Canon EOS R3

For what is still notionally a ‘new’ camera, the EOS R3 seems to have been around for ages. Canon first revealed it was under development in April 2021, and formally released it in September. But the firm has struggled to keep up with demand, and most retailers still list the EOS R3 as being ‘pre-order’. Likewise, while I was able to try out a preproduction camera in October, it’s taken until now to get my hands on a fully reviewable sample.

To recap, the EOS R3 is Canon’s super-fast action-focused full-frame mirrorless camera. It’s capable of shooting at 30 frames per second in full resolution raw, and can record 6K raw video at 60 frames per second. But arguably its most exciting feature is a new twist on an old Canon technology, eye-control focus. This means the camera can detect what the user is looking at in the viewfinder, and then autofocus on it. This futuristic-sounding feature was found on several of the firm’s film SLRs in the 1990s, but the big difference is that it now works with subject-recognition technology.

With a body-only price of £5,879, the EOS R3 clearly isn’t aimed at the average enthusiast. Instead, it’s designed for professional sports and news photographers who demand speed and reliability along with rugged build and intuitive operation. At this price, it exists in the same rarefied space in the pro market as the Sony Alpha 1 and Nikon Z 9. It’s perhaps less of an all-rounder, but its remarkable speed and autofocus system make it an extremely impressive offering, nonetheless.