Why You Can Trust CNET Canon's top mirrorless EOS R3 to arrive in November for $6,000
It's fast. It's aimed at pros. It's expensive.
- Shortlisted for British Photography Awards 2022, Commended in Landscape Photographer of the Year 2022
Canon's top-of-the-line mirrorless camera, the EOS R3, will finally go on sale this November with a body-only price of $6,000 or £5,880 in the UK.
That's not exactly affordable, but then, this camera -- a replacement for Canon's pro-level 1D-X -- is aimed squarely at professional photographers who demand truly elite performance. The heart of the camera is a 24.1-megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor, paired with Canon's top Digic X processor. Canon reckons that combo allows the R3 to shoot 14-bit raw files at up to an eye-watering 30 frames per second.
It's not just fast with shooting -- the auto focus can lock on in only 0.03-millisecond and has intelligent algorithms for detecting and tracking people's eyes, vehicles or even helmets. It can also apparently track your own eye movements when using the viewfinder and can focus on whatever interesting point you happen to look at. It sounds amazing, but I'll reserve judgement on how well that works for when I can really put it to the test.
It's that incredible speed that's the main draw of the R3 over others further down the range like the EOS R5 or R6. Professional sports or news photographers require ultrafast shooting to make sure they capture the exact moment a basketball gets slam-dunked or the perfect punch is thrown in a boxing match. More speed means more chances for that cover-story-worthy shot.
It's packed with other top-end features too, including 6K video (with Canon's Log 3 format for better post-production), HDR video, 4K video shooting at 120 frames per second and built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Ethernet for instant image transfer back to news desks. It also has dual memory card slots for CFExpress and SD cards.
It's physically larger than more consumer-focused cameras like the EOS R5, with a size and button layout that are designed to be instantly familiar to users upgrading from the EOS 1D-X. It's an RF-mount camera, supporting Canon's growing selection of RF lenses.
Speaking of which, Canon is also launching two new lenses: a 100-400mm f/5.6-f/8 image-stabilized telephoto zoom lens and a 16mm f/2.8 ultrawide angle prime lens that's small, light and is designed with vloggers in mind. The 100-400 zoom will cost £700 ($969, converted), and the 16mm prime will be £320 ($443, converted).
