Canon announces Rebel T8i, RF 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS lens, and new image.canon Cloud Platform

 

 

Alongside the surprise late-night development announcement of the EOS R5, Canon's also unveiled some additional goodies, including the new Rebel T8i DSLR, a new compact and affordable RF zoom lens and an interesting new photo cloud platform for both wireless camera image transfer and image storage.

Canon Rebel T8i

The successor to the Rebel T7i, the new T8i looks and feels very similar to the predecessor and sports a similar 24.2-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor. However, the T8i uses a newer, faster DIGIC 8 image processor, offering faster continuous shooting at up to 7fps. For video shooters, the camera is now capable of 4K UHD video at 24fps. Full HD video at 24p is also available. The T8i is also the first Canon EOS camera to offer vertical video recording for easier social media- or mobile-specific content creation.

 

 

The AF system is based around a 45-point all cross-type phase-detection AF system but now includes Face Detection through-the-viewfinder thanks to an updated metering system that we previously saw in cameras like the EOS 90D. The camera is equipped with a new 220,000-pixel AE Sensor and EOS iTR AF that allows for OVF face detection AF. For Live View shooting, the camera, of course, comes with Canon's powerful Dual Pixel CMOS AF system with Eye Detection AF with Servo AF functionality.

The T8i features a 3-inch, articulated touchscreen rear display, AF-ON and Quick Control Dials and includes built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.

An availablity date is not yet released, but the EOS Rebel T8i camera body will be sold at an estimated retail price of $749.99 and in a kit with the EF-S 18-55mm F4-5.6 IS STM lens for an estimated retail price of $899.99.

Canon RF 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM

Need a small, lightweight and versatile zoom lens for your svelte EOS RP? Well, the new RF 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM should do the trick, and not break the bank at the same time. At 13.9oz (395g) and only about 3.5in (88.8mm) in length, this new RF 24-104 -- not to be confused with the earlier RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM -- is a highly portable and versatile walkaround lens designed for a variety of subject matter.

 

 

The on-board optical image stabilization is rated for 5-stops of correction, and the fast and quiet STM focusing system is great for both stills and video shooting, as it features Movie Servo AF. Additional features include a programmable Control Ring on the lens barrel for quick setting changes, a maximum magnification ratio of 0.5x at 105mm and a minimum focus distance of .13m (0.43ft) using Center Focus Macro.

The Canon EOS RF 24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM lens has an estimated retail price of $399.99 for the lens only, and it will also be sold as a body-and-lens kit with the EOS R and RP cameras. Date of availablity is not yet known, nor are the kit prices of the lens with the R and RP cameras.

image.canon Cloud Platform

Canon is revamping its Image Gateway online photo service, transforming it into a new cloud platform dubbed 'image.canon' (Yes, Canon has the top-level domain (TLD) of .canon). 

Launching in April 2020, the new cloud service aims to be a hub for Canon customers' photo and video content, both for storage purposes but also for workflow and content sharing. It will connect select Canon cameras with compatible PCs, smartphones and external web services such as Google Drive and Adobe Creative Cloud. Starting with the upcoming EOS R5 camera and then subsequent future models, users will be able to wirelessly transmit images from the camera directly onto the image.canon platform via a Wi-Fi connection. Users will also be able to manually upload images to the service as well off-camera.

 

 

Interestingly, users will have unlimited cloud storage for direct image uploading at original image quality, but only for an initial 30-day window from time of upload. For long-term content storage, accounts are limited to 10GB of space, so you'll need to keep watch of how much content you're filling onto the service.

Canon will also launch image.canon mobile apps for iOS and Android devices that will tie into popular social media sites, including YouTube, for easy sharing. Additionally, the cloud service will allow users to connect to Google Drive and allow for automatic image transfer into that storage service directly. According to the press release, beginning in June, image.canon will allow original quality uploading into Google Photos via the Google One paid storage subscription, as well as into Adobe Creative Cloud. Canon also plans to offer image editing via these partnered storage services.

For more information on image.canon, please visit https://image.canon.