I currently have way too many systems and want to consolidate. This would be relatively easy if not for that fact that I like the smaller M-mount lenses and would like to keep using them, even after I sell my Leica M11.
Until recently, before Schoten released its M-RF adapter, I felt I needed something like the Nikon Z6III to get the best focus confirmation possible. Now that this new adapter is out, I can - hopefully - get the same experience on Canon. I also have a Fuji X-E5, but with the crop factor the M lenses don't really match their intended purpose.
I never really considered the R8, because I mainly use MFT when I want a fast and small system, and Canon when I need its capabilities, esp in the studio. But I saw some videos by James Reader recently and he likes his R8, which then led me to realize how small and light that R8 is.
So, now I'm thinking that if that Schoten adapter indeed works as intended (I'm still trying it out in different scenarios), I could ditch Nikon and Fuji and use a small R8 with the M lenses (instead of the heavier R6II or R5).
Has anyone tried M lenses with the R8? Any overall experiences with the R8?
My main concern would be lack of IBIS, but then again, the M11 doesn't have IBIS either and worked just fine for me in that regard.
I wish I could answer your questions about using adapted lenses with the R8, but I don't own any M lenses to experiment with.
However, I *can* say that I adore this camera and sensor. I find the files very easy to work with in LR/ACR, and in-camera JPEGs are great if you need those. (I use the "Fine Detail" Picture Style which has improved sharpening and moderately smoother highlight roll-off vs. the default "Standard" setting, and set the camera to Adobe RGB, which improves saturation and colors. Even though none of this matters for RAW outside of DPP, I find the previews better match my normal Adobe processing approach.)
The size/weight is ideal for travel--in fact, I ditched my APS-C bodies that I owned for that purpose.
I do wish it had IBIS, but many Canon RF lenses have OIS where similar lenses from other brands do not (though this won't be applicable to your intended use).
I have been using the R8 for a little over a year. It is a wonderful camera. I use mostly EF glass via an adapter with great results. The lack of IBIS is somewhat compensated for by the sensor’s excellent low-light performance, allowing increasing ISO to enable higher shutter speed without excessive noise. I recently obtained an R5II, but will keep the R8 for travel and low-light situations.
johnvanr wrote:
I currently have way too many systems and want to consolidate. This would be relatively easy if not for that fact that I like the smaller M-mount lenses and would like to keep using them, even after I sell my Leica M11.
Until recently, before Schoten released its M-RF adapter, I felt I needed something like the Nikon Z6III to get the best focus confirmation possible. Now that this new adapter is out, I can - hopefully - get the same experience on Canon. I also have a Fuji X-E5, but with the crop factor the M lenses don't really match their intended purpose.
I never really considered the R8, because I mainly use MFT when I want a fast and small system, and Canon when I need its capabilities, esp in the studio. But I saw some videos by James Reader recently and he likes his R8, which then led me to realize how small and light that R8 is.
So, now I'm thinking that if that Schoten adapter indeed works as intended (I'm still trying it out in different scenarios), I could ditch Nikon and Fuji and use a small R8 with the M lenses (instead of the heavier R6II or R5).
Has anyone tried M lenses with the R8? Any overall experiences with the R8?
My main concern would be lack of IBIS, but then again, the M11 doesn't have IBIS either and worked just fine for me in that regard. ...Show more →
The R8 and R6II share the same sensor. I haven't tested my R6II extensively with M lenses, but the cursory checks I did suggest that some are affected by sensor stack thickness while the FSI design of this sensor is not as forgiving as BSI designs with respect to peripheral color shift/shading.
I only recently received my Shoten adapter but have not yet had the chance to do comprehensive tests with it, my preferred M lens kit and my Canon cameras (R5II, R6II, R6). I got the adapter with the intent to mostly use it with the R5II because of its BSI sensor, though stack thickness issues will likely be a factor with some lenses.
I have r8 (and r5,r5ii, r7) and have tried Voigt 15v2 - the old dslr type - Leica mount adapted. I have also used it with adapted EF lens. I general it works well but for my Voigt 15, it has colour cast. So I would say yes it works well but it encounters some of the colour cast issues (similar to r5) for uwa lens. The R52 with stacked sensor largely eliminates these colour issues.
WRT r8, I love it for backpacking. Very light with stm lens. If you are hand holding you will not see the difference between r5 45mpx and r8. It's really light. I bring my rf 100-400 and sim's (16, 24-105, 15-30, 28, 24-50) and again if you are handholding its as good as the r5 with L's.
The downsides are: only c1,c2 - not c3. no ibis but I have not found this to be an issue because it does well at high iso (keep the shutter up). Its menu is a bit more limited than r5ii (no pre burst, no clog2,and no mechanical but efcs ...)
I would say that it's better than the old 5diii (with same 24mpx size and no ibis). It's very adaptable to lieca lens, EF lens. It has really useful stm lens available. Its focus is better than 5div and pretty close to r5. But biggest downsides are colour cast on uwa. I have not found ibis to matter but I am travel (good light), tripod (not matter), and wildlife - not a portrait guy. It has a efcs that limits to 6fps, so it has rolling shutter challenges at 40fps for birds in flight or very long mm for moving animals. Its fps is not as variable (fixed choices) as the r5ii. But I would not hesitate to use it for portrait (grandchildren) who move a lot with an adapted ef 24-70 2.8 without IBIS (because Ibis only works for photographer hand shake, not grandchildren movement).
[I have recently bought the r7 for extreme reaches (32mpx apsc!) and it is a great compliment to r8 for travel with my stm lens].
Scott Stoness wrote:
I have r8 (and r5,r5ii, r7) and have tried Voigt 15v2 - the old dslr type - Leica mount adapted. I have also used it with adapted EF lens. I general it works well but for my Voigt 15, it has colour cast. So I would say yes it works well but it encounters some of the colour cast issues (similar to r5) for uwa lens. The R52 with stacked sensor largely eliminates these colour issues.
WRT r8, I love it for backpacking. Very light with stm lens. If you are hand holding you will not see the difference between r5 45mpx and r8. It's really light. I bring my rf 100-400 and sim's (16, 24-105, 15-30, 28, 24-50) and again if you are handholding its as good as the r5 with L's.
The downsides are: only c1,c2 - not c3. no ibis but I have not found this to be an issue because it does well at high iso (keep the shutter up). Its menu is a bit more limited than r5ii (no pre burst, no clog2,and no mechanical but efcs ...)
I would say that it's better than the old 5diii (with same 24mpx size and no ibis). It's very adaptable to lieca lens, EF lens. It has really useful stm lens available. Its focus is better than 5div and pretty close to r5. But biggest downsides are colour cast on uwa. I have not found ibis to matter but I am travel (good light), tripod (not matter), and wildlife - not a portrait guy. It has a efcs that limits to 6fps, so it has rolling shutter challenges at 40fps for birds in flight or very long mm for moving animals. Its fps is not as variable (fixed choices) as the r5ii. But I would not hesitate to use it for portrait (grandchildren) who move a lot with an adapted ef 24-70 2.8 without IBIS (because Ibis only works for photographer hand shake, not grandchildren movement).
[I have recently bought the r7 for extreme reaches and it is a great compliment to r8 for travel]....Show more →
Thanks. I expect a color cast of the 15mm on just about any non-Leica camera, but it’s not a lens I use much. I found my R5 and old R6 better than the R6II, with adapted lenses and this R8 has the sensor of the R6 II. So good to hear it’s not that bad.
On a side note, is the R5 II really that much better than the R5 with M lenses?
Looks like the R8 could work. It would be about as small and light as a Leica with M lenses and smaller and lighter than my R5 and Nikon Z6 III. Matches the Fuji X-E 5, but R8 would be full-frame and one less system to remember.
I asked AI which lens struggle with colour cast on R8: response copied.
Here are the other M-mount lenses that typically struggle with that same magenta/purple color cast:
1. The Ultra-Wide "Pancakes"
Voigtländer 21mm f/4 Color-Skopar: Very similar to your 15mm. It is tiny and sits incredibly deep in the mount. On many mirrorless sensors, it produces a heavy magenta vignette.
Zeiss ZM 21mm f/4.5 Biogon: This is often cited as one of the worst offenders for color shift. While it's optically brilliant on film, its rear element is so close to the sensor that it creates "wild" color shifts and smearing on almost any digital body except a specialized Leica M.
2. Legacy "Super-Angulons"
Leica 21mm f/3.4 or f/4 Super-Angulon: These are legends of the film era but are nearly unusable for color digital photography on non-BSI sensors. The rear element actually protrudes so far into the camera that on some mirrorless bodies, it can even interfere with the sensor baffles. They produce massive magenta shifts.
3. Early Generation Wide-Angles
Zeiss ZM 25mm f/2.8 Biogon: While slightly better than the 21mm, it still shows noticeable color shading in the far corners on the R8-style sensors.
Leica 28mm f/2.8 Elmarit (Pre-ASPH Versions): Specifically Versions 3 and 4. They were designed for film and don't have the "telecentric" (straight light ray) design of the modern ASPH versions.
If I were you I would ask Chatgtp or Gemini with a list of your M lens and ask it which ones have unreasonable colour cast before deciding. Noting that AI often gets it wrong, but it is consistent with my observation re voight 15 v2 Leica mount. Colour cast is fixable but what a pain, unless you shoot b/w.
johnvanr wrote:
Thanks. I expect a color cast of the 15mm on just about any non-Leica camera, but it’s not a lens I use much. I found my R5 and old R6 better than the R6II, with adapted lenses and this R8 has the sensor of the R6 II. So good to hear it’s not that bad.
On a side note, is the R5 II really that much better than the R5 with M lenses?
Looks like the R8 could work. It would be about as small and light as a Leica with M lenses and smaller and lighter than my R5 and Nikon Z6 III. Matches the Fuji X-E 5, but R8 would be full-frame and one less system to remember.
I am away from home to mar 17, but could test Voigt 15v2 for you at that time. But I expect it would be similar to R5 (maybe slightly better because of wider pixels).
BTW- I forgot to say, the r8 in 4k is great even with my Kingston 300mb/s sd cards. When I am dual shooting I often use r8 for video.[ but no clog2 but clog is too much work for me anyway] And rf stm 28/2.8 is very nice, light and cheap.
If adapting is your goal, you should consider the r5ii - 300grams heavier. Variable fps, precapture, and better colour cast.
I am away from home to mar 17, but could test Voigt 15v2 for you at that time. But I expect it would be similar to R5 (maybe slightly better because of wider pixels).
BTW- I forgot to say, the r8 in 4k is great even with my Kingston 300mb/s sd cards. When I am dual shooting I often use r8 for video.[ but no clog2 but clog is too much work for me anyway] And rf stm 28/2.8 is very nice, light and cheap.
If adapting is your goal, you should consider the r5ii - 300grams heavier. Variable fps, precapture, and better colour cast....Show more →
My goal is mixed. On the one hand, I like a setup for street, which I want to be small and light. I now can use my M11 for that, but it’s a bit of a narrow use for such an expensive camera. I can also use my X-E5, but I rather have fewer systems and again this would the only use for my Fuji. I already use MFT and Canon for a variety of other things, so the R8 would fit well in that regard.
On the other hand, I’d like to use some of my M lenses for landscapes and cityscapes. For those occasions, I could take the R5.
All of this is still dependent on how well the new Schoten adapter works. Without that, I dislike using M-mount lenses on the Canon cameras. That’s why I have the Nikon Z6 III.
I could easily buy the R8, but the R5 II wasn’t in my plans…
p.1 #12 · Canon R8 impressions, esp. with M glass?
johnvanr wrote:
I currently have way too many systems and want to consolidate. This would be relatively easy if not for that fact that I like the smaller M-mount lenses and would like to keep using them, even after I sell my Leica M11.
Until recently, before Schoten released its M-RF adapter, I felt I needed something like the Nikon Z6III to get the best focus confirmation possible. Now that this new adapter is out, I can - hopefully - get the same experience on Canon. I also have a Fuji X-E5, but with the crop factor the M lenses don't really match their intended purpose.
I never really considered the R8, because I mainly use MFT when I want a fast and small system, and Canon when I need its capabilities, esp in the studio. But I saw some videos by James Reader recently and he likes his R8, which then led me to realize how small and light that R8 is.
So, now I'm thinking that if that Schoten adapter indeed works as intended (I'm still trying it out in different scenarios), I could ditch Nikon and Fuji and use a small R8 with the M lenses (instead of the heavier R6II or R5).
Has anyone tried M lenses with the R8? Any overall experiences with the R8?
My main concern would be lack of IBIS, but then again, the M11 doesn't have IBIS either and worked just fine for me in that regard. ...Show more →
I successfully use M mount lenses on R5, R5II and R1. The lenses are all Voigtlander: 28/2, 35/1.2, 50/1.2 and 70/1.5. I also use old MF primes from Nikon, Minolta and Canon.
p.1 #13 · Canon R8 impressions, esp. with M glass?
I have the R8, which I love for the same reasons you do. I have tried it with several M-mount and M39 lenses with M adapter. The Zeiss ZM Biogon 25mm 2.8 has noticeable purple discoloration at the edges and corners. The Zeiss C Biogon 35mm 2.8 ditto, but less so. The ZM Planar 50mm F/2 has none. Similarly, The Leica M Summaron 35mm 2.8 has some discoloration, about the same, maybe a little less, than the C Biogon 35mm 2.8. The 50mm Summicron DR has no coloration. Canon 100mm 3.5 M39 lens no problem. In my experience, the wide angles can be problematic. The narrower focal length are OK.
I wish Canon would come out with a R8 successor with a BSI sensor. By comparison, my Nikon Z6 and Sony A7RIII have BSI sensors and the M lenses, even the 25mm Biogon, are unproblematic on them.
p.1 #14 · Canon R8 impressions, esp. with M glass?
I had the same idea... R8 has a small evf and no joystick, so it made it harder to change the focus location and spent more time changing settings... Also compared to Leica cameras, there is no profile/auto correction, so evf looked darker esp with backligting compared to native lenses... I might change metering but then I didn't want to burn the highlights...
I tried CV 90mm apo with Shoten e-adapter on R8 and focus confirmation worked fine. When the light was coming direct to the pets, focus confirmation was good. There is no auto vignetting correction, so the evf/lcd looked darker than Canon 85mm macro esp when the light was coming from behind the pets. The edge focus confirmation didn't pick up with lower peaking at backlighted shots, and was better with higher peaking. I was changing settings/buttons also, so the small battery didn't last too long... IBIS was not an issue as the ISO hit from 4000 up to 16000 indoors and I was mostly at f2 except a few shots with f5.6...
p.1 #15 · Canon R8 impressions, esp. with M glass?
Just a tip: If IBIS is worth the extra 50g to you, then maybe take a closer look at the Sony A7c II. There's the TechartPro LM-EA9 adapter available for your M lenses.
Apr 16, 2026 at 02:25 AM
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p.1 #16 · Canon R8 impressions, esp. with M glass?
Nifty Fifty wrote:
Just a tip: If IBIS is worth the extra 50g to you, then maybe take a closer look at the Sony A7c II. There's the TechartPro LM-EA9 adapter available for your M lenses.
You get IBIS for that extra 50g, but you also lose the really nice Canon focus aids. That combined with the small EVF in these cameras is not worth it to me. The Techart Pro does allow AF, but if I wanted to use AF, then I wouldn't be adapting Leica M mount lenses as there are lots of alternatives if I want to use AF. I adapt Leica M lenses because I want to use manual focus.
My solution is to go with a bigger camera with excellent IBIS, a great EVF, and great focus aids (i.e., the Canon R5 II) but if I wanted a small camera I would take the focus aids over IBIS and go with the R8, but that is just me.
p.1 #17 · Canon R8 impressions, esp. with M glass?
My intention wasn't to recommend anything to the original poster (or any other forum member). I simply wanted to point out another possibility. What one personally likes or dislikes is, in my opinion, of secondary importance to someone else.
p.1 #18 · Canon R8 impressions, esp. with M glass?
I just bought the R8. I like the size and the IQ overall. I only have one M lens with me at the moment, the 28mm Elmarit (actually my only Leica lens). I like the user experience with the Schoten adapter, but the vignetting and purple haze is pretty bad with this combo. Can’t compare it with anything else right now, because I have no other gear here. Still, vignetting is easily fixed and the color corrected. Plus, I’m shooting landscapes on purpose to see how it performs, while normally I would use this for street and mostly B&W.
EDIT: added the picture discussed above. Only did some really quick exposure adjustment and made changes to the vignetting and color haze on the sides
