The Canon EOS R3 looks to be a beast of a camera. Like so many others, I want this camera, and like 99% of those people I won’t be buying one. Why? Because the Canon EOS R3 is for people like Jeff Cable. Ok, also because it’s more than I can afford for what I shoot, and yes, I would buy it in an instant if I could, but for now I am sticking with the not buying it.

So, why do I say it’s for people like Jeff Cable? Jeff is the market this camera is made for. I won’t go through all the specs here, but let’s just say that when you are photographing the Olympics for Team USA you cant miss the shot.

We knew Jeff was using an R3 at the Olympics, it was semi-public knowledge. Plus, Jeff was posting images to his blog and Instagram, and as DPReview mentioned here, some Canon Rumors forum members checked Jeff’s meta data where they saw was something that had not been revealed by Canon, that the R3 was 24MP. When I saw Jeff mention on Instagram that he was shooting at the Olympics at 30 fps my brain stopped for a moment. That instantly meant he was using the electronic shutter… FOR SPORTS. This has usually be something to avoid due to rolling shutter effect. If you are not familiar with that issue, here’s a great video by the legend David Bergman on his Ask David Bergman: Mechanical vs Electronic Shutter. I asked Jeff in an Instagram comment about using electronic shutter for sports, and his response was a cryptic “it depends what body” he is using. Ah Ha! The R3 solved the issue! It has a fast enough read speed to shoot 30fps for action, and that is amazing.

I asked Jeff that day if he might be willing to come back on the show – he was on before on the episode Capture the Action – to talk about his real world experiences with this new Canon R3. Luckily he said yes, and he even wrote a blog post about it too: Finally – my real world review of the new Canon R3 camera!

Now that we have the idea where this show might go, let me introduce you to my friend Jeff Cable…

Photographing the Olympics has got to be the pinnacle of a sports photographer’s career, and for Jeff Cable it’s one he’s reached many times, having photographed the last 7 Olympics for Team USA.

I am always amazed by how many photographers either come from, or are in some way involved with, the tech industry. For more than 25 years, Jeff was a marketing executive at companies like Symantec, Magellan, and Micron, but while traveling the world for his corporate job, his interest and passion for photography grew quickly. He left the corporate world in 2016 to dedicate himself full-time to his photography.

Since then, Jeff has earned respect around the globe for his creative images, and for sharing his love of photography with others. He’s best known for capturing photos for the US Olympic Committee, photographing the last six Olympic games, in Beijing, Vancouver, London, Sochi, Rio de Janeiro, and PyeongChang.

As an educator, Jeff also leads photo tours where he teaches photo enthusiasts and professionals around the world. He has taught in Africa, Australia, China, Europe, Central and South America, and across the United States. He is one of the most watched and respected instructors of photography, with millions of views of his free online photography classes.

Join me as I chat with Jeff Cable, one of the most accomplished sports photographers working today, about his real world experience at this year’s Olympics with a pre-production Canon EOS R3, on this episode of Behind the Shot.

Jeff’s Blog: blog.jeffcable.com

Website: jeffcable.com

Chris McLennan: chrismclennanphotography.com

Screwball Peanut Butter Whiskey: skrewballwhiskey.com