And There’s A ProLevel Canon EOS R Coming Too

Not long after Nikon made its announcement, Canon revealed that it’s planning a pro-level EOS R series mirrorless camera, called the EOS R3. It obviously sits above the R5 in Canon’s fullframe mirrorless camera system, but appears to still slot in below the flagship EOS-1D X Mark III DSLR (leaving room, presumably, for an EOS R1). However, Canon says that the

EOS R3 will have the same level of weather protection and durability. As can be seen from the product picture, the R3 also has an integrated vertical grip.

The EOS R3 is primarily built for speed with its target audience being sports and press photographers. It will use Canon’s first ‘in-house’ backside-illuminated (BSI) and stacked CMOS sensor, enabling a top shooting speed of 30fps with full AF/AE tracking when using the camera’s electronic shutter. Canon claims the stacked sensor design will “significantly reduce” rolling shutter distortion (presumably, as per Sony’s A9 models, via onsensor correction processing).

Canon lists the R3’s three key attributes as “high-speed, highreliability and highsensitivity”, the last characteristic suggesting a lowerres sensor (i.e. in the 25 to 35MP range) to allow for bigger pixels and a higher signal-to-noise ratio. This would leave the EOS R1 to be the resolution king at maybe 50 or 60MP.

The EOS R3 will incorporate a number of autofocusing enhancements, and use the next generation of its Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology. The upgrades include the addition of torso or body-detection capability added to the eye, face and head options. This is designed with sports photography mostly in mind and for situations where it isn’t possible to get a lock on a competitor’s face. Canon says it is also working on additional object recognition modes based on AI technology.

Particularly interesting is Canon’s return to the Eye Control AF capability it first introduced with the

EOS 5 enthusiast-level 35mm SLR in 1992, and was better implemented in the semi-pro EOS 3 from 1998. With Eye Control, an AF point or zone is selected by simply by looking at that spot in the viewfinder, promising to be quicker than using the joystick controller.

The EOS R3 will be compatible with Canon’s new Mobile File Transfer app, which will allow for easier and faster transfer of files via a smartphone to the cloud. It’s a paid app, initially only available for Apple devices, but also compatible with the EOS R5, EOS R6 and EOS-1D X Mark III.

There’s no definitive schedule for the launch of the Canon EOS R3, but it’s safe to assume it’ll be here before the end of 2021. As with the Nikon Z 9, an element of these ‘product development’ announcements is to reassure existing pro-level users who might have been tempted to look at another brand for their next camera.