Canon Hong Kong confirms September 14, 2021 announcement date for the Canon EOS R3

[Atlasman]

If this is free from any overheating issues and comes in at $4500, I’ll preorder. At $6600 I think this will be a hard pass. I’m actually not loving a larger body. Size/weight was one of the reasons I sold my 1DXMK2. Cameras that large are only carried deliberately… never casually; Many will try, but in the end they will start to leave it behind.

This camera needs to be priced attractively to be a winner.

Especially if Sony releases an A9III—a battle of the form-factors!

 

[neuroanatomist]

I'd be leaning that way, as well. Close to $6k wouldn't surprise me, at all, especially after seeing lens prices raised recently. If priced too high, they can always come down if there is market resistance.

My guess was (and remains) $6200-6400. I won't complain if it's cheaper, of course. But given that they just bumped RF lens prices, given the chip shortages (whether or not chips were sourced before that, it's a reason to charge more), and given the target market, a price close to that of the 1D X III will not surprise me (nor will it deter me).

 

[muentzer]

They can launch all the want, its all about price.

For me, it’s all about availability.

So true. I ordered the 100-500 and preordered the 100 Macro and the 14-35. I am waiting for months now. I do not need any more announcements for gear that won't be available anytime soon.

 

[HotPixels]

Especially if Sony releases an A9III—a battle of the form-factors!

There's this false competition between brands that we also see debated in forums.

Most invested in a brand will not switch. It's too expensive, too much hassle. And you lose the advantage of the experience you have acquired learning your current system.

This competition matters more to reviewers, who get to review all of the equipment from all brands, and so the competition narrative makes it more interesting for them and attracts more views/reads, etc, mostly from people who won't ever use the equipment and are kind of like spectators in a sports game.

But there is no Sony A9III and likely not to be for a while. Sony had to stop production on their popular A7SIII due to the chip shortage. I know one guy who would buy one if he could find one. They are still having problems meeting demand for their A1. Their next likely release is the A7 IV. They have no bandwidth for an a9III at this point and it wouldn't make much sense. Why compete against their higher priced A1, which they can't make enough of?

The a9III rumor was rated as a long shot even by SAR. So let's get rid of that notion.

If Canon says that the 1DXIII is still their flagship, then they almost have to price it lower than that model. Now how much lower we will see. But it won't make much sense for Canon to still proclaim that their 1DXIII is their flagship but have the R3 priced higher.

 

[rbielefeld]

My guess was (and remains) $6200-6400. I won't complain if it's cheaper, of course. But given that they just bumped RF lens prices, given the chip shortages (whether or not chips were sourced before that, it's a reason to charge more), and given the target market, a price close to that of the 1D X III will not surprise me (nor will it deter me).

Hmm, a Canon R3 at $6400 or a Sony a9II+battery grip+200-600mm for $6400? If I did not already own the Sony a9II and 200-600, and knowing how good a camera and lens combo it is, I would be hard pressed to pick the Canon R3. Now maybe the Canon R3 will have more mp then 24, and/or the AF is just so much better that is blows the a9II out of the water. We shall see given inflation, chip shortages, and supply line issues. But, to me, $6400 seems a bit out of line given the information currently on hand regarding the R3 and the offerings of competitors.

 

[HotPixels]

Hmm, a Canon R3 at $6400 or a Sony a9II+battery grip+200-600mm for $6400? If I did not already own the Sony a9II and 200-600, and knowing how good a camera and lens combo it is, I would be hard pressed to pick the Canon R3. Now maybe the Canon R3 will have more mp then 24, and/or the AF is just so much better that is blows the a9II out of the water. We shall see given inflation, chip shortages, and supply line issues. But, to me, $6400 seems a bit out of line given the information currently on hand regarding the R3 and the offerings of competitors.

The Canon pro body is far more durable and reliable than a Sony. No contest. That counts for something, esp if one does a lot of shooting in challenging conditions.

Plus many prefer the larger body style for ergonomics and handling, especially with longer lenses.

 

[neuroanatomist]

So true. I ordered the 100-500 and preordered the 100 Macro and the 14-35. I am waiting for months now. I do not need any more announcements for gear that won't be available anytime soon.

Timing is everything...well, retailer helps, too. I ordered my 100-500 on August 15th, had it in my hands on August 25th.

 

[canonmike]

My guess was (and remains) $6200-6400. I won't complain if it's cheaper, of course. But given that they just bumped RF lens prices, given the chip shortages (whether or not chips were sourced before that, it's a reason to charge more), and given the target market, a price close to that of the 1D X III will not surprise me (nor will it deter me).

Yes, neuroanatomist, we know you're committed to buying the R3, no matter the cost. You've made that quite clear in many of your posts. It's your money and that's your prerogative. You are a perfect Canon buyer and they, no doubt love you. Some of the rest of us however, have a ceiling, whatever that might be, once exceeded, that may cause us to just say no thanks. There are many people out there that are perfectly willing to pay over MSRP for a new car, just so they can be the first car enthusiast to own one and that's okay. I just don't happen to be one of them. There are many good arguments for both viewpoints. It's all in one's perspective, wants, needs, budgetary constraints, if any, etc. By gosh, if you want to buy the camera for me, I'll take it, no matter the cost. Since, however, that's not going to happen and I will have to take out my own bill fold to pay for it, I may just be a little more selective before pulling out the plastic from MY billfold. In any case, good luck with your new R3 purchase and I hope you don't have to wait long to get it, once announced and pre-orders become available from your merchant of choice. I've always had great respect for the first adopters that step up to the plate and break ground for the rest of us. Personally, I'm tired of all the dangling carrots. Just show me the baby, whatever the MP's, whatever the price, whatever the whatever.

 

[neuroanatomist]

There's this false competition between brands that we also see debated in forums.

Most invested in a brand will not switch. It's too expensive, too much hassle. And you lose the advantage of the experience you have acquired learning your current system.

^^ This.

There are a (relative) few people who switch systems from time to time or run multiple systems. Sometimes agencies switch, but that's a financial decision with the change forced on photographers (and not welcomed by most, because really who likes change being forced on them?).

Most people stay in-brand.

 

[LSXPhotog]

This may be the most cryptic new product announcement for a Canon camera yet. I wonder why Canon still hasn’t confirmed the resolution. It makes me wonder what’s going on here, is there something clever going on they want to protect? Are they also quadrupling pixels for increased resolution like we saw on the Mavic Air 2, which was really a 12mp sensor that could fudge its way rather convincingly to 47mp? That tech was new then and has also been seen in phones, but never with a large sensor stacked BSI sensor - it could be very interesting. One of CR’s sources said the camera had a resolution trick up its sleeve, my mind immediately went to this. Or did we see stills from a crop mode? Perhaps an APS-H crop mode?

The fact of the matter is this: at 24mp, Canon cannot launch this camera against the high resolution Z9 and A1, which will be priced in the $6500 territory. At 24mp, it has to be priced competitively with the A9II, which is the $4500-5400 mark. I truly believe that if Canon puts the R3 up in price against the A1 and Z9 it will be a failure for them. And truth be told, I’m not keen on spending over $6000 on a 24mp sensor camera again after doing it for the 1DXII in 2016. The R5 easily replaced that camera for me in 2020.

I guess we’ll know in 1 week if any of this is true. My prediction is honestly no super resolution ability and a price of $6000. In which case I will likely pass on this in favor of a second R5 body I’ll send out to be video modded.

 

[unfocused]

...Most invested in a brand will not switch. It's too expensive, too much hassle. And you lose the advantage of the experience you have acquired learning your current system...

This. I never even look at other brands. I have too much invested in Canon and have no desire to change for what would no doubt be a few incremental differences with inevitable trade offs.

 

[neuroanatomist]

Yes, neuroanatomist, we know you're committed to buying the R3, no matter the cost. You've made that quite clear in many of your posts. It's your money and that's your prerogative. You are a perfect Canon buyer and they, no doubt love you. Some of the rest of us however, have a ceiling, whatever that might be, once exceeded, that may cause us to just say no thanks.

Of course! And not 'no matter the cost'. If the R3 comes in at >$8K, unlikely as that may be, I'd pass. More than $7K, I'd likely wait a while. Not about budget, but about value for cost.

 

[degos]

Most people stay in-brand.

Normally yes, but the RF system is essentially a new brand. Sure you can use your old EF lenses but they'll be out of support in seven or fewer years.

 

[unfocused]

This may be the most cryptic new product announcement for a Canon camera yet. I wonder why Canon still hasn’t confirmed the resolution....

I don't recall Canon ever confirming a resolution before release. I'd like to be proven wrong. Can you do that?

 

[neuroanatomist]

The fact of the matter is this: at 24mp, Canon cannot launch this camera against the high resolution Z9 and A1, which will be priced in the $6500 territory. At 24mp, it has to be priced competitively with the A9II, which is the $4500-5400 mark. I truly believe that if Canon puts the R3 up in price against the A1 and Z9 it will be a failure for them. And truth be told, I’m not keen on spending over $6000 on a 24mp sensor camera again after doing it for the 1DXII in 2016. The R5 easily replaced that camera for me in 2020.

Interesting that you say Canon has to compete with Nikon and Sony, but in the next sentence you say that if the R3 is priced too high, you'll just buy another R5. Canon will still get our money, albeit a bit less of it.

That illustrates 'the facts of the matter' rather clearly. Contrary to your statement, Canon isn't competing with Nikon and Sony. They are trying to attract current Canon users (who comprise the majority of ILC users) to buy the R3.

 

[neuroanatomist]

Normally yes, but the RF system is essentially a new brand. Sure you can use your old EF lenses but they'll be out of support in seven or fewer years.

Will my 7 Canon flashes become obsolete? Will the menu interface change? Will the zoom direction of the lenses change?

No, it's not a new brand.

 

[FrenchFry]

Interesting that you say Canon has to compete with Nikon and Sony, but in the next sentence you say that if the R3 is priced too high, you'll just buy another R5. Canon will still get our money, albeit a bit less of it.

That illustrates 'the facts of the matter' rather clearly. Contrary to your statement, Canon isn't competing with Nikon and Sony. They are trying to attract current Canon users (who comprise the majority of ILC users) to buy the R3.

I agree that Canon is probably mostly targeting the existing Canon market with this body. I suspect that some of the people Canon is trying to attract the most with the R3 are Canon DSLR users who have not ventured into mirrorless yet. Think of the untapped RF lens sale potential from those users!
With a high MP R1, Canon may try to win over Sony and Nikon customers. But for now, the A1/Z9 will outperform the R3 in some key specs, so it's unlikely to eat into the Sony/Nikon market share as much as something more unique and revolutionary.

 

[canonmike]

Of course! And not 'no matter the cost'. If the R3 comes in at >$8K, unlikely as that may be, I'd pass. More than $7K, I'd likely wait a while. Not about budget, but about value for cost.

Good clarification. In my case, waiting a few days doesn't really matter. I need to see the pre-order price and the official specs, first, so I can make an informed decision. I so hope that I am amazed at the mind blowing specs, no sarcasm intended and the unbelievable low price. Ok, Canon, you've thrown all this hype out there. We're waiting with pockets bulging, mouths drooling, hungry beyond belief for real reviews. Throw out those damn NDA's, bring it on. Let your ambassadors show it to us, so your naysayers can pick it apart. We want to see it. We're waiting......

 

[melgross]

September 14th isn’t going to be the best day for an announcement if they want significant news coverage. That’s the day Apple has announced for their phone and watch (plus whatever else) presentation.

 

[Deleted member 381342]

Not anywhere I can find, of course Grey imports cheaper but not what I’d buy. Can’t see R3 below £5500 though.

I would not quote a grey import.