Like A Shot CANON EOS R3
Apart from the near decade interval between the Nikon F – the camera that launched this category – and Canon’s cheekily designated F-1, the two brands have pretty much shadowed each other with the launches of their pro-level cameras. So it is with their respective first ‘proper’ pro mirrorless cameras, but as has happened over the last 50 years, both have come up with fairly different interpretations of the brief. OK, there’s commonality in the shared objectives of speed, capabilities, reliability and durability, but both have got there by different routes… particularly in terms of the execution and ergonomics.
As we’ve noted with Nikon’s Z 9, the primary objective with the Canon EOS R3 is not to win over converts from another brand, but to convince its current DSLR users to make the switch to mirrorless… and that’s arguably the greater challenge. To achieve this, Canon is using both a stick and a carrot. The stick is that its announced there won’t be a successor to the EOS-1D X Mark III so, put bluntly, you don’t have much of a choice here. The carrot is the EOS R3 and its leveraging of the key benefits of the mirrorless configuration.
As per Canon’s pro-level DSLRs, there’s an integrated vertical/battery grip that makes the R3 bulkier than all the previous RF-mount bodies, but it’s still significantly smaller and lighter than the 1D X III. The body-only weight is 822g alone – or 1,015g with the battery pack and a memory card, which is 425g lighter than the DSLR. The key size difference is in the height – 142.6mm for the R3 while the 1D X III is a full 25mm taller. Incidentally, the R3 is very close in size to Olympus’ OM-D E-M1X which, of course, is an M43 format camera, so Canon has done a great job in terms of making it as compact as it is.
The construction comprises a onepiece magnesium alloy chassis and covers with weather sealing to the same level as the 1D X III, but with the addition of insulation to enable shooting in subzero temperatures down to -10ºC.
Conveniently for converts from the DSLR, the R3 uses the same highcapacity, 10.8 volt, 2,700mAh LP-E19 lithium-ion battery pack as the 1D X III, which is good for around 620 shots when using the EVF and the camera is in its Power Saving mode. This can stretch to 860 shots when only using the LCD monitor. In-camera recharging and powering is possible via USB-C.
Stacked Up
On the inside, the R3’s sensor is Canon’s first backside-illuminated (BSI) fullframe CMOS imager that uses a stacked design to allow for a much faster data read-out. This configuration also reduces rolling shutter distortion and gives a blackout free viewfinder during high-speed shooting. It’s been designed and fabricated entirely in-house. Additionally, the faster scanning speed enables the flash sync speed when using the electronic shutter to be lifted to 1/180 second. However, unlike the Z 9, the EOS R3 retains a conventional mechanical shutter… so the traditionally more conservative Nikon has taken the brave pills here.
The stacked sensor design incorporates a second silicon chip behind the imaging layer that features bult-in integral memory (DRAM) – so the data can essentially be ‘marshalled’ prior to read-out to speed things up considerably – and also some data processing capabilities. The effective pixel count is 24.1 million (from 26.7MP in total) and an optical low-pass filter is retained. Canon’s latest Dual Pixel CMOS AF II is incorporated, so essentially every pixel is involved in autofocusing, giving full-frame coverage. The native sensitivity range is equivalent to ISO 100 to 102,400 with one-stop extensions down to ISO 50 and up to ISO 204,800.
Five-axis in-body image stabilisation is provided via sensor shifting, with Canon’s Co-ordinated Control IS – which combines IBIS and OIS – delivering up to eight stops of correction for camera shake, depending on the lens. However, the worst case scenario is still 6.5 stops of correction, and most offer between seven and eight stops.
The sensor is mated with Canon’s latest-generation DiG!C
