Photographers now can take their pick of cameras that can shoot stills fast enough to actually be movies. But Canon’s approach to a speedy flagship is arguably the most different from Sony’s and Nikon’s. Instead of creating a camera that can shoot both fast and high resolution, the Canon EOS R3 uses a less-headline-worthy 24.1-megapixel sensor. Canon is taking a gamble that the photographers who want 30 fps are also the photographers who prioritize exceptional low light performance over high resolution. And, they’re trying to sweeten the deal with an autofocus system that will just focus on wherever you’re looking.

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Will Canon’s gamble pay off, or is the R3 going to lose out to a higher resolution foe? Does the AF in this headline mean autofocus or the Urban Dictionary definition of AF? I spent a few weeks with the Canon R3, shooting everything from wildlife to equestrian to low light portraits. I was blown away by both the autofocus and the noise reduction in the dark. And limited rolling shutter distortion may actually make the R3’s top speeds useful.

Table of Contents

Too Long, Didn’t Read

Canon EOS R3 Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons

Gear Used

Innovations

Canon EOS R3 Tech Specs

Ergonomics

Build Quality

Autofocus

Eye Control AF

Ease of Use

Metering

Image Quality

High ISO Images

RAW File Versatility

Extra Image Samples

Edited

Unedited

Conclusion

Likes

Dislikes

Too Long, Didn’t Read

The Canon R3 has a top burst speed that’s actually useful because of a great autofocus system and a faster processor to limit rolling shutter. This camera can not only shoot in the dark but print ISO 128,000 and still look good. While the R5 may make more sense for detail work, the R3 is an exceptional low-light and fast-action camera.

Canon EOS R3 Pros and Cons

Pros

Impressive autofocus performance with both action and low light

Face recognition works phenomenally, even on birds and in dark scenes

Reduced rolling shutter distortion and 1/180 flash sync with electronic shutter

Excellent noise reduction at high ISOs

Eye Control AF

Built-in vertical grip

Lots of great controls

Weather-sealed

Cons

Resolution is lower than competitors (but this is partially why low light quality is so great)

Higher learning curve

Hot shoe adapter recommended for weather-sealing with older flashes

Heavier and larger than the R5 and R6

Pricey

Gear Used

I used the Canon EOS R3 with the 70-200 f4, 85mm f2 Macro, and 16mm f2.8 RF mount lenses. I also paired the camera with both the EL-1 flash and the Flashpoint R2 Zoom Li-Ion III and a wireless trigger. I stashed the gear in the F-Stop Ajna backpack. The reflections you see in some of the night portraits were created with Lensbaby Omni wands.

Innovations

Canon wasn’t the first to announce a sports-focused mirrorless flagship; it competes with the speed of the Sony A1 and the Nikon Z9. But, there’s still a lot of innovation here. Canon has included Eye Control AF, which was previously on some of their film cameras. This moves the autofocus point to whatever part of the frame your eye is looking at. The processor that’s behind the 30 fps top burst speed also reduces rolling shutter distortion with faster image processing.

Canon EOS R3 Tech Specs

Adorama lists the following specifications for the Canon EOS R3, shortened for clarity:

Lens Mount: Canon RF

Sensor Type: 36 x 24mm (Full-Frame) CMOS

Sensor Resolution: Actual: 26.7 Megapixel; Effective: 24.1 Megapixels

Crop Factor: None

Aspect Ratio: 1:1, 3:2, 4:3, 16:9

Image File Format: JPEG, Raw, HEIF

Bit Depth: 14-Bit

Image Stabilization: Sensor-Shift, 5-Axis

ISO Sensitivity: Auto, 100 to 102400 (Extended: 50 to 204800)

Shutter Speed:

Mechanical Shutter: 1/8000 to 30 Second, Bulb Mode

Electronic Shutter: 1/64000 to 30 Second in Manual Mode; 1/64000 to 30 Second in Shutter Priority Mode; 1/8000 to 30 Second in Aperture Priority Mode; 1/8000 to 30 Second; in Program Mode; Bulb Mod...