The Canon EOS R3 has finally rolled out of the garage where it's been hiding for 6 months, and the specs confirm it's the fast, powerful F1 car of mirrorless cameras. But this brilliant showcase of Canon's latest camera technology, as impressive as it is, also shows that Canon is still catching up with its main competitor in the Manufacturers Tournament: Sony. Engineers at Sony have been playing with mirrorless games for much longer than Canon. And that experience, coupled with its extensive R&D power, means that in key business areas—sensors, EVFs, video, even next-generation obstructions—its cameras have already led the way in most technology out there. go on the EOS R3.
(Image credit: Canon) What Sony cameras haven't done yet is squeeze all that goodness into a DSLR-style body that pro athletes and wildlife shooters are going to learn to want Lewis Hamilton in a Go. Kart etc. This is where the Canon EOS R3 really shines. Not only does it sit somewhere between the Canon EOS R5 and the Canon 1D X Mark III, but it combines the best of both cameras in what is arguably one of the best professional cameras around. But while features like a new stacked sensor make it a technological edge in the Canon stable, it's still a game of catching up rather than some awesome overtaking manoeuvre.
Stacked Actions
In many ways, the Canon EOS R3 is the most advanced camera ever developed for professional sports and wildlife photographers. It's blazingly fast (as fast as the Sony A1, on paper, thanks to that 1fps raw burst shooting mode) and comes in a form factor that was forged in an era where Sony's Y-mount also it still had its L plates. But its advantages over cameras like the Sony A9 and Sony A3 II stem more from its heritage than from its cutting-edge camera technology. The big tech story is that the EOS RXNUMX is the first Canon camera to feature a stacked full-frame sensor, delivering the precise readout speeds to pull off wacky feats like that raw thirty fps streak mode.
(Image credit: Canon) Still, it was Sony that led the way here and has been improving its stacked full-frame sensors for more than a couple of years. Hence, it could come out of nowhere, as well as one of the best kept secrets in all consumer technology, with the Sony A1 in the first month of the current year. This camera is the kind of uncompromising all-rounder we've never seen before, though this approach ironically leads to compromises on a practical level (like its cost, for example). But it was undoubtedly an asset that swiped some of the thunder from the Canon EOS R3.
Panoramic view
Sony hasn't just established technology leadership in sensors, either. One interesting feature of the Canon EOS R3 is that it has exactly the same electronic viewfinder (EVF) specifications as the multi-purpose Canon EOS R5. At first glance, that's okay, given the fact that the EOS R5's EVF is such a cool 1 million-dot OLED offering with a 1 fps refresh rate, that our review could barely tell it apart from sights. real optics found on traditional digital SLRs. Still so, the Sony AXNUMX took professional electronic viewfinders to the next level already in the first month of the year with an incredible XNUMX million pixel viewfinder with a XNUMX fps refresh rate. This refresh rate is especially essential for sports and wildlife photography, as it affects the smoothness of movement in the viewfinder. Image XNUMX of two
(Image credit: Canon) Image two of two
(Image credit: Canon) Interestingly, a teardown of the Canon EOS R5 last year seemed to reveal that its viewfinder, exactly the same as the one on the Canon EOS R3, is a module made by Sony. Does that explain why Canon couldn't match the EVF of the Sony A1 in their mirrorless pro action camera? Perhaps, but if anything, the viewfinder is a vital feature for sports photographers, especially those switching from DSLRs. And like the sensors, Sony is ahead here, at least on paper. As Canon told us in the first month of 3, when it comes to viewfinders, cameras without a mirror "can never be as fast as a digital SLR" because the optical viewfinder of a digital SLR runs at the speed of the light. Canon has added an "OVF Simulation" mode to the EOS RXNUMX, which lets you see outside the frame to get ahead of the action and make the transition easier for DSLR users. But there's no doubt that Sony still holds the bar high when it comes to mirrorless electronic viewfinders.
Renewed concentration
Of course, being the first to use new technology doesn't always translate into better cameras, and Canon doesn't really catch up in every way with the EOS R3. No camera in history has given you more control over its autofocus. The EOS R3 combines a touch screen, traditional knurled AF joysticks, the 1D X Mark III's speedy intelligent monitor (think an upside-down computer mouse) and Canon's new incarnation of its Eye Control AF system. Image 1 of two
(Image credit: Canon) Image two of two
(Image credit: Canon) The latter is unique to Canon and follows the movement of your eye to move the autofocus point to the side you're looking at. This does give practical benefits for acquiring focus, but there are also quite a few calibration circles to go through (as much for your eyes for local lighting conditions) and it also may not work as well. Good for those who wear glasses or contact lenses. Canon has also largely caught up with Sony when it comes to tracking autofocus technology, with the EOS R3 refining the algorithms for its people and animal AF and adding a new one for cars as well. Although we've seen the latter on the Olympus OM-D Y-M1X before, the EOS R3's perfect mode is impressively advanced, still letting you select to prioritize the driver's helmet (on open-top cars like F1 cars) or the own service vehicle.
(Image credit: Canon) The EOS R3 is also probably the mirrorless leader in waterproofing. While the Sony A1 claims to offer an "improved" weatherproof seal over its other mirrorless cameras, the EOS R3 matches the waterproofing of the rugged 1D X Mark III DSLR. Canon also leads the way when it comes to in-body image stabilization, which is useful for preserving handheld image and video quality. With compatible lenses, you'll get up to 8 stops of stabilization on the EOS R3, which is best-in-class on paper.
Grand Master
But despite the Canon EOS R3's impressive list of features, Sony arguably remains the technology leader in truly key areas. The EOS R3 breaks free of Canon's traditional video shooting restrictions (claiming to keep shooting at standard frame rates for 6 hours) and its ability to record 6K raw video internally is impressive. However, with cameras like the Sony A1 and Sony A7S III (not to mention the Sony Airpeak drone), its rival continues to set the standard for professional video recorders, and new competition is coming with the Nikon Z9 from. 8K. With the EOS R5's early overheating issues in mind, we're also excited to see how the EOS R3 fares in this department.
(Image credit: Canon) Sony's advancement in mirrorless cameras also continues to give it a slight edge over lenses, depending on what you like to shoot. Canon's RF system is now impressively mature, though only half of them are currently available for purchase, and today's announcement of the Canon RF 400-16mm f/8-5 IS USM and Canon RF 135mm f/XNUMX STM served as some of the affordable options for non-professionals. However, Sony's XNUMX-year profit in making lenses for mirrorless cameras, with its extensive third-party support from Sigma, Tamron and Zeiss, has given its Y-mount system unparalleled amount too. Plurality at each and every cost, as attractive specialty options. such as the Sony FE XNUMXmm f/XNUMX G Master purpose and other “G Master” lenses.
(Image credit: Canon)
Awards race
None of this is to say that the Canon EOS R3 isn't an incredible camera: it offers a unique combination of retro DSLR-style handling and awesome mirrorless power. And we can still see a Canon EOS R1 take an unexpected leap in the same vein as the Sony A1. But the EOS R3 also shows that Sony is still one step ahead in the most important areas of full-frame technology, including stacked sensors, streak shooting, viewfinders, multifunction shoes and more. (To a lesser extent) the choice of objective. . The good thing for camera enthusiasts is that Canon has just proven that it is perfectly capable of holding its own with its main competitor. As an F1 car in camera form (and also one whose autofocus can track F1 cars), the Canon EOS R3 is the fastest of the speed fans, and the ultimate winners are going to be photographers and filmmakers.