All product photography by DPReview

The Canon EOS R3 is the company’s first high-end mirrorless camera designed for sports, wildlife and photojournalism. It’s a full-frame 24MP camera built around the ‘RF’ lens mount, and in many respects, it appears to be a flagship camera other than the lack of ‘1’ in its name.

The EOS R3 is built around a Stacked CMOS sensor, which delivers fast readout for rapid shooting, responsive autofocus and low rolling-shutter video, but it also includes a host of innovative features, including the return of Canon’s Eye Control autofocus system, last seen in film SLRs of the late 90s and early 2000s.

Canon EOS R3 key specifications

  • 24MP Stacked CMOS Dual Pixel AF sensor
  • 30 fps E-shutter (w/ full 14-bit Raw)
  • 5.69M-dot EVF with Eye Control AF
  • No EVF blackout in e-shutter mode
  • OVF simulation mode that exploits HDR viewfinder
  • E-shutter with flash sync up to 1/180 sec
  • Truer-to-life PQ HDR capture as 10-bit HEIF files
  • Dual Pixel AF with improved subject recognition
  • AF rated as working down to -7.5EV (with F1.2 lens)
  • CFexpress Type B and UHS-II SD slots
  • DCI or UHD 4K video at up to 120p, oversampled up to 60p
  • Raw video or 10-bit C-Log3 video capture
  • Ethernet, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth communication

The Canon EOS R3 will be available from November 2021 at a recommended price of $6000.


What’s new & how it compares

We’ve taken a close look at the EOS R3’s new features, from its sensor to its Eye Control AF system. Click through to get under the skin of Canon’s pro-grade mirrorless

Body and handling

The EOS R3’s body is a mix of classic EOS-1D ergonomics with a sprinkling of R-series design. Take a closer look.

Initial impressions

The EOS R3 is the most powerful mirrorless camera from Canon so far. That remains true even if you don’t use Eye Control AF, but it’s the feature that most grabbed our attention.

Sample gallery

We got the chance to test the R3’s sporting prowess by shooting some soccer and trying the animal detection function at a local zoo. See how the R3 acquitted itself in our 77 image sample gallery.