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Canon EOS R3: Professionalism on a new level - ultra fast and with Eye Control

Plus: two new RF lenses

Reading Time: 8 minutes - September 14, 2021

Canon announced the new flagship EOS R3 back in the spring, and now all the information has been revealed. We were allowed to try out the camera briefly in advance and present the most important points to you in the video.
In addition, there will be two new exciting RF lenses.

Canon EOS R3 front view

Canon has once again launched a new masterpiece with incredible speed, detail and power. The Canon EOS R3 is designed for professional photographers who need a reliable tool when things are moving and need to move fast.

Canon EOS R3 Eye Control

What's new

The new Canon EOS R3 features an all-new 24.1-megapixel Stacked BSI CMOS sensor designed and manufactured by Canon, which is combined with the power of a DIGIC X image processor. In addition, speed has been taken to a whole new level. Continuous shooting is possible on the Canon EOS R3 at up to 30 frames per second with full AF/AE tracking with minimized distortion when using the electronic shutter.

There's virtually no more rolling shutter or blackout in the viewfinder, so there's really no need to use the mechanical shutter. Thanks to the fast shutter speed, you have the ability to take incredibly fast and sharp shots in both photo and video. Autofocus tracking is also new and improved, so you'll always have your subject in view and never lose focus for a second.

The EOS R3 is built for speed: according to Canon, the camera starts up in just 0.4 seconds and is then ready to go. So if you have a spontaneous subject, you can get started right away. Focus is the fastest in the EOS R system at just 0.03 ms. Canon's groundbreaking Eye Control AF system ensures precision in the autofocus control system. Imagine being able to lock or shift the AF point simply by looking with your eye in the viewfinder of the EOS R3.

That's now possible with Canon's Eye Control AF system - the truly unique AF control system. The camera detects where you're looking and focuses on that point. After calibration, another point appears in the viewfinder. This moves to where you are looking with your eye. So you can directly select a new focus point. Eye Control existed many years ago and is now back with completely new possibilities.

In our short test, it worked very well and aroused desires. The motif detection has also been improved even further: humans, animals and now also vehicles are recognized and carried along. This probably goes so far that the camera recognizes the helmet of a motorcyclist and fixes it as the object to be focused on.

Another new feature in the professional class is the rotatable and tiltable LC display. With 4.1 million pixels, it allows even better image control. The accessory and flash shoe has also been expanded with 21 contacts. This allows full flash synchronization with electronic shutter, a power supply from the cameras for the connected accessories and extended data transfers, for example for audio data of certain microphones.

This also includes the new Canon DM-E1D stereo directional microphone. All previous Canon flash units work on the accessory shoe. The port may then no longer be water resistant. Those who need it can use the AD-E1 multifunction accessory shoe adapter.

Further key data and highlights of the Canon EOS R3

The Canon EOS R3 is a camera for professionals. The housing is robust as well as dust- and splash-proof. Unlike the EOS R5, the focus is not on resolution, but on speed. The body is also reminiscent of the flagship DSLR, the EOS 1DX III: it is very easy to grip, offers many extra buttons and has the battery grip and portrait format shutter release integrated. At the same time, the EOS R3 is smaller and lighter.

The camera has a built-in image stabilizer that can be combined with the matching lenses (IBIS##p-l-u-s##OIS). This makes up to 8 exposure levels possible. In terms of light sensitivity, the Canon EOS R3 cuts an exceptionally good figure. The ISO range of 100 to 102,400 (expandable to 50 and 204,800) can be selected. In our short test, pictures at ISO 12,800 were without major problems and at ISO 25,600 they were still very decent.

Memory card slots for CFexpress and SD-UHS II are available. In terms of video, we can record 6K Raw 12bit at 60bps, or alternatively up to 4K at 120bps in 4:2:2 10bit. So the camera is also suitable as a super hybrid camera for professional use thanks to good codecs, Canon Log and a super autofocus. The Canon EOS R3 has built-in WiFi, Bluetooth and Ethernet.

Short + sweet: The most important points about the Canon EOS R3

  • new full-frame flagship
  • newly developed Stacked BSI CMOS sensor with 24.1 megapixels
  • Dual Pixel CMOS AF II
  • incredibly fast
  • up to 30 frames per second
  • virtually no blackout in the viewfinder and no rolling shutter
  • state-of-the-art autofocus with Eye Control
  • advanced scene recognition
  • ISO 100 - 102,400 (expandable to 50 and 204,800)
  • integrated Wifi, Bluetooth and Ethernet
Canon EOS R3 from above
Canon EOS R3 back
Canon EOS R3 memory card slots
Canon EOS R3 Connectors

Conclusion

We were only able to test the new Canon EOS R3 for a short time. However, it impressed us in this short time. The camera is a real professional tool. Especially for sports, wildlife and event photographers who depend on speed and an outstanding autofocus. We really like the viewfinder and lag-free image in continuous shooting. The Eye Control feature works very well and is something we would like to see in more cameras in the future. The options for customizing the many buttons and settings in the menu are exactly what a sports photographer would want.

New RF lenses: 16mm in mini format and 100-400mm

Canon has also introduced two compact new lenses. Unfortunately, we didn't have them there during the test, but the specs sound promising. The Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM is extremely flat and thus a very small companion. Guido Krebs from Canon tried it out himself and was thrilled. The performance is probably on an enormously high level, in his opinion. The new Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM is also extremely compact and brilliant for the focal length range. Here, the speed is not particularly high, but the construction is small, the weight is low and the price is moderate.

Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM

  • extremely slim and compact
  • Ultra-wide angle of view with 108° angle of view to capture all details
  • high light intensity of 1:2.8
  • outstanding closest focusing distance of 0.13m
  • Convincing image quality
  • smooth and quiet STM autofocus motor â ideal also for video recording
  • a wonderfully small and lightweight lens weighing only 165g that you can always have with you

Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM

  • lightest super-telephoto zoom in its class: only 635g
  • extremely compact
  • optical IS with 5.5 stops (6 stops coordinated IS)
  • very fast Nano USM autofocus
  • outstanding closest focusing distance up to f/2.4
  • separate control ring

Now even more powerful!

Softwareupdate 1.21.

  • FullHD video up to 240 fps
  • Continuous shooting with up to 195 frames/sec.
  • Focus bracketing function additionally possible with flash (Speedlite EL-1) or studio flash
  • In-camera focus stacking
  • Wobble correction via digital image stabilization during video recording
  • RTP streaming added
To the update

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