The long-rumored and anticipated Canon EOS R6 Mark III has finally been revealed, and it appears to be everything we expected it to be. That said, with the R6 Mark III, Canon is clearly targeting the Enthusiast and content creator market with a camera that places a strong emphasis on video recording, while also offering some improvements for photographers. Let’s jump right into the news.
Canon EOS R6 Mark III Features
- 32.5-megapixel full-frame sensor supporting up to 40fps electronic shutter shooting with 20 frames of pre-continuous shooting, and mechanical shutter/electronic first curtain at up to 12fps.
- CFexpress type B + SD card for improved hybrid shooting performance.
- Advanced video features include 7K 59.94p RAW Light recording, 4K 119.8p and Slow and Fast motion mode, and 7K 30p “Open Gate” video for increased vertical resolution, compositional flexibility, and post-production stabilization.
- Oversampled 4K 60p/30p recording (with 7K oversampling for 30p), Canon Log 2 with up to15 stops of dynamic range, waveform monitoring, Register People Priority and Focus Accel/Decel algorithms inspired by Cinema EOS C400 and C80 cameras for natural, professional autofocus behavior. As well as white balance and operational improvements when recording video.
The Promises of High Performance Within Reach
The sensor is a slight bump over the Mark 2. It also receives improvements to its autofocus system, which is brought over from the R5 Mark II and the R1. The autofocus upgrade enables the camera to detect People, Animals, and Vehicles, but unfortunately, it doesn’t include some of the Sports-specific tracking options found in the R1. This is truly a shame, as the Canon R6 III’s size would lend itself very well to run-and-gun sports photography, even if used as a second camera.
The next photography-specific upgrade found in the R6 III is the addition of Registered People Priority. This is a boon for event, news, and sports photographers, especially when photographing subjects in environments where there will be a large number of faces in your frame. During my review of the Canon EOS R5 Mark II, I found that Registered People Priority, along with the improved autofocusing capabilities of the R5 II made shooting a graduation easy as pie – keeping the camera focused on my intended subject throughout the event.
Lastly, also coming over from the EOS R1 is the continuous Pre-Shot mode, which has a lot of potential for birding and wildlife photography. If you’re a newbie like me, anything that will help increase your keeper rate is great, and this addition makes sense for its intended audience. In a lot of ways, the R6 III has hit a point where it makes a compelling argument against picking up the R5 II if you’re not a pro photographer.
An Unintended Innovation
I don’t want to come across as a cheapskate photographer or one unwilling to invest in their craft, but one of the most unintentional innovations of the Canon R6 III is the dramatic price reduction of the Canon R6 II. That’s right, the nearly four-year-old camera now seems like a much more appealing purchase – even new. As of this writing, a new Canon EOS R6 Mark II can be purchased for as little as $ 2,100 USD, and even less on the used market. That’s a great entry point for both enthusiasts and professionals starting out. A sub-$2000 camera leaves you with enough of a budget to pick up some of Canon’s great lenses, which, in my opinion, is the reason you stick around as a photographer. Sure, the 32.5-megapixel sensor is a significant bump up from the old 24-megapixel sensor, but for me, it just doesn’t feel like it’s worth the $800 difference. Instead, I would get a used R6 II and a new Canon RF 45 mm F1.2 STM, pocketing the nearly $600 difference.