and can help create photos that would normally need 3rd party apps, or computer photo-editing to achieve. More on this later…

The camera hardware has also been updated, and we go over the differences between the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 7 here:

Google Pixel 8 vs Pixel 7 Hardware differences:

• Improved main camera with brighter aperture – f/1.68
• Improved ultra-wide angle camera – wider and adds AF
• Smaller screen 6.2inch vs 6.3inch
• Smaller body, but larger battery

Google Pixel 8 Features

We review smartphones from the perspective of choosing one for it’s photography and camera performance, so we’ll look mostly at what the Google Pixel 8 cameras offer, and the features included for photography and video.

Google Pixel 8 rear cameras. Photo JW/AP

The main 50MP camera has been updated since the Pixel 7, with a brighter aperture of f/1.68 vs f/1.85 on the 7. The sensor size remains the same at 1/1.31inch, and this camera has phase detection auto focus (PDAF), as well as optical image stabilisation (OIS). This camera uses pixel-binning to give 12.5MP images.

The ultra-wide-angle camera is now wider (125.8 degrees vs 114 degrees) and more importantly features auto-focus, compared to there being no auto-focus on the Pixel 7. The auto-focus is important here, as this adds a macro mode to the phone, where the Pixel 7 does not have one.

This camera has a 12MP sensor and an f/2.2 aperture, in comparison the Pixel 8 Pro has a 48MP ultra-wide-angle camera with an f/2.0 aperture.

The selfie camera has been updated with the 10.5MP camera featuring an f/2.2 aperture, but unfortunately this camera still lacks auto-focus. The Google Pixel 8 Pro has it.

Google Pixel 8. Photo JW/AP

Video recording is recorded at up to 4K resolution and 60fps, with the features available varying depending on the frame rate chosen, for example, for HDR video, the maximum resolution and frame rate is 4K 30fps. Similarly the level of stabilisation possible varies based on resolution, with video stabilisation available for: 4K Cinematic Pan video stabilisation, 4K locked, and at 1080p active. Additionally, a new feature called Audio Magic Eraser allows adjustments to the audio for music and voice levels in videos.

The camera app

The camera app on the Pixel 8 was updated to give a clearer separation between the photo and video modes. The app is easy to use with all the modes at the bottom, so is quick and easy to start shooting.

Google Pixel 8 camera app. Photo JW/AP

There are lots of photo shooting modes that make it easy to get creative results without much knowledge of photography. This includes long exposure photography, which would normally require a tripod and ND filter, but can be achieved hand-held. There’s also Action Panning, a portrait mode, a night mode, and an Astrophotography mode. More on some of these later.

Unfortunately there’s no pro / manual mode, with Google reserving that to the Pixel 8 Pro. This is a huge shame as it’s clearly a software feature, and therefore would be easy to switch on if they wanted to, with both phones using the same main camera.

Google Pixel 8 camera options. Photo JW/AP

There are more options available in the settings, including support for raw shooting, but no access to shoot with the full 50MP resolution from the main camera. You can get very quick access to the photo mode simply by double clicking the power button when the phone is locked, and it’ll jump straight to the photo mode. I found this particularly useful when I wanted to get a quick photo of a fleeting scene.

Computational and AI photography features

Here we look into the different AI photography features that come with the phone. Some of these are new, and others have been around since the Google Pixel 6 series.

Magic Editor

To use the Magic Editor, your phone needs to be connected to the internet, plus you need to ensure that Google Photos is setup to backup your photos to the cloud. If you haven’t set this up, for example, or your storage is full, then you won’t be able to use this feature. Trying to select it, and the phone will helpfully tell you to backup your photos, but won’t let you backup just the one photo you want to edit (without going elsewhere to back it up).

Using Magic Editor to adjust the sky, and remove a sign.

These gripes aside, once you do have your photos backed up, then you can use Magic Editor to edit and replace the sky, remove and move objects, as well as adjust other settings, based on the type of photo.

If you have taken a portrait the Magic Editor will edit the photo for you, giving a slightly altered image. If you’ve just taken a photo and then want to edit it with Magic Editor, again, you’ll have to wait for it to be backed up before editing it. Even with the phone connected to Wi-Fi, this can be a painfully long wait in comparison to simply editing a photo straight away.

Pixel 8 Magic Editor, before editing on the left, after editing on the right. As well as using Magic Editor to replace the sky and remove the sign, I adjusted the saturation and warmth of the image in the normal editor. Photo JW

It’s a neat idea, but it’s a shame it’s doesn’t give more control, as the level of adjustment within the Magic Editor is rather limited. For example, to move and change the size of one thing in a photo is done piecemeal; each must be processed before another element of the photo can be edited. However, it’s likely that this will be updated by Google over time, and we should see some improvements in the future.

Google Pixel 8 – Magic Editor – Before (left), After (right) “Portrait” enhancement

You can also use Magic Eraser in the normal photo editing app, and this is easier, quicker, and more fun, as you don’t have to use the somewhat awkward feeling, and slow Magic Editor. There’s also a much larger number of editing options within the normal photo editor.

Take a deeper look into Google’s Magic Editor in our guide on How to use Google’s Magic Editor. 

Best Take

Take a series of shots of people, and you can go through and select the best expression for each face detected in the scene. Clever stuff, and relatively straightforward to use. This will be especially useful for group shots where there are a number of people in the scene.

Google Pixel 8 Best Take mode. Photo JW/AP

Long exposure photography

This feature has been around since the Google Pixel 6. It impressed us then, and it continues to impress us, as you can simply take a photo, handheld, without a tripod and create long exposure photographs. This works really well for waterfalls, and other bodies of water where you want to blur out the movement.

The phone will save the original, as well as the long exposure photo so you can switch between the two to see which you prefer.

Long exposure photography – waterfall. Google Pixel 8 sample photo. Photo Joshua Waller

Pixel 8 · f/1.68 · 1/210s · 6.9mm · ISO34

Night photography

Night photography can be used for longer exposure low-light photography, however, you don’t always need to use the night photography mode as the camera can produce good results without activating this mode – depending on light levels. This feature was improved on the Pixel 7 series, and remains a quick and easy to use feature that can be used without a tripod to get long exposure low-light shots.

Low-light photography. Google Pixel 8 sample photo. Photo Joshua Waller

Pixel 8 · f/1.68 · 1/50s · 6.9mm · ISO774

If you do put your phone on a solid surface, such as a tripod, a wall, or beanbag etc, then you can enable an extra long exposure Astrophotography mode, great for star-trails or other celestial photography. The phone can even create a time-lapse video for you of the stars travelling across the sky. It’s an impressive feature and well worth trying.

Design and Handling

The Pixel 8 uses Gorilla Glass Victus on the screen, and I managed to scratch the screen on this phone, which is rarely something that I experience. The Pixel 8 Pro benefits from Victus 2 which should give a little extra protection.

The Pixel 8 is also smaller than the Pixel 7, with a slightly smaller screen (6.2inches vs 6.3inches), with a brighter screen and a faster refresh rate of 120Hz, vs 90Hz.

The phone looks and feels like a premium phone, and with the cameras on the phone looking physically larger it gives the impression of a more serious camera phone. There are stereo speakers, and these perform far better than expected for a small phone, with even some bass being audible.

Google Pixel 8 home screen. Photo JW/AP

The camera bar along the back also gives a benefit when the phone is placed on a desk as the phone will stay flat on the desk, unlike phones that have the cameras sticking out on one side.

The screen looks great, with a high brightness available, of up to 2000 nits (peak), or 1400 nits (HDR). The refresh rate can go as high as 120Hz, although the lowest is 60Hz, which could reduce battery life compared to phones that can go as low as 1Hz. In terms of colour reproduction, photos and images look great on the phone.

18W wireless charging is available with the right charger, and for faster charging speeds you can use wired charging, with up to 27W possible. This is reasonable, but not as fast as other brands out there, particularly the wired charging. The phone is IP68 rated, has a 2 year warranty, and up to 7 years of software updates.

Google Pixel 8 Performance

The Google Pixel 8, like other Pixel phones delivers impressive results, with pleasing colour reproduction, and reliable exposure and dynamic range. You don’t really need to worry about what setting you’re using as the phone will work it all out for you.

In terms of colour reproduction, the phone will give bright, saturated images, but without going too far. For example, similar photos taken with a Samsung photo show much stronger saturation.

You can use hybrid zoom, and results remain good as long as you don’t zoom too far – this Saab 900 Classic car was shot at 2x zoom. Photo Joshua Waller

Pixel 8 · f/1.68 · 1/1359s · 6.9mm · ISO22

Using up to 2x zoom can give good looking results, but go much beyond this, and you’ll soon start seeing the effects of digital zoom. Even with clever computing and image processing, you’re still not going to get amazing 5x or 8x zoom photos from this camera, and if you really do intend on taking a lot of telephoto zoom photos, then you will definitely get better results from the Google Pixel 8 Pro (or 7 Pro etc).

Trees taken with the Google Pixel 8 ultra-wide-angle camera. Photo Joshua Waller

Pixel 8 · f/2.2 · 1/234s · 1.95mm · ISO44

The ultra-wide-angle camera gives good colour and exposure, as expected, and the colour reproduction matches the main camera. Detail is quite good, but does drop off towards the corners of the frame, where optical issues such as purple fringing and chromatic aberrations become apparent, particularly in shots like this.

Trees taken with the main camera on the Google Pixel 8. Photo Joshua Waller

Pixel 8 · f/1.68 · 1/215s · 6.9mm · ISO24

The main camera performs very well, with images that don’t look overly processed, and the only issues being that noise can be visible in some shots, more so in the corners of the frame. This is mostly when shooting in darker conditions. I did notice some odd noise in very dark conditions on one of my images, when using digital zoom, but this was after taking several hundreds of images. Hopefully this will be resolved with a future update.

A mixture of Lichen and Moss taken with the Google Pixel 8. Photo Joshua Waller

Pixel 8 · f/1.68 · 1/397s · 6.9mm · ISO19

There’s now a dedicated “Macro” option that can be used if the subject is too close to the camera, however, the main camera can also focus relatively closely, as this shot above shows. If you need to get even closer, then the ultra-wide-angle camera is used, and this gives really close focusing.

Lego macro photo using the ultra-wide-angle camera. Photo JW/AP

Pixel 8 · f/2.2 · 1/24s · 1.95mm · ISO162

As soon as light levels drop enough, then the Night photography mode will be activated, and this gives impressive images that can be taken handheld. You get the choice of increasing the exposure time for high quality images, but you also get great results even without this activated.

Google Pixel 8 sample photo using the Night mode. Photo Joshua Waller

Pixel 8 · f/1.68 · 1/25s · 6.9mm · ISO602

Results from the Night Photography mode are really very impressive, but your results may vary, as you do get the best results from holding the phone as steady as possible.

Tram lines. Google Pixel 8 sample photo. Photo Joshua Waller

Pixel 8 · f/1.68 · 1/651s · 6.9mm · ISO20

Using the portrait mode

Google Pixel 8 sample photo using the portrait mode. Photo Jeremy Waller

Pixel 8 · f/1.68 · 1/59s · 6.9mm · ISO32

When using the portrait mode, the phone delivers an excellent looking image, with pleasing skin tones, plenty of detail and a good looking background blur (and bokeh). When shooting with the main camera you have the choice of 1.5x or 2x zoom, and can edit settings such as the amount of blur and depth, as well as the focus point.

Google Pixel 8 portrait mode using the selfie camera, with background blur. Photo JW

Pixel 8 · f/2.2 · 1/684s · 2.74mm · ISO50

The Pixel 8 selfie camera gives good results, with pleasing colour, and good levels of background blur. This can be adjusted after taking the photo, and you can also add a “Portrait light” with control over where you place the artificial light in the frame. In comparison to the Pixel 7, the results are slightly more natural, with less background blur on default settings.

Video recording

There are a number of options available in the video section of the app, including Pan and Blur, with blur giving a background blur effect. Magic Audio lets you adjust the voice and background noise, as well as the option to adjust Wind noise if it’s present. I had mixed results trying to remove some background music from a video I recorded.

Video stabilisation does an impressive job of keeping the footage stable when recording handheld. 4K HDR video can be recorded at 4K 30fps. If you switch up to 60fps (4K) then HDR is no longer available.

Value for Money

The Google Pixel 8 has seen the price of the phone increase to $699 / £699 compared to the Google Pixel 7, which had an RRP of £599. This is still a good price, but edging closer and closer to other phones with triple camera systems.

Google Pixel 7 (left) and 8 (right). Photo JW/AP

Phones with triple camera setups on the rear include the the Samsung Galaxy S23 (£849 RRP but less if you shop around), Xiaomi 13 (£739) and Xiaomi 13T Pro (£699). The Pixel 8 is still cheaper than the dual camera iPhone 15, which is priced at £799. You could also look at the Samsung Galaxy S22 if you wanted a cheaper option, and didn’t mind going for last years model.

Google Pixel 8 Verdict

The Google Pixel 8 is an excellent camera phone, and has some very impressive photography features. In fact, you don’t have to use these features, and you’re still going to get some amazing looking photos, with excellent exposure, good detail, and pleasing colour reproduction.

It’s the advanced photographic features and consistently good photographic results from this phone that make it a real contender compared to Samsung and Apple. It’s also priced competitively, and gives other phones a serious challenge.

Colour and detail are both very pleasing. Google Pixel 8 sample photo. Photo Joshua Waller

Pixel 8 · f/1.68 · 1/484s · 6.9mm · ISO19

There’s an improved main camera, with brighter aperture, and there’s also an improved ultra-wide-angle, now with auto-focus and a macro.

This makes the Google Pixel 8 an excellent all-round camera phone, and possibly one of the best phones out there for under $700 / £700.

However, there are two things that stop this from being the perfect camera phone, and that’s the lack of auto-focus on the selfie camera, which can be found on Samsung’s S22 and S23 series, and the lack of manual mode. Which for some reason Google only saw fit to add on the Pixel 8 Pro model. We can only hope that Google will add it via a future update. Fingers crossed.

Chips. Google Pixel 8 close-up sample photo. Photo Joshua Waller

Pixel 8 · f/1.68 · 1/1443s · 6.9mm · ISO17

The Magic Editor is a great idea, but could do with some refinement, as its a little bit clunky to use, and doesn’t give much control when you do use it. This is another area that could be improved with software updates.

However, if you simply want an easy to use phone, that gives excellent results time and time again, then the Google Pixel 8 would make an excellent choice, especially if you don’t want to spend more than $700/£700.

For more options have a look at our guide to the best budget phones, as well as the best premium phones for photography.

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The post Google Pixel 8 Review – AI for the masses appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

Canon EOS R6 Mark II at a glance:

• $3,526 / £2,779 body only
• $3,970 / £3,129 with RF 24-105mm STM lens
• 24.2MP full-frame sensor
• ISO 100-102,400 (standard)
• Up to 40fps shooting
• 4K 60p video recording
• 3.69m-dot, 0.76x OLED EVF
• 3in, 1.62m-dot vari-angle screen

Canon has given the EOS R6 Mark II a major update, with gaining a brand-new 24MP sensor in place of the previous 20MP chip. There’s also an array of feature updates, plus a few small but significant design and and interface tweaks.

The main design changes compared to the EOS R6 are on top, with a stills/video mode switch on the left, new power/lock switch on the right, and Canon’s multi-interface hot shoe. Image credit: Andy Westlake

At $2500 / £2,779 body-only, the EOS R6 Mark II comes to market for a moderate premium over its now-discontinued predecessor, which cost £2500 at launch (now available on the secondhand market for approx. £1,429 / $1700 in excellent condition). This places it up against some strong competitors that cost rather less, perhaps most notably the excellent 33MP Sony Alpha A7 IV ($3051 / £2,399) and the Panasonic Lumix S5 II ($2288 / £1799). Canon will no doubt be hoping that its impressive headline specs, including 40fps shooting and a sophisticated subject recognition autofocus system, will be sufficient to keep its existing DSLR users loyal and buy into the R system. But does the EOS R6 Mark II really offer enough to justify its price tag?

Canon EOS R6 Mark II: Features

Firstly, let’s consider the 24.2MP Dual Pixel CMOS AF II sensor. While it has the same resolution as the one in the high-end EOS R3, it doesn’t employ the same stacked architecture for ultra-fast readout. However, Canon claims that it delivers low-light performance to match the EOS R6’s 20MP chip, with a standard sensitivity range that runs all the way from ISO 100 up to ISO 102,400 and is extendable to ISO 204,800.

Canon has built the EOS R6 Mark II with an all-new 24MP full-frame sensor. Image credit: Andy Westlake

On the subject of autofocus, the EOS R6 Mark II builds on the subject detection AF system previously seen in the EOS R3. The camera can now recognise aircraft, trains and horses (including, rather wonderfully, zebras), as well as humans, cars, animals and birds. AF tracking is available in all focus modes, and Canon says autofocus continues to function in light levels as low as -6.5EV.

40fps shooting with electronic shutter

 This is also the quickest-shooting camera in its class, being capable of 12 frames per second in full-resolution raw using its mechanical shutter, and a remarkable 40fps with the electronic shutter (20fps and 5fps settings are also available if you don’t need to shoot quite so fast). Select raw burst mode, and the camera can shoot at 30fps with up to 15 frames buffered before the shutter button is fully depressed. This can allow you to capture fleeting moments when you wouldn’t otherwise have time to react.

Files are recorded to dual UHS-II SD card slots. Image credit: Andy Westlake

The buffer is impressively deep too, at 190 JPEG or 140 CRAW files in a single burst. On this note, Canon’s CRAW format produces unusually small raw files without any apparent loss of quality, which means you can fit more onto a card. It’s a seemingly minor feature but is of real practical benefit.

IBIS

Another boon for low-light shooting is the camera’s in-body image stabilisation, which is now rated for up to 8 stops shake correction. Many of Canon’s RF lenses are optically stabilised, too, with the in-lens and in-body systems working together to deliver the best possible effect. In principle the system also works with adapted manual-focus lenses, such as Canon’s old FD-mount optics. But as with the original EOS R6, the process of entering the lens’s focal length to make the system work properly is unnecessarily long-winded and clunky.

Canon’s familiar LP-E6N battery promises 450 shots per charge using the viewfinder. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Video specs

Another area where the specs impress is with regards to video. The EOS R6 Mark II offers 4K recording at 60 fps from the full sensor width, with 6K oversampling for increased detail. It can also output 6K 60p ProRes raw to an external recorder over HDMI, while Full HD slow motion recording is available at 180fps. Canon has also included its new multi-function shoe, which accepts various digital audio accessories, along with the firm’s EL-5 flash.

Interesting new video features include focus breathing compensation to correct for any change in the angle of view when pulling focus between different distances – and ‘face only AF’ where the camera won’t attempt to refocus when a human subject walks out of shot. There’s even a movie pre-recording option, where either 3 or 5 seconds of footage can be continuously buffered before you start filming, so you don’t miss a key moment of action.

Microphone, headphone and remote release connectors are placed not to block the articulated screen, with USB-C and Micro HDMI also onboard. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Connectivity

Updated connectivity includes Bluetooth 5 and 5GHz Wi-Fi, which can be used to connect the camera wirelessly to a smartphone, tablet or computer. Canon’s free Camera Remote app for Android and iOS offers all the usual features, including the ability to operate the camera remotely over Wi-Fi, with a live view feed and extensive control over settings. You can also copy photos across to your phone for sharing, even when the camera is powered off and packed away in your bag. Other useful options that you don’t always get elsewhere include a quick and easy Bluetooth remote control, and the ability to update the camera’s firmware via your phone.

It’s possible to connect the camera to a mobile device via its USB-C port for a more stable connection and use Camera Remote that way, which in effect allows a phone or tablet to be used as an external monitor. It’s a mystery why more cameras don’t allow this. Like most other recent models, the EOS R6 Mark II can be used as a 4K webcam for video calls, without any need to install additional software on your computer.

Canon EOS R6 Mark II: Key features

Canon has taken the excellent EOS R6 and added a number of welcome improvements.

The shutter closes when the camera is switched off, to help keep dust off the sensor. Image credit: Andy Westlake

• Lenses: Canon’s RF lens range now includes 29 full-frame optics, covering everything from budget-friendly zooms to pro ultra-telephoto primes. EF lenses can also be used via an adapter.
• Connectors: Canon has included 3.5mm stereo microphone and headphone sockets and a 2.5mm E3-type remote release connector, all placed so as not to block the articulating screen. There are also Micro HDMI and USB-C ports. However, infrared remote release is no longer supported.
• Power: Canon’s standard LP-E6N battery is rated for 450 shots when using the viewfinder, or 760 with the LCD. It can be charged in-camera, and an external mains charger comes in the box.
• Storage: Files are recorded to two SD UHS-II card slots. It’s possible to use them either simultaneously or sequentially, or to record different file types to each.
• Multi-function shoe: Canon’s new multi-function shoe is compatible with a range of digital audio accessories and the firm’s latest flash units including the Speedlite EL-5.
• Vertical grip: The Mark II is compatible with the same BG-R10 battery grip as the EOS R5 and the original R6, which costs $299 / £379.

Canon EOS R6 Mark II: Build and handling

Externally, the EOS R6 Mark III is very much like its predecessor. This is a good thing, as the R6 handled exceptionally well. In terms of build, we get the same magnesium alloy chassis and glass fibre-reinforced polycarbonate shell. This may not have quite the same bullet-proof feel as Canon EOS 5D-series DSLRs used to, but it makes the camera considerably lighter. Thanks to the tall, deep grip, the camera gives a secure hold and feels well balanced in the hand, even with relatively large lenses such as the Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM. As we’d expect, the body is weather-sealed.

The EOS R6 Mark II feels secure in your hand thanks to its tall, deep grip. Image credit: Andy Westlake

The control layout is derived from Canon’s EOS DSLRs, but with various significant updates. Along with the familiar front and rear control dials for changing exposure settings, there’s an additional thumb dial on the top plate dedicated to ISO. Uniquely to Canon – and extremely usefully – this can be used to shift the ISO setting temporarily in Auto ISO mode.

Control dials on RF lenses

There’s also a conventional exposure mode dial (complete with three custom positions), and an AF multi-controller joystick, which at long last is enabled by default. Canon’s higher-end RF lenses also all have separate lens control dials that can be configured to change exposure settings. However on the cheaper RF lenses, this function is provided by the manual focus ring, which doesn’t work as well.

Canon has added this Still/Movie selector switch. Here you can also see the electrical contacts on the multi-interface shoe. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Compared to the original EOS R6, there are a couple of updates. Most notably, what was previously the on/off switch on the top left is now a stills/video mode selector. This has the advantage of giving easy access to all the exposure modes for video recording, including the C positions. It also brings up a video-optimised interface with a 16:9 preview and separately saved settings. However, I found this switch was a bit too easy to knock accidentally when removing the camera from my bag, and wish it were either firmer or had an interlock button.

Power switch lock – is it really needed?

The power switch has moved onto the right side of the top plate, where it’s easier to reach, although still not quite as convenient as one around the shutter button like on most other brands. It now has a central lock position similar to many older Canon DSLRs, replacing the R6’s separate lock button. This can be used to disable any combination of the camera’s control dials, joystick, and touchscreen, or the lens control ring. Personally, I don’t really understand why you’d have a setting whose sole function is to stop the camera from working properly – other manufacturers don’t feel the need to inflict this on us – but thankfully you can disable it altogether.

The power switch is easier to reach than before, and now has a Lock position. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Canon has updated its useful Dial Function option, so that pressing the tiny M-Fn button beside the shutter release now allows you to change pairs of settings at a time using the front and rear dials. Meanwhile, rotating the top dial chooses between the available pairs of functions.

By default, this gives quick access to white balance and metering; drive and focus modes; flash exposure compensation and ISO; and picture style and AF area. You can reconfigure this to suit your preferences, but the only other option you can add is exposure compensation. It’s a real shame you can’t use it to scroll through the subject detection modes.

Rear controls are identical to the original EOS R6. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Quick menu

Other key settings can be changed using the onscreen quick menu, activated by pressing the Q button on the back. This button sits in the middle of a dense cluster of ten controls, all of which are operated by one’s right thumb. In practice, this isn’t as bad as it might sound, as you’re unlikely to be using many of them at any given time. However, I found it almost impossible to distinguish the trio of Magnify, Q and Info buttons with the camera up to your eye.

Most of the controls can be customised, but I saw little need to do so, as all the buttons do useful things, and the default control layout works very well. One option, though, is to re-purpose the video record button to another function for stills shooting. Or depending on how you shoot, you may prefer to customise the depth of field preview button on the front.

This button on the front stops down the lens to preview depth of field. Unlike on DSLRs, you can see the effect clearly at any aperture. Image credit: Andy Westlake

As usual, Canon provides a touchscreen interface that covers every aspect of the camera’s operation, complementing rather than replacing physical controls. Canon’s menus are clearly labelled and relatively logically laid out, and there’s a user-configurable My Menu where you can group your most-used settings. This is handy, as certain useful options, such as the mechanical/electronic shutter selection and raw burst mode, are otherwise only selectable from the main menu. Aside from this, the EOS R6 Mark II offers one of the finest shooting experiences of any camera around.

Canon EOS R6 Mark II: Viewfinder and screen

When it comes to composing and viewing your images, Canon has used the same 3.69m-dot EVF and 3in, 1.62m-dot fully articulated touchscreen as on the original R6. With 0.76x magnification and a 120fps refresh rate, the viewfinder is very good indeed, although it can be a little difficult to see in very bright light.

Canon has used the same viewfinder as in the original EOS R6. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Canon previews colour, white balance and exposure compensation by default, making it easy to visualise how your images will come out. You can also overlay grid lines, neatly designed electronic levels and an RGB live histogram for judging exposure. Pressing the info button allows you to switch to a clean, uncluttered view for easier composition. 

Eye sensor

Move your eye away from the viewfinder and the camera will automatically switch to the LCD below. Again, this gives an accurate preview, while its side-hinged, fully articulated design aids shooting from a tripod, or at unusual angles in either portrait or landscape formats. It can also be set facing forwards for selfies or vlogging.

Canon’s useful OVF View Assist function is available, but by default has to be engaged using the menu. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Compared to the original R6, there are a couple of small but useful updates. Firstly, the EOS R6 Mark II gains the OVF View Assist mode that debuted on the EOS R3, which brightens shadows and reproduces colours neutrally to give a more SLR-like viewing experience. This can be particularly useful in high contrast conditions, or when you need to apply negative exposure compensation to retain highlight detail. This can be assigned to a function button to toggle easily between the two viewing modes; I used the video record button.

Full-time DOF preview

Depth-of-field preview is preset, via a button on the camera’s front, much like a traditional DSLR. However, Canon has added a menu setting to enable full-time DOF preview, with the lens always stopped down to the selected aperture. I’d be tempted to use this mode in daylight, but when light levels fall, it can reduce the viewfinder’s refresh rate excessively, giving a disconcertingly choppy view.

The side-hinged screen can be set to face almost any angle. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Another useful update comes in video mode. When the camera is recording, a flashing red outline appears around the display, both in the viewfinder and on the LCD. This partially makes up for the fact that there’s no tally light on the camera’s front to indicate that it’s recording.

Canon EOS R6 Mark II: Autofocus

Like Canon’s other cameras, autofocus is provided by the firm’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology, which allows every sensor pixel to be used for phase detection autofocus. There are 4897 user-selectable points arranged across practically the entire frame, and you can choose between multiple sizes of focus area. This includes three custom options that allow you to specify the height and width of the focus zone, which is especially handy if you know your subjects will appear in a particular region of the image, for example cars on a racetrack. It’s particularly easy to cycle through area modes, by pressing the AF Area button followed by M-Fn.

Multiple AF area sizes are available, including three user-customisable options. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Single-shot AF

As we’d expect, for single-shot AF on static subjects, the EOS R6 Mark II is essentially flawless, focusing quickly, silently and reliably. Its conventional tracking mode also works well, and is especially easy to activate just by pressing the SET button on the back. Sony could learn a thing or two from Canon in this regard.

AI-based subject recognition

However, the latest AF systems are all about AI-based subject recognition and tracking, particularly with continuous AF. On the EOS R6 Mark II, Canon has deployed what is, on paper, its most advanced system to date, going beyond even the flagship EOS R3. So while the R6 offered eye detection and tracking for humans and animals, the Mark II gains the ability to recognise a wider range of animals, along with vehicles such as cars, trains and planes. There’s even a spot recognition setting, in which the camera will home in on the most important part of the subject – for example the front windscreen of a vehicle. What you don’t get, though, is the EOS R3’s brilliant eye control focus, or the readout speed of its stacked sensor (which generally translates to better AF tracking accuracy).

The EOS R6 Mark II copes impressively well with tracking focus on erratically moving subjects such as birds in flight. Canon EOS R6 Mark II, Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM at 500mm, 1/2000sec at f/7.1, ISO 1250, 1.3x crop. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Click on any sample image to see a full resolution version

Quick and easy setup

You can pre-select the subject type you’re expecting to shoot via the Q Menu, with the available options of humans, animals, and vehicles being refreshingly straightforward compared to the over-complicated setup menus used by some other brands (looking at you again, Sony). But you can also leave the camera to detect automatically what it’s looking at, which is useful in situations of switching rapidly between different kinds of subjects. It’s also possible to set a function button to cycle through the various options (again, using the movie record button could be an option here).

Canon EOS R6 Mark II, Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM, 1/2000sec at f/7.1, ISO 20,000. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Real-world use

In my experience, the subject detection system works extraordinarily well, allowing for concentration on composition and timing while the camera follows the subject and keeps it sharp. With large, predictably moving subjects such as vehicles, it’ll get things right pretty much all the time. However, when shooting small, erratic subjects such as birds with high-speed bursts, I found that it occasionally lost track, drifting onto foreground or background detail instead. It’s possible that spending a bit of time tweaking and fine-tuning the AF system would give more reliable results.

Here’s an example where the camera successfully kept a distant subject in focus against a complex background. Canon EOS R6 Mark II, Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM at 500mm, 1/1000sec at f/7.1, ISO 5000, 1.4x crop. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Auto subject selection isn’t foolproof, either. For example, when I was photographing birds perched in trees, it decided more than once to outline and concentrate on branches instead (it’s not obvious what kind of subject the camera thought it was focusing on). But despite these occasional flaws, the autofocus is still far beyond that offered by any DSLR, making it easier than ever to get sharp images of moving subjects. However, the EOS R6 Mark II is, understandably, not quite a mini EOS R3.

Canon EOS R6 Mark II: Performance

As befits a camera aimed at serious enthusiasts, the EOS R6 Mark II is extremely quick and responsive. It’s worth knowing, though, that having Bluetooth enabled can slow down its otherwise instantaneous start-up. It’s important to update to the latest firmware and, if you continue to have problems, consider disabling Bluetooth. Operationally, the camera is very quiet and discreet, with the shutter firing with just a quiet snick. Switch to electronic shutter mode and it’s completely silent, but this does come with a risk of rolling shutter distortion.

Canon’s in-camera processing gives reliably attractive results. This is an unedited JPEG straight from the camera. Canon EOS R6 Mark II, Canon RF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM at 43mm, 1/2000sec at f/8, ISO 100. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Metering

Metering, auto white balance and colour are all very typically Canon – in other words, predictably reliable. The standard evaluative metering mode is closely linked to the focus point, which means that if you focus on a dark area of the scene, you’ll risk clipping highlight detail irrecoverably. But this is easy to see in the viewfinder, so you can apply the requisite exposure compensation when necessary (note though that it’s not visible in OVF View Assist mode).

Canon EOS R6 Mark II, Canon RF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM, 1/200sec at f/8, ISO 100. Image credit: Andy Westlake

White Balance

Auto white balance is generally well judged, meaning that out-of-camera JPEGs are usually good for sharing directly from the camera, with just a little tweaking. You will, however, get best results shooting raw, especially when you want to make significant tonal adjustments after shooting.

Here, the sensor’s dynamic range allowed me to expose to retain highlights in the sky, then pull out foreground shadow detail in raw processing. Canon EOS R6 Mark II, RF 24-104mm f/4 L IS USM at 37mm, 1/80sec at f/11, ISO 100. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Dynamic Range

In this regard, the EOS R6 Mark II’s 24MP sensor offers a good degree of dynamic range, allowing you to pull up shadow detail by at least three stops with no problem. Go much further, though, and you’ll run into visible artefacts, where Canon appears to be applying noise reduction to the darkest tones in the raw file. This means that you don’t get quite the malleability of the very best full-frame sensors; but it’s still plenty enough for most real-world situations.

The EOS R6 Mark II works perfectly with EF DSLR lenses via a mount adapter. Canon EOS R6 Mark II, EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM via Viltrox EF-EOS R adapter, 1/320sec at f/8, ISO 100. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Burst Shooting

Continuous shooting performance is impressive, but as usual, the devil is in the detail. Using the mechanical shutter at its highest 12fps frame rate, you don’t get live view between frames (just a quick review of your recorded images), which makes it difficult to track moving subjects. If you want live view between frames, you’re reduced to shooting at 7fps, although with a vast 230-shot buffer.

Burst shooting allows you to capture fleeting moments, such as this seagull momentarily tottering from its perch. Canon EOS R6 Mark II, Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM at 400mm, 1/2000sec at f/6.3, ISO 1000, 1.5x crop. Image credit: Andy Westlake

The camera’s headline 40fps top speed requires switching to the electronic shutter, which means a trip into the menus – annoyingly you can’t just access it as a drive mode setting. As the sensor isn’t stacked, there’s an appreciable rolling shutter effect. While this isn’t bad enough to make your subject obviously distorted, it can make vertical lines in the background appear slanted when you’re panning, which could be problematic with subjects such as motorsport.

The vari-angle screen makes getting low-angle shots like this easy. Canon EOS R6 Mark II, Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM at 324mm, 1/2000sec at f/5.6, ISO 16,000. Image credit: Andy Westlake

There are also 20fps and 5fps electronic shutter modes, but while the two faster options display a flickering outline around the image to indicate when the camera is shooting, at 5fps the entire display flashes on and off – an effect that I found disconcerting to the point of being unusable.

The sensor gives very good results at moderately high ISO settings. Canon EOS R6 Mark II, Canon RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM, 1/125sec at f/2.8, ISO 2500. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Raw Burst Mode

Raw burst mode is also accessed via the menu. Here the camera shoots at 30fps, with up to 15 frames buffered before you fully depress the shutter button. Bursts are captured as a single file, from which you can then extract individual frames in playback, as either raw or JPEG files. It works, but it’s very clunky compared to OM System’s Pro Capture mode.

I captured this precise moment of splashdown using Canon’s raw burst mode. Canon EOS R6 Mark II, Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7/1 L IS USM at 500mm, 1/1000sec at f/7.1, ISO 2500, 1.3x crop

IBIS

The in-body image stabilisation is, as it was on the EOS R6, very effective. Using the Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM towards its wide and, I found I could get consistently sharp shots at shutter speeds close to a second, and I even got the occasional usable frame at longer speeds. This can be really useful for shooting hand-held in low light, or for experimenting with long shutter speeds for creative effect. However, it’s no help with moving subjects.

Canon’s in-body image stablisation system allows hand-held shooting at slow shutter speeds. Canon EOS R6 Mark II, RF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM at 40mm, 1.6sec at f/11, ISO 100, hand-held. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Use with EF lenses

Current Canon DSLR users will find that the EOS R6 Mark II works seamlessly with their existing EF-mount lenses via the EF-EOS R mount adapter (or indeed cheaper clones from the likes of Viltrox). I tested it with my EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM and EF 100mm f/2 USM with good results. Both image stabilisation and autofocus continue to operate perfectly; indeed with fast primes, chances are it’ll deliver a rather higher percentage of properly focused shots. This means you can use your exisitng EF mount lenses and you don’t have to buy a whole new set of RF lenses straight away.

EF-mount DSLR lenses work seamlessly using a mount adapter. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Canon’s full-frame RF lens line-up now covers most bases, with a good range of affordable options alongside premium L-series lenses including some unique and clever designs. But on the other hand, Canon is the only company that’s still blocking third-party lens makers from using its full-frame mirrorless mount. This means there’s a vastly better choice of native lenses available for Sony E-mount in particular.

Canon EOS R6 Mark II: ISO and noise

With its 24MP sensor, the EOS R6 gains a 10% increase in linear resolution over its predecessor. While this isn’t in any way unwelcome, it’s not a massive upgrade. The sensor delivers very clean images at low ISOs, and extremely usable results a moderately high settings, too: I’d have absolutely no hesitation in using ISO 3200.

High ISO performance is very good indeed. This was shot at ISO 51,200, and could be cleaned up further using AI noise reduction software. Canon EOS R6 Mark II, Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM at 500mm, 1/2000sec at f/8, ISO 51,200. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Beyond this, noise starts to have a more obvious impact on fine detail and colour, and each photographer will have their own cut-off point of unacceptability. Personally, I was happy with the images I shot at ISO 25,600 and would consider ISO 51,200 usable at a pinch. But I’d steer clear of the higher settings.

Below are 100% crops at each ISO setting from our standard studio scene, shot in raw and processed using Adobe Camera Raw. Click on any to see the full resolution version.

Canon EOS R6 Mark II, ISO 100, raw + Adobe Camera Raw, 100% crop

Canon EOS R6 Mark II, ISO 400, raw + Adobe Camera Raw, 100% crop

Canon EOS R6 Mark II, ISO 3200, raw + Adobe Camera Raw, 100% crop

Canon EOS R6 Mark II, ISO 25,600, raw + Adobe Camera Raw, 100% crop

Canon EOS R6 Mark II, ISO 51,200, raw + Adobe Camera Raw, 100% crop

Canon EOS R6 Mark II, ISO 102,400, raw + Adobe Camera Raw, 100% crop

Canon EOS R6 Mark II, ISO 204,800, raw + Adobe Camera Raw, 100% crop

Canon EOS R6 Mark II: Our Verdict

After a couple of weeks shooting with the Canon EOS R6 Mark II, my overriding impression is of a camera that’ll do pretty much anything you ask of it. It takes the already excellent EOS R6 and makes it even better, with faster shooting and impressive subject detection AF. It’s difficult to appreciate just how useful this type of autofocus system can be for tracking moving subjects. Once you’ve tried it, you may be reluctant to go back to a conventional setup again.

Canon’s EOS R6 Mark II is a supremely accomplished all-rounder that handle almost any subject with ease. Image credit: Andy Westlake

An impressive all-rounder

Like its predecessor, the Mark II also handles extremely well. It’s not quite as small as its rivals from Nikon, Panasonic or Sony, but this provides space for a large, deep handgrip and extensive external controls. Add to this its excellent image quality, and you have a seriously impressive all-rounder. You’d have to pay much more to get much higher performance in any given area, without compromising elsewhere.

The EOS R6 Mark II’s 24MP sensor provides easily enough resolution to make a highly detailed A3 print. Canon EOS R6 Mark II, Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM at 70mm, 1/1000sec at f/11, ISO 160. Image credit: Andy Westlake

For current Canon DSLR users, the EOS R6 Mark II represents an extremely tempting option for switching to mirrorless while maintaining use of their existing EF lenses. Those using the original EOS R will find it a considerable upgrade, too, despite its slightly lower resolution. There’s rather less incentive for EOS R6 users to update, though, unless they need a specific feature it offers. For brand-agnostic buyers it’s an extremely strong alternative to the likes of the Sony Alpha 7 IV, with the main gripe being the lack of third-party RF lenses. But this is the only real blot on the copy book of a superb camera that’s an excellent update to its illustrious predecessor.

To read more about the camera and how it fares in real-world use, don’t miss our Canon EOS R6 long-term review.

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Canon EOS R6 Mark II: Full Specifications

The post Canon EOS R6 Mark II review appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

Leica M11 Monochrom at a glance:

• $9195 / £8300 body-only
• Black-and-white only digital camera
• 60MP full-frame back-illuminated CMOS sensor
• ISO 125-200,000 range
• Rangefinder manual focusing
• 256GB of internal storage
• Leica-camera.com

Leica’s M11 Monochrom looks like an old film camera – and can only shoot in black and white. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Crazy or not, Leica holds something of a monopoly in this area, as no other brand has applied itself to this artistic niche. Ricoh has recently released the Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome. There is a very healthy level of activity in digital black & white photography, but only these two firms devote camera design exclusively to the black and white form.

While most black and white fans choose to shoot in colour and convert later, the Leica Monochrom series offers far better image quality to those really dedicated to an existence without colour, in return for their commitment. With no coloured filters over the pixels, they gather more light, and without the need to aggregate their findings to produce a coloured image, each pixel acts on its own to provide much greater resolution of detail than would be possible from the same number of pixels under a Bayer pattern filter array.

The camera is finished in matte black, with barely any visible branding: just some discreet lettering on the top and back. Image credit: Damien Demolder

Previous models such as the Leica M10 Monochrom and the fixed-lens Leica Q2 Monochrom have demonstrated the principle is sound and effective, and that image quality benefits a great deal. This new Leica M11 Monochrom though advances the idea in two new directions – with a higher-resolution, more modern sensor, and with all the up-to-date features and functions of the company’s excellent M11 camera platform.

Leica M11 Monochrom: Features

The Leica M11 Monochrom is a 60.4MP rangefinder camera that exclusively records monochromatic images. Of course, all digital cameras can be used to create black and white images from their colour captures, simply by removing the colour in software. But the way the Monochrom is designed delivers superior resolution. In a normal digital camera, the readings from the sensor’s red, green and blue-sensitive pixels have to be demosaiced to determine the final colour output for each pixel in the final image. But with a monochrome sensor, each pixel reports individually. As a result, Leica claims we should expect detail resolution 100% greater from the Monochrom than from a standard colour sensor.

The camera is built around Leica’s M mount, which dates back to 1954. Image credit: Damien Demolder

This camera gives users a choice of DNG raw files and/or JPEGs, and gives us a choice of three pixel-counts for our full-frame RAW/JPEG images, in case the maximum 9528×6328-pixel, 60MB-110MB files prove larger than necessary. When smaller images will do, we can switch to 36.6MP or 18.5MP options, to tailor the resolution to the task in hand.

With the potential for such large file sizes, the issue of file storage inevitably comes to mind. Like the Leica M11, the M11 Monochrom offers built-in storage as well as a card slot for SD media of up to 2TB of SDXC UHS-ll. While the colour version of the M11 can hold up to 64GB, Leica has been generous enough to supply 256GB of internal storage in this new Monochrom – enough for about 4000 full-resolution DNG files.

The M11 Monochrom offers a remarkable ISO 200,000 setting. Image credit: Damien Demolder

The CMOS sensor used in this model has the same design as that in the full-colour M11. Its back-illuminated structure allows more light to be recorded, so higher ISO settings can be achieved, while noise will be lower at all settings. As the Monochrom has no coloured filters to inhibit light from reaching its pixels, the base ISO level is lifted somewhat to ISO 125, from the ISO 64 base of the colour camera. At the other end of the scale this translates to quite incredible ISO 200,000 maximum. Leica doesn’t have ‘extended’ ISO positions, so all settings are considered in the ‘normal’ range.

The camera offers both mechanical and electronic shutter modes, with openings of 60 minutes to 1/16,000sec. The mechanical shutter deals with 60min to 1/4000sec, while the electronic shutter gives us 60 seconds to 1/16,000sec. The older M10 Monochrom provides a shutter speed range of 16 minutes to 1/4000sec, so this is quite a step up.

Shutter speeds are primarily controlled using a traditional dial on the top plate. Image credit: Damien Demolder

The flash sync is the same 1/180sec that we got in the M10 Monochrom, and practically all Leica M cameras for decades. But the introduction of an electronic shutter is completely new for the M Monochrom series camera.

A nice new feature comes in the metering mode line-up, as the M11 Monochrom inherits the multi-field, centre-weighted and spot configurations of the colour M11 while also adding a highlight-weighted mode. This new mode is designed to ensure detail in the brightest areas is retained, as the camera detects the lightest tones in the scene and protects them from burn-out. This is particularly important with the Monochrom, as unlike with colour sensors, there’s no ability to reconstruct clipped highlight detail in raw processing.

Compared to the M10, the M11 design uses a much larger battery that clips directly into the base. Image credit: Damien Demolder

Other notable new features over the M10 Monochrom include a 2.3-million-dot LCD touchscreen, the adoption of the new 1800mAh BP-SCL7 battery with its considerably increased life, and an aluminium body similar to the black M11, that means the camera weighs 540g instead of 660g.

In all, the Leica M11 Monochrom is as much a completely different camera to the M10 Monochrom, as the colour M11 is different to the colour M10. The additional resolution the newer models bring will probably get most of the air-time, but it is the additional metering, wider shutter speed range and the internal storage that are the elements that make the new camera more exciting to work with.

Leica M11 Monochrom: Key features

• Sensor: The 60MP sensor in the M11 Monochrom is the same back-lit CMOS unit as that used in the M11. However with no coloured filters on the pixels, the base ISO lifts from 64 to 125
• Storage: The camera comes with an SD card slot, but also 256GB of internal storage. Users access the internally stored images via the USC-C port or by copying the files to an SD card
• Power: The M11 Monochrom uses the more powerful BP-SCL7 1800mAh battery that Leica says powers the camera for over 700 frames. The USB-C port can be used be used to charge the battery or to power the camera while in use
• LCD Screen: The camera’s rear screen gets an upgrade to 2.3-million-dot resolution and can be used for touch controls when selecting items from the quick menu, for magnification and positioning the spot meter. Touch function doesn’t extend to the main menu, though
• Metering: The metering set-up offers users a new highlight-weighted system in addition to centre-weighted, spot and multi-field. This additional mode aims to protect highlights in high contrast conditions
• Focusing: Focusing is achieved manually using either the excellent rangefinder system in the viewfinder or via the rear screen in live view mode. The rangefinder is quick to use, but focuses only in the centre of the view. Live View allows focusing almost anywhere in the frame and is more accurate when using wide apertures and off-centre subjects

Leica M11 Monochrom: Build and handling

Anyone who has come into contact with a Leica M camera before will know exactly what to expect. This M11 Monochrom is a solid beast designed to withstand almost anything the professional photojournalist might throw at it. While some users keep their camera in its original box and swaddled in bubble wrap, others hang theirs from their neck while jumping into shell holes with bullets whizzing around their ears. This camera will cope well in either situation.

In classic Leica fashion, the camera’s controls are stripped back to the bare minimum. Image credit: Damien Demolder

Holding a Leica M is quite a different experience to working with most other types of camera, but with time and practice it becomes comfortable and natural. The M11 Monochrom has a relatively smooth and featureless body, so it might feel at first that there’s little to cling to. But the extended thumb grip on the top right of the rear of the body offers a remarkably secure hold.

In standard Leica style there are few controls on the body, with just three buttons on the left of the rear screen for activating screen-related functions, and a four-way ring of buttons to the right with a ‘set’ button in the centre for navigating and changing settings.

This d-pad is used for navigating and changing settings. Image credit: Damien Demolder

Leica has given us an extra function button on the top plate beside the shutter release that first appeared with the colour M11. This function button joins the rear FN button and the thumb wheel to give three customisable controls in all. The function assigned to the buttons can be determined via the menu system, or via a long press of the button itself. For each of these buttons there are 28 feature options to choose from.

I found using the thumb dial to activate exposure compensation, the FN button to deal with manual ISO settings and the top plate button to magnify the focus point most useful. You can also magnify the focus point by rotating the focus ring on the lens, but that requires moving the focus. Having ‘magnify’ on a function button allowed me to confirm focus without moving it.

Three square buttons are arranged down the left of the screen. Image credit: Damien Demolder

Leica cameras of the past don’t always have the most straightforward navigation systems, but in these latest models life has become very much easier. It takes a little while to become familiar with the system of course, but once acquainted the logic and processes become clear.

The first point of contact when looking to alter settings, other than shutter speeds and ISO, is the quick menu. One press of the menu button brings up a screen that displays icons and readings for the majority of features we’ll need most often. From this screen we can not only monitor the state of our settings but also change them by touching the appropriate icon on the rear screen. There are 12 selectable icons on this screen that can be touched or navigated to via the 4-way button array to the right of the screen.

The onscreen quick menu lets you view and change settings. Image credit: Damien Demolder

A key operational difference between settings selection via the quick menu screen and the main menu is that in the quick menu we just select the setting value we want, and can then press the shutter to carry on shooting. In the main menu any selection requires that we press the ‘set’ button to confirm that we really do want to change things. If you forget to press ‘set’ your changes won’t be registered.

Should you need to access anything that isn’t on the quick screen, another press of the menu button takes us into the main menu. This unfortunately does not offer touch controls, so we need to use the 4-way buttons to travel around it. The up/down buttons will scroll us through the whole menu, but pressing the menu button repeatedly allows us to jump from page to page so we can find what we are looking for very quickly.

This rectangular window on the front is used by the rangefinder. The small circular window is an external lightmeter that the camera uses to estimate the aperture being used. Image credit: Damien Demolder

For the most part, menu items are positioned and labelled as we might expect, though getting to the part where you can customise the live view screen takes quite a lot of presses. I suppose we don’t need to go there often.

When viewing the rear screen in live view mode, we can also scroll through a number of display options that introduces and hides different information panels. There isn’t a way to have the full image unobscured and information showing at the same time, as the live view window always fills the whole screen and there’s no option to make it smaller. So we need to cycle through to check our composition. While using the live view shooting mode we can use the touch screen to double-tap the area we want to magnify for focusing and we can direct the spot metering circle to the area from which we’d like to meter. It’s all rather quick and easy.

ISO is set using this small dial: pull upwards to change the setting, push down again to lock. Image credit: Damien Demolder

Leica has continued its use of the pop-up manual ISO control dial in this camera, and we can use this to choose settings between ISO 125 and 6400. The dial offers an ‘A’ position for Auto ISO, and when we want to step beyond ISO 6400 we can use the M setting, which activates the Manual ISO selection right the way up to ISO 200,000. The manual mode also gives us access to all ISO settings in increments of 1/3EV, while the dial only allows full stops. Oddly we can assign Auto ISO to the M position too, so we’d have two Auto ISO settings.

It’s a shame that the base of the camera doesn’t come off any more, but the feeling of disappointment that Leica’s jovial nod to the past has gone is short lived once users discover switching out the battery and/or memory card is now a much more efficient process. Leica has employed a pop-out system for the battery that requires no cover, and with the flick of a switch the battery pings out from the base. A further partial press-in fully releases the battery, saving it from firing out into your coffee.

The SD card is housed in the battery compartment, with the USB-C port alongside. Image credit: Damien Demolder

The battery compartment also houses the memory card slot, so removing the battery is necessary when changing the card as well. This really is a drag if you find your card is full while the camera is on a tripod, as the release switch is right next to the tripod thread so the camera will almost inevitably have to come off the tripod and/or quick-release plate, for the task to be completed. Fortunately the camera provides extremely generous internal storage, so the occasions storage will run short during a shoot may be few and far between.

Images captured on the 256GB internal storage provision can be accessed directly via the USB port and downloaded very quickly, or they can be copied/backed-up to a removable memory card. It is worth noting that you will need to ensure the USB Mode is set to Apple MFI if you are using an iPhone or iPad, and to PTP if you are a Windows person, to ensure your computer can see the internal disk. Leica’s excellent Fotos app will allow wired or wireless downloading to a phone or tablet. the app also gives full remote control over the camera and allows both images and videos to be copied to your phone for sharing.

Leica M11 Monochrom: Viewfinder and screen

As this is a rangefinder camera, the viewfinder doesn’t offer a direct view of what the camera is about to record. Instead, we look straight through the eyepiece and out of the window on the front of the camera. Inside the viewfinder, though, are a series of guide marks (or framelines) that show us how much of the view our lens is covering, and this changes automatically when you switch lenses – so long as your lens is recognised by the camera.

As this is a rangefinder camera, it employs a direct-vision optical viewfinder. Image credit: Damien Demolder

Third party lenses may not automatically get their focal length detected, so we can use a switch on the front of the camera to move the guides temporarily to show what will and won’t be in shot.

Focusing is achieved using two images created via a pair of windows on the front of the camera, and we aim to adjust the lens focus to bring the images together in the viewfinder. Once mastered this is a remarkably quick way to focus manually, but it takes a little getting used to.

This lever below the viewfinder allows the framelines to be selected manually when required. Image credit: Damien Demolder

The viewfinder is a standard 0.73x Leica unit with the same base length as the M11, and guides are shown in pairs for lenses from 35mm to 135mm. There is no built-in dioptre adjustment, but separate correction lenses for the eye piece can be purchased for about £140.

The information shown in the viewfinder is pretty limited, and we only get to see an arrow-and-dot exposure meter with no indication how far out the exposure is – which seems somewhat primitive. Other information includes the shutter speed (only in aperture priority) and exposure compensation as it is altered. Even though the camera can estimate what aperture we are using, the viewfinder doesn’t display it.

Images can be composed using a live view feed on the rear screen. Image credit: Damien Demolder

The rear LCD screen is an updated model that offers a 2.3-million-dot resolution view of what we are shooting, or have shot. Live view shooting is enabled either by the Fn button (at its default setting), or by tapping an onscreen button in the quick menu. The viewing angle of the screen is really very good, and a half-press of the shutter release allows us a preview of the exposure we are about to commit.

Leica M11 Monochrom: Performance

It was quite a treat to have such a choice of metering modes, and during the review period I made the most of them. While the multi-field and centre-weighted modes worked well and delivered the goods in most situations, I rather fell in love with Highlight-Weighted mode and found that I was setting this and leaving it on when shooting in high contrast situations – which is what I’m attracted to.

The M11 Monochrom gains this useful new Highlight-weighted metering option. Image credit: Damien Demolder

The spot mode is also very good, but harder to manage when using the camera hand-held, as really you need to move the spot to wherever the subject is. A press and hold of the shutter release locks the exposure of course, so we can meter, lock and recompose.

The M11 Monochrom is in its element with street photography. Leica M11 Monochrom, Summilux-M 50mm F1.4 ASPH, 1/2000sec at f/2.4, ISO 6400. Image credit: Damien Demolder

The drive modes seem to work slightly better than advertised in some situations. In scenes short on detail the camera can manage about 22 DNG shots before the 4.5fps rate begins to drop off, but when there is more information to record, I found burst depths dropped to around 15 frames. High ISO settings reduce the depth of the burst too it seems, probably because the higher ISO files are larger on average.

Leica M11 Monochrom, Summilux-M 50mm F1.4 Asph, 1/3200sec at f/1.7, ISO 125. Image credit: Damien Demolder

A neat feature I enjoyed rather more than I expected is the perspective correction function that measures the angle the camera is being held at and automatically corrects converging verticals live on the screen. Raw files are not corrected of course, but JPEGs are and on the whole are really quite well worked. Nowadays it’s pretty easy to fix geometric distortions automatically in software, but it’s fun, and useful, to have the option in-camera too.

Leica M11 Monochrom: Image quality

The Leica M11 Monochrom produces an image that is quite unique. Not only are the files full of detailed tones and subjects, they have a very particular look to them. Straight from the camera, images have a preponderance of middle tones, with few at the really bright end of the histogram.

Direct from the camera, files have a preponderance of mid-tones. Leica M11 Monochrom, Summilux-M 50mm F1.4 Asph, 1/350sec at f/5.6, ISO 125. Image credit: Damien Demolder

Images can be brought to life with some processing to enhance the contrast and tonality. Leica M11 Monochrom, Summilux-M 50mm F1.4 Asph, 1/350sec at f/5.6, ISO 125. Image credit: Damien Demolder

Whites are very well protected and the brightest tones in any scene usually very well recorded. There are few deep blacks too, so it is very often necessary to inject a degree of contrast to bring the images to life. The look is of Ilford FP4 rated at ISO 64 and processed in Perceptol to a low contrast index, or that 1950s feel we get from a green-channel conversion. Yellow, orange and red screw-on lens filters work well to add some tonal sparkle in the same way they do with film.

Thanks to its remarkable high-ISO performance, the M11 Monochrom enables night-time street photography with small apertures and fast shutter speeds. Leica M11 Monochrom, Summilux-M 50mm F1.4 Asph, 1/160sec at f/11, ISO 32,000. Image credit: Damien Demolder

I noted something else when inspecting my images that led me to experiment with an infrared filter. Leica tells me the sensor’s own filter cuts infrared at 750nm, but I was easily able to record some very IR-looking images with a Hoya R72 filter that allows only wavelengths beyond 720nm.

With a 720nm infrared filter fitted, the M11 Monochrom gives attractive infrared images. Leica M11 Monochrom, Summilux-M 50mm F1.4 Asph, 8sec at f/16, ISO 125, R72 filter. Image credit: Damien Demolder

While my other camera (a Lumix GX9) struggled to get enough light to register an exposure, the Leica M11 Monochrom dished out shutter speeds of 8sec at f/16 and ISO 125 in bright sunshine. The results deliver that spectacular display of snow-like grass and deep toned blue skies we expect from IR-converted cameras.

Image files are extremely clean and free of noise at lower ISO settings. Leica M11 Monochrom, Summilux-M 50mm F1.4 Asph, 1/320sec at f/2.8, ISO 400. Image credit: Damien Demolder

Noise performance is very good, and at ISO 125 we get an exceptionally clean image. A lack of any form of noise or texture is a feature of images right the way up to ISO 800. Beyond this point noise can be experienced by enthusiasts when images are blown up to 100%, but as it emerges from the mid tones it comes in a really rather pleasant granular film-grain type pattern.

A charatceristic of monochrome sensors is fine-grained high-ISO noise that’s aesthetically pleasing. Leica M11 Monochrom, Summilux-M 50mm F1.4 Asph, 1/750sec at f/1.4, ISO 6400. Image credit: Damien Demolder

For those making accurate exposures that need no further lifting, ISO 50,000 is still very pleasing indeed, with heavy noise only becoming a little over-powering from ISO 100,000 to 200,000. At these top sensitivity settings, and indeed settings from 6400, some caution is required when lightening shadow areas as without care a distinctive, tartan-like grid pattern can appear. It pays then to get exposures as right in-camera as possible, and perhaps a little bright, and as JPEG noise reduction is a little destructive at these higher ISO settings they are best served RAW.

Leica M11 Monochrom: Our Verdict

There can be no doubt that the Leica M11 Monochrom is a specialist camera that will not appeal to, and is not aimed at, everyone. It’s obvious limitation – that it only records in black and white – will delight many but will make no sense to even more. While I would not like to give up shooting in colour entirely, the idea of a mono-only camera is pretty exciting. That this camera shoots better mono than any camera I’ve ever used – and by a long way – makes it all the more attractive. Of course the main barrier is the cost, but for those with the budget this will prove a machine that will bring years of enjoyment.

The M11 Monochrom can be used with a wide range of M-mount lenses, including third-party optics from the likes of Voigtlander. Image credit: Damien Demolder

For those who already own an older Leica M Monochrom, this M11 version really is good enough to justify an upgrade. It isn’t just the resolution – not everyone needs 60MP – but the changes to the handling, the improved image quality and additions such as the electronic shutter and highlight metering that make it a significantly better camera than the M10 Monochrom. The files aren’t simple to deal with at first, but with time and experience users will learn to get the best from them. The extended sensitivity that makes infrared shooting easy will also be a real attraction to some – me included.

The new electronic shutter allows shooting with fast lenses wide open in bright light. Leica M11 Monochrom, Summilux-M 50mm F1.4 Asph, 1/12000sec at f/1.4, ISO 125. Image credit: Damien Demolder

Leica’s desire to produce a camera boiled down to the basics once again means we have no video recording option. I fully understand this move and know that some of those are interested solely in shooting black and white might think video the work of the Devil. But it’s also a shame we can’t take advantage of this unique look for moving as well as still images.

Leica M11 Monochrom, Summilux-M 50mm F1.4 Asph, 1/5000sec at f/2, ISO 125. Image credit: Damien Demolder

It’s safe to say there nothing else on the market quite like the Leica M11 Monochrom. If you have the money and the enthusiasm for black and white photography you’ll find no better tool.

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Further reading:

• Complete guide to black and white photography
• How to capture moody monochrome landscapes
• Black and white street photography: Tips and techniques from the experts

Leica M11 Monochrom: Full Specifications

Leica M11 Monochrom with Voigtlander Nokton 35mm F1.2. Image credit: Damien Demolder

The post Leica M11 Monochrom review appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

Lots of people these days – rightly or wrongly – have old film cameras gathering dust on said shelves purely for the look, which never actually do what they were intended to do.

With that in mind, it makes perfect sense to just cut out the middle part and have an ornament on your shelf that looks – certainly from a distance – like the “real” thing, but is in fact anything but. When it’s made out of LEGO you also have the added bonus of the time well-spent putting it together too.

The LEGO OneStep SX-70 – At A Glance

• 516 pieces
• Age 18+
• Camera, film box and prints included
• Real ejection mechanism
• Price: £69.99
• lego.com

Step forward the LEGO Polaroid OneStep SX-70 Camera, which is one of two LEGO cameras launched in January 2024 – the other being the Retro Camera 3-in-1 build which also has plenty of old school vibes but is considerably cheaper, so is also worth considering (if you’re like me, you’ll have ended up with both of course).

Some of the pieces for the LEGO Polaroid SX-70. Image credit: Amy Davies

The Polaroid set is designated as one of LEGO’s “18+” sets, with its primary audience being adults – known as AFOLs – Adult Fans of LEGO – in the LEGO community. This is also reflected in the price point, which at £69.99 is not super cheap and is likely to appeal mostly to camera and photography aficionados who also occupy the central space of the Venn diagram with LEGO enthusiasts (somewhere I sit firmly).

This set is also an “IDEAS” set, which means that the original idea came from a fan, rather than a LEGO employee. Ideas can be voted on by the public and those which are popular can be properly designed and put into production. There’s been lots of such IDEAS sets in the past, with many of them being LEGO recreations of real objects – such as a typewriter.

The LEGO Polaroid OneStep SX-70. Image credit: Amy Davies

An interesting one that is currently available to vote on is a Leica M6. There’s nearly a year left to run on the idea, but it already has several hundred supporters – it’ll need to get to 10,000 before LEGO will consider turning it into a real set. Fingers crossed it makes it across the line as I’d love to add it to my shelf next to the OneStep SX-70.

The Polaroid OneStep SX-70 was posted on the Ideas page in early 2022, reaching the magic 10,000 in less than two months and being approved by LEGO in the same year. Looking at the finished build next to the original idea reveals that it’s very similar – as you would expect it to be as it’s essentially aiming to emulate, as closely as possible, a real object.

The box of for the LEGO Polaroid OneStep. Image credit: Amy Davies

It has been designed by Marc Corfmat (known as Minibrick Productions), who, as we learn from the included instruction manual, is a mechanical engineering student – go figure.

I’m a reasonably experienced LEGO builder, but I tried to approach this set as if I was picking it up for the first time, perhaps since childhood. If I had to guess, a lot of our readers may be tempted in by this set having not put together a set for some time. I’ve also built the 3-in-1 Retro Camera too – look out for a review soon.

LEGO Polaroid OneStep SX-70 Camera: Build Quality

This is the first LEGO set I’ve encountered which uses paper bags for the packaging of the bricks inside the box – paper has been promised to replace the plastic for a while, so it’s good to see it finally starting to happen, helping to give the product more sustainably – and I think it also adds to the “classiness” of the set, something which you might expect or hope for considering its price point.

The paper packaging inside the box is a step away from unsustainable plastic (though there is still some as you can see). Image credit: Amy Davies

As well as the brick packets, there’s also the fairly hefty instruction manual. Inside it you’ll of course learn how to put together the OneStep SX-70, but you’ll also learn some interesting facts about the build design, its designer, and even the history of the Polaroid, too – all excellent touches and again reflective of the high price point.

The bricks are separated into four different packages, which you approach in order as you move through the instruction manual. Personally I find this is a good way to “portion out” my LEGO builds, if for example my time is restricted or I know I need to do something else in between – I know I can complete a bag or two and save the rest for another time.

The starting instructions for the LEGO Polaroid SX-70. Image credit: Amy Davies

I was able to complete the set in a couple of sessions of about an hour each – as mentioned, I’m a reasonably experienced LEGO builder, so the time may vary. There’s no rush though – and naturally a lot of the enjoyment of LEGO is the build process so why not take your time to enjoy putting it together.

If you’ve put together any LEGO recently, you’ll be familiar with how the instructions work – everything is pictorial and fairly obvious to follow for the most part. This is a set designated as “18+”, so you can expect some trickier parts than you might find in something designed for kids.

This is particularly true for the mechanism which ejects the film, which makes use of some slightly fiddly construction elements, which you need to make sure you build correctly – follow the instructions as carefully as you can and don’t be afraid to go back to double check you’ve put all the pieces exactly where they should be. I’ll admit here that I asked my husband for help as the mechanism wasn’t working properly – he’s an even more experienced AFOL and I knew he’d be able to spot the problem far quicker than I. It was something which was entirely my fault however, but it’s worth remembering to check and double check those instructions.

The SX-70 Film Pack. Image credit: Amy Davies

A nice touch is that the camera comes with a film “pack” to store the “prints” in. Here we’ve got some actual printed pieces, whereas elsewhere in the set stickers are used. Actual printed pieces invariably look better, but of course cost LEGO more to put into production – so it’s nice to see them included on a set at this price.

For the actual camera, you have the choice to affix a sticker which says OneStep or a sticker which says “1000” – this is because the OneStep SX-740 was called the Polaroid 1000 in Europe, so you may feel inclined to use this sticker instead if you remember it that way.

Another sticker is used for the exposure dial on the front of the camera. This looks pretty good, but already the sticker is starting to come away – so again, a real printed piece would have been better if possible. One of the big problems with attaching stickers is that they’re so small, it can be fiddly to get them aligned well. A pro tip here is to use the brick separator that comes with the kit – stick the edge of the sticker on the tip of the separator, using it to line up where you want it exactly before placing it down permanently. That extra bit of dexterity can really come in handy, rather than relying on one’s own fat fingers alone.

The SX-70 about half way through the building process. Image credit: Amy Davies

Another nice touch of this set is that the viewfinder is “real” – as in you can look through it. It’s a clever touch, that means you can play with the camera as if it actually is a genuine OneStep. The film slot at the front can be accessed by folding down a door at the front – here you can insert the fake prints supplied with the set, then (assuming you’ve built it correctly, gulp), press the shutter button on the front and watch with amazement as a real print pops out of the slot. That’s a really neat play feature which helps elevate the set above pure “ornament” and explains why it commands a high price.

The “prints” that are included show Edwin Land, the inventor of the Polaroid, a picture of LEGO HQ, and in a cute touch, a picture of the designer’s sister. The prints have a special coating on and feel as if they would withstand quite a lot of insertion and ejection from the slot – certainly more than enough before you get bored of showing it off. In theory I guess you could also make your own prints to insert here too. I haven’t tried it with any “real” Polaroid prints, but, even if the size is the same, the LEGO prints are much stiffer, so I don’t think real prints would work here in quite the same way, or withstand the mechanism.

Interior view of the shutter release mechanism – as you can see there are some slightly fiddly pieces to contend with at this point, but be patient and thorough and you’ll get there. Image credit: Amy Davies

Unlike with the Retro Camera 3-in-1 set, the “lens” on the front of the set contains no clear plastic elements. The large black pieces that make up this element however looks pretty convincing from a distance, giving a great overall impression of the real thing.

A rear view of the SX-70 – showing the viewfinder, which you can actually look through, neat. Image credit: Amy Davies

LEGO Polaroid OneStep SX-70 Camera: Verdict

Overall, this is a wonderfully designed set and certainly looks striking on a shelf. Indeed, it looks like the real thing – definitely from a short distance away.

The build itself is enjoyable – if a little fiddly at times (you might say that’s part of the fun though, figuring it out) – and is a great way to spend an afternoon putting it together.

The SX-70 with the film pack and prints. Image credit: Amy Davies

Is it worth the £69.99 price point? Although quite a high price, the play features, including the film ejection and the working viewfinder, make it feel like reasonably good value – as well as the fact that it looks so close to the original real deal. I’d perhaps value it at closer to the £50-£60 mark, but you always do expect to pay a slightly higher price for these “Ideas” sets, especially those not intended for quite such a mass market as other sets.

We might see some discounts, depending on how well the set is selling – but it’s equally true that it might be difficult to get hold of if it finds itself a favourable audience. If you’ve got your heart set on owning this, I probably wouldn’t wait too long, but if you’re on the fence, waiting to see if it comes down in price might be worth the gamble.

That said, I can see this being a very popular set with both LEGO and Polaroid / general photography enthusiasts, and had it been available at Christmas time, being top of the “best gifts for photographers” type lists you see populating the internet in November/December – you can surely expect to see it on the Christmas 2024 buying guides.

Related reading:

• New photo book shows off the world of LEGO photography
• Polaroid brings back the classic instant camera with launch of the new OneStep 2
• Rankin shoots portraits to mark LEGO’s 90th anniversary

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The post LEGO Polaroid OneStep SX-70 Camera review appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

• $184 / £149
• Holds small camera and 3-5 lenses
• Rigid metal frame
• Includes accessory and lens pouches
• Can be taken on board flights
• www.vanguardworld.co.uk

Faced with the problem of what to pack for a short trip to British Columbia, I decided to make life easier by choosing the smallest of Vanguard’s rugged VEO Active bags that are designed for hiking – the Vanguard VEO Active42M.

The Vanguard VEO Active 42M’s removable camera compartment will hold a camera and three or four lenses.

Measuring 270 × 190 × 440mm, the bag would be small enough to come with me on the plane, avoiding the dreaded words ‘the flight is full, so your bag’s going in the hold’. Another selling point was the rigid metal frame at the rear, which should offer protection from other passengers ramming their bags against mine when squeezing them into the overhead lockers.

Vanguard VEO Active 42M: key features

• Tripod: A tripod can be attached to either the side or front of the bag
• Rear access: The main compartment, which houses the padded camera holder, is accessed from the rear for security
• Daypack: The top section for personal items is expandable and can be rolled down when only partially full.
• Strap pockets: Expandable pockets on each strap can hold most smartphones, or even a lens up to the size of a drink can

The Vanguard VEO Active 42M’s top section provides space for carrying personal items.

In the end, I packed a Sony Alpha A7 IV with Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3, Sony 16-35mm f/4 and Sony 24-70mm f/4 lenses in the bag’s removable camera compartment. The 13″ laptop compartment housed my MacBook Air, whilst I used the tablet pocket for paperwork. There’s also a small zipped pocket on the rear of the bag to safely secure essentials, whilst the side has the usual pocket for a water bottle or tripod.

The Vanguard VEO Active 42M’s opening rear panel has pockets for a laptop and tablet

The bag is made of sturdy ripstop fabric, with easily visible bright yellow toggles on the zips. It looks and feels exceptionally well made and, as usual, comes with an external rain cover. Also included is a lens pouch that would accommodate my 100-400mm lens, though it did add to the bulk, so it didn’t come along for the ride.

A tripod can be strapped onto the front of the Vanguard VEO Active 42M

I did make use of the accessory pouch, which has pockets for batteries or memory cards. However, I used it to hold a few 100 x 150 filters and my H&Y filter holder; it is a practical pouch, and it fitted nicely in the top compartment. I also squeezed some charging cables and a bag of Wine Gums into the top compartment. This top compartment has a zipped pocket for keys or other smaller items you don’t want rattling around.

The Vanguard VEO Active 42M’s well-added back and shoulder straps make it comfortable to carry when full.

There are all the usual straps for holding your tripod on the side or front of the bag, along with sternum straps and waist straps that can be tucked away when not in use. Fully packed, the bag was quite heavy, but I didn’t notice the weight when on the move, thanks to the well-padded straps and back.

Vanguard VEO Active 42M: USB charge pass-through

The VEO Active range all have external USB ports that allow you to connect a USB battery inside the bag. This means you can attach a charging cable to your camera or phone and charge them outside the bag via the external USB socket, without diving around for the battery in your bag.

Vanguard has fitted the VEO Active 42M with a USB port for charging devices externally.

Vanguard VEO Active 42M: Our Verdict

Overall I found the bag to be a perfect size for a weekend photo kit for a city break and landscape shooting. However, wildlife photographers are advised to look at some of the larger sizes in the VEO Active range to accommodate bigger lenses.

Further reading
Best camera bags to buy in 2024
Best tripods to buy in 2024

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Canon EOS R7: at a glance:

• New $1,757 / £1,379 body-only
• New $2,229 / £1,749 with RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM zoom
• Used $1,477 / £1,159 (like new used condition)
• 32.5MP APS-C sensor
• ISO 100-51,200 (extended)
• 30fps shooting
• 4K 60p video
• 2.36m-dot EVF
• 3in, 1.62m-dot vari-angle LCD

Of the four APS-C EOS R models, the EOS R7 is the most advanced, boasting a higher resolution 32.5MP sensor, faster shooting, a larger viewfinder and in-body image stabilisation. As the numbering suggests, Canon sees it as a successor to the EOS 7D Mark II APS-C DSLR, which means it’s one of the most ambitious APS-C mirrorless cameras yet made, going head-to-head with the likes of the Fujifilm X-T4 and Sony A6600.

The launch of the Fujifilm X-T5, however, has raised the bar for APS-C sensor resolution with 40 megapixels, so the EOS R7 is no longer the highest resolution camera in this class. But still, it is one of the best Canon mirrorless cameras and, provided the RF-S lens range continues to grow, perhaps one of the best mirrorless cameras all round, at least for enthusiasts. With more lenses (or via adaptors) the R7 could also be one of the best cameras for action and sports photography.

The EOS R7 packs plenty of advanced features in a small body that feels good in the hand. Photo credit: Joshua Waller/Amateur Photographer

The EOS R7 is available for $1,757 / £1,379 body-only or $2,229 / £1,749 with RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM zoom, its usual ‘kit’ lens.

Canon EOS R7: Features

Canon has built the EOS R7 around an updated version of the 32.5MP sensor from the EOS 90D DSLR and mirrorless EOS M6 Mark II. In concert with the Digic X processor, this offers a standard ISO range of 100-32,000 that’s extendable to ISO 51,200. The R7 can shoot at 15 frames per second using the mechanical shutter – half as fast again as the EOS 90D – or 30fps using the silent electronic shutter.

The EOS R7 uses and updated version of Canon’s 32.5MP APS-C sensor, and includes in-body stabilisation. Photo credit: Joshua Waller/Amateur Photographer

Autofocus employs Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF II, with each pixel split into two to enable on-sensor phase detection. There are 651/5915 selectable focus points covering the entire image area, which are claimed to work in extremely low light equating to -5EV. The EOS R7 also inherits the intelligent subject detection and tracking system from the flagship EOS R3, which is capable of recognising humans, animals or vehicles.

High-speed shooting:

• 30fps with the electronic shutter, up to 126 JPG, 42 raw images
• 15fps with mechanical shutter, up to 224 JPEG or 51 raw images

Shutter speeds go as fast as 1/8000s using the mechanical shutter, and up to 1/16,000s using the electronic shutter.

The back of the camera features a control dial that’s unusually positioned around the joystick. Photo credit: Joshua Waller/Amateur Photographer

Video recording

4K 30p recording is available for video that’s oversampled from 7K, in 4:2:0 8-bit or 4:2:2 10-bit colour (HDR PQ or C-LOG3), and with no 30-minute time limit. There’s also a 1.8x 4K crop mode that can go up to 60fps, Full HD recording at up to 120fps, and a 4K time-lapse option. Vertical recording is supported, for social media use. 4K Fine (IPB) is recorded at 120Mbps, or 170Mbps with C-Log or HDR PQ on, going up to 340Mbps (4K crop, 60p). People, animals and vehicle detection and tracking auto-focus is available while recording video.

The mic socket is placed at the top front, well out of the way of the screen. Photo credit: Joshua Waller/Amateur Photographer

Microphone and headphone sockets are built-in, with Canon Log 3 also onboard for easier post-processing. A switch on top selects between stills and video modes, with separate settings retained for each. Canon has also used the same new hot shoe as on the EOS R3, which includes a digital audio interface and can supply power to connected devices.

Canon has equipped the EOS R7 with dual UHS-II SD card slots. Photo credit: Joshua Waller/Amateur Photographer

Canon EOS R7: key features

• Handling: The compact body boasts a large, comfortable handgrip and a good array of physical controls
• In-body Stabilisation: 5-axis in-body stabilisation promises up to 8 stops of shake suppression, along with automatic horizon correction (which has been only previously been available on Pentax cameras)
• Dual card slots: Canon has included dual UHS-II SD card slots, allowing you to back up files to both while shooting
• Lenses: You can fit RF and RF-S lenses directly, and EF and EF-S DSLR lenses via the Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R. However, EF-M lenses can’t be used
• Battery: The R7 uses the same LP-E6N battery as many other Canon cameras, and gives up to 770 shots (using the LCD)
• Custom modes: The mode dial offers 3 custom modes, where you can save photo and video settings

Canon EOS R7: Build and Handling

A rich feature set has been squeezed into a body that’s smaller and lighter than the EOS 850D DSLR, yet still boasts a large, comfortable handgrip and a good array of external controls. It employs two electronic dials for changing exposure settings, with the rear dial unusually placed around the focus area selection joystick. My initial impression is that this arrangement works well enough, although it’s not obviously better than the horizontal rear dial on other EOS R bodies.

The top plate is relatively clean, with movie and ISO buttons placed behind the shutter release button. Photo credit: Joshua Waller/Amateur Photographer

Canon has kept the top plate uncluttered, with the mode dial and power switch joined by movie, IS and Fn buttons; the latter gives quick access to a range of secondary settings. On the front, a switch around the depth-of-field preview button selects between auto and manual focus, which is handy given that many of Canon’s more affordable RF lenses lack AF/MF switches, including RF-S optics.

The EOS R7 uses the same LP-E6N as many other Canon cameras. Photo credit: Joshua Waller/Amateur Photographer

Weather sealing

For viewing, you get a 2.36m-dot electronic viewfinder and a 3in, 1.62m-dot vari-angle touchscreen. Power is provided by Canon’s familiar LP-E6N battery, which promises 500 shots per charge using the viewfinder, and 770 with the LCD. Canon is promising a similar level of weather sealing to the EOS 90D, but disappointingly, neither of the RF-S lenses are similarly protected.

Canon EOS R7 menus which match Canon’s other cameras. Photo credit: Joshua Waller/Amateur Photographer

The menus and controls follow the same layout and design as Canon’s other cameras, and the menus and buttons will be immediately recognisable to anyone who’s used a recent Canon EOS camera – apart from the rear command dial / scroll wheel. This surrounds a joystick controller, and seems an unnecessary design flare that adds little to the user experience. It can take a while to get used to this rear command wheel / dial, and we’d have much preferred a standard rear dial, and perhaps a third wheel.

Canon EOS R7: Viewfinder and screen

The rear screen gives a clear and bright view of the scene and menus, although at slightly under 3inches, it isn’t the largest around. The resolution of 1.62m dots helps make up for this. And you can turn and tilt the screen to your heart’s desire, which aids viewing of the screen even outdoors in bright sunlight. Naturally, it’s ideal for vlogging and selfies.

Canon EOS R7 – rear screen with Quick access to settings. Photo credit: Joshua Waller/Amateur Photographer

What about the EVF?

The electronic viewfinder is acceptable, in that it does a good job of showing you what’s going on, but with a resolution of 2.36m dots and an average size (1.15x / 0.72x), is nothing special: disappointing when compared to higher resolution EVFs found on other cameras such as the Fujifilm X-T4/X-T5. Dioptre adjustment can be found on the left, and there’s an eye-detection sensor so that the camera will automatically switch between the rear screen and EVF when needed.

Canon EOS R7 – in the video mode you get a range of useful on-screen information. Photo credit: Joshua Waller/Amateur Photographer

You can toggle the view, and a dual-axis electronic level and histogram can be viewed on the screen (and EVF). You can customise what’s shown on screen in the menus, and the Info button will toggle through the displays. A variety of grids can be selected, with all the usual options such as the “rule of thirds”. There’s an optical viewfinder simulation mode designed to give you a natural view of the scene, without additional processing; the opposite of “what you see is what you get” which has become the norm on mirrorless cameras.

You also get the choice of a power saving mode, or a smoother display, with a faster refresh rate of 120fps. I found the standard, 60fps power saving mode, perfectly adequate.

Native RF-S lenses

Alongside the EOS R7 (and R10) Canon introduced two RF-mount lenses designed for the APS-C format. Firstly, the RF-S 18-45mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM is a compact, collapsible design that offers a 29-72mm equivalent zoom range. It is sold in a kit with the EOS R10 or on its own for $299 / £320. Meanwhile the RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM costs around $499 / £500 and offers a 29-240mm equivalent range – this is the usual ‘kit’ lens for the EOS R7. Both lenses include optical stabilisation and stepper motors for autofocus.

The Canon EOS R10 fitted with the compact, collapsible RF 18-45mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM (left), alongside the Canon EOS R7 with the RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM. Joshua Waller/Amateur Photographer

It has to be said that these lenses are the most disappointing part of Canon’s APS-C RF system so far. The 18-45mm may be small and light, but its focal-length range and aperture is uninspiring to say the least, especially as the firm offers an equally compact 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 in EF-M mount. The 18-150mm looks like it should be a nice travel lens, and could make a fine match with the EOS R10. But like the 18-45mm, its 29mm equivalent wide end looks out of touch in a world where competing cameras come equipped with 24mm equivalent zooms, especially as there’s no RF-S ultrawide zoom.

Use full-frame lenses

Since the EOS R7/ EOS R10 were launched, only one more native RF-S lens has arrived – the $349 / £429 Canon RF-S 55-210mm f/5-7.1 IS STM telephoto zoom. It’s a shame that buying a high-speed, high-performance compact camera, one is immediately faced with having to use full-frame lenses in order to get a good choice of lenses.

The $349 / £429 RF-S 55-210mm f/5-7.1 IS STM is a welcome addition to the RF-S system, but there are still only three native RF-S lenses. Image credit: Canon

None of these lenses really comes close to matching the ambition of the EOS R7, so let’s hope Canon comes up with some more interesting RF-S offerings soon. For EOS R7 owners to really get the most from the camera, I’d like to see something along the lines of 15-50mm f/2.8 and 15-80mm f/4 zooms, with weather sealing and premium optics. It would also make sense for Canon to make RF-mount versions of its EF-M lenses, which could give it a shortcut to a nice APS-C line-up.

The EOS R7 will be available in a kit with the 18-150mm, but it’s not a lens that really matches the body’s aspirations. Photo credit: Joshua Waller/Amateur Photographer

Mount adapters for the EOS R7

If you’re coming from a Canon EOS DSLR, then you’ll find there’s a range of EF-RF mount adapters available, and EF lenses perform well on the camera, albeit without the size advantage of native RF mount lenses.

Canon EOS R7 with EF-RF adapter and 50mm f/1.8 STM lens. Photo credit: Joshua Waller/Amateur Photographer

Canon EOS R7: Autofocus

The EOS R7 offers an impressive 5,915 AF points (manually selectable), with 100% coverage both vertically and horizontally, and 651 AF areas when on automatic selection. The camera has human, animal or vehicle tracking, and recognises dogs, cats and birds for itself. Vehicles will detect cars or motorbikes, but doesn’t mention trains or planes. Human detection will automatically detect eyes, face, heads and bodies.

Cat detection AF has focused on the cat’s left eye. Canon EOS R7, 1/160s, f/6.3, ISO 640, 84mm. Photo credit: Joshua Waller/Amateur Photographer

Focus works in low-light down to -5EV, and an AF assist beam can be switched on/off if needed. The camera has a dedicated section for the auto-focus options, with multiple cases (4) as well as auto. The cases can be customised to preference. You can use the touch-screen to touch and drag the AF point if needed, but this can be switched off in the menus. Manual focus peaking options can be customised letting you set the peaking colour.

Continuous AF tracking has tracked the subject, keeping focus on the face. Canon EOS R7, 1/400s, f/9, ISO 100, 100mm, -0.3EV. Photo credit: Joshua Waller/Amateur Photographer

You can also shoot at up to 15fps with continuous AF using the mechanical shutter, or up to 30fps with the electronic shutter.

Focus performance was particularly impressive when set to tracking, with the camera successfully tracking and focusing on subjects, including humans. Fast moving subjects rarely seemed to phase the camera with shot after shot correctly focused on the subject’s face.

Canon EOS R7: Performance and Image Quality

Gipsy Hill Station, JPEG, 1/320s, f/7.1, ISO 100, 18mm, R7. Photo credit: Joshua Waller/Amateur Photographer

Dynamic range on default settings gives acceptable results, in most situations, but there are times when the camera can produce images with blown highlights in JPEGs, and it can be difficult to recover these even from the raw files.

Gipsy Hill Station, HDR (multi-shot crops the image), 1/800s, f/4.5, ISO 100, 18mm, R7. Photo credit: Joshua Waller/Amateur Photographer

Once you switch to the HDR (multi-shot mode) or HEIF images, you suddenly realise how much dynamic range is missing from the image. If you’re used to shooting with a smartphone where every image is taken in HDR you’ll quickly wish for more dynamic range. You can of course shoot in raw for additional dynamic range, or use the previously mentioned HDR or HEIF modes.

Olympus OM10 taken with the Canon EOS R7, 1/250s, f/6.3, ISO 6400, 150mm – This image looks good, even though it was taken at ISO6400. Photo credit: Joshua Waller/Amateur Photographer

The HEIF file format

The camera supports HEIF images, and to shoot these, you need to switch on the HDR PQ mode, which lets you shoot a HEIF file (and raw file if raw is switched on). In-camera you can then convert this to a JPEG image, with increased dynamic range over a standard JPEG image. However, there is very little support for HEIF (.HIF) files even with the latest version of Adobe Photoshop (v23.4.1).

Canon EOS R7, with the 18-150mm lens, 1/60s, f/3.5, ISO 100, 18mm, 28.8mm equivalent. A wider lens would have helped here. Photo credit: Joshua Waller/Amateur Photographer

The shutter sound is relatively quiet, similar to other mirrorless systems I had to hand, and quieter than a full-frame Sony A7 III. Using the electronic shutter and silent option you can shoot completely silently, and this can be switched on/off in the menus.

Canon EOS R7, Husky, at 150mm there’s reasonable background blur in this image, but it’s not particularly noteworthy, 1/250s, f/6.3, ISO 125, 150mm. Photo credit: Joshua Waller/Amateur Photographer

Metering

Metering generally performs very well, with the camera giving well exposed images, which tend to give a brighter image than other brands, as is the normal case when using Canon cameras. If you’re used to Canon cameras this will be perfectly normal, but if you’re used to other camera, you can easily alter this with a turn of exposure compensation, or by using Highlight Tone Priority settings.

Canon EOS R7, St Pancras Station, London, 1/80s, f/3.5, ISO 100, 18mm, -0.7EV. Photo credit: Joshua Waller/Amateur Photographer

Auto white balance (AWB) is exceptional, with the camera producing extremely pleasing colours in a wide variety of shooting scenarios. If you wanted to be a little fussy, then you might find colours a little too neutral (rather than warm that many find pleasing) but again this is entirely subjective, and can easily be adjusted by tweaking the “Picture Style” settings. Auto White Balance also gives the option of ‘Ambience’ priority or ‘White priority’ which will be useful for white background product shots.

St Pancras Station Clock, 1/200s, f/6.3, ISO 5000, 118mm, Handheld. Photo credit: Joshua Waller/Amateur Photographer

In-body image stabilisation performed admirably, with the camera producing sharp photos time after time. On default settings the camera would increase the ISO speed rather than let the shutter speed drop too low, helping keep images sharp.

Canon EOS R7: ISO and Noise

Noise performance is particularly well controlled considering the sensor is both smaller than most other APS-C cameras (with a 1.6x crop rather than 1.5x crop), as well as a higher resolution than most other APS-C sensors, meaning the Canon EOS R7 has some of the smallest pixels of any APS-C camera currently available, barring the Fujifilm X-T5.

The camera gives good JPEG results up to ISO 12,800, with few concerns about noise until going above this; ISO 25,600 and above are particularly noise filled. As you’d expect, using ISO 32,000 and ISO 51,200 is to be avoided.

Canon EOS R7, Raw, ISO 100

Canon EOS R7, Raw, ISO 400

Canon EOS R7, Raw, ISO 1600

Canon EOS R7, Raw, ISO 6400

Canon EOS R7, Raw, ISO 12800

Canon EOS R7, Raw, ISO 25600

Canon EOS R7, Raw, ISO 32000

Canon EOS R7: Video

The amount of scene included in the video (the crop factor) depends on what resolution and frame rate options you go for. This also has a knock-on effect on the quality of the image, as only 4K 30fps uses a 7K image downsampled to 4K, and switching to a higher frame rate results in a cropped image. Focus performance during video recording is good, with the camera quickly and accurately focusing on the subject.

Editing the video files is a pain-free process with video recorded at roughly 120mbps (4K Fine, 25p, IPB). You can also save custom video modes to three different custom modes found on the mode dial.

4K Fine (IPB) is recorded at 120Mbps, or 170Mbps with C-Log or HDR PQ on, going up to 340Mbps (4K crop, 60p). People, animals and vehicle detection and tracking auto-focus is available while recording video. FullHD high-speed video can be recorded at speeds up to 120fps, so for those looking for 240fps video, you’ll need to look elsewhere.

Canon EOS R7: Value for money

The Canon EOS R7 offers good value for money if you consider it on it’s own, without comparing it to other brands. For example, if you compare it to the cheaper Fujifilm X-T3, you’ll find that the X-T3 offers a higher resolution electronic viewfinder, CINE video recording, although lacks IBIS (in-body image stabilisation). Another alternative is the Fujifilm X-T4, which does offer IBIS. The Fujifilm X-S10 is also another very competitively priced option, but while it does have IBIS, it has no weather-sealing.

The other benefit the Fujifilm X-System, Sony E-Mount, and Micro Four Thirds systems have going for them is the vast array of lenses available, in comparison to Canon’s three RF-S lenses. Of course, you can use RF (full-frame) lenses on the EOS R7, however, this defeats the purpose of using a smaller camera system. In comparison, with the Fujifilm X-system and Micro Four Thirds system all lenses have been designed to be the optimal size for the system.

Compared to the Canon EOS 90D, the EOS R7 offers quicker continuous shooting 15/30fps vs 10fps, is smaller and lighter, with significantly more focus points, as well as more advanced focus, but can not match the 1300-shot battery life of the EOS 90D, with 770 shot battery life (LCD), or 500 shot battery life (EVF).

In comparison to the Canon EOS 7D Mark II – which Canon sees the EOS R7 as a replacement for – the R7 again offers faster continuous shooting (15/30fps vs 10fps), a higher-resolution sensor, 4K video, built-in Wi-Fi, a touchscreen and tilting screen, as well as more advanced focus (5915 AF points vs 65). It’s clear that we’ve come a long way since the 7D Mark II was released in 2014!

Canon EOS R7: Verdict

The Canon EOS R7 out-specs all of Canon’s APS-C DSLRs, plus its older EOS M-series mirrorless models. It does this in a lightweight body that handles very nicely, despite its small size. With high-speed shooting, advanced AF tracking, and good battery life, it would make for a great all-round camera, as long as you don’t mind the lack of lens choices, or are happy with using full-frame lenses on the camera.

The Canon EOS R7 gives pleasing colour, Toyota Land Cruiser, 1/125s, f/3.5, ISO 100, 50mm STM lens. Photo credit: Joshua Waller/Amateur Photographer

The Canon EOS R7 does a great job of giving high-speed performance and generally high image quality. However, with the EOS R7, you’re left with the choice of just three APS-C lenses, in comparison to over 40 X-Mount lenses for the Fujifilm X system, over 22 E-Mount (APS-C) lenses for the Sony system, and over 100 Micro Four Thirds lenses for Micro Four Thirds cameras.

Green leaves in the sun, 1/160s, f/6.3, ISO 160, 100mm, -1.7EV. Photo credit: Joshua Waller/Amateur Photographer

Limited lens choice

If you’re a Canon EOS RF system user, who wants a slightly smaller camera body, high-speed shooting, and want to use full-frame lenses with a 1.6x crop, then the Canon EOS R7 could make for an excellent second camera body. If you’re coming to the system with no existing lenses, then make sure you’re happy with the lenses on offer from Canon, as the choice really is limited, unless you use full-frame lenses.

Mushroom on a tree, Canon EOS R7, 1/250s, f/6.3, ISO 2000, 150mm, -2EV, Minimal noise reduction, raw converted to JPEG (ACR). Photo credit: Joshua Waller/Amateur Photographer

The rear command wheel is another interesting decision, where a standard, normal command wheel would have done the job and been much less awkward to use.

It didn’t take us too long to get used to the command wheel, but with a standard rear dial, we could have picked up the camera and used it straight away, with nothing new to get the hang of. The joystick being in the centre of this dial is also another design annoyance that was avoidable.

The screen looks great, but the electronic viewfinder (EVF) feels a little bit like an afterthought compared to the resolution and magnification on offer in other cameras such as the Fujifilm X-T3/X-T4/X-T5. It’s not a massive issue as the EVF still looks good, and gives accurate colour and exposure information. Image quality is very good, but the best results will need the use a full-frame RF lens or EF lenses with an adapter. It’s a real shame that the only RF-S lenses are zoom lenses designed to be compact, rather than designed for optimum image quality.

Canon EOS R7 with 18-150mm IS STM lens. Photo credit: Joshua Waller/Amateur Photographer

In summary

Overall, in our time with the Canon EOS R7, the camera performed almost flawlessly, with great results possible; the only issue being the lack of lens choice.

Whether you’re looking for a camera for stills or video, the high-speed and high-quality output of the R7 certainly makes for an appealing camera. However, without additional dedicated lenses it could easily feel limiting.

Find more great Canon cameras in our guide to the best Canon mirrorless cameras.

The Canon EOS R7 in hand with 18-150mm lens. Photo credit: Joshua Waller/Amateur Photographer

The post Canon EOS R7 Full Review appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

Buy now

Viltrox AF 20mm F2.8 FE at a glance:

• Wideangle prime lens
• Designed for full-frame cameras
• Available in Sony E-mount
• 59.5mm long x 65mm diameter, 157g
• 19cm minimum focus
• 52mm filter thread

To put this bargain-basement price into context, we only have to look at the competition. The closest alternative is the Tamron 20mm F/2.8 Di III OSD Macro, which focuses closer but is rather larger, and costs $299 / £299. There’s also the Samyang AF 18mm F2.8 FE, which is similar in size and weight, but will set you back $399/ £345. We’d usually consider both of these lenses very affordable, but the Viltrox is a fraction of the price.

The Viltrox AF 20mm F2.8 FE is designed for use on Sony’s full-frame mirrorless cameras. Credit: Andy Westlake

With its 20mm focal length, this lens looks like an incredibly tempting option for anyone who’d like to complement a standard zoom with something a bit wider, but without breaking the bank or weighing down their bag. It could be especially interesting for travel photographers who enjoy shooting subjects such as landscapes, architecture, or interiors. It might also be ideal for vloggers. But given the low price, can it really be any good?

Viltrox AF 20mm F2.8 FE: Features

On paper, one area where Viltrox doesn’t appear to have skimped lies with the optics. The AF 20mm F2.8 FE employs 10 elements in 8 groups, including two made from extra-low dispersion (ED) glass and one from high refractive-index (HR) glass to minimise chromatic aberrations. Two aspherical elements are also on board in a bid to maximise corner-to-corner sharpness.

The lens employs a 7-blade aperture and a 52mm filter thread. Credit: Andy Westlake

The firm’s HD Nano multilayer coating is employed to suppress flare and ghosting, while the front element is treated to a water-repellent coating.

Where the firm has really kept things simple lies elsewhere. The aperture diaphragm is formed of 7 blades, with no real effort made to deliver a rounded opening for attractive bokeh. But with this lens, you’re rarely going to get much in the way of background blur anyway, so using a basic aperture mechanism makes sense.

Viltrox AF 20mm F2.8 FE packed up with hood reversed and caps fitted. Credit: Andy Westlake

Focusing is internal, driven by a stepper motor. The minimum focusing distance is just 19cm, which delivers 0.17x maximum magnification. Filter users are accommodated via a 52mm thread, and a bayonet fitting, petal-shaped lens hood comes in the box.

One neat feature is a USB-C port embedded into the lens mount, which is used for updating the firmware. Connect the lens to your computer, and it’ll show up as a USB drive. All you have to do is download the latest firmware file from the Viltrox website and copy it across; the lens then automatically updates itself.

A USB-C port is embedded into the metal mount, which allows the firmware to updated really easily. Credit: Andy Westlake

I updated the lens to the latest firmware (V1.1.2 at the time of writing), and it’s a pain-free process that’s much easier than using a dock with proprietary software, or updating via the camera. Quite simply, all lenses should work this way.

Viltrox AF 20mm F2.8 FE: Build and Handling

In design terms, the Viltrox AF 20mm F2.8 FE is little more than a plainly styled plastic-skinned cylinder with a metal mount plate. There’s just a single control, with the manual focus ring covering almost half of the barrel and rotating smoothly with no end-stops. This is actually a marked departure for Viltrox, which until now has produced rather higher-end designs, often with metal barrels and aperture rings.

The lens may be small and light, but it doesn’t feel excessively fragile in your hand. Credit: Andy Westlake

Despite its light weight, the lens doesn’t feel particularly fragile. It’s an agreeable companion both to Sony’s SLR-shaped full-frame cameras, and the smaller A6000-series APS-C models, on which it gives a 30mm equivalent view. Just be aware that there’s no weather-sealing, so be careful with it in wet or dusty conditions.

About my only minor handling quibble is that the hood doesn’t click very firmly into place. I didn’t find this to be problematic while shooting, but I did occasionally discover the hood had worked itself loose when removing the camera from my bag.

Vitrox AF 20mm F2.8 FE compared to Tokina Firin 20mm F2 MF (left) and Sony FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS (right). Credit: Andy Westlake

The three-way comparison above emphasises just how small this lens is compared to various alternatives you might consider. It’s much smaller and lighter than the stop-faster, manual focus Tokina Firin 20mm F2 MF, which is very similar in length to the excellent Sigma 20mm F2 DG DN. It also takes up much less space in a bag than a wideangle zoom, such as the Sony FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS.

Viltrox AF 20mm F2.8 FE: Autofocus

Unusually, autofocus performance depends dramatically on the camera you use. With recent cameras such as the 33MP Sony Alpha A7 IV, there’s absolutely nothing to complain about, with AF being snappy and decisive. However, I mostly used it the slightly older 60MP Sony A7R IV, on which it’s shockingly slow. Not only does it take a second or more to acquire focus, but it often fails completely in low light. I wouldn’t even consider using it in continuous autofocus (AF-C) mode.

Autofocus is very slow on the A7R IV, and often fails in low light, requiring manual focus instead. Credit: Andy Westlake

ILCE-7RM4 · f/4 · 1/3s · 20mm · ISO100

This is by far the worst performance I’ve experienced from any lens on the A7R IV, which isn’t exactly an old model. It was only launched in 2019, and has always been considered to provide excellent focusing. Autofocus is even worse on older cameras such the Sony A7 II, which may date from 2014 but is still on sale new.

It’s clear that the difference lies with the focus method being used. Newer cameras are able to use phase detection, while older ones fall back on contrast detection instead. It’s possible that a firmware update could fix this problem, but until then, it’s very much a case of buyer beware.

To be fair, we also have to consider how much the slow AF on older cameras actually matters for many of the lens’s likely subjects. Landscapes and buildings, for example, are usually happy to wait. On the other hand, it would be useless for any kind of moving subject.

On older cameras like the Sony A7 II, autofocus is painfully slow and hesitant – but ultimately accurate. Credit: Andy Westlake

ILCE-7M2 · f/8 · 1/30s · 20mm · ISO100

Thankfully on those occasions where autofocus fails, manual focus works perfectly well. The focus ring is smooth and precise, enabling critically accurate focusing. If you enable MF Assist, rotating the focus ring will automatically call up a magnified view, which always gives the sharpest results. In addition, the lens is fully compatible with Sony’s Direct Manual Focus (DMF) mode, which allows the focus to be adjusted manually after autofocusing.

On a more positive note, the autofocus is at least very quiet, and usually perfectly accurate. Viltrox has also done a good job of suppressing focus breathing. The angle of view narrows a little on focusing closer, but it’s only noticeable if you really go looking for it.

Viltrox AF 20mm F2.8 FE: Performance

Of course, the real question with the Viltrox AF 20mmm F2.8 FE is just what this low-cost lens can deliver in terms of optical quality. In this respect, it probably shouldn’t come as any great surprise to find that it doesn’t perform as well as pricier alternatives; it’s no match for the stunning Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G, for example. But that doesn’t mean it’s not capable of producing sharp images, especially when stopped down to normal full-frame working apertures.

The lens renders strong levels of detail across the frame when stopped down. Credit: Andy Westlake

ILCE-7RM4 · f/8 · 1/200s · 20mm · ISO100

Looking first at sharpness, the middle of the image is impressively crisp even at f/2.8. But this central zone of sharpness doesn’t extend very far outwards, with the edges and corners looking distinctly blurred when you examine images onscreen. In part, this is down to fairly strong curvature of field, so if your main point of interest is well off-centre, it’s best to position the focus point accordingly.

In night scenes, off-centre point light sources such as streetlights show pronounced coma distortion into diamond shapes.

Night-time shots at f/2.8 reveal comatic distortion on point light sources. Credit: Andy Westlake

ILCE-7RM4 · f/2.8 · 1/5s · 20mm · ISO100

Stop down the aperture, and the zone of central sharpness expands progressively. There’s still some softness visible in the corners at f/5.6, but it’s unlikely to be problematic in most real-world shots. Once you reach f/8 to f/11, the lens renders fine detail all the way across the frame, even on the 60MP A7R IV – and these are arguably the apertures you’ll be using most of the time anyway.

There’s inevitably a little diffraction softening at f/16, but that will often be an entirely acceptable trade-off when you need extended depth of field.

Image files are clean and detailed, with no colour fringing towards the edges. Credit: Andy Westlake

ILCE-7RM4 · f/10 · 1/320s · 20mm · ISO100

Chromatic aberration is corrected automatically, both in-camera and by Adobe raw processing software. This means images look nice and clean, with no problematic colour fringing towards the edges of the frame. As for vignetting, rather abrupt darkening of the far corners is visible at f/2.8, which can look distinctly unattractive in plainly toned areas such as blue skies. But it goes away on stopping down to f/5.6.

Here you can trace the lens’s wavy distortion pattern along the lines of brickwork at the top and bottom. Credit: Andy Westlake

ILCE-7RM4 · f/8 · 1/200s · 20mm · ISO100

When it comes to distortion, uncorrected raw files show a complex pattern, with mild barrel distortion in the centre, but quite pronounced pincushion-type outward stretching at the corners. With in-camera correction set to Auto, as you need to have set for most lenses, this wavy effect actually gets more pronounced in the camera’s JPEG output. Even so, it’s only likely to be visible when shooting images with long straight lines, most obviously architecture or seascapes.

There’s a slight loss of contrast on the left of this shot, but it’s not a big problem. Credit: Andy Westlake

ILCE-7RM4 · f/8 · 1/200s · 20mm · ISO125

Flare can be more problematic than with pricier optics, with a distinct loss of contrast sometimes visible in parts of the image when shooting into the light. Often, though, you can see this in the viewfinder and take appropriate countermeasures, by shielding the front element from the sun with your hand.

Stop down to f/11, and you can induce nicely defined sunstars. Credit: Andy Westlake

ILCE-7RM4 · f/16 · 1/80s · 20mm · ISO100

Stop the lens down to f/11, and you can induce quite attractive 14-ray sunstar effects around point light sources within the frame.

Viltrox AF 20mm F2.8 FE: Our Verdict

Viltrox may not be the first name that springs to mind when thinking about lens makers, but it’s clear the firm is intent on breaking into the mainstream market. With the AF 20mm F2.8 FE, it’s produced a lens that’s sure to appeal strongly to budget-conscious users of Sony’s A7 series cameras. Its wideangle view makes it a perfect complement to a standard zoom, and nothing comparable can come close to matching its bargain price.

Viltrox AF 20mm F2.8 FE in use. Credit: Andy Westlake

Optically, it’s very much a case of you get what you pay for. If you’re hoping for pin-sharp corners at f/2.8 from such a cheap lens then, well, think again. But if you keep its limitations in mind and work accordingly, it can deliver very respectable results. After all, landscape photographers will likely be shooting at f/8 or smaller as a matter of course.

The one real confounding factor lies with autofocus. It’s absolutely fine on the latest Sony bodies, but terrible on older ones. So everything depends on which camera you use, and whether you need a 20mm lens to focus rapidly or not. Unfortunately, those people buying older, cheaper cameras are arguably the most likely to consider buying this lens.

The Viltrox AF 20mm F2.8 FE has its faults, but for the price it’s a bargain. Credit: Andy Westlake

ILCE-7RM4 · f/4 · 1/6s · 20mm · ISO400

Purely because of this, the lens is difficult to recommend unreservedly to everyone. For those with the latest cameras, it’s an absolute bargain. But for owners of older Sony models, it’s in dire need of a firmware update to make it work with phase detection. If Viltrox can achieve this, it’ll become worthy of a much higher rating.

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Viltrox AF 20mm F2.8 FE: Full Specifications

Viltrox AF 20mm F2.8 FE on Sony Alpha A7 II. Credit: Andy Westlake

The post Viltrox AF 20mm F2.8 FE review – super-cheap full-frame wideangle appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

Buy now

The Heat Company Heat 2 Softshell Gloves at a glance:

• £61.20
• Fingerless glove and mitten in one
• Goatskin palm
• Thinsulate insulation
• Inside handwarmer pocket
• theheatcompany.com

Both gloves closed up. Here you can easily see the circular magnets that hold the filp tops open. Credit: Angela Nicholson

As you’d expect, the Heat 2 Softshell gloves are made from wind- and water-repellent material, with a goatskin palm, and they’re lined with soft, cosy fleece that’s very welcoming on your hands when you pull them on. They are designed for ‘transition’ seasons, and after wearing them, I’d say that translates to all but the most extreme winter days in the UK.

A pocket inside the mitten tops can also hold a hand warmer (available from The Heat Company) to add extra heat when the mercury drops. That’s a great idea because it means the heat is there for your fingers after they’ve been exposed to the elements.

The gloves with their flip-tops opened for use with a camera. Credit: Angela Nicholson

Thanks to a long, knitted cuff, the Heat 2 gloves keep your wrists warm, but I find this needs to be pulled firmly up under my coat sleeves. Otherwise, the gloves slip down over my hands. This slippage is more of an issue when the mitten caps are pulled over my fingers because they extend too far beyond my fingertips, reducing my dexterity.

Heat Company Heat 2 Softshell Gloves key features:

• Magnets:  Magnets hold back the mitten top and thumb cover
• Pull loops:  Loops between the fingers make the glove easy to pull off
• Wind and water-repellent:  The wind and water-repellant fabric protects your hands
• Three sizes:  The Heat 2 Softshell gloves are available in 3 sizes, 7, 9 and 10

A flip-back top on the glove’s thumbs means you can also get your thumbs directly onto your camera. This cap is held in place by Velcro, so you can’t just wriggle your thumbs out, you have to peel back the caps. This is fiddly with the mitten caps in place, but it only takes a second when your fingers are free.

The Heat Company Heat 2 Softshell Gloves in use. Credit: Angela Nicholson

Helpfully, there are magnets to hold the mitten and thumb caps out of the way while you use your camera. These are more effective than the magnets on Vallerret photography gloves.

Fingerless gloves can be awkward to remove, but thanks to loops between the fingers of the Heat 2 Softshell gloves, you can pull them off in a jiffy.

The Heat Company liner gloves

The Heat Company offers a range of nine liner gloves that can be worn under the Heat 2 Softshell gloves, if the conditions demand it. The Merino Liner Light tubes (£26.10) make a good choice because they don’t cover your fingers or thumbs, but have a handwarmer pocket on their back.

Loops between the fingers make the gloves easier to remove. Credit: Angela Nicholson

The Heat Company Heat 2 Softshell Gloves: Our Verdict

The Heat Company’s Heat 2 Softshell Gloves offer an excellent combination of a fingerless glove and mitten, with the internal handwarmer pocket helping to make them ideal for photographers braving cooler conditions. The gloves’ design means it’s easy to switch between protecting your full hand and freeing your fingers and thumbs to operate your camera while magnets keep the flip-top covers out of the way.

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The post The Heat Company Heat 2 Softshell Gloves review – cosy gloves for photographers appeared first on Amateur Photographer.