The Canon EOS R5 (my review here) and EOS R6 (my review here) cameras showed that Canon was serious about the full frame mirrorless space. The former remains one of the best jack-of-all-trades cameras ever made, possibly bested only by the extremely expensive Sony Alpha 1 (my review here). The EOS R6 was a very effective budget sports and general purpose camera, with great tracking abilities that equaled the far more expensive EOS R5. But what Canon didn’t have (and few other companies have either) is a high end pro sports mirrorless body with an integrated battery grip design. Canon has solved that with the release of the Canon EOS R3, a 1D style camera but with all of Canon’s latest mirrorless tricks…and a few new ones.

The large, bulky integrated grip design definitely polarizes the audience. For some photographers this is the only style of camera body that they like. They prefer the redundant controls for vertical shooting, the battery life that gets them thousands of images between charges, and the robust weather sealing that only such a large body can afford (Canon touts 1DX III levels of weather sealing on the EOS R3). Other photographers find such a camera body unnecessarily heavy and bulky and far more difficult to transport. It’s certainly true that your carrying solutions are vastly limited when your camera is this much larger than the moderately sized Canon EOS R5.

But the EOS R3 takes Canon’s sports technology to new levels, featuring a brand new 24MP backlit stacked CMOS sensor and an incredible 30FPS burst rate. Both the resolution and burst rate bests any 1D series camera, and the kind of images you can effortlessly get with the EOS R3 is enough to put a smile on anyone’s face:

This image was one of many in yet another 30FPS burst, and most impressive is that this shot was captured when the charging dog was almost too close for me to capture anymore. Just a few frames later she was completely out of frame. This may be the best autofocusing camera I’ve ever used, and that is compounded by a very innovative new feature – Eye Control AF, where the camera literally focuses on whatever your eye is looking at. While your experience using this technology may vary, my personal experience was that I loved it. It essentially took the place of my putting a finger on the screen and overriding the default focus position…except this was faster and more intuitive. I literally focused on this dried plant by looking at it…

The EOS R3 won’t be for everyone. It’s far more camera in terms of both size and performance than many people need, and it’s price point of nearly $6000 USD ($8000 CDN here in Canada) dictates that this is a camera that few photographers can afford as well. But for certain photographers, the EOS R3 will be the camera they have been desperately looking for. You can watch my video review or read my text review…or just enjoy the photos!

Thanks to Camera Canada for quickly getting an EOS R3 loaner for me. I’ve purchased both my Canon EOS R5 and Alpha 1 from them, and they’ve provided top notch customer service. If you are in Canada, be sure to check them out!

Photos of the Canon EOS R3

Photos Taken with the Canon EOS R3

Gear Used:

Purchase a Canon EOS R3 @ B&H Photo | Amazon | Camera Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany | Ebay

Purchase a Canon EOS R5 @ B&H Photo | Amazon | Camera Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany | Ebay

Purchase a Canon EOS R6 @ B&H Photo | Amazon | Camera Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany | Ebay

Buy DA Merchandise https://bit.ly/TWIMerch

Purchase the Sony Alpha 1 @ Camera Canada | B&H Photo | Amazon | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany | Ebay

Peak Design Leash Strap: Peak Design Store | B&H Photo | Amazon | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK

Adobe Photoshop Creative Cloud 1-Year Subscription
Exposure Software X6 (Use Code “dustinabbott” to get 10% anything and everything)
Visit Dustin’s Amazon Storefront and see his favorite gear

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Keywords: Canon EOS R3, EOS, R3, EOS R3, mirrorless, full frame, EOS R3 Review, Canon R3 Review, Canon EOS R3 Review, Dustin Abbott, Real World, Comparison, Handling, Dynamic Range, Tracking, Focus, Burst Rate, Tracking, Sports, Portraits, Resolution, High ISO, Image Quality, Sample Images, Photography, Dogs, Ergonomics, 24Mp, Sony a9, Sony Alpha 1, Canon EOS R5, RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS, RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS, Canon Letthelightin

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