[R6 Mk2 + kit 24-105mm f4-7.1 IS STM] OR [R8 + RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM]

[oirampok]

Hello fellow photographers,

I've started shooting with a Canon 1200d with a kit lens back in 2013, and the upgraded to an 80D, a 50mm 1.8 and a 18-135mm kit lens since 2017, finally saved up enough to upgrade to my first full frame. I'm going on a trip to Thailand and Indonesia with some friends this December, what better way to get acquainted with my new camera that a trip.

In terms of skill level i'm not a beginner by any means but definitely still far from a professional. Mostly shoot for me to post/prints to hang up at home: https://www.instagram.com/mariosebastian13/?hl=en As for what I shoot, I shoot everything, portraits, cars, landscapes, nature, urban, etc. I've narrowed what I wanted to:

- A full frame generalist mirorless canon body

- A decent walkaround zoom lens

- Another nifty fifty for portraits, products and other low aperture shots

I have to budget to get a R6 Mk2 with the kit 24-105mm f4-7.1 IS STM lens, or i can get an R8 with the RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM. Not really interested in the R6 because its an older sensor with only 20 MP, since i tend to crop a lot in post.

The only thing stopping me from going with the R8 is the lack of in body stabilisation, I was thinking if i get the R6 i can ditch having to carry tripods entirely on my trips for those sunset/sunrise exposures (1-2 seconds). What do you all think I should get? Will it even be worth it to upgrade from the 80D to the R6 Mk2/R8? I was thingking since mirorless is the future may as well buy now instead of investing in EF lenses that may someday become obsolete. Someone suggested to me that I should instead get a sigma 24-105 lens, but idk if using the adaptor will degrade the autofocus performance or not? 

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

Your decision.  The R6 mkII hands down.  Primary reason, battery life. 

Side by side the cameras will perform almost identically, but the power difference is huge in this case. The R6 mkII then pulls away from the starting line..  pixel shift, ibis, better EVF resolution, more sophisticated controls, more focus points, faster shutter, higher FPS and if that's not enough, add that the R6 mkII has dual card slots. 

Since your old lenses are going away, we don't need to consider that using a EF-S or RF-S crop sensor lens will only yield 9.3MP images,  So all we need to do now is figure out how to get you into a good travel lens.

If you can swing the f4 constant aperture, that would be optimal in the long run.  The quality of the L lens is superior to the variable aperture lens with the STM motor.  Its not a bad lens, but the L will outperform it at almost every turn and you will come to appreciate this level of performance in a very short time. 

Its easy for me to sit here and tell you to spend more, but know I am not doing so without considering the overall benefits. 

R6 mkII brand new $2299

Rg mkII (Canon Refurb) $2019

Shop Canon Refurbished EOS R6 Mark II Body | Canon U.S.A., Inc.

RF 24-105 f4 new - $1299

RF 24-105 f4 (Canon Refurb) - $1169

Shop Canon Refurbished RF24–105mm F4 L IS USM | Canon U.S.A., Inc. 

Please plan to add at least 1 extra battery and 2-4 memory cards.  If you are not taking a computer to copy images off the camera on a nightly basis, you need 4-6 cards.  Prograde cards are great and 2 packs are affordable. To keep cost down you can get 128GB's and get more of them.  If you don't bring a PC, buy/bring as many cards as you can afford - keep your images safe.  We'll look forward to seeing your pictures. 

[oirampok]

Hello, thank you for the long and thoughtful feedback. I live in asia so sadly i cant get access to canon refurbs. 

Here's two scenarios/use cases that I often find myself in when travelling: 

Its around 5 am sunrise time on top of a mountain, I have no tripod, I am trying to photograph:
- the sunrise on the mountains [Low light, low shutter, lanscape, 24mm]
- some mountain goats in the distance [Low light, low shutter, telephoto, 80-105mm] 

I'm on a train, trying to take pictures of the changing landscape, but again there are some interesting goats that show up and i end up zooming in. I am trying to photograph:
- the landscapes [Good light, High shutter, lanscape, 24mm]
- some mountain goats in the distance [Good light,High shutter, telephoto, 80-105mm] 

Which one do you think will perform better?:
- R6 Mk2 + kit 24-105mm f4-7.1 IS STM (Double Image Stabilitzation, but lower aperture and sharpness)

OR

- R8 + RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM (Only Lens Image Stabilitzation, but higher aperture and sharpness)

Should I prioritize L glass with the objectively weaker R8 body, or get the more expensive R6 mk2 body and less quality glass? I cant afford the R6 and the L lens, if i could i would have already bought that. 

What do you think sir? 

Is the fact that I don't even know what pixel shift is a good indicator that the R6 is overkill for me? I keep hearing the phrase better glass > better body, so in this case would I be better off getting the premium L lens but the weaker R8 body? I dont mind bringing with me a bunch of extra batteries. 

[deebatman316]

[johnrmoyer]

Canon Asia has a very detailed comparison between the R6 Mark II and the R8

https://snapshot.canon-asia.com/article/eng/eos-r6-mark-ii-vs-eos-r8-which-to-choose

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

My mentioning pixel shift was just 1 aspect of the features you get with the R6 mkII.  Thanks Demetrius for providing a definition. 👍

Your shooting scenario descriptions were helpful. 

Body's will come and go, your glass is the real investment, especially in the case of the R8 and R6 mkII.  Get the f4 constant aperture lens.  Its going to be more conducive to your shooting conditions and low light scenarios.  Again, the cameras will perform similarly.  The lens has IS.  At some point you might upgrade, and the wiser lens investment will pay for itself in the longer term. 

The biggest drawback of the R8 is its battery life. The grip on the right side of the body is more shallow than the R6 mkII and it doesn't have the breadth to accommodate the larger battery (LP-E6NH) found in the mkII.  

I have been cleared by the mods to post this link since all references are authorized canon dealers.  Its a helpful side by side comparison.

Canon R8 vs Canon R6 II Detailed Comparison (cameradecision.com)