If they are smart they’ll enable their manual focus assist (focus guide) feature on any adapted lens - this would make it a great camera for Leica M glass (and all other manual lenses of course).
Even though I shoot mostly Nikon (and some Leica and Fuji on the side), I’d be considering this Canon just for that feature..
Hm, to be honest, the article doesn't really say much more than that the rumored release of a retro Canon camera to mark the 50th anniversary of the original model has evaporated into thin air, and we're no wiser today than we were last year and the year before.
Unfortunately.
Apr 18, 2026 at 05:14 AM
Steve Spencer Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
If they are smart they’ll enable their manual focus assist (focus guide) feature on any adapted lens - this would make it a great camera for Leica M glass (and all other manual lenses of course).
Even though I shoot mostly Nikon (and some Leica and Fuji on the side), I’d be considering this Canon just for that feature..
The relatively new Shoten adapter does allow any lens with a Leica M mount (or any lens adapted to Leica M) to be used on Canon RF cameras with the very nice Canon focus aids. I have the adapter and like it a lot. With this adapter you can easily program it for up to 10 lenses that you can use that will report the name of the lens including focal length and max aperture in the EXIF and the adapter allows up to 4mm in extension as well.
Frankly, all future Canon releases need IBIS, full-stop. Even if they come up with something that just does two or three stops for the cheapest iteration of a camera, it'd be enough.
But beyond that, I'm having a hard time understanding the purpose of such a camera beyond 'me too!'. Are there a bunch of vintage Canon lenses from previous mounts that would make sense here? Because unlike Nikon and others, Canon changed mounts when they went autofocus, abandoning the older lenses to relative obscurity.
johnctharp wrote:
Are there a bunch of vintage Canon lenses from previous mounts that would make sense here? Because unlike Nikon and others, Canon changed mounts when they went autofocus, abandoning the older lenses to relative obscurity.
In point of fact, a number of Canon FD lenses are considered highly desirable for their vintage characteristics when adapted for cinema use:
I agree with John. The main thing I would like to see in an R8 Mark II is IBIS. If it also picked up the sensor from the R6 Mark III, I think the resolution bump would be nice.
However, I fear that the addition of IBIS might make the camera considerably bulkier which would be counter to its raison d'être. So I am not entirely certain I will get what I want.
Yeah, the R8 is running the LPE-17, which is a really limited battery. Power draw from an IBIS unit would be problematic if Canon didn't also optimize such a unit for the space, heat dissipation, and power draw class of the camera.
On the other hand - if they manage to do just that, they'd have a killer camera. Though perhaps not the sensor from the R6 III itself, but a faster ~24MP-class sensor than the R8 and R6 II share. Something that's not going to push processing limits and that will still allow for decent buffers economically.
johnctharp wrote:
Yeah, the R8 is running the LPE-17, which is a really limited battery. Power draw from an IBIS unit would be problematic if Canon didn't also optimize such a unit for the space, heat dissipation, and power draw class of the camera.
On the other hand - if they manage to do just that, they'd have a killer camera. Though perhaps not the sensor from the R6 III itself, but a faster ~24MP-class sensor than the R8 and R6 II share. Something that's not going to push processing limits and that will still allow for decent buffers economically.
Good point about the battery. That does seem like it would be a limiting factor as well.
howard wrote:
There is no credible information on CR, why are you guys so gullible…
Nobody is saying that the rumors are correct. Those of us commenting are simply expressing what we would like to see in an R8 Mark II camera, should one ever be released.
"It’s not as simple as saying, ‘Okay, let’s develop this camera to look vintage.' In a camera like this, we have the camera part, the lens part, and the accessories part, and they all have to coordinate to form a camera."
Dearest Kato-san, go to a Nikon store, apparently it is that simple. They, Fuji, Hasselblad and Leica amongst others have made several over the past 10 years.
This would be a fantastic camera with retro controls and 45mp and the amazing Canon color science look in the RAW files. Also, no 2026 24mp surprise please.
Retro cameras are almost always an appeal to emotion more than they are a thoughtful way to improve functionality. No one would hold a Nikon Zf and think, yes, this is definitely the best and most functional way to design a camera. And yet, the Zf sells incredibly well, because it's pretty and nostalgic and is as fun an accessory as it is an image making tool. A tiny subset of a subset of a subset of people inclined towards purchasing a standalone camera would care about mounting legacy lenses to their modern vintage digital camera, but a whole lot of people would care to sling one around their shoulder with a cool looking retro-esque 50 1.8.
I am interested in buying this camera *if* it looks great, and cuts few if any corners on the AF system. I would be entirely unbothered if it had no IBIS, a small battery, or only one card slot (and in fact, would prefer these things if it meant keeping it small).
Everyone has a different idea of what's necessary or unnecessary. If I could have one wish, it would be for an M-mount Canonet with an EVF and no rear display, no autofocus and no video function. IBIS would be nice, but I could manage without it if necessary.
Of course, that will never happen.😄
Steve Spencer wrote:
The relatively new Shoten adapter does allow any lens with a Leica M mount (or any lens adapted to Leica M) to be used on Canon RF cameras with the very nice Canon focus aids. I have the adapter and like it a lot. With this adapter you can easily program it for up to 10 lenses that you can use that will report the name of the lens including focal length and max aperture in the EXIF and the adapter allows up to 4mm in extension as well.
The Techart and TTartisan 6bit adapter are basically providing the same functionality on the Zf (although I prefer Canon‘s focus guide over Nikon‘s green box). But I’m done with these workarounds tbh, they should both just remove this stupid firmware limitation.
My lowkey hope is that Canon does this first and Nikon feels forced to follow with a firmware update. But Canon does not necessarily have the reputation to open user-friendly functionality to Non-Canon lenses so seems like a long shot..
Apr 19, 2026 at 01:13 AM
Steve Spencer Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
fjablo wrote:
The Techart and TTartisan 6bit adapter are basically providing the same functionality on the Zf (although I prefer Canon‘s focus guide over Nikon‘s green box). But I’m done with these workarounds tbh, they should both just remove this stupid firmware limitation.
My lowkey hope is that Canon does this first and Nikon feels forced to follow with a firmware update. But Canon does not necessarily have the reputation to open user-friendly functionality to Non-Canon lenses so seems like a long shot..
Even if they allowed the focus aid with a dumb adapter, there would still need to be some way to communicate to the camera the focal length of the lens so that IBIS would work properly. You could of course enter that somehow through the camera (Nikon allows that now) but I always found that to be a pain and even on Nikon where it is pretty easy I forgot to do it a lot. Of course that wouldn't matter for cameras like the R8 that don't have IBIS.
I had the TTartisans 6bit adapter for Sony and it works well. I especially liked that you could set the focal length on the adapter by just pressing a button for a bunch of focal lengths. Overall, however, I think I prefer the Shoten for its built in extension. Adapting lens is always going to come with some hassles especially if the adapter doesn't have electronics and I am pleased that options like the TTartisans and Shoten adapters exist. They make adapting lens pretty easy peasy in my view.
If they are smart they’ll enable their manual focus assist (focus guide) feature on any adapted lens - this would make it a great camera for Leica M glass (and all other manual lenses of course).
Even though I shoot mostly Nikon (and some Leica and Fuji on the side), I’d be considering this Canon just for that feature..
For it to be a true success I think they will probably have to go beyond retro-styled and provide truly functional “retro” characteristics, à la Fujifilm.
The R8 is a VERY popular and affordable fullframer for those who can't afford the R6-series and I hope they continue that path with the Mark II. Do I want it to be a retro-styled camera? No sure, but ask me again 10 years ago.
If they for some reason will replace the R8-series with a retro body at least I hope they don't mess with the grip/ergonomics. AND, as Gdan pointed out, make it something extra. If you join the party at 4 AM in the morning you really need to steal the show.
Canon has not added any new camera profiles for 20 years, maybe some new filmic "looks" and more finetuning available. There is a massive Fujifilm community for "film recipes" and the clever JPEG engine combined with their film profiles make them very fun cameras not just to use but also for editing.
Just don't take your regular tech, slam a retro design on it and call it a day. Make it retro all the way through (with a comfy grip)
Apr 20, 2026 at 05:56 AM
Steve Spencer Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
boldcolors wrote:
The R8 is a VERY popular and affordable fullframer for those who can't afford the R6-series and I hope they continue that path with the Mark II. Do I want it to be a retro-styled camera? No sure, but ask me again 10 years ago.
If they for some reason will replace the R8-series with a retro body at least I hope they don't mess with the grip/ergonomics. AND, as Gdan pointed out, make it something extra. If you join the party at 4 AM in the morning you really need to steal the show.
Canon has not added any new camera profiles for 20 years, maybe some new filmic "looks" and more finetuning available. There is a massive Fujifilm community for "film recipes" and the clever JPEG engine combined with their film profiles make them very fun cameras not just to use but also for editing.
Just don't take your regular tech, slam a retro design on it and call it a day. Make it retro all the way through (with a comfy grip)...Show more →
I think to keep the price low, which I think is crtical for the R8 II, then it shouldn't be a retro styled camera. If Canon does make a retro styled camera then, I agree with you and Dan that it should be a thorough undertaking and probably should be a variant of the R6 and would more fit that price range. They also need a few lenses that suit the camera as well. I'm not sure Canon will ever do it, but I think there is a market there like Nikon found with the Zf, and Fuji has found with the X-T series cameras.
An R6 variant with a 24 MP sensor, and ISO and shutter speed dial, a set of film recipes easily applied, and a new set of lenses with aperture rings and medium level optics I think would find a market. Lenses could harken to the retro theme by being modern versions of some of the classics, a 55 f/1.2 Asph with a floating element design but make it double gauss based and situate it between the 45 f/1.2 and the modern 50 f/1.2L would be a good place to start. They could make a 35 f/2 Asph and a 100 f/2 Asph to mostly match and it would be a wonderful set of lenses. These don't need and probably shouldn't have VCM motors. Add to these three primes a wide to short tele, perhaps a 28-85 f/4 to match classic FD zoom, and you would have a compelling concept. Maybe add a 20-35 f/3.5 as well. Bonus points if they make an FD to RF mount converter that allowed use of their focus aids.
I don't think Canon will actually do all that, but I think it could work.
In the meantime, I expect an R8 II to be a modern camera. The obvious new feature if they can find a way to do it and keep the camera small is to add IBIS. They could also update the sensor with a BSI sensor instead of the FSI if they ever decide to make non-stacked BSI sensors. This camera, IMO, does not need faster sensor scan speed, so increase the MP modestly let's say 33 MP with a non-stacked BSI with slow sensor scan speed ought to be enough even if they don't add IBIS. I think they do need either IBIS or a new sensor, however, to justify a new model.
