Gordon Laing from CameraLabs gives his first reviews of the new Canon gear, including the EOS R3

FrenchFry

Wildlife enthusiast!
Jun 14, 2020
484
603
Yes, Gordon's reviews are always very thorough and well articulated. But actually I discover more from Jared Polin and from Chris & Jordan, who come closer to providing a pseudo-hands on experience. I always make a point of watching all 3 reviews.

I also try to find reviews by appropriate specialists e.g. BIF and sports photographers, because they can reveal particular advantages/disadvantages, and approaches to technique that are relevant to particular cameras.
Jared's review of the R3 was particularly informative this time around, and, importantly, he tested with the new RF 400mm and 600mm super telephotos. Since I am really interested in seeing the real-world AF acquisition and speed on the R3 with these new lenses Dual Power AF lenses, I will be tuning in to his more detailed review when it's available. It will be really interesting to see if the R3 offers better BIF performance.
I'm also really looking forward to hearing about the dynamic range and AF performance in busy/dark environments for wildlife, and for that I'll probably have to tune into a different channel.
 
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rbielefeld

CR Pro
Apr 22, 2015
179
414
I never thought I would say this, but I learned the most from Jared Polin's review. For instance, the focal length now being visible in the viewfinder, and the customizable Q menu are welcome features that I have not seen mentioned by others.
I too thought Fro did a great job. If you have not watched his R3 vid, it is worth the time IMO.
 
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Aug 26, 2015
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Oooo... I would love to see a firmware update for the R5 where they drop the 30 minute limit on videos now...
And then R6 owners would shout out the same thing, and so on.
Let's be real, an R5 C version will have this with active cooling to differentiate itself from the R5.
Crop mode 5.1K 60p RAW internal recording is also possible on the R5, but they just don't enable it, only with the (expensive) Ninja V+ recorder.
 
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rbielefeld

CR Pro
Apr 22, 2015
179
414
Jared's review of the R3 was particularly informative this time around, and, importantly, he tested with the new RF 400mm and 600mm super telephotos. Since I am really interested in seeing the real-world AF acquisition and speed on the R3 with these new lenses Dual Power AF lenses, I will be tuning in to his more detailed review when it's available. It will be really interesting to see if the R3 offers better BIF performance.
I'm also really looking forward to hearing about the dynamic range and AF performance in busy/dark environments for wildlife, and for that I'll probably have to tune into a different channel.
Just like everyone else, I won't be getting my R3 until the first batch of bodies is released given I am not a Social Media influencer of any "influence" at all. But, I am a professional bird photographer who has been shooting for almost 30 years and I have a YT channel at Whistling Wings Photography. I have done quite a few videos on the R5 and I will be doing bird photography centric reviews and set up videos of/for the R3 once I have had time to work with it a bit. So, if interested, I would be honored if you would visit my channel. Who knows, I might even provide some useful information; which does happen from time to time.
 
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FrenchFry

Wildlife enthusiast!
Jun 14, 2020
484
603
Just like everyone else, I won't be getting my R3 until the first batch of bodies is released given I am not a Social Media influencer of any "influence" at all. But, I am a professional bird photographer who has been shooting for almost 30 years and I have a YT channel at Whistling Wings Photography. I have done quite a few videos on the R5 and I will be doing bird photography centric reviews and set up videos of/for the R3 once I have had time to work with it a bit. So, if interested, I would be honored if you would visit my channel. Who knows, I might even provide some useful information; which does happen from time to time.
Thanks for the invite! I have subscribed to your channel, and I have actually watched several of your videos recently!

Here are some questions that I would be interested in seeing covered in your review. Like many in the market for the R3, I am an current R5 owner:

- When comparing the R5 and R3, how noticeable are the AF improvements, including AF on fast birds, AF in really low light, and AF for birds in bushes with tricky backgrounds (foliage) that the R5 gets stuck on sometimes? Did the eye tracking help with situations where the R5 is not as good as acquiring initial focus?
- Is the R3 AF any "stickier" than the R5?
- How much better is the low light performance IQ compared to the R5?
- Do you miss the extra MP of he R5 when shooting with the R3, or does improved performance make up for it?
- Is the performance of the new 400mm F2.8 and 600mm F4 a lot better on the R3 than the R5 because of the extra battery voltage for driving the AF motors? How does the system perform with teleconverters?
 
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Jethro

EOS R
CR Pro
Jul 14, 2018
996
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- When comparing the R5 and R3, how noticeable are the AF improvements, including AF on fast birds, AF in really low light, and AF for birds in bushes with tricky backgrounds (foliage) that the R5 gets stuck on sometimes? Did the eye tracking help with situations where the R5 is not as good as acquiring initial focus?
- Is the R3 AF any "stickier" than the R5?
- How much better is the low light performance IQ compared to the R5?
- Do you miss the extra MP of he R5 when shooting with the R3, or does improved performance make up for it?
- Is the performance of the new 400mm F2.8 and 600mm F4 a lot better on the R3 than the R5 because of the extra battery voltage for driving the AF motors? How does the system perform with teleconverters?
Gordon's Part 2 video spends a lot of time on the R3 AF for video (including eye-tracking) - and he says a couple of times it's a noticeable improvement over the R5.
 
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Jun 27, 2013
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Customizable Q menu has been a 1Dx feature for at least the last two generations, glad to hear it is included with the R3. I hope saving settings to a card is also included, nice to have when you send the camera in to CPS for cleaning and they reset everything to default.
Custom Q menu was present on 5D series as well and not sure why it was dropped from previous R cameras.
 
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john1970

EOS R3
CR Pro
Dec 27, 2015
971
1,213
Northeastern US
Yes, Gordon's reviews are always very thorough and well articulated. But actually I discover more from Jared Polin and from Chris & Jordan, who come closer to providing a pseudo-hands on experience. I always make a point of watching all 3 reviews.

I also try to find reviews by appropriate specialists e.g. BIF and sports photographers, because they can reveal particular advantages/disadvantages, and approaches to technique that are relevant to particular cameras.
All very good points as well!
 
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RayValdez360

Soon to be the greatest.
Jun 6, 2012
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Philadelphia
Yes, the Sony wins on most of the EVF specs - apart from the most important one, i.e. usability. The eye-controlled AF point selection on the R3 looks to be a huge game changer and certainly one of the major appeals of the camera. I especially like the fact that the "orange dot" that marks what you are looking at, can be turned off, leaving a clutter free viewfinder that promises to offer the greatest usability of anything yet seen.

But I agree that a higher resolution EVF would have been nicer, especially considering the price of the camera. I'm not sure what is the point of having a high res LCD, as the eyes will be a few inches away from it and unable to detect the difference. I suppose it could have some value when reviewing at high magnification, but personally I do my chimping through the EVF, not on the LCD.
high res LCD helps with video and critical focus on such a small screen. brightness is another factor that helps a lot when doing video.
 
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LSXPhotog

Automotive, Commercial, & Motorsports
CR Pro
Apr 2, 2015
787
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www.diossiphotography.com
By keeping the weight of this lens so close to the other compact primes, I can successfully swap lenses on my Ronin-S without rebalancing the setup. These are set to compete against DJI as they continue to move into cameras.
EXACTLY what I ordered the lens for. It's great to have a compact ultra wide, but this is my dedicated gimbal lens moving forward. Having to swap lenses is an absolute PAIN.
 
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you and me both my friend, too many youtube videos for a single morning, I alslo loved Vanessa Joy Videos really really funny an very comprehensive
Vanessa Joy R3 review
Her review was the only review that mentioned the r3 lost the touch/drag feature of the r5. Thst feature is amazing on the r5 and I would never go back to a joystick.
 
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