Canon has revealed additional details of its upcoming EOS R3 professional camera along with a set of new images. The company states that the camera will feature a vari-angle rear LCD and offer a host of video features. Photos of the rear of the camera also reveal a very large viewfinder eyecup.
While Canon still has not revealed pricing or availability for the impending camera, it has published new information on how the camera can be expected to function. Additionally, the company published a set of images of the camera with and without RF lenses attached.
First, the R3 will offer what Canon is describing as “enhanced autofocus performance” and tracking capabilities that are bolstered by Deep Learning technology. Because of this, it will be able to better track faces, eyes, heads, and animals but will also offer what the company calls “vehicle subject recognition” that will allow it to track cars and motorcycles. Canon says this new feature will make it ideal for photographers who are attempting to photograph fast-moving motorsports.
Canon also adds that the camera will be able to operate its autofocus in extremely low lighting conditions down to EV -7. On top of that, the camera also will have up to eight stops of image stabilization through a combination of on-sensor stabilization and optical stabilization with RF lenses that feature optical image stabilization.
The Canon EOS R3 will be able to operate Canon Speedlites while using the electronic shutter.
Canon also has elaborated on the video capabilities of the R3. It will be able to shoot oversampled 4K video with Canon Log 3 support as well as record RAW video internally.
Speaking of recording internally, Canon has revealed that the R3 will come outfitted with one CFexpress card slot and one SD card slot. While the company stopped short of specifying which CFexpress format it would use in the R3, it hinted that it seemed unlikely that the company would deviate from formats it already uses, signaling that it will likely use the Type B format instead of the Type A format that Sony has been favoring.
The R3 will also be powered by the same LP-E19 battery that currently operates the 1DX Mark III, which means photographers who already own the company’s flagship DSLR will be easily able to swap to the R3 when it becomes available and continue to use the same batteries and chargers they have become accustomed to.
Canon says that for “added flexibility” when it comes to high-speed image transfer, the R3 will have wired LAN and 5GHz WiFi capability built-in. Additionally, the camera will feature a new accessory shoe that the company says will provide it the ability to produce accessories in the future that take advantage of expanded data communication and power. This is likely similar to the Sony shoe that currently boasts similar capabilities.
The R3 will also be equipped with multi and smart controllers.
The vari-angle touchscreen is making its way to a full-size, integrated vertical grip camera for the first time in Canon’s history on the R3, as seen in the image below.
Also visible in the above image is the sizeable eye cup that surrounds the electronic viewfinder (EVF). As noted in its first development announcement, the Canon R3 will be the first digital mirrorless camera to feature Canon’s Eye-Control AF. In the dissection of a patent filing published last month, the details of how the company would integrate the feature into an EVF were revealed. The patent described a set of infrared lights (IR) that would surround the front of the EVF and bounce inwards towards an off-center sensor towards the front of the camera. The increased size of the eyecup is likely to make room for that array of IR lights.
In the brightened version of the image above, the actual electronic viewfinder is visible in the center of the large eyecup, which leaves considerable room around it for other technologies that could theoretically power its Eye-Control AF.
Canon states that it may provide additional updates on the R3 ahead of its official announcement, but did not give any indication of when the camera would officially come to market.
However, a search of the camera reveals a $6,000 price for the new flagship, though it is possible this is simply just a placeholder until the company makes its official pricing known.