Going for a R3 in mid 2024, or wait for the R1?

Hey folks,

I‘m shooting weddings with an R5 for the last couple of years, but getting more and more tired of the overheating/slowing down of the camera, the Eye AF performance and honestly the file size bothers me too. I mainly focus on photography.

Now, I am considering switching to an R3, but with the R1 around the corner I am asking myself some questions.

  • Will the price of the R3 drop further after the R1 is announced? I have seen offers as low as 4,300€ (with tax) lately. The R1 surely will start with a asking price over 7,199€
  • I haven‘t seen any rumours about a R3 M2. Will there ever be one?
  • Is there any reason to spent as close as double the amount on the R1? I don‘t shot sports or wildlife at the moment.
  • Should I just wait until the official announcement?!

I read the R1 rumours, but they didn‘t got me excited at all.
 
Not sure anyone knows the answer to your questions. Further price drops seem at least somewhat likely after the R1 launches, which I suspect will be at US$6500 but time will tell.

Jury is out on an R3II, but given that the R1 seems to be cut from the same cloth, I suspect that means the R3 has served its purpose and the line will end.

Personally, I'd wait for the official announcement unless you need a new camera right now.
 
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Not sure anyone knows the answer to your questions. Further price drops seem at least somewhat likely after the R1 launches, which I suspect will be at US$6500 but time will tell.

Jury is out on an R3II, but given that the R1 seems to be cut from the same cloth, I suspect that means the R3 has served its purpose and the line will end.

Personally, I'd wait for the official announcement unless you need a new camera right now.
Yes, probably no one knows those answers. I can‘t imagine a R3 II side by side with the R1 as both seems to be in the same MP Range. I don‘t need it right now, but it‘s tempting. I guess, I‘ll wait at least till the end of June.


Also keep in mind that getting your hands on an R1 before 2025 is very unlikely.
Well, I hoped for a general availability for the Olympics or shortly after it. This could influence my decision big time.
 
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Newby (forum poster) here. I will say one thing I like about the R3 as I have 2, is the size and weight compared to the 1DX series. It looks like the R1 will be a larger body. Just my .02 for consideration.
 
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I‘m shooting weddings with an R5 for the last couple of years, but getting more and more tired of the overheating/slowing down of the camera, the Eye AF performance and honestly the file size bothers me too. I mainly focus on photography.
You might also want to wait for the specs to be released on the R5 II - which should be in the relatively near future as well. If you are generally happy with the profile etc of the R5, then I suspect the updated version may address some of the issues you seem to be experiencing. In a body smaller (and likely cheaper) than either the upcoming R1 or even a discounted R3.

The R5 II is also likely to be available in general release a lot earlier than the R1, as that seems to be a factor for you as well, although obviously we don't know when yet, and that's always subject to the Pre-ordering Game.
 
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Newby (forum poster) here. I will say one thing I like about the R3 as I have 2, is the size and weight compared to the 1DX series. It looks like the R1 will be a larger body. Just my .02 for consideration.
Weight has become more of a concern lately. I'm using the R5 with the Battery Grip, and it's getting heavy on a long shooting day, but I prefer the longer battery life and the vertical shooting experience. The R3 with its in-built battery grip is very tempting.

You might also want to wait for the specs to be released on the R5 II - which should be in the relatively near future as well. If you are generally happy with the profile etc of the R5, then I suspect the updated version may address some of the issues you seem to be experiencing. In a body smaller (and likely cheaper) than either the upcoming R1 or even a discounted R3.

The R5 II is also likely to be available in general release a lot earlier than the R1, as that seems to be a factor for you as well, although obviously we don't know when yet, and that's always subject to the Pre-ordering Game.
The R5 II was my natural first choice coming from the R5, but as I said, with the rising frustration I got pulled away from that idea.

The best case would be an imminent announcement of both the R1 and R5 II for my decision-making.
 
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Conidering the context you have given, I think the only point where you might feel let-down by an R3 is the Mp count vs the R5.
Since the R1 looks like it'll stay with the same 24MP count, waiting for an R1 won't make a difference.

Since you already shoot with a battery grip, I think you are going to really like the integrated vertical grip and the more powerful battery.
 
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Conidering the context you have given, I think the only point where you might feel let-down by an R3 is the Mp count vs the R5.
Since the R1 looks like it'll stay with the same 24MP count, waiting for an R1 won't make a difference.

Since you already shoot with a battery grip, I think you are going to really like the integrated vertical grip and the more powerful battery.
I think the 24MP would benefit my workflow due to smaller file sizes and I usually don’t do heavy crops on my weddings either. The only thing that would be make the R1 worth waiting would be a significant improvement in low light.

The recent rumours from today, that there might be more delays from Canon doesn‘t make it any better.
 
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I used to use R5+grip for events for years , with and R6 as backup until I added R3. Now I use R3 primary and R5 as backup for events.
Lower filesize (24mp) is great for events.
I frequently print 36x24 as well as 72in banners with no issues. If I know ahead of time if something will be printed at 72in, I will grab R5, but dont have any issues even if it is R3. Softwares these days will do an excellent job in upres.
I really enjoy the smaller file size of R3 when sorting and processing in computer
During the shoot, R3 is much easier to carry around in one hand. Much easier on your wrist.
R5+battery grip is heavier and the grip isnt as good as the built-in one from R3
Battery life of R5 with grip is essentially same as R3 battery life.
Another thing I like from R3 is the beautiful VF in it.
Eye control in R3 is helpful for group shots and other group activities if you can calibrate it. I have it on a custom button to enable/disable

Given it is $4K or less now, it is a great buy that will last us another 4 years without any issues .
R1, I am sure , will be better. But, will be almost double the price or atleast $2500 more.
if the price is your tax writeoff, then you should consider R1. If not or if you dont want to wait 6 months, R3 is not a bad choice either. You will enjoy either one.
hope this helps!
 
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Hey folks,

I‘m shooting weddings with an R5 for the last couple of years, but getting more and more tired of the overheating/slowing down of the camera, the Eye AF performance and honestly the file size bothers me too. I mainly focus on photography.

Now, I am considering switching to an R3, but with the R1 around the corner I am asking myself some questions.

  • Will the price of the R3 drop further after the R1 is announced? I have seen offers as low as 4,300€ (with tax) lately. The R1 surely will start with a asking price over 7,199€
  • I haven‘t seen any rumours about a R3 M2. Will there ever be one?
  • Is there any reason to spent as close as double the amount on the R1? I don‘t shot sports or wildlife at the moment.
  • Should I just wait until the official announcement?!

I read the R1 rumours, but they didn‘t got me excited at all.

I'm curious about the overheating / slowing down you mention. If you're only shooting photos, that sounds very strange. I never had that on my R5.

Also, after the whole fiasco with R5 overheating I don't see Canon repeating that mistake. Pretty sure R5mkII will have zero issues in that regard, or at least significantly improved heat dissipation performance. Considering that neither R1 nor R5mkII have even a release date, and so many Canon products being backordered, I'd say go for a used R3. They're pretty cheap and by now have lost most of their value, so you can always sell it later on.
 
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Hey folks,

I‘m shooting weddings with an R5 for the last couple of years, but getting more and more tired of the overheating/slowing down of the camera, the Eye AF performance and honestly the file size bothers me too. I mainly focus on photography.

Now, I am considering switching to an R3, but with the R1 around the corner I am asking myself some questions.
I don't understand where your problem with the R5 is. Everything you've described is more of a problem behind the camera and not the camera itself.
Anyone who buys a camera with 50MPixels needs to know that the images are larger than those of a 24MPixel camera. That's no secret. The R5 only gets warm when you shoot longer sections of film and this is nothing new. With normal still image photography, the R5 doesn't get any warmer than my EOS 5DM4, EOS 5Ds or the EOS R. The DSLMs use more power and this is due to the EVF. It also produces some heat. But it's not so much that it's noticeable.
I'm not a professional photographer, but every now and then I take photos of a wedding or a child's baptism. In church in particular, there's little light and the scene is actually always moving. My last baptism was just two weeks ago and the 250 or so pictures were all sharp and the AF worked very reliably. The pictures in the church were also very good - the eyes in particular were always sharp.
So I can't understand your criticism at all.
The R5 in particular makes photography very easy when you compare it with the 5DM4 or the R. I don't even use RF lenses, but EF lenses with the Canon adapter. This combination is certainly not ideal, but it is good enough to produce good pictures.
In the end, I would say that you chose the wrong camera for your photography. A body with less resolution would have been better. By the way, I'm wondering how you could photograph sharp eyes before the introduction of eye AF technology. Perhaps the secret is simply that the person behind the camera can't operate it properly. By the way, I mainly drive manual cars rather than automatic ones. So I can drive both types. I like the automatics but I can get by just fine without them. That's how I feel about photography. You don't necessarily have to be able to drive a manual car, but you should learn to take photos without automatic transmissions.
 
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I don't understand where your problem with the R5 is. Everything you've described is more of a problem behind the camera and not the camera itself.
Anyone who buys a camera with 50MPixels needs to know that the images are larger than those of a 24MPixel camera. That's no secret. The R5 only gets warm when you shoot longer sections of film and this is nothing new. With normal still image photography, the R5 doesn't get any warmer than my EOS 5DM4, EOS 5Ds or the EOS R. The DSLMs use more power and this is due to the EVF. It also produces some heat. But it's not so much that it's noticeable.
I'm not a professional photographer, but every now and then I take photos of a wedding or a child's baptism. In church in particular, there's little light and the scene is actually always moving. My last baptism was just two weeks ago and the 250 or so pictures were all sharp and the AF worked very reliably. The pictures in the church were also very good - the eyes in particular were always sharp.
So I can't understand your criticism at all.
The R5 in particular makes photography very easy when you compare it with the 5DM4 or the R. I don't even use RF lenses, but EF lenses with the Canon adapter. This combination is certainly not ideal, but it is good enough to produce good pictures.
In the end, I would say that you chose the wrong camera for your photography. A body with less resolution would have been better. By the way, I'm wondering how you could photograph sharp eyes before the introduction of eye AF technology. Perhaps the secret is simply that the person behind the camera can't operate it properly. By the way, I mainly drive manual cars rather than automatic ones. So I can drive both types. I like the automatics but I can get by just fine without them. That's how I feel about photography. You don't necessarily have to be able to drive a manual car, but you should learn to take photos without automatic transmissions.
Thank you. This site has been nutty the past month. Apparently all of sudden photographers coming out of woodwork to claim they can't get decent shots with an R5, R6, or R6 II. It's unreal. My hunch tells me loads of people jumped into mirrorless, and never bothered or learned to setup their cameras. Or assumed the camera would just do the work for them, which for the most part it does these days.
 
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Thank you. This site has been nutty the past month. Apparently all of sudden photographers coming out of woodwork to claim they can't get decent shots with an R5, R6, or R6 II. It's unreal. My hunch tells me loads of people jumped into mirrorless, and never bothered or learned to setup their cameras. Or assumed the camera would just do the work for them, which for the most part it does these days.
That's funny, because R5 has often felt SO easy to use. Way easier than ANY Canon camera I've ever used in the past 20 years. The autofocus performance alone is such a huge step up from the dSLR system it almost feels like no skills are required at all.
 
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Hey folks,

I‘m shooting weddings with an R5 for the last couple of years, but getting more and more tired of the overheating/slowing down of the camera, the Eye AF performance and honestly the file size bothers me too. I mainly focus on photography.

Now, I am considering switching to an R3, but with the R1 around the corner I am asking myself some questions.

  • Will the price of the R3 drop further after the R1 is announced? I have seen offers as low as 4,300€ (with tax) lately. The R1 surely will start with a asking price over 7,199€
  • I haven‘t seen any rumours about a R3 M2. Will there ever be one?
  • Is there any reason to spent as close as double the amount on the R1? I don‘t shot sports or wildlife at the moment.
  • Should I just wait until the official announcement?!

I read the R1 rumours, but they didn‘t got me excited at all.
Seems like a no-brainer. Get the R3. Refurbished for $4,049 US right now. Why wait?
 
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That's funny, because R5 has often felt SO easy to use. Way easier than ANY Canon camera I've ever used in the past 20 years. The autofocus performance alone is such a huge step up from the dSLR system it almost feels like no skills are required at all.
That's exactly how I feel! I honestly don't get where a lot of this is coming from.
 
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