Canon EOS R8 vs Nikon D810

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Canon EOS R8 and the Nikon D810, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Canon EOS R8 was introduced in February 2023 and Nikon D810 was introduced in June 2014. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon EOS R8 over Nikon D810.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon D810 over Canon EOS R8.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Canon EOS R8 has a 3.0" Fully Articulated screen with 1,620k dot resolution and Nikon D810 has a 3.2" Fixed screen with 1,229k dot resolution. Fully articulated screen makes Canon EOS R8 selfie and vlogger friendly and generally very useful for video shooting. Canon EOS R8 also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Viewfinder

Canon EOS R8 has a built-in 0.39" Electronic (OLED) viewfinder with 2,360k dot resolution and Nikon D810 has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. They both have 100% coverage and 0.70x magnification.

Canon EOS R8 features a 24.2 megapixel Full Frame CMOS sensor with dimensions of 35.9 x 23.9 mm and a total area of 858 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 102,400 and expands to 50 - 204,800 in boosted mode. Nikon D810 features a 36.3 megapixel Full Frame CMOS sensor with dimensions of 35.9 x 24 mm and a total area of 576 mm². Its native ISO range is 64 - 12,800 and expands to 32 - 51,200 in boosted mode.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Canon EOS R8 is equipped with DIGIC X processor and can take pictures up to 6000 x 4000 resolution. Nikon D810 is equipped with EXPEED 4 processor and can take pictures up to 7360 x 4912 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like FX: 5520 x 3680, 3680 x 2456; 1.2: 6144 x 4080, 4608 x 3056, 3072 x 2040; 5:4: 6144 x 4912, 4608 x 3680, 3072 x 2456; DX: 4800 x 3200, 3600 x 2400, 2400 x 1600 with 5:4, 3:2 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Canon EOS R8 has Canon RF lens mount and Nikon D810 has Nikon F lens mount. Due to their Full Frame sensor their crop factor (also called lens multiplier) is equal to 1x. This means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length.

No Low-Pass Filter on Nikon D810

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Nikon D810. This results in a slightly sharper image but may also introduce moiré patterns and aliasing artifacts when photographing subjects with fine, repetitive patterns or details.

No Image Stabilization

The cameras do not have image stabilization. On Canon EOS R8 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Nikon D810 nothing can be done. On Nikon D810 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Canon EOS R8 nothing can be done.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Canon EOS R8

Canon EOS R8 has a built-in Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 5, 802.11ac/b/g/n, 2.4/5 GHz) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

Bluetooth on Canon EOS R8

Canon EOS R8 has a built-in Bluetooth (version 4.2) which lets you to connect the camera to a smartphone or a dedicated remote control device. This allows you to remotely trigger the camera, adjust settings and controls remotely through a paired mobile app. While Wi-Fi is generally faster for transferring larger files, Bluetooth can be used for small, selective transfers, it can provide real-time information about your camera's battery status, memory card capacity, and other key settings directly on your paired smartphone or smartwatch.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in Bluetooth.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB inputs for data transfer. Canon EOS R8 has a Micro HDMI and Nikon D810 has a Mini HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Canon EOS R8 comes with LP-E17 battery pack with battery life of 290 shots and Nikon D810 comes with EN-EL15 battery pack with battery life of 1200 shots.

External Storage Slots

Canon EOS R8 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II) card slot. Nikon D810 has two card slots - one for SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) and one for CompactFlash (Type I, compliant with UDMA).

Shutter

Canon EOS R8 has Electronic 1st curtain shutter and Electronic shutter. Nikon D810 has Mechanical Focal Plane shutter and Electronic shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/16000 sec with electronic shutter and up to 1/4000 sec with electronic 1st curtain shutter on Canon EOS R8, and up to 1/8000 sec on Nikon D810. Canon EOS R8 can shoot continuously up to 40.0 fps with electronic shutter and up to 6.0 fps with electronic 1st curtain shutter. Nikon D810 can shoot continuously up to 5.0 fps.

Focusing

Canon EOS R8 has Dual Pixel CMOS AF II system with 1053 focusing points and Nikon D810 has 51 (15 cross-type) focusing points. Canon EOS R8 has detection range from -6.5 to +21 EV and Nikon D810 has detection range from -2 to +19 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Canon EOS R8 and Nikon D810 range from -3 to +20 EV and 0 to +20 EV respectively and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±3 EV range on Canon EOS R8 and ±5 EV range on Nikon D810. You can also do exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Canon EOS R8 and exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Nikon D810.

Flash

Nikon D810 has a built-in flash with maximum range of 12.00 m at ISO 100 and also accepts external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal or Wireless connection. Canon EOS R8 has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Intelligent Hot Shoe. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/250 sec on both cameras.

Canon EOS R8 body has dimensions of 133 x 86 x 70 mm (5.24 x 3.39 x 2.76") and Nikon D810 body has dimensions of 146 x 123 x 82 mm (5.75 x 4.84 x 3.23"). Canon EOS R8 weighs 461 g (1.02 lb / 16.26 oz) and Nikon D810 weighs 980 g (2.16 lb / 34.57 oz).

Canon EOS R8

Nikon D810

133 mm

86 mm

146 mm

123 mm

86 mm

123 mm

70 mm

82 mm