R8 vs R6ii for hiking, travel, & landscape

[nanduu]

Picked up an r6ii this week with canon’s latest refurb discount but after reading more remarks about traveling with the R8, wondering what the consensus is more specifically for those shooting on mountains / travels as hobbyists at this point.

I primarily take still on long hikes / mountain climbs and cityscape still/video when traveling.

Of course, saving 0.4 lbs, $600 or so, plus the smaller form factor on the R8 sounds nice but IBIS for lower light, longer battery life, and the added controls are what sold me on the R6ii. Will mainly pair with the 24-105 f/4-7.1

For those with an R8 or who picked the R6ii for similar use, how do you feel about it now?

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

This is really going to come down to personal preference and use.  I prefer a full size body with added controls and longer battery life as you pointed out.  For some the lighter weight of the R8 will be the perfect combination.  Most will carry extra batteries anyway.  Lack of IBIS is not a deal breaker (for me anyway). 😀 

[Tronhard]

For me the bulk and weight of a camera body is less of an issue than the lens - depending on what I expect to be photographing on my hikes.   I like to shoot scenery, the locals and wildlife - and the latter usually demands longer focal lengths, which is really where weight and bulk kicks in.   Another issue is battery capacity.  The R6 series bodies use the much greater capacity LP-E6 series of batteries, while the R8 uses the smaller in size and capacity LP-E17 ones.

Since I don't expect to produce for more than digital display or moderate sized prints, I actually use a bridge camera, the Sony RX-10IV which is arguably the best in class for those units.  It's 1", 20MP sensor is excellent, along with the Zeiss stabilized optic with an equivalent focal range of 24-600mm, which covers a lot of territory, yet it is very small for what it does and has all the controls of the bigger cameras.  Currently, to my knowledge, Canon no longer produce anything of this type.

All that aside, you now have the excellent R6II.  Paired with the equally excellent RF 24-240 lens, it is a formidable unit. It seems a bit late to be second-guessing yourself having now bought the unit.  I would say go out and enjoy what you have and make the most of it.

For multi-day hikes I keep my cameras in holsters, either slung across my shoulder or attached to my pack belt - the latter is a more risky method, though.