The wait is finally over as Canon announces the launch of the highly anticipated EOS R3 which the company bills as a “powerhouse for sports photography and reportage”. This latest offering from Canon boasts the speed of the renowned EOS-1 series with the latest innovations seen in the EOS R System.
The EOS R3 is lightweight, dust and water-resistant with a magnesium body well suited to harsh conditions and the rigours of professional use. Its design will be familiar with anyone who has previously used an EOS-1 series camera.
The camera features a new 24.1-megapixel back illuminated stacked CMOS sensor which Canon says almost entirely eliminates rolling shutter distortion. Lightning fast, it can capture action with a maximum shutter speed of 1/64000th of a second using the electronic shutter as well as shoot up to 30fps with AE and AF tracking, even when shooting RAW files. And for the first time, the electronic shutter can also be used with both Canon and third-party flashes.
The newly developed 5.76 million dot electronic viewfinder is blackout-free with low lag and a refresh rate of up to 120 fps at full resolution. On the rear of the camera there’s a Vari-Angle 4.1-million dot touchscreen that can tilt and rotate in a variety of positions.
In terms of autofocus, the EOS R3 is incredibly quick, able to focus in just 0.03 seconds – the fastest EOS R series camera to date. Selection of AF points can be done via the smart controller, the multi controller and Eye Control AF. With an improved Deep Learning algorithm, AF tracking includes human and animal eye, body, and face detection, plus head detection for humans in both stills and videos. And if you shoot motorsports, you’ll be thrilled to learn that the EOS R3 also offers a vehicle tracking function for motorbikes, open cockpit Formula cars, as well as GT and rally cars – with the ability to prioritise the vehicle or the driver’s helmet. The camera is also more than capable when it comes to working in low-lighting conditions, as low as -7.5 EV.
Camera shake is low-light settings is also likely to be a thing of the past with the 5-axis In-Body Image Stabilizer able to combine with optical Image Stabilizer in selected RF lenses and offer an impressive eight additional stops of latitude.
With regards to connectivity, there are a number of options, including built-in version 5.0 Bluetooth and 5 GHz Wi-Fi. A built-in Gigabit Ethernet port allows for a high speed wired connection. The EOS R3 can be controlled remotely with Canon’s Camera Connect App or using the Browser Remote function via an ethernet connection. Using the Canon’s Mobile File Transfer (MFT) app allows pros to transfer images over a mobile device to an FTP/FTPS/SFTP server. The Canon Camera Connect app also enables the EOS R3 firmware to be updated via a mobile phone – a first for EOS cameras.
The EOS R3 can capture6K 60p RAW resolution footage, which offers 50 per cent more detail than 4K, when using a CFexpress card. It can also capture 4K 120p slow motion footage, as well as record up to six hours of regular video or 1.5 hours at high 119.88/100p frame rates.
The EOS R3 uses the same LP-E19 battery as the EOS-1D X Mark II and EOS-1D X Mark III, and has both CFexpress and UHS-II SD slots.
More information...
Get more stories like this delivered
free to your inbox. Sign up here.