So, I want to talk about why I would not buy a Canon EOS R3 Full-Frame Mirrorless camera. However, before I get to that, lets talk about the camera.

And before I get to the camera, I want to apologize for not posting here more often. I am working on changing that, and an explanation on my absence. Let’s just say for now, I took a step back from sports photography for a little bit and was focusing on commercial and product photography, then Covid hit, and I basically have had to rebuild my photography business, and have branched out more to music and automotive photography. This spring I will be back into sports, alongs side music and cars. Okay, back to the camera.

The R3, is by far, one of the best, high performance, built for sports photography, and photojournalism cameras ever made. It Brough the quality of the EOS 1D series cameras, and basically combined it with a EOS R5 mirrorless camera creating the first “3” series camera, since the film EOS-3 launched back in 1998.

According to Canon, the EOS R3, which has been out since November of 2021, and according to many current users, the camera outperforms users expectations.

Let’s start with speed, which is important for photojournalists and sports photographers alike. 

Using the mechanical shutter, users will experience a 12 frames per second (FPS) performance. However, using the silent, electronic shutter, users will get up to 30 frames per second. (remember, unlike a Digital Single Lens Reflex, there is no mirror, so there is an option for either mechanical shutter, or an electronic shutter.) I find this super exciting. When I started film photography, I was using a Pentax K-1000, which was a single frame advance, and timing, and anticipation, was crucial. I quickly moved over to Minolta, and the Maxxum series of cameras, and used everything, from a 7000i, to a 9xi. I jumped to Canon when Minolta announced they were no longer going to release pro bodies, and of course after I made the jump, the released the Maxxum 9. However, I have always embraced the choice to jump to Canon.

30 frames a second, SILENT shutter intrigues me because, it opens the door for sports photography you have not been able to do sometimes. For example, shooting golfers on the tee during their entire swing. The sound of a mechanical shutter has always been a no-no. And 30 frames a second, while in my opinion, is awesome, it should almost negate the need for anticipation during baseball or softball on getting the coveted bat on ball image. With 8 frames per second, or even 12 to 14, you still have to anticipate. But with 30 FPS, go for it. 

However, I see with 30 FPS, a major drawback. During my film days, I would typically take a couple rolls of film with me to an event. A larger event, like state playoffs, or championship games, four to six rolls of film. The first college basketball game I shot with digital, I came back with over 2000 images, and that was with a Canon EOS 20D. With 30 FPS, I can see users coming back with 5,000 to 10,000 images, or more, just from one camera. So, using a 30 FPS setup, users should be very careful, not to over shoot, or they will be overwhelmed with images to sort through. Shooting for wire services, field editing, to tag images in camera, you can identify images to download quickly before you even get to the computer, therefore downloading select images to upload to wires quickly, then go through the bulk of images later. However, that quick of a FPS, should result in a lot more keeper images, instead of too soon, or just too late images. 

From what I have heard from R3 users, whether they are using RF mount lenses, or EF lenses with an adapter, (mainly L lenses, like the 70-200 F2.8 IS III, and 300mm F2.8 IS lenses) the cameras are quick focusing, and not only lock on the subject quickly, but hold focus very well while tracking moving objects. 

According to Canon, the buffer, with a high speed memory card, should be right around 195 images. Imagine shooting with a DSLR, and photographing a batter hitting the ball, and swing the camera around to get a double play attempt, only to have the FPS slow down, because your buffer is full… It looks like, and sounds like, not an issue with the R3.

But, I was starting to talk about focus speed. The R3, like most mirrorless cameras, has not only eye-detection focus (locking onto subjects eyes) but also vehicle-control. So, for motorsports photographers, this is very nice.

The EOS R3 has 1,053 autofocus points, Dual Pixel CMOS AF, that not only has Eye and Vehicle detection, but also face, head, and Animal detection. Head, also includes helmet detection, which is great for football, and hockey, as well as lacrosse.

The EOS 1S series, has always been a great low-light performer. However, the sample images, and images from other users, show that the R3 is even better. It has a ISO range from 100 to 102400, and is expandable to 2048001. Yes, 2 million. While there will be noise at these extreme levels, I remember pushing Kodak T-Max P3200 film to 6400 and shooting at F 1.8 in high school gyms. Posting to the web, social media, and prints up to 8×10, most should be able to shoot in high school gyms, or night football games, without having to use strobes or on camera flash. Plus (on the non-photojournalism side, like booster shooting, or shooting for parents), noise reduction has come a long way, and a sharp, correctly exposed image should clean up very nice in Adobe Lightroom with the AI DeNoise, Topaz, or the many other software options to clean up noise.

The image is coming from a back-illuminated, stacked, 24.1 megapixel CMOS sensor which is full framed. And, something that many users have been asking Canon to bring back, is eye-control focus. This was introduced in the EOS A2E film camera, continued in both the EOS Elan 7e, and the EOS-3, but has not made it to digital cameras, until now. Love it, or hate it, eye control focus is kind of need. Especially if you are focused on, lets say a quarterback, and suddenly he is going to hand off to a running back, and you look in the viewfinder from the QB to the RB, and focus automatically switches, cool. Probably a feature that many will find a gimmick, and not really use, but I view it as another tool that could come in handy.

Focusing with a slower shutter speed, for panning motorsports, runners, or skiers for example, will benefit from Panning Assist, which will use optical image stabilization and subject tracking to identify motion blur and correct it on the subject during the exposure leading to more keepers. Less trial and error.

Something kind of cool too is the Registered Person Priority. On the journalism side, I can see this in the political realm, I am not sure if it will be that great for sports, but, as an example the Canon uses, up to 10 people’s faces can be registered, allowing, say a wedding photographer, make sure that both the bride and groom are always tracked and in focus. Very cool. I guess, if you have the ability to set it up at a sporting event, if you are their shooting a specific player, registering them, and making sure they are in focus in each frame you take could be a game changer. I would have to physically try this myself for a true opinion.

I am not going to go into the video features here, I really don’t use my Canon cameras for video. The build quality is on the level of the Canon EOS 1D series, which is excellent. Very rugged and able to take day to day working abuse and weather demands.

Wedding photographers, wildlife photographers should also find this camera very exciting, and more than up to any task, but much like the EOS 1D series of cameras, might be overwhelming to hobby or beginning photographers.

But now, why I would not buy a Canon EOS R3. 

First, and foremost, the price. When announced, the R3 has a MSRP of $5999.99 USD. However, 3 years later, it is now $4999.99, and I have seen it on sale for $4499.99. However, this is just too much for most photographers to justify, especially if they have already purchased multiple 1D series cameras. If you are looking for a serious camera, but on a limited budget, you can get a used EOS 1DX Mark 1 or Mark 2 for around $1000, and there are plenty of used EF lenses, or older 3rd party lenses for much cheaper than RF lenses.

Second, the EF line of lenses. Compared to the RF offerings from Canon, there are many more EF lenses, for all situations. Fish Eye, ultra wides, to Super Telephoto, and the RF lenses that have come out, most EF equivalents are cheaper, as of right now. Yes, you can use the EF lenses on the RF bodies, but eventually, the RF lenses are going to be the way you will want to go. But, again, many photographers, myself included, have a large investment of money into EF glass, and will not drop $5k on a new camera and another $5K plus on lenses, unless they pay for themselves quickly.

Third, and this ties to the first reason, this is the R3. Not an EOS-R1. Rumors of the R1 have been out there, and as I am writing this, the 2024 Super Bowl just aired, and I would not be surprised if there were a couple advanced, testing copies of the R1 on the sidelines for the game. But when it is released, I expect it to have a MSRP of between $5999 and $6999. These price points could drop the R3 MSRP down even more than the current $4999, but the used market could end up being flooded with people selling their R3’s to fund a R1 purchase. I am totally fine purchasing used gear, so once the announcement comes, I may be ready to dive into an R3, but most likely, my jump into mirrorless will be with a Canon EOS R7 body to replace my third body EOS 7D Mark II.

I think the R3 is an incredible body, but unless I have a huge client coming in that pays a lot of money, or I book the entire summer with senior photos 5 days a week for three months, this is why I would not buy a Canon EOS R3, right now.