Canon Announces That The Powerful Professional Full-Frame EOS R3 Mirrorless Camera Is On Its Way

Jan 21, 2015
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Someone earlier posted a size comparison between the R3 and the 1DX iii in which the R3 looked noticeably smaller, but trying to line up the mount between the R3 and R5, the R3 is considerably larger and seems like it would be just as big as the 1DX
View attachment 196995
I think you're underestimating the size of the 1DX. It is absolutely ridiculously huge. It is no wonder those who want small (not just smaller) are amazed by A9/A1, when the other option is this.
1618552561663.png
 
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Joules

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Perfect.
A camera rumor with no information whatsoever except the name.
An opportunity to get lathered up no end about stuff we can fight about for months.

Whoopeee!
I guess you didn't read the OP?

This is not a rumor, but an official development announcement.

We also got an image, and a good number of specs: 30 FPS, improved AF capable of detecting more subjects, weather resistance on par with the 1DX III, eye controlled AF, back side illuminated stacked shutter with confirmed improvements in rolling shutter performance.

Really, all that's missing are the sensor resolution, the video options and whether or not there is a tilty-flippy screen. Weight is secondary for a body of this type but can be assumed to be a good deal more than an R5 and good deal less than a 1DX III.
 
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Chig

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R1 and R3 will be officially announced together probably in July, once the 3 new lenses and the new file transfer app will be available.

I said in a different forum (DPR) that the R6 was announced together with the R5, but all the development announcements were only about the R5, I suppose Canon will play a similar trick again, this time speaking of the development of the "lower" model R3, still coming with the official announcement with both models together, the EOS R3 and the EOS R1.;)
Perhaps it'll be the R3 and R7 announced together and the R7 may have similar body with integrated vertical grip as it's target market is sports and wildlife and maybe a stacked CMOS crop sensor.
I think Canon will hold off on the R1 for a while so it can get feedback from the R3 so that the R1 is ultra reliable and perfect for the pros that love 1DXs and more Great White RF lenses come out including the RF800L 5.6 and RF300L f2.8 both using Freznel DO elements and builtin T.Cs
I think the R1 will have basically the same body as the R3 but new twin digital processors using the latest ARMv9 chip protocols
 
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john1970

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Do people think that Canon will have the option to link exposure to the AF point in the R3 or do we think that they will reserve that feature for only a R1 body? I ask because the R3 does have a professional grade build and am trying to ascertain if Canon will also include this desired feature.
 
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I think you're underestimating the size of the 1DX. It is absolutely ridiculously huge. It is no wonder those who want small (not just smaller) are amazed by A9/A1, when the other option is this.
View attachment 196997
It is about the same size as a 5d series with a grip. It is not the size of a basketball or something.
 
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Is it just me or more and more people would like to buy a flagship camera if it's not this huge body? Everyone seems to like the A1 for it's smaller size so Canon could make one camera like this. At least for "marketing" purposes.
I totally agree with you, I owned 1dx mk1 and all the 5d series and 6d series cameras including now r6 and r5 which are closer to 6d regarding size. I work on a lot of sport related project, since I’m one of the official Red Bull photographers and my cameras went trough basically all the possible conditions. Heavy rain, sand, snow, sea, high temperatures and Amazon humidity...And never did I have a problem with the 5d series regarding weather resistance, and when you put the grip the size is basically the same as the 1dx series with all the vertical functions. Also the only time I had a problem with a camera regarding water damage it was 1dx, the 5dmk3 went through the same amount of rain and survived without any damage while on the 1dx I had to replace the whole back panel.
From my use case I can say that I trust the 5d or r5 series equally regarding resistance to outside damage.
So I don’t believe that they could not made a body with a optional grip and the same level of build quality as 1dx series. And I never understood the people that would not like to have the option of choosing to have a grip attached or not attached especially cause at least regarding the 5d if you attach the grip ergonomically there is no difference compared to 1d series. To me personally r3 would be more interesting as a camera if it had a body without a integrated grip. With the r5 or r6 I can just decide depending on the project will I put the grip cause of the long lenses, or remove it cause I need to hike 25 km to the location and think about every gram of my equipment.
And Sony actually showed that the size does not have to be a limitation for the a amount of technology you an fit into a camera.
 
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So I don’t believe that they could not made a body with a optional grip and the same level of build quality as 1dx series. And I never understood the people that would not like to have the option of choosing to have a grip attached or not attached especially cause at least regarding the 5d if you attach the grip ergonomically there is no difference compared to 1d series. To me personally r3 would be more interesting as a camera if it had a body without a integrated grip. With the r5 or r6 I can just decide depending on the project will I put the grip cause of the long lenses, or remove it cause I need to hike 25 km to the location and think about every gram of my equipment.
And Sony actually showed that the size does not have to be a limitation for the a amount of technology you an fit into a camera.
The R5 and R6 using the LP-E6NH have some frame rate limitations tied to the battery capacity, which wouldn't be there with the LP-E19. Maybe the thermal design is also different in general on the 1DX III (not just the heatsink) as it has no overheating issues, so different components can be spaced out more (some of the heat is generated at the memory card and battery, not just the sensor and processor).

Maybe the better quality battery is able to power all the extra electronics needed for the Eye-controlled focus and improved EVF live feed as well.
And they might have used the extra space for adding other useful features, we'll see.

Yes, I agree that a smaller body with a stacked sensor would really make use of that silent operation for things like street shooting, but using a bigger body with a different battery with higher voltage might provide other operational benefits in addition to the vertical grip and increased battery life.
 
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The R5 and R6 using the LP-E6NH have some frame rate limitations tied to the battery capacity, which wouldn't be there with the LP-E19. Maybe the thermal design is also different in general on the 1DX III (not just the heatsink) as it has no overheating issues, so different components can be spaced out more (some of the heat is generated at the memory card and battery, not just the sensor and processor).

Maybe the better quality battery is able to power all the extra electronics needed for the Eye-controlled focus and improved EVF live feed as well.
And they might have used the extra space for adding other useful features, we'll see.

Yes, I agree that a smaller body with a stacked sensor would really make use of that silent operation for things like street shooting, but using a bigger body with a different battery with higher voltage might provide other operational benefits in addition to the vertical grip and increased battery life.
I agree, but it would ne nice to have r3 with an optional grip, and then r1 with build in.
There are definitely some limitations regarding battery performance and shutter speed, but It is mostly using the mechanical shutter.
For the electronical one I did not have problems regarding that.
The smaller body is not only good for street photography but for a lot of professional use case scenarios where you have to carry a lot of equipment for a long period of time. For me for example when I did Red Bull X fighters it was up to 14 hours per day with small of my gear And in that case u want to have the lightest gear possible with loosing as less performance possible. A lot of sport photographers also mount their cameras for a remote usage and in that case also a smaller body is an advantage.
Anyway I agree with you regarding reasons why integrated grip, but then again Sony managed to put a lot of amazing technology into a smaller body than the r5 without compromising a lot of things you mentioned.
 
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I agree, but it would ne nice to have r3 with an optional grip, and then r1 with build in.
There are definitely some limitations regarding battery performance and shutter speed, but It is mostly using the mechanical shutter.
For the electronical one I did not have problems regarding that.
The smaller body is not only good for street photography but for a lot of professional use case scenarios where you have to carry a lot of equipment for a long period of time. For me for example when I did Red Bull X fighters it was up to 14 hours per day with small of my gear And in that case u want to have the lightest gear possible with loosing as less performance possible. A lot of sport photographers also mount their cameras for a remote usage and in that case also a smaller body is an advantage.
Anyway I agree with you regarding reasons why integrated grip, but then again Sony managed to put a lot of amazing technology into a smaller body than the r5 without compromising a lot of things you mentioned.
Sony's IBIS is nowhere near as powerful and it has no eye-controlled focus like the R3
And in the A7SIII people complained that even though there is that nice 9.44 million dot EVF with high magnification, the full resolution is only there is playback mode, so it is kind of wasted.
With the A1 it is a bit better utilised but it is still very much a compromise: either high resolution or high refresh rate, or in case of the highest 240fps mode, it also decreases the magnification as well and so far it hasn't been confirmed if the highest resolution is as good as the playback mode.

So yes, there are plenty of things to continuously power in the R3, so even with the same battery, it probably won't have anywhere near 1DX III levels of battery life, but probably better reliability and less usability limitations thanks to the better battery and thermal design.
 
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I have had problems with the 5D series weatherproofing. Maybe I've just been unlucky, but I stick with 1Dx if I'm expecting heavy rain. Even with a rain cover, I had a 5D get its shutter stuck. (It was also very windy, so some water probably got under the rain cover.) The camera was okay after I let it dry for a couple of days, but I missed some great shots.

I don't have any Canon mirrorless cameras yet, but I'm considering it. I have a Sony A9 and some lenses for it. I like the silent shutter, but otherwise I much prefer Canon.

It does look like mirrorless is the future. Maybe I should sell my EF lenses now, before they lose all their value. ;-)
 
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I don't expect an R7 to cost as low as the 7D2 (even adjusting for inflation), but unless it's something like $3k I'll preorder it. And even then.... who knows.

I'll be happy to continue solely using my EF lenses for a while, the only RF lens that would tempt me would be a lens that compete with either Sony's 200-600mm or Nikon's 500mm f5.6.

Also, for QPAF on the R7 I think it also depends on how close to the R3 it's released. If they're both released at a similar time and the R7 has QPAF, then why wouldn't have the speedy and expensive R3 got it as well?
I wouldn't count on it if it's low volume and Canon is no longer interested in APS-C why would they create a new sensor over the "good enough" 32MP sensor they already have.

If y'all are truly doing nothing other than chasing pixel density, then most likely the R5s or whatever it will be called if it's 100MP and hits around 8-10fps would most likely be the camera for you. Because I doubt Canon does anything more on the APS-C front.

Also north of $2500 wouldn't surprise me. IMO, they'll make it a baby 1 series, and charge you for it. they don't want to get into the APS-C game. APS-C from all the rumors we're seeing is dead to Canon.

Heck, it's essentially dead to Nikon too. Sony? hard to say, I think they update things just to shut people up by now.
 
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canonmike

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I'm not who you're replying to, but for me I use my 1DX mark II as my wide-angle body with my EF 24-70L II, with my R5 on the RF 70-200. I don't tend to crop my wide-angle news photographs much, so I don't mind the lower resolution on it. The newspapers I work with all downscale their final images to 2000 pixels on the long end, which is only 2 megapixels anyway.

I also have been in a few situations for breaking news during an absolute downpour where I've only grabbed the 1DX mark II and ran into the rain, since I'm not very worried about a 1D camera in the rain. The R5 has never given me problems in the rain, but it's still not a 1D and in certain situations I'd rather not risk it. I have high-end weather covers, but sometimes news happens too fast to put those on.

Once or twice I've also used my 1DX2 as my primary camera on huge all-day cross-country sporting events where I know I won't need to crop, and would rather have 8000 20-megapixel raw files than deal with 8000 45-megapixel raw files. But I've upgraded my laptop and doubled all of my storage drives to make up for the doubled filesize, so it's less of a problem now.
I liked your FYI, even if my question wasn't directed at you and am sure that more than a few fellow CR members will profit from your take. Real world use with the best assurance of reliability during inclement weather, can often be the driving force on what gear one uses. I, also enjoyed your no need to crop wide angle shots argument, mitigating the need for higher res capability.
 
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Do people think that Canon will have the option to link exposure to the AF point in the R3 or do we think that they will reserve that feature for only a R1 body? I ask because the R3 does have a professional grade build and am trying to ascertain if Canon will also include this desired feature.
Isn't this on the R5 ? If you move single focus point to different areas the iso when set to auto changes depending on the focus point position, it does on my R5
 
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canonmike

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R1 and R3 will be officially announced together probably in July, once the 3 new lenses and the new file transfer app will be available.

I said in a different forum (DPR) that the R6 was announced together with the R5, but all the development announcements were only about the R5, I suppose Canon will play a similar trick again, this time speaking of the development of the "lower" model R3, still coming with the official announcement with both models together, the EOS R3 and the EOS R1.;)
Pondering that thought for a moment, there are many reading your comment that hope your guess is correct.
 
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canonmike

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I totally agree with you, I owned 1dx mk1 and all the 5d series and 6d series cameras including now r6 and r5 which are closer to 6d regarding size. I work on a lot of sport related project, since I’m one of the official Red Bull photographers and my cameras went trough basically all the possible conditions. Heavy rain, sand, snow, sea, high temperatures and Amazon humidity...And never did I have a problem with the 5d series regarding weather resistance, and when you put the grip the size is basically the same as the 1dx series with all the vertical functions. Also the only time I had a problem with a camera regarding water damage it was 1dx, the 5dmk3 went through the same amount of rain and survived without any damage while on the 1dx I had to replace the whole back panel.
From my use case I can say that I trust the 5d or r5 series equally regarding resistance to outside damage.
So I don’t believe that they could not made a body with a optional grip and the same level of build quality as 1dx series. And I never understood the people that would not like to have the option of choosing to have a grip attached or not attached especially cause at least regarding the 5d if you attach the grip ergonomically there is no difference compared to 1d series. To me personally r3 would be more interesting as a camera if it had a body without a integrated grip. With the r5 or r6 I can just decide depending on the project will I put the grip cause of the long lenses, or remove it cause I need to hike 25 km to the location and think about every gram of my equipment.
And Sony actually showed that the size does not have to be a limitation for the a amount of technology you an fit into a camera.
Your comment about hiking with a 1Dx is spot on and may very well temper some user's judgement about whether an R3 with integrated battery grip will work for them. I still want one, but would not be using an R3 when hiking. Heck, I wouldn't even use an R5/R6 sans grip because the bigger the cam the less mobile you are and the bigger size bodies are very difficult to protect while hiking and easily sustain damage. That is why, while not as capable, I still opt for an M50 size camera when on the trail, protected by a small Peak Design rain jacket. If it gets ruined, at least I'm only out $5-600.00 + the cost of whatever lens I might be using. In all my yrs of hiking and trail maintenance, I know of not one photographer packing a 1Dx size camera or a body with grip attached, DSLR or Mirrorless. Too big, too heavy and too expensive for trail work. I agree that I would have preferred the R3 to have optional rather than integrated grip capability but maybe Canon's reasoning here is to include necessary 4 and 8k cooling capabilities, something a larger body could accommodate. I'm anxious to see the R3 specs and pricing before making a final decision.
 
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tapanit

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Your comment about hiking with a 1Dx is spot on and may very well temper some user's judgement about whether an R3 with integrated battery grip will work for them. I still want one, but would not be using an R3 when hiking. Heck, I wouldn't even use an R5/R6 sans grip because the bigger the cam the less mobile you are and the bigger size bodies are very difficult to protect while hiking and easily sustain damage. That is why, while not as capable, I still opt for an M50 size camera when on the trail, protected by a small Peak Design rain jacket. If it gets ruined, at least I'm only out $5-600.00 + the cost of whatever lens I might be using. In all my yrs of hiking and trail maintenance, I know of not one photographer packing a 1Dx size camera or a body with grip attached, DSLR or Mirrorless. Too big, too heavy and too expensive for trail work. I agree that I would have preferred the R3 to have optional rather than integrated grip capability but maybe Canon's reasoning here is to include necessary 4 and 8k cooling capabilities, something a larger body could accommodate. I'm anxious to see the R3 specs and pricing before making a final decision.
Yes. I do moderately hard hikes (up to a week alone in the wilderness) and I've found 5 series is as big as I want to carry. Even when I've had a vertical grip, I've left it at home when going hiking, and nowadays I don't bother with the grip at all, convenient though it sometimes is.

That said, I might still consider getting an R3, keeping the R5 (or its successor, or something even smaller) as a hiking body.
 
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markko

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Someone earlier posted a size comparison between the R3 and the 1DX iii in which the R3 looked noticeably smaller, but trying to line up the mount between the R3 and R5, the R3 is considerably larger and seems like it would be just as big as the 1DX

I placed the 1DX3, R3, and R5 on top of each other and aligned them based on the inside of the mount. The R3 is larger than the R5, but the 1DX is also larger than the R3:

r3-r5-1dx.jpg
 
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