The head of Product and Consumer Expertise at Canon Russia was recently interviewed by PhotoWebExpo. To no one's surprise, he indicated the upcoming EOS R3 is not the top-of-the-line mirrorless camera, the future EOS R1 will have that title.
My readers know I am not a fan of the current crop of mirrorless cameras, notwithstanding the great improvement made in the EOS R5 and EOS R6 models. My biggest complaints are the latency in the EVF versus a top-of-the-line DSLR camera like the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III. The mediocre battery life even when a battery grip is added and the marginal benefit of the RF over the EF mount lenses.
The real question for me is does Canon intend the make the upcoming EOS R3 or the EOS R1 the sports and wildlife photographer's dream camera. I am not a videographer so all the 8K talk does not interest me. My current EOS-1D X Mark III camera is capable of taking 5.5K videos already.
My requirements for a full frame, mirrorless wildlife camera is rather simple. A mid resolution state of the art sensor with a burst rate of around 30 fps. Eye Control AF2 and Servo AF activation with a No latency EVF in an all weather, sealed EOS 1 like body and battery.
Canon EOS R3 indicated specifications :
- All new Canon 35mm full-frame body construction
- A Stacked CMOS Sensor that delivers substantially faster read-out speeds and produces much lower “rolling shutter” distortion
- Eye Control AF, with the ability to set your focus point in the viewfinder by looking where you want to focus
- A powerful DIGIC X image processor for high-speed image processing
- High-speed continuous shooting, up to 30 fps with AF/AE tracking when using the electronic shutter
- A newly developed electronic shutter that reduces warping and noise in low-light environments, when capturing a moving subject
- Enhanced AF performance and tracking, with better eye, face, head, and body detection
- Dual Pixel CMOS AF
- An integrated vertical grip, for a better transition from horizontal to vertical shooting
- Weather-resistant and durable, built for the most challenging weather conditions
- Compatible with Canon’s new Mobile File Transfer app, which supports high-speed workflows with iOS devices
- Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Sensor
- Eye Control AF, Dual Pixel CMOS AF
- Subject Tracking with Deep Learning
- Integrated Vertical Grip with LP-E19 battery
- Weather-Sealed Construction equivalent to EOS-1D X Mark III
- Back illuminated buttons just like the EOS-1D X Mark III
- Dual card slots - CF Express and SD
As you can see, the upcoming EOS R3 camera can be a Sony Alpha 1 beater. The price of the EOS R3 will be less than the list price of $6,499 for the EOS-1D X Mark III. My guess is it might be $5,799 to $5,999. I should know by the end of 2021 whether there will be a full frame mirrorless camera in my equipment bag starting next year.
Summary of soon to be released Canon EOS R3 features :
- First full-frame back-illuminated stacked CMOS imaging sensor designed by Canon, featuring high-speed read-out and low distortion
- Electronic shutter with up to 30 fps with AF tracking and continuous AE
- Eye and body detection AF for improved AF performance during portrait and sports photography, featuring Deep Learning
- Additional recognizable subjects for AF tracking
- Eye Control AF — select the initial area for AF tracking by looking at the to-be-focused-on subject during still image capture (only) for fast AF point positioning.
- With Servo AF activated, the camera will focus on and track moving subjects at that location in the frame.
- When Face Detect + Tracking is active, the camera will continue to follow moving subjects around the entire active AF area.
- Eye Control AF may not function with all individuals, and with certain glasses or contact lenses
- Dust resistance and drip/moisture resistance equivalent to EOS-1D X series cameras
- Integrated vertical grip
- Compatible with Mobile File Trasmitter
- AF at EV -7 (extremely dark)
- 8-stops coordinated control IS with IBIS and optical IS (in-lens)
- Up to 30 fps continuous shooting in RAW format (again, with AF tracking and continuous AE)
- New tracking subject for deep learning technology: motorsports (car/bike)
- Speedlite shooting with electronic shutter supported
- High performance video, including Canon Log3, oversampling 4k, RAW movie internal recording, AF tracking for people, animals, and motorsports
- Professional reliability and network capabilities, including wired LAN and 5GHz
- Magnesium alloy body
- New accessories capable of data communication and power delivery
- Appearance and operability from the 1-series and R5
- Multi Controller and Smart Controller (first appeared in Canon EOS-1D X Mark III)
- Vari-angle monitor
- 3-dial operation
