The R8 Mark II is a 24.2MP full-frame body Canon pitches at newcomers to full frame. It has no fully mechanical shutter, so how you set the shutter decides whether flash, silence and 40 fps bursts are available.
Updated
Quick answer
| Situation | Mode | Aperture | Shutter | ISO | AF mode | Drive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Everyday & travel | Av | f/5.6-f/8 | Auto | Auto ISO | One-Shot AF, Whole area AF | Single shooting |
| Portraits | Av | f/1.8-f/2.8 | 1/250s or faster | 100-800 | Servo AF, Subject to detect: People, Eye detection: Auto | Single shooting |
| Kids, pets & action | Tv | f/2.8-f/4 | 1/1000s or faster, Electronic shutter | Auto ISO | Servo AF, Whole area AF, Subject to detect: People or Animals | High-speed continuous shooting (20 fps) |
| Indoors with flash | M | f/2.8-f/4 | 1/125s-1/200s, Elec. 1st-curtain | 400-1600 | One-Shot AF, Subject to detect: People | Single shooting |
| Landscapes (tripod) | Av | f/8 | As metered | 100 (base) | One-Shot AF, 1-point AF | Self-timer: 2 sec. |
| Setting | What to set | Why |
|---|---|---|
| AF operation | Servo AF for anything that moves; One-Shot AF for still subjects | AI Focus AF switches between them on its own, but choosing yourself is more predictable. |
| AF area | Whole area AF with subject detection for moving subjects; 1-point AF or Spot AF for precise still subjects | Whole area AF is the default and lets subject detection follow the subject across the frame. |
| Subject to detect | People for portraits and events; Animals for dogs, cats, birds and horses; Vehicles for motorsport, aircraft and trains; Auto for mixed scenes | |
| Eye detection | Auto, or Right eye / Left eye to choose which eye | Works with People and Animals. |
| Register people priority | Register the people you shoot most (up to ten) | The camera gives them priority when several faces are in the frame. |
| Servo AF character. | Case Auto to start; Case Manual to set Tracking sensitivity yourself |
| Setting | What to set | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Movie rec. size | 4K at 23.98, 25 or 29.97 fps for a natural look; 50/59.94 fps for smooth motion; Full HD up to 179.8 fps in Slow & Fast mode | Canon says 4K is oversampled from 6K at every frame rate, without a crop. |
| Movie rec. format | XF-HEVC S YCC422 10bit to grade; XF-AVC S YCC420 8bit (MP4) for instant sharing | |
| Custom Picture | C2: Canon Log 3 if you'll grade (14 stops in 4K at 29.97/25 fps, ISO 800, says Canon); C1: Canon 709 for a finished look | Canon Log 3 lives under Color mode, then Custom Picture. HDR/C. Log View Assist shows a corrected preview. |
| Shutter speed | 1/50s at 25p, 1/60s at 29.97p, 1/100s or 1/125s at 50p/59.94p | About double the frame rate keeps natural motion blur. |
| Digital IS | On or Enhanced handheld; Off on a tripod | Enhanced+ is available in 4K only. |
Flash: keep Shutter mode on Elec. 1st-curtain
Canon lists the mechanical shutter as not available on this body. Flash works only with Elec. 1st-curtain (sync up to 1/200s), never with the electronic shutter, so a flash that won't fire usually means Shutter mode or Silent shutter function is set to electronic.
Best for: Parties, indoor portraits, bounce flash
Action: 20 fps for most bursts, 40 fps for the peak
High-speed continuous shooting gives 20 fps with the electronic shutter; High-speed continuous shooting + gives 40 fps but needs 1/40s or faster. Canon rates the buffer at about 73 RAW frames at 40 fps, so short bursts are kinder to it.
Best for: Kids running, pets, sport on the sidelines
Moments you'd miss: Pre-continuous shooting
With Pre-cont. shooting enabled, the camera keeps 20 shots (about 0.5 sec.) from before you fully press the shutter. It needs the electronic shutter and High-speed continuous shooting +.
Best for: Birds taking off, a child's first jump
Portraits: let subject detection find the eye
Set Subject to detect to People and Eye detection to Auto, then shoot at f/1.8-f/2.8 for a soft background. Register people priority remembers up to ten faces so the camera picks your subject in a group.
Best for: Family portraits, couples, small groups
Colour out of camera: Color Filters
Sixteen Color Filters (NegativeFilmtone, RetroGreen, TastyWarm and more) sit under Color mode. They don't apply to RAW or C-RAW stills, so shoot JPEG or HEIF on the days you want a finished look.
Best for: Sharing straight from the camera
Landscape: f/8, ISO 100, 2-second self-timer
A dependable tripod baseline. The 2-second self-timer stops the press of the button from shaking the shot.
Best for: Scenic, tripod-based work
Save a setup to C1, C2 or C3 on the mode dial with Custom shooting mode (C1-C3), then Register settings.
C1: Kids & pets
Tv mode, 1/1000s, Auto ISO, Servo AF with Whole area AF, Subject to detect People or Animals, Electronic shutter, High-speed continuous shooting.
C2: Indoor flash
M mode, 1/160s, f/4, ISO 800, Shutter mode Elec. 1st-curtain, One-Shot AF, Single shooting.
C3: Landscape
Av mode, f/8, ISO 100, One-Shot AF with 1-point AF, Self-timer: 2 sec.
More Canon settings guides
Lens guides for these situations
Calculators for these settings
Guides for this tool, by niche
Related terms
Troubleshooting
Gear guides