Canon EOS R8 Mark II Data Calculator
The Canon EOS R8 Mark II is Canon's lightest IBIS body — 24.2 MP full-frame, 4K 60p oversampled from 6K, and a single SD UHS-II slot doing all the work. That last part is what makes storage planning matter here: there is no CFexpress escape hatch. Every bitrate below is transcribed from Canon's own published specification table.
Canon EOS R8 Mark II Recording Bitrates
Canon splits the R8 Mark II's rates into three tiers by colour sampling. The 4:2:2 10-bit tier differs by codec — XF-AVC S (H.264) runs hotter than XF-HEVC S (H.265) at 4K — while the 4:2:0 tier is shared between both codecs. At Full HD, the two 4:2:2 codecs converge on identical rates.
| Codec / sampling | Resolution | Frame rate | Bitrate |
|---|---|---|---|
| XF-AVC S 4:2:2 10-bit | 3840×2160 | 60p / 50p | 250 Mbps |
| XF-HEVC S 4:2:2 10-bit | 3840×2160 | 60p / 50p | 225 Mbps |
| XF-AVC S / XF-HEVC S 4:2:0 8/10-bit | 3840×2160 | 60p / 50p | 150 Mbps |
| XF-AVC S 4:2:2 10-bit | 3840×2160 | 30p / 25p / 24p | 150 Mbps |
| XF-HEVC S 4:2:2 10-bit | 3840×2160 | 30p / 25p / 24p | 135 Mbps |
| XF-AVC S / XF-HEVC S 4:2:0 8/10-bit | 3840×2160 | 30p / 25p / 24p | 100 Mbps |
| Either codec, 4:2:2 10-bit | 1920×1080 | 180p / 150p | 150 Mbps |
| Either codec, 4:2:2 10-bit | 1920×1080 | 120p / 100p | 100 Mbps |
| Either codec, 4:2:2 10-bit | 1920×1080 | 60p and below | 50 Mbps |
| Either codec, 4:2:0 8/10-bit | 1920×1080 | 180p / 150p | 105 Mbps |
Canon lists every figure as an approximate average, video-only — audio and metadata are not included. The 4K cropped and time-lapse modes are offered on the camera but Canon does not publish bitrates for them, so they are omitted here rather than estimated. For the complete matrix, open the calculator with the R8 Mark II pre-loaded.
Memory Cards for the Canon EOS R8 Mark II
One SD slot, UHS-II capable, no dual-card recording. Canon's own footnote calls for UHS-II SDXC for 4K. The 250 Mbps ceiling is about 31 MB/s of sustained write — well inside V60 territory on paper — but V90 buys margin for the 180p Full HD modes and for cards that slow down as they fill.
- ProGrade Digital Iridium V90 512 GB UHS-II SDXC — the sensible ceiling for this body. About 4 hours 33 minutes of 4K 60p at 250 Mbps.
- Lexar Professional GOLD V90 256 GB UHS-II SDXC — roughly 2 hours 16 minutes at the same rate. The practical all-day card if you offload at lunch.
- SanDisk Extreme PRO V90 128 GB UHS-II SDXC — about 68 minutes of 4K 60p. Fine as a B-card or for 4K 30p days.
- Angelbird AV PRO SD MK2 V90 256 GB — sustained-write focus, useful if you live in the 180p Full HD modes.
- Delkin BLACK V90 128 GB UHS-II SDXC — lifetime warranty and free data recovery, which matters more when you have no second slot mirroring the take.
Worth saying plainly: a single-slot body means no in-camera backup. If the shoot is not repeatable, the mitigation is offloading more often, not buying a bigger card.
Canon R8 Mark II Storage — Quick Examples
| Shoot | Bitrate | Per minute | Per hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4K 60p XF-AVC S 4:2:2 10-bit | 250 Mbps | 1.88 GB | 113 GB |
| 4K 60p XF-HEVC S 4:2:2 10-bit | 225 Mbps | 1.69 GB | 101 GB |
| 4K 60p 4:2:0 8/10-bit | 150 Mbps | 1.13 GB | 68 GB |
| 4K 24p XF-AVC S 4:2:2 10-bit | 150 Mbps | 1.13 GB | 68 GB |
| 4K 24p XF-HEVC S 4:2:2 10-bit | 135 Mbps | 1.01 GB | 61 GB |
| Full HD 180p 4:2:2 10-bit | 150 Mbps | 1.13 GB | 68 GB |
| Full HD 24p 4:2:2 10-bit | 50 Mbps | 0.38 GB | 23 GB |
Per-hour figures use decimal GB, matching how card capacities are labelled. A 256 GB card covers a typical two-hour interview day at 4K 60p in HEVC with room to spare; the same card at XF-AVC S 4:2:2 gives up about fifteen minutes of that margin.
What Actually Drives Storage on This Body
Codec choice is worth 10–11% at 4K. XF-HEVC S saves 25 Mbps at 4K 60p and 15 Mbps at 4K 24p against XF-AVC S, at identical resolution and sampling. If your NLE handles HEVC comfortably, that is free capacity. If it does not, XF-AVC S is the smoother edit and the difference is small enough not to agonise over.
Dropping to 4:2:0 saves far more than changing codec. 4K 60p falls from 250 to 150 Mbps — a 40% reduction. That is the real lever, and the one to reach for only when you are not grading heavily.
Full HD 180p costs the same as 4K 24p. Both land at 150 Mbps in the 4:2:2 tier. High-frame-rate Full HD is not a storage-saving mode on this camera.
No internal RAW means the ceiling is low by modern standards. 250 Mbps is the most this body will ever ask of a card. That is a genuine advantage for storage budgeting — an R8 Mark II shooting day fits on media that a RAW-capable body would fill in under an hour.
Frequently Asked Questions
What bitrate does the R8 Mark II record 4K 60p at?
250 Mbps in XF-AVC S 4:2:2 10-bit, 225 Mbps in XF-HEVC S 4:2:2 10-bit, or 150 Mbps in the 4:2:0 8/10-bit tier. All three are oversampled from 6K.
How much storage does it use per hour?
About 113 GB per hour at 4K 60p XF-AVC S, 101 GB at XF-HEVC S, and 61 GB at 4K 24p HEVC. Full HD 24p is about 23 GB per hour.
What card does it need?
A single SD UHS-II slot; Canon requires UHS-II SDXC for 4K. No CFexpress, no dual-slot recording. V90 gives useful margin over the 250 Mbps ceiling.
Does it record internal RAW?
No. MP4 only, XF-AVC S or XF-HEVC S. HDMI gives 4:2:2 10-bit with Canon Log 3 or HDR PQ, but not RAW.
How does it compare to the original EOS R8?
The R8 Mark II adds IBIS and switches to Canon's XF-AVC S / XF-HEVC S naming with a higher 4K 60p ceiling — 250 Mbps versus 230 Mbps on the R8's HEVC IPB Standard. Both are single-slot SD UHS-II bodies with no internal RAW. Full side-by-side comparison →