Canon EOS R3: Professional Mirrorless with 30fps, 6K/60p, and AF

Canon has today announced the full-frame mirrorless camera EOS R3, which has already been announced in several stages (see a first official announcement from April) with all the details, and announced its delivery in November 2021 for $5,999.

At the same time as the R3, two inexpensive RF lenses were presented: the Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM and Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM lenses.

The EOS R3 is an ultra-fast, responsive camera to get the best shots. It is primarily aimed at photographers who use it to shoot action-heavy reports or sports, for which it brings high speed in all matters: starting with the short switch-on / start time, the focusing time of just 0.03 seconds, the 30 series photos per second with AF / AE tracking and without viewfinder blackout down to the shortest shutter speed of 1/64,000s with the electronic shutter but without visible rolling shutter distortion.

The camera also offers high AF performance and supports the photographer with optional prioritization of the AF on faces (people), animals, and now also motorcycles and cars (either on vehicle or driver’s helmet). Canon has also given the R3 eye control, with which the desired AF point can be set, which complements the conventional options via the joystick and the smart controller. The camera moves the active AF point to the point where the eye is looking. However, it is not about tracking that constantly follows the photographer’s gaze.

With all this, the camera is predestined for sports and news photography, especially since it has integrated the necessary network capabilities (WLAN / Wi-Fi, LAN). In addition, there is a high video performance with video up to 6K / 60p without 30-minute limitation (good for interviews, press conferences, performances, etc.) and limitation to consumer video formats, as is the case with direct competitors. All of this is in a robust housing that builds on the EOS-1 series, but is a little smaller and has a fold-out and rotatable touch LCD and a high-resolution viewfinder. The latter offers the switchable simulation of an optical viewfinder (5.76 million points) and then delivers a viewfinder image without any image settings applied. In addition, there is a large battery range.

The Canon EOS R3 full-frame mirrorless camera combines the speed and reliability of the Canon EOS-1 series with the innovation and versatility of the EOS-R mirrorless system. With its brand new 24.1 megapixel sensor, the EOS R3 offers the optimal balance between performance, resolution, and speed. These are ideal prerequisites for gaining a decisive advantage in the highly competitive professional photography industry.

Thanks to the new 24.1 megapixels back-illuminated stacked CMOS sensor, the EOS R3 enables lightning-fast recordings with an improved response time. The powerful sensor almost eliminates the rolling shutter effect and offers shutter speeds from 30 seconds to 1 / 64,000th of a second. This means that even the fastest motifs can be frozen in their movement. The electronic shutter allows recordings in raw format with full AE and AF tracking and up to 30 photos per second (fps). You can also choose to record at 15 or 3 fps. The extremely short shutter speeds of over 1/8000s to 1/64/000s are achieved with the electronic shutter. The mechanical shutter enables shutter speeds of 1/8,000th to 30 seconds.

For the first time, the electronic shutter supports not only Canon flash units, but also third-party flash units. Canon has eliminated the weaknesses of electronic shutters and introduced flicker detection, which corrects flickering light sources to avoid banding or color and exposure problems.

The high speed of the EOS R3 doesn’t stop with continuous shooting: it also extends to focusing. With a focus time of just 0.03 seconds, it is the fastest camera in the EOS R series to date. The EOS R3 is equipped with the Dual Pixel CMOS AF II, which is based on improved deep learning algorithms. The AF tracking recognizes the heads, eyes, bodies, and faces of people and animals when taking photos and videos.

For optimal control over all autofocus options, the EOS R3 offers three different options for setting the AF points: the fast smart controller, the precise multi-controller, and the instinctive eye control AF A (eye control). The latter creates a natural connection between the camera and the photographer. This intuitive method of defining the AF point moves the focus point exactly where the photographer is looking.

The in-camera 5-axis image stabilizer can be combined with the optical image stabilizer of selected RF lenses and offers industry-leading compensation of up to eight exposure levels.

In professional photography, it’s not just about the speed at which a moment is captured. Another decisive factor is how quickly this moment is passed on to the editorial offices. The EOS R3 has a range of professional connectivity options, including integrated Bluetooth version 5.0 and 5 GHz WiFi – to optimize workflows and simplify the connection with a smartphone or in WiFi. (5 GHz WiFi is only available in certain regions.)

The integrated high-speed Gigabit Ethernet connection is ideal for sports arenas and enables wired data transmission at top speed. If it has to be particularly fast, the images can also be transferred via FTP. The network settings can be shared with the EOS R5 (with the Wireless File Transmitter WFT-R10) and the EOS-1D X Mark III.

The camera can be remotely controlled via a mobile device with the Canon Camera Connect app or with the Browser Remote function via an Ethernet connection. It allows the metadata to be checked and images to be viewed and downloaded remotely. In addition, the “Canon Mobile File Transfer” app (“MFT” for short) can be used to transfer photos to an FTP / FTPS / SFTP server via a smartphone. (The availability of the app is planned for the first quarter of 2022. Initially, version 1.3.0 of the app will be available free of charge as a test version. Future versions will be chargeable.)

Like the EOS R5, the EOS R3 takes Canon’s hybrid offering to the next level, fulfilling the professional’s desire to capture the action in both high-quality photos and impressive, high-resolution videos. The EOS R3 offers powerful video functions and records a maximum of 6K / 60p RAW resolution, which offers 50 percent more detail than 4K. When recording in raw video format (6K CRM RAW), the exposure and white balance can be corrected after the recording, as is already known from raw photo files.

The camera records 4K footage up to 60p with 6K oversampling to enable the highest possible 4K movie quality. The EOS R3 is ideal for fast and dynamic sports and records 4K 120p videos for slow motion in 4K resolution (without oversampling). It is now possible to record up to six hours of regular video as well as 1.5 hours at high frame rates of 119.88 / 100p.

The EOS R3 features Canon’s new multi-function accessory shoe (with more contacts) and is compatible with the newly introduced DM-E1D stereo directional microphone. The microphone offers digital signal processing and is powered by the camera. There is no need for a cable (with analog audio transmission) from the microphone to the camera. The new CA-XLR2d-C XLR adapter from TEAC Tascam enables two-channel recordings with professional XLR microphones (including phantom power).

The shutter release delay can be reduced to an astonishing 20 ms, which is less than half that of a conventional camera. This allows the EOS R3 to take pictures almost instantly when the shutter button is pressed. The new high-resolution, rotatable, and swiveling touchscreen with 4.1 million pixels provides more details than ever before and offers enormous flexibility in choosing the perspective. The EOS R3 combines the existing EOS ergonomics with new controls and a range of new customization options for familiar, yet advanced control. This also includes shutter sounds with volume control. To save time when switching between different camera housings, personalized settings can simply be copied to the memory card and archived.

In addition, the EOS R3 has a new, lightweight housing made of a robust magnesium alloy with dust and splash protection for use in harsh conditions. The weather protection remains fully intact even when using existing Speedlites if they are connected to the newly announced multifunctional accessory shoe adapter AD-E1. The EOS R3 also supplies the new, compact Speedlite Transmitter ST-E10 with power via the multifunctional accessory shoe, which enables several Speedlites to be triggered remotely via radio. Incidentally, an external WLAN / Wi-Fi adapter is no longer required with the EOS R3 and is therefore not offered as an accessory.

Canon R3 price and availability

The Canon EOS R3 will be shipped from November 2021. Their price is $5,999 and it is now available to pre-order via Bhphotovideo.com and Adorama.com websites along with the Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM lens cost $649, Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM lens cost $299, Canon DM-E1D Stereo Microphone cost $299, Canon ST-E10 Speedlite Transmitter $199, Canon AD-P1 Smartphone Adapter cost $69, Canon ER-hE Eyecup cost $48, Canon AD-E1 Multi-Function Shoe Adapter cost $39.99, Canon EW-65C Lens Hood cost $29.99, Canon ER-L1 Camera Strap cost $25, and Canon ER-h Eyecup cost $17.