Important Quirks and Features of the Canon EOS R3 For Cinematography

The Canon EOS R3 (Amazon, B&H) is the latest addition to Canon’s range of hybrid mirrorless cameras.

Canon has tried its best to reduce the size and weight of the camera making it better for run and gun shooting situations. If you like the look and the ergonomics of the Canon 1DX-Mark III, you will mostly love the R3.

In this article let’s look at a few important quirks and video features of the Canon EOS R3 for cinematography.

Here is the official video by Canon:

The Camera Sensor

Canon EOS R3 (Amazon, B&H) has a full-frame 36 mm x 24 mm CMOS sensor.

It also has the legendary dual pixel AF system, but with improved face and spot detection.

6K up to 60p. What do you really get?

The EOS R3 is capable of recording 6K DCI RAW video up to 60p.

• 6K DCI (6000 x 3164) in 12-bit RAW at 2600Mbps internally.
• You can also shoot in Compressed RAW for manageable data rates.
• Frame rates are 23.97 fps, 25 fps, 29.97 fps, 50 fps and 59.94 fps.
• The highest frame rate is in pixel binned 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) at 119.98 fps.
• The 4K DCI is oversampled from the 6K footage.
• Externally, the best quality you can only record is in 4K DCI at 60 fps in 10-bit 4:2:2.

ISO range and base ISO

The Canon EOS R3 (Amazon, B&H) has an ISO range of 100 to 25,600 (extendable up to 102,400), in Canon Log3. Theoretically, it seems like the R3 is a handy low light camera, though we’ll have to test it to know for sure how well it performs.

Recording Formats

The best bit rate the R3 offers is 2600 Mbps and will fill up a 64 GB card with around 4 minutes of 6K DCI RAW footage. That is one huge mountain of data you will have to manage if you ever plan to shoot a feature film in 6K.

If you want to record in Canon Log3, you will need to record in codecs which are variants of ALL-I MOV H.265.

Other 4K is recorded in ALL-I MOV H.264. You can shoot in 10-bit 4:2:2 in all modes.

What is the best format to record in the Canon EOS R3?

6K DCI RAW will provide you with the most flexibility and freedom in post-production. If the file sizes are too much for you to handle, then 4K DCI in Canon Log 3 in 10-bit 4:2:2 should suffice.

What is the best format to record externally in the Canon EOS R3?

The highest recording format that you can record externally is 4K 59.94p, 10-bit 4:2:2.

What is the crop factor in different resolutions?

Canon hasn’t officially mentioned anything about cropping, though if you go by the Canon 1DX Mark III you get something like this:

Does the Canon EOS R3 overheat while shooting in 6K?

While there is no official, definitive word on overheating by Canon, the Canon EOS R3 (Amazon, B&H) appears to overheat in 6K RAW. It might not be as bad as the Canon EOS R5, though we can only confirm this with confidence once we get our hands on the camera.

Memory Card Slots

The Canon EOS R3 (Amazon, B&H) has two memory card slots. One supports CFexpress Type B cards and the other supports UHS-II SD cards.

This is an odd choice by Canon as many professionals would prefer having dual card slots of the same type so that they can create backups on the go. I guess it’s one way for Canon to knock the R3 a peg so it can release an R1 later.

Image Stabilization of the Canon EOS R3

The Canon EOS R3 has an in-built 5-axis image stabilizer which can give up to 5 stops of image stabilization. This will also work in synergy with the IS in the lens and can possibly give you up to 8 stops of IS.

Exposure and Focus Tools

The Canon EOS R3 (Amazon, B&H) has zebra and histograms for exposure aid. This is pretty basic, and honestly underwhelming for their best mirrorless camera (so far). The majority of professionals at least need a waveform or an in-built false color tool.

In my opinion Canon messed up here. I hope it comes in a future firmware update, or if the R1 has it. That would be killer.

Does the Canon EOS R3 have in-built ND filters?

No, the Canon EOS R3 does not come with inbuilt ND filters. Another opportunity wasted for this price class.

How is the EVF on the Canon EOS R3?

The Canon EOS R3 (Amazon, B&H) has a 0.5 inch OLED color Electronic Viewfinder which has 5.76 million dots and 100% field coverage. The EVF supports Eye Control AF.

What is Eye Control AF in the Canon EOS R3?

Canon is re-introducing the Eye control AF with the Canon EOS R3 (Amazon, B&H). You can simply look at the subject through the EVF and half-press your shutter. The camera will lock on to the subject and keep it in focus until they exit the frame or you look at another subject.

But be aware, you will have to set up some focus points that you will be looking at repeatedly.

Right now, this technology seems to be exclusively for stills but we are expecting Canon to come up with a firmware update that will include Eye Control AF in movie mode as well.

However, it can turn out to be quite counterintuitive to use the Eye Control AF for filmmaking. You might look around the frame to see how the bokeh looks or is there anything funny in the background, you don’t necessarily want your camera to focus on that part of the frame.

How good is Canon EOS R3’s Autofocus?

If the marketing video is to be believed in its entirety, then this camera will be heaven-sent for sports and wildlife filmmakers. The Eye AF looks as precise as it can be, and the best Canon has delivered so far.

The Canon EOS R3 (Amazon, B&H) also detects bodies in motion, be it a motorcycle, a sportsperson or a bird soaring in the skies. Canon has made it possible for videographers to maintain focus on people wearing masks, helmets and any other face coverings.

We can only give you an honest opinion once we do get our hands on it, but I’d be surprised if the performance wasn’t world class.

What about the LCD of the Canon EOS R3?

You get a 3.2 inch LCD monitor with the Canon EOS R3. This screen is completely articulating and has a swivel of 360 degrees. This makes it a handy camera for vlogging (yeah right) or run and gun shoots, where you might need to monitor your shots from different angles.

Does the Canon EOS R3 have an SDI port?

The Canon EOS R3 (Amazon, B&H) only has an HDMI Type A output. It does not have an SDI port.

What are the audio input options for the Canon EOS R3?

The Canon EOS R3 only has a mic and a headphone input. This is yet another letdown for professional videographers. To record your audio, you are better off using a DM-E1D stereo microphone which you can attach to the Multi Interface Shoe.

What is the battery life of the Canon EOS R3?

With the Canon EOS R3 (Amazon, B&H), you get a rechargeable LP-E19 battery to power the camera. Canon has not mentioned the battery life for video work. Considering its similarity to the Canon EOS 1DX-Mark III, you can hope for a comparable battery life, which would be around 2 hours.

With 3 batteries, you should be able to get through an entire day.

Is the Canon EOS R3 weather sealed?

Canon claims to have added additional weather sealing to the Canon EOS R3 (Amazon, B&H). They boast this camera is built for professionals and “anything life throws at them.”

Who is the Canon EOS R3 for?

After looking at the specifications in great detail, the Canon EOS R3 (Amazon, B&H) will make sense to:

• Wildlife filmmakers
• High-end wedding filmmakers who need continuous run-time.
• Sports filmmakers
• Event videographers
• Documentary filmmakers
• Journalists

I hope you found this useful.

When we get our hands on the Canon EOS R3 we’ll take a more in-depth look, wolfcrow-style. We should also have a comparison article coming soon, comparing the R3 to the 1DX Mark III. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.