Speculation and rumor have suggested that Canon's very first full-frame mirrorless camera, the Canon EOS R could finally have a successor coming soon, and there's even a possibility that it could be named the Canon EOS R8!
While all rumors surrounding camera launches should be taken with a big pinch of salt, many drip-fed details on upcoming flagships that are leaked to camera rumor sites have often proven to be pretty true and reliable.
• These are the best mirrorless cameras (opens in new tab)!
It was considered for a long time that we would never see a direct replacement or full-frame successor for the now discontinued Canon EOS R (opens in new tab), especially as the Canon EOS RP (opens in new tab) was launched as a popular and more affordable alternative to this model.
This latest unconfirmed rumor involving the Canon EOS R8 derives from an original post that was shared to the Chinese social media platform, Weibo (opens in new tab) (as first spotted by (opens in new tab) CanonRumors), that suggests we won't see a 'Canon EOS R Mark II' as such but it will actually be named as the Canon EOS R8.
With that said, in 2020 Canon launched its Canon EOS R6 (opens in new tab) mirrorless offering that is still a powerhouse of a camera and popular among professionals, though also rumored to be facing an early replacement in the form of the Canon EOS R6 Mark II.
Is there a chance that this proposed EOS R successor might be even greater than the EOS R6, maybe even an R6 killer? It's safe to say that we have a lot of questions about the future of Canon's mirrorless lineup of cameras, including if the Canon EOS R6 Mark II (opens in new tab) might be coming soon.
The rumor posted on Weibo also proposed some specifications of the potential Canon EOS R8 that included a 30.3MP Full-Frame Sensor, a DIGIC X processor, with 5-axis in-body stabilization and full-pixel dual-core autofocus. It also suggested that the camera could be capable of shooting 4K videos at 30fps (uncropped), and 4K footage at 60fps (cropped), while fitted with a DF/ CF Express (opens in new tab) dual card slot.
We have previously reported on our Camera Rumors (opens in new tab)hub that the Canon EOS RP successor was initially speculated to have a full-frame design and a price tag worth US$899, but as a result of the ongoing global supply chain issues and chip shortages, plus rising manufacture costs, that this release would have at least been heavily delayed, or if not shelved outright and overtaken by an EOS R6 successor instead.
In addition, confusion over where the new successor of the EOS R might situate in Canon's R system lineup has resulted in speculation that it could likely sit below the Canon EOS R6, but above the Canon EOS RP, and we can assume (but not completely dismiss) that this successor won't be called the EOS R Mark II.
You might also be interested in the best Canon cameras (opens in new tab), as well as the best full frame mirrorless cameras (opens in new tab), and the differences between the Canon EOS R vs RP (opens in new tab), and check out the latest best cheap mirrorless cameras (opens in new tab).
