First camera, R7, R8 or used R6?

[weggaa]

I’ve been learning photography over the past year using my iPhone 14 Pro’s camera. I’ve gotten better results than I ever could have imagined and it’s turned into a burning desire to get an actual camera. I really want to do wildlife photography and landscape as I am always hiking in the woods. This creates a bit of clash for me though as my two favourite types of photography apparently benefit from two different bodies that I have budgeted for. R7 for wildlife and R8 for landscape. I am wondering what everyone’s thoughts are for using an R7 for landscape so I could get the best of both worlds. I do plan on making large prints (24x36 for example) of my photos as well and hanging them up in my own house.

I should also mention I have seen a used first gen R6 in my area for the price of a new R7/R8 and am wondering if that’s worth going for instead.

Thank you in advance.

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

The R7 or R6 would likely be the best options for you.  For wildlife and large output prints, the R7 would likely be my choice.  What is your actual budget?

You will not just need a camera.  You are going to need 2-3 memory cards, at least 1 extra battery and one or more lenses too. 

[ctitanic]

I'll go with an used (Like New from MPB) R6. At first it may seem that the higher resolution of the R7 is an advantage but I owned it and the R7 is very noisy camera. You will have to pay special attention to Noise. I exchanged my R7 for an used R6. That tells you everything. The R8 sounds like a good option but there are too many limitations on it such as: 1 sd card slot,  no joystick and no image stabilization which is really important. I recently shared my thoughts about the best canon cameras for wildlife and sport photography at my blog in case that you want to check it, bare in mind that those are just my thoughts and personal opinion which may be wrong or differ from others opinions.

[p4pictures]

First let me stir the water a little...

EOS R6 - great durable camera, 20MP and good AF with animals (birds, canines, felines)

EOS R7 - high resolution, but noisy pictures at higher ISO settings, though makes lenses feel longer for wildlife. Also has AF with animal detection (birds, canines, felines)

EOS R8 - has the latest generation sensor, and updated AF that for animals covers birds, canines, felines and equine. It misses out on the joystick, dual cards, and in-body IS.

Currently this is a tough choice, given your intent to produce 24 x 36 inch prints then resolution might be helpful from the R7, but it's not so many more pixels than the 24MP R8. Both have more than the R6, but then again I have 60 x 90 inch print from an EOS R6 image I took in 2021. 

Perhaps one of the best courses of action is to rent an EOS R7, use it in low light and average light then see if you like the quality of the images. Remember that it would be almost 80MP if it covered the same area of image sensor as a full frame camera like the EOS R6 or EOS R8.

While others like the EOS R6 as a good quality alternative to the EOS R7, I think that the EOS R8 should not be discounted for it has the latest generation of AF and the extra subject detection within the animal category as well as extras in the vehicle category too. It does lack the IBIS of the other two, but for landscapes maybe not so much of a problem and for longer lens wildlife the shutter speed is often beyond the camera shake threshold. A lens like the RF 100-400mm has optical IS and is a nice balance on the EOS R8.

[Tronhard]

Hi and welcome to the forum:

One important omission in this discussion is the lack of consideration of lenses.  Yet, they are arguably more significant than the camera body.   People upgrade camera bodies relatively frequently as the technology changes, yet the lenses much less often and the lens has a greater impact on the quality of your images than the body does. There is a reason that for serious photography, people use interchangeable lens cameras.

Right now, we have no idea of your budget, which is an important factor as we are wasting our time and yours by under-selling or over-selling for the money you wish to invest.   That budget must consider the lenses you will use, along with things like batteries.   I can say with some confidence after 40+ years of wildlife and scenic photography that I would definitely prefer a great lens on a modest body rather than the reverse.  Still, obviously both must be taken into consideration.

As Regards Bodies:
When considering what you will produce, which is critical: for large, detailed prints you want high resolution, especially for landscapes that usually offer a lot of detail,  and that goes well with the ability to crop an image of an animal if you can't get close enough to fill the frame.  For an article relating print size to resolution see: A Complete Guide to Standard Photo Sizes | Adobe.

In that context, in all honesty, I would suggest considering the EOS R5 - the prices have dropped dramatically since the introduction of the R5II and there are bargains to be hand on Canon Refurb site: many of which cameras may be overstock (not used), opened box (not used), on display or for demo units.  They come with a warranty and should be 'good as new':  the link is:
Canon Refurbished Cameras & Accessories | Canon U.S.A, Inc.  The camera has a 45MP Full-frame, sensor, weather sealing, In-body Image Stabilization, face and eye tracking for a range of subjects, and can shoot both stills and video at high quality.  I have the R5, along with the R6, and R6II - they are all great cameras. 

I would personally steer away from the R7.  Smaller sensors struggle in low light in terms of noise and focusing, and the R7 is no exception.  Canon have admitted that the focusing system is a downgraded one compared to those of the FF units, resulting in focus pulsing in low contrast conditions.  There is a trap here: the lure of more MP.  However, as the number increased, the photosites (lenses and tubes that send light to the sensor) get smaller and much less efficient.  The R7 seeks to cram 32MP into a smaller APS-C sensor which sounds great until you compare the pixel density.  The R5 has a Full-frame 45MP sensor, so to compare, if the sensor on the R7 was expanded to FF size with the same pixel density, it would come out at 83MP, which no maker has got anywhere near, and for good reason.

Let's Talk Lenses:
For scenic you want a fairly wide angle lens, although you can do composite panorama shots with a longer focal length that will create pretty massive files.  The R5's 45MP sensor will give you the detail you need with fairly wide angle lenses.
I would consider the RF 14-35L f/4 for very wide to moderate wide and for shots in the city, or RF 24-105L f/4 as a general-purpose wide-to-moderate tele lens.  Also, don't discount the rather amazing RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS USM super zoom that while not an L unit, is optically excellent - the main thing you're missing is the constant aperture, weather sealing and a lens hood.

For wildlife, you want all the reach you can get, and that comes with a price and weight.  I personally prefer zoom lenses over prime (fixed focal length) optics, but I get good ones - and they weigh a bit.
In the Canon range the ones to consider are:
RF 100-500L - add that to the 24-105 and you have an unbroken focal range of 24-500mm
RF 200-800 - brilliant lens for wildlife, if you can find one.  Again, not weather sealed.  If you paired that with the RF 24-240, you will have an unbroken range from 24-800mm on a full frame: that is stunning.

If you are prepared to consider an EF Sigma lens on the R bodies via the Canon EF-RF adapter, I can personally attest to the fact that it works brilliantly on all the cameras I use, then the Sigma 60-600 Sports lens is a fantastic lens.

So, there are lots of possibilities, but it comes down again to what you want to spend.  Rather than owning two bodies, get one high quality body with the capacity to give you the detail and dynamic range, and the right lenses for the subjects you will shoot.

If you go to the menu at the top and under Gallery, select Share your Photos, there are plenty examples that I and others have posted using the various combinations of lenses and bodies I have referred to.
For example, you can do a search in that screen for RF 200-800 and you will get this list:
Search - Canon Community