The pinnacle of Canon’s EOS R technology, the new EOS R3 adds Eye Control AF, 6K video and 30fps burst mode!
With Canon finally unleashing the mighty EOS R3, it’s a little bit of a shame that Singapore isn’t hosting the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix this year, because this is the perfect camera to capture the titanic F1 World Championship clash that’s occurring between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.
Canon’s latest EOS is the new champion of Canon’s full-frame mirrorless camera family (though it is not the eventual flagship), and contains a host of technological features at the edge of Canon’s technical boundaries, with blazing performance married to a precision AutoFocus and durability. The EOS R3, which comes encased in a weatherproof magnesium-alloy chassis, features a newly developed 24.1-megapixel back-illuminated stacked CMOS sensor combined with a DIGIC X imaging processor, which enables the EOS R3 to reach burst speeds up to 30 fps (electronically) and 12 fps (mechanically) with AF/AE tracking, while the electronic shutter is able to reach a speed of up to 1/64,000 seconds.
Everything you capture will be clear and fully detailed, thanks to a native ISO range of 100 to 102,400 (expandable to 204,800) for photos and 100 to 25,600 (expandable to 102,400) for videos, while a range of file formats are available, including 10-bit HEIF and HDR-PQ-like JPEG, and in HDR mode the EOS R3 is able to composite 3 HEIF images automatically in just 0.2 seconds, for brilliant handheld HDR photos, especially with a 5.5-stop In-Body Image Stabilisation.
For versatile storage, the EOS R3 is equipped with dual card slots for a CFexpress (Type-B) card and SD (UHS_II), which will come in very handy as the EOS R3 is capable of capturing 6K 60p RAW or 4K 120p 10-bit movie at the full-frame angle of field, with high quality 4K 60p (oversampling from 6K) also available.
We’ve saved the best features for last, and that’s the upgraded AF that now includes an Eye Control AF function, where sensors around the new 5.76-million-dot OLED EVF detect your eye movement and focus on where you focus your vision, so you instantly have your chosen subject in sharp focus. Eye Detection AF has also been improved with deep learning technology, so the camera will focus on the eye even if the face is partially masked, while Head Detection AF now includes helmets or goggles. And for motorsports, a new Vehicle Priority AF mode now detects automobiles and motorcycles with great precision and can even detect the helmets of drivers when Spot Detection is enabled.
The EOS R3 adds improved versatility with a next-generation Multi-function shoe for functions beyond flash photography, with a series of new accessories such as the Multi-Function Shoe Adapter Directional Stereo Microphone DM-E1D digital microphone, Speedlite Transmitter ST-E10, a new radio-enabled speedlite transmitter, and the Multi-Function Shoe Adapter for Smartphone Link AD-P1, which is an accessory for mounting a smartphone onto the EOS R3’s Multi-function shoe.
Canon has also launched two new affordable RF lenses. The RF16mm F2.8 STM is a bright, compact ultra-wide-angle lens that is excellent for landscape, architecture and vlogging, while the RF100–400mm F5.6–8 IS USM lens brings versatility and portability to a popular zoom range for sports and wildlife photography.
Hands-on preview
Canon Singapore afforded us a brief hands-on preview of the EOS R5, and while we couldn’t test out its imaging quality ourselves, we did try out the Eye Control AF, which takes a while to calibrate to an individual’s eye, but once set, simply focuses on what you’re focusing on, whether it’s a coffee cup on a table or the laptop behind it.
Our first impression of the EOS R5 is that it is built tough – Canon usually uses camera bodies with integrated horizontal grip for their serious professional cameras, and the updated controls were interesting, especially as there’s a host of customisation available. The two new RF lenses, which will be available in October, are very reasonably priced for their functionality, with the wide-angel enabling vloggers to stand closer to their EOS R camera, while the RF100-400mm will make wildlife photography more accessible to the masses, especially when used in conjunction with an RF teleconverter.
The Canon EOS R3 is Due November 2021, with local pricing to be announced.
RF100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM S$1,029
RF16mm f/2.8 STM S$479
