To be honest, it is difficult to evaluate the Canon EOS R8. As a successor to the EOS RP, the body price of 260,000 yen is disappointing. I had expected it to be priced at under 200,000 yen, but perhaps they are predicting that the yen's depreciation trend will continue (or will weaken even further). Of course, the recent rise in prices has also had an impact, and it may have been necessary to set the price at this level to make a profit. The good points are that it uses the same image sensor as the EOS R6 Mark II, has a wide imaging sensitivity range of ISO 100-102400, is light for a 35mm mirrorless camera, records videos at 4K60p, has a long recording time, and automatically recognizes and tracks a variety of subjects using deep learning technology. The bad points are that it does not have in-body image stabilization, the recording media is a single SD UHS-II slot, and the EVF is about 2.36 million dots, but these are the same as the EOS RP. Looking at it this way, the EOS R8 is a model that is a combination of the EOS R6 Mark II and the EOS RP. It is a model that did not exist in the era of EF mount SLRs, and if we had to say, the EOS 6D series might be the equivalent. Is it a strategy to appeal to users who still use the EOS 6D and feel that the EOS RP is a little lacking? No, since it is part of a strategy to "broaden the base", it should naturally target a wider range of users. Canon's strategy is to attract users who use the EOS RP and new users. Since it will be released in late April, it will be interesting to see what kind of campaign Canon will do to attract new users.

Postscript Leica Camera AG will release two L-mount lenses in March. The price is 330,000 yen for the Summicron-SL 35mm F2 ASPH. and 286,000 yen for the Summicron-SL 50mm F2 ASPH. The 35mm F2 is made up of 11 elements in 9 groups, with a minimum shooting distance of 0.24 meters, and a filter diameter of E67. It measures and weighs approximately 74.5 x 83 mm and 402 grams. The 50mm F2 is made up of 9 elements in 8 groups, with a minimum shooting distance of 0.45 meters, and a filter diameter of E67. It measures and weighs approximately 74.5 x 83 mm and 402 grams. In addition, a kit combining the above lenses with the Leica SL2 and SL2-S will be released on February 18th.