Word about the Canon EOS R3 has been circulating for months and while Canon has confirmed the development of this camera and some of its specs (very impressive specs if I might add), the big news on the cost, sensor pixel range and availability are yet to be known. Yesterday, the company officially announced that they would be giving the full gist of the mirrorless flagship next week Tuesday, September 14th, 2021.
The new EOS R3 is going to be Canon’s top-end flagship (replacing the EOS R5 that came out last year) and would be in direct competition with Sony’s A1 that came out earlier this year. The camera is built like the Canon 1DX series and those cameras were aimed at sport and wildlife photographers, with their built-in grip for prolonged battery life and incredible focusing options as well as impressive video capabilities. Currently, the Canon 1DX Mark III is the leader in the range but before the end of the year its no doubt that the EOS R3 will take its place, and if it’s anything like the R5 (and it should be better), then Canon has got another success story on their hands.
Currently, the camera is with photographers like Peter McKinnon and Jared Polin (FroKnowsPhoto) but since the official announcement hasn’t been made, there’s not so much that they can say or is available on the camera (spec-wise) but so far, here’s what Canon has confirmed about the upcoming R3:
- A Flip-Out Vari-Angle Touchscreen
- Oversampled 4K VIdeo Recording at 60/120fps
- A New Eye Controlled Autofocus System
- Automated Focus Tracking for Cars and Other Automobiles (Which is a first and highlights its sport centric market)
- New Improved Hot Shoe functionality that will allow the camera converse with other accessories outside flashes and flash triggers.
- Internal RAW Video Recording
- 30 Frames Per Second Photo burst mode
The sensor pixel range has not been confirmed yet but if Canon is sticking with tradition, the flagships are geared more towards speed so the sensor will likely be in the 20-30 megapixel range (the 1DX III spots a 20.1 megapixel sensor) unlike the flagship Sony A1 that features a 50-megapixel full-frame sensor that is capable of 8K video at 30fps. We’d just have to wait till next week to find out all there is to know.