Canon is announcing the EOS R6 Mark III camera, its latest jack-of-all-trades full-frame mirrorless model for both stills and video. The new camera has a 32.5-megapixel sensor, improved autofocus, up to 7K video recording, and a new dual-card arrangement with a faster CFexpress Type B slot. It’s set to launch November 25th and will sell body-only for $2,799 as well as in kits with the RF 24-105mm STM lens or RF 24-105mm L lens for $3,149 and $4,049, respectively.
The R6 line is aimed at a wider set of users who may not need the higher 45 megapixels of the pricier EOS R5 Mark II or want to spend well over $4,000 for the body alone. But the R6 Mark III seems no slouch now that it’s upping the res from 24 megapixels in the last-gen model to 32.5 megapixels. The Mark III can also capture higher-quality video up to 4K / 120p and 7K / 60p RAW, including support for full corner-to-corner open gate filming for extra cropping flexibility.
There are more gamma settings on offer as well, with Canon’s Log 2 mode and custom looks. But some of the most helpful functional changes for video shooters may be the inclusion of a tally lamp to make it obvious from afar when you’re filming and the move from a Micro HDMI port to a full-size Type A HDMI. As for the new camera’s autofocus system, you can now register a person’s face to ensure it prioritizes them when continuously tracking.
One change that may polarize some is Canon’s move from dual SD card slots on the R6 Mark II to an asymmetrical setup on the Mark III, with one CFexpress Type B and one SD. CFexpress can achieve faster speeds, and that’s likely in part responsible for the R6 Mark III’s ability to capture longer bursts of images while maintaining the same shooting speeds as the last-gen model (12 fps with the mechanical shutter or 40 fps electronic), even at its higher resolution. But CFexpress cards typically cost more, and managing multiple card formats is more cumbersome. Unlike CFexpress Type A, Type B card slots can’t be set up to also take an SD card — like you find in Sony cameras with their combo slots.
Launching alongside the EOS R6 Mark III, Canon has an interesting new lens: the RF 45mm f/1.2 STM. It’s a compact standard prime lens with a very bright maximum aperture for capturing shots in low light and with very shallow depth of field. It’s also one of the most affordable f/1.2 lenses I’ve ever heard of, priced at $469.99 and estimated to ship in early December. Full-frame-compatible autofocusing lenses with f/1.2 apertures usually run well north of $1,500, even from third parties like Sigma, so seeing one from Canon for under $500 is pretty wild.
It’s not an L lens, though, so it isn’t weather sealed, and you’ll have to pay an additional $59.99 for a lens hood. And while being briefed on it, Canon USA representative Drew MacCallum described the lens as not being for the most scrupulous of pixel peepers, due to its reliance on some in-camera corrections to support its image rendering and help compensate for its lower cost. Regardless, as someone whose favorite lens is a Sony FE 50mm f/1.2, I’d love to see affordable f/1.2 lenses become a trend.
