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The Canon EOS R6 III is an excellent camera for nearly every type of photographer and is better than its impressive predecessor in many essential ways. But did Canon play it a bit too safe with its new enthusiast-oriented, photo-first camera? The Canon R6 III introduces some welcome improvements over the R6 II, even though most feel predictable. There is the newly developed 32.5-megapixel full-frame CMOS image sensor, which debuted in the Canon EOS C50 just a couple of months ago. There’s an upgraded Dual Pixel CMOS AF autofocus system that borrows from the Canon EOS R5 II and even the flagship R1, following Canon’s established pattern of trickling down its latest and greatest features from flagship to enthusiast models. There are also new video features and modes that help the R6 III keep pace with its competitors, Canon and non-Canon alike. Canon EOS R6 III Design and Handling: You’ve Held This Camera Before and Probably Liked It The Canon EOS R6 Mark III looks and feels a lot like the EOS R6 II, and that’s not a bad thing. Although how a camera feels is inherently subjective, for my money, the Canon R6 III is generally as pleasant to use as any other mid-range enthusiast-oriented mirrorless camera on the market. Canon takes camera usability very seriously, and that is immediately obvious when using the R6 III. The front grip feels fantastic, and the shutter release and vital exposure controls are all in convenient, easy-to-reach locations. I prefer shutter releases that are a bit higher on the camera body and have longer travel, but that’s a minor complaint and one other photographers may not share. Unlike some photographers, I never immediately jive with Canon’s command dial layout, but after using the R6 III for a bit, it felt like second nature again, as it always does. It’s distinctly Canon, which is great for longtime fans of the company’s cameras. It is worth considering these minor differences in how each company designs its cameras, because, frankly, the experience of using any particular camera is now one of the biggest differentiators between competitors, given that overall imaging performance is excellent across the board. The subjective qualities matter now as much as ever. The camera’s display setup is good, though it should be better. The EOS R6 III has the same 3.69-million-dot EVF as before and the same fully articulating 3-inch, 1.62-million dot touchscreen. These are fine and I like the articulating screen design a lot. However, it is hard not to look at the Nikon Z6 III’s super-bright, vibrant 5.76-million dot EVF and 3.2-inch 2.1-million dot LCD with envy. Now for the things that I unequivocally love about the EOS R6 III’s design and overall handling. The autofocus selector joystick is excellent and in a great spot for my hands. I also like the camera’s quick menu and overall menu structure, which are well organized and let me quickly adjust the settings I care about most. There are also some new things, even if they aren’t immediately apparent when picking up the camera. The R6 III gets Canon’s latest multi-function hot shoe, which debuted in the EOS R3 and introduces new circuitry to improve flash functionality, performance, and overall versatility. It still works with older Canon flashes, but its new electronics support new accessories, including fancy mics. The R6 III uses Canon’s newer LP-E6P battery, which is required for certain features and for optimal performance. The camera can still take the older batteries, but their use is not recommended. Finally, the R6 III ditches the R6 II’s dual SD card slots in favor of a much more performance CFexpress Type and UHS-II SD card setup. For those who want to take full advantage of the R6 III’s performance, including its 40 FPS continuous shooting, it is well worth getting a CFexpress Type B card. It’s a significantly faster and better format than SD cards. Despite employing essentially the same design as the R6 II, the new R6 III has also put on a bit of weight. It weighs 699 grams (1.54 pounds), up from approximately 670 grams (1.48 pounds). I’m hard-pressed to believe photographers will notice the extra ounce, though. Overall, the Canon EOS R6 III’s design and handling are very good. The camera feels familiar, which is a good thing. However, aspects of its design, namely its screens, are outdated in light of current competition. The R6 III will not be able to escape comparisons with the Nikon Z6 III and Sony a7 IV, and a higher-res EVF and a sharper rear screen would have really helped Canon’s newest camera stand out a bit more from a user experience perspective. Canon EOS R6 III Autofocus and Performance: Where Canon’s Newest Camera Shines While I dinged the R6 III for being a bit too much like the R6 II in terms of its displays, I am less willing to knock it for offering the same burst shooting speeds as its predecessor. This is because we are now shooting 32.5-megapixel photos, not 24.2-megapixel ones. 10 more megapixels may not sound like a lot, but that’s a 34% increase in resolution. To deliver the same shooting speeds with that much resolution is a respectable leap for the R6 series. Continuous Shooting All that is to say that the Canon EOS R6 III can capture full-resolution RAW and JPEG photos using its electronic shutter at up to 40 frames per second with full autofocus. That’s as fast as the Canon EOS R1 and 10 FPS faster than the 45-megapixel Canon EOS R5 II. When using its mechanical shutter, the R6 III still shoots at a very swift 12 FPS, again, the same as the flagship R1. Now, the R1 has a back-illuminated stacked 24.2-megapixel image sensor, which is significantly faster than the new sensor in the R6 III, meaning that at their top speeds of 40 FPS, the R1 will exhibit much less rolling shutter. However, the R6 III is no slouch and is definitely up to the task of sports photography in most scenarios, and an excellent choice for wildlife photography. Further, the R6 III’s new sensor, although not stacked, is about as fast as the R6 II’s 24-megapixel sensor, which is fine. While the shooting speeds themselves are not new, the R6 III now features pre-continuous shooting, a boon for photographers desperately trying to nail unpredictable, fast-paced shots. How often does a wild animal do that special something right before you start shooting? Pre-continuous shooting alleviates these pains. It continuously captures a half-second of RAW (and JPEG) frames at 40 frames per second, constantly cycling the buffer. You must be using the 40 FPS capture mode to take advantage of it, but that’s not a troublesome limitation. Speaking of the R6 III’s buffer, it’s better than before, too, thanks to the move to CFexpress Type B for the primary card slot. The camera can capture approximately 150 RAW and JPEG shots, up from 75 on the R6 II. It can also shoot about 280 CRAW or CRAW+JPEG frames at full speed before slowing down, up from 140. For the deepest buffer of all, photographers can shoot JPEG only at 40 frames per second for approximately 330 frames, up from 190 on the R6 II. These are meaningful improvements that result in more good shots in fast-paced, unpredictable situations, such as when shooting sports and wildlife. Autofocus The R6 III features Canon’s tried-and-true Dual Pixel CMOS AF II system. The autofocus areas and algorithms are pulled from last year’s R5 II and R1 cameras, which is nothing but great news for the R6 III. I haven’t used the R1, but I’ve used the R5 II a lot, and its autofocus is arguably the best in its class. The R6 II was no slouch concerning autofocus performance, but the R6 III is even better, and this is an area of significant strength for Canon. The R6 III’s subject tracking is better than before and very reliable. The camera has subject-detection modes for people, animals, and vehicles, and it also includes an “Automatic” mode that I find pretty good. If you’re certain you will only be photographing people or animals, then it is worth specifying the subject detection mode, just to be safe. Performance Takeaways The R6 III also offers slightly better in-body image stabilization than before, up to 8.5 stops of correction in the center, versus 8 stops in its predecessor. This is a minor improvement, but a welcome one nonetheless. “Works great” is actually an apt way to describe every aspect of the R6 III’s performance. The camera shoots fast, has a bigger buffer than before, and has an even more consistent and reliable autofocus system than the already-good Canon R6 II. The R6 III may not be the best camera around at any one task, but it can do everything at a very high level. Canon EOS R6 III Image Quality: More Megapixels = More Versatility More megapixels do not necessarily mean better image quality, but in the case of the R6 III’s new 32.5-megapixel sensor, it does. 34% more resolution is nothing to scoff at, as it makes it easier for photographers to crop without losing quality, which can be particularly useful for wildlife photography. The new sensor, while not stacked or even partially stacked, delivers readout speeds similar to those of the R6 II’s lower-res sensor. Rolling shutter should be about the same — which is to say, not bad but not great — despite having more pixels. While photographers must still contend with rolling shutter when using the electronic shutter required for the R6 III’s fastest shooting speeds, they don’t have to deal with quite the same dynamic range hit as R6 II owners incur when using that camera’s electronic shutter. The hit to the R6 II’s dynamic range was significant, but the R6 III’s new sensor tells a different story. If you have to significantly boost exposure in images captured using the electronic shutter, dynamic range is slightly worse than when using the mechanical shutter, and there’s a smidge more color noise in the boosted E.S. files. However, it’s not as extreme. Photographers who care most about dynamic range should use the R6 III’s mechanical shutter when possible, but the electronic shutter should not be avoided when the situation demands more speed. The penalty to image quality is really not that bad, which is great news for the R6 III’s overall versatility. In general, the R6 III’s image quality is impressive. The 32.5-megapixel RAW files deliver plenty of detail and dynamic range for landscape photography, and Canon’s overall tonality, which is generally celebrated, remains fully intact here. The RAW files have plenty of easily recoverable shadow and highlight detail, particularly at low ISO settings. High-ISO image quality is solid all-around, especially after a bit of careful noise reduction in post-processing. The in-camera noise reduction on JPEGs is heavy-handed by default, as is typical on most cameras, so I’d avoid relying on that. The Canon R6 III lands in a pretty interesting spot in the enthusiast-oriented mid-range camera landscape. The Sony a7 IV has about the same megapixel count as the R6 III, but its sensor is relatively slow, and the camera cannot shoot anywhere near as fast as the R6 III (just 10 frames per second). The Nikon Z6 III and Panasonic S1 II are really fast and have less rolling shutter than the R6 III, but they’re 24-megapixel cameras. The Canon R6 III has its cake and eats it too when it comes to image quality, which is yet another area of relative strength for the R6 III. Canon EOS R6 III Video: Look Out, Canon C50 Canon is marketing the R6 III as a photo-first camera, but that doesn’t mean that it lacks hybrid power. In fact, the R6 III’s video performance is really impressive across the board. It does most of what the C50 can do for $1,100 less while also having an EVF and IBIS, two features the C50 lacks. Jordan Drake explains what makes the R6 III such a compelling camera for hybrid users in our video review at the top, but the primary takeaway is that the R6 III takes the C50’s impressive image sensor and puts it into a camera body that many, especially content creators, may find much nicer. The R6 III still has some of Canon’s typical friction points when it comes to video features in a photo-oriented body, including the histogram’s ongoing, annoying disappearing act once recording starts. But there are good things here, too, including the inclusion of a waveform monitor which gratefully stays on screen while rolling. There is also false color, another great assist tool. The R6 III, unsurprisingly, lacks the C50’s locking timecode port, XLR handle, and its many mounting points. The C50 also has a fan, unlike the R6 III. However, the R6 III can still record 4K video at 30p for a considerable amount of time. The camera recorded 4Kp30 “Fine” video internally for 42 minutes during our testing, but perhaps could have gone longer had the battery not kicked the bucket. The only overheating shutdown we experienced was during 4Kp60 “Fine” recording, which caused the camera to have a thermal conniption after 28 minutes and 30 seconds. Nonetheless, the R6 III’s IBIS and EVF make it a more attractive video camera for some users, including most of us here at PetaPixel. It is also worth noting that the C50 lacks a mechanical shutter, so hybrid users weighing the R6 III and C50 should almost certainly opt for the R6 III, as it offers better image quality than the C50. Despite how Canon markets its new R6 III — a photo-first hybrid camera — it’s arguably a more compelling camera for even some video-first hybrid users. Only those who are super dedicated to video and don’t care about photo at all should look at the C50. Compared to the R6 II, there is a lot more to like about the R6 III. It does 7Kp60 RAW (light) recording and 7Kp30 RAW open gate video. It also has the excellent Canon Log 2, while the R6 II has just Canon Log 3. The R6 III also does HLG recording, which the R6 II doesn’t. Plus, if that wasn’t enough, the R6 III also has 4Kp120, while the R6 II tops out at 4Kp60. There are workflow improvements as well, including the very welcome move from a micro HDMI (Type D) port to a full-size HDMI (Type A) one. Canon EOS R6 III Review: A Fantastic, Safe Camera for Enthusiasts The Canon EOS R6 III is the camera equivalent of rewatching one of my favorite movies. It’s comforting, reliable, and easy to digest. There are no unwanted surprises. I know what I’m getting, and I can easily recommend it to friends. I absolutely recommend the R6 III to photographers with about $3,000 to spend on a jack-of-all-trades full-frame mirrorless camera. There are plenty of good reasons why the R6 II has been Canon’s best-selling EOS R-series camera since its launch, and for the same reasons and more, the R6 III merits similar commercial success. However, there is such a thing as too safe and too predictable. While that reliable movie might still make me feel just as good the 10th time as it did the first, it will never be something else, something potentially more engrossing, no matter how many times I see it. I think Canon may have left a bit on the table with the R6 III in pursuit of maintaining its rigidly segmented product lineup. As much as I like the camera, and despite how good it is, it doesn’t do any one thing that makes it feel as special as the R6 II did when it landed. The R6 II righted many of the missteps the original R6 made, making it feel almost revolutionary at a time when Canon desperately needed a reinvigoration. The R5 II, for its part, felt very similar when it arrived last summer. That camera felt like a huge, important step forward for Canon’s EOS R system as a whole. The R6 III, as good as it is, does not feel like that. It feels more like a 5D Mark III moment. Like that great DSLR, the R6 III is an excellent camera. However, it doesn’t have the same impact as its predecessor, even though it is better in almost every way. The R6 III does everything well, but nothing exceptional. And for most people, I think that’s probably more than enough. Are There Alternatives? You betcha. The Canon R6 III exists in one of the most crowded, competitive segments in the entire photo industry. For starters, there’s the Canon R6 II, which is currently on sale for $2,099 at the time of writing, thanks to a $200 promotional discount. That is $700 less than the new R6 III, which is a significant chunk of change. The R6 II is still a very good camera, and for those who are on a tighter budget, it remains a compelling option. However, the R6 III’s extra megapixels, larger buffer, better autofocus, and improved video features make it a decidedly better choice for most. I think the R6 III is worth the extra money compared to the R6 II. Then there is the Nikon Z6 III, released last year. The Z6 III, currently just $2,196.95 thanks to a $500 holiday discount, has lower resolution than the R6 III but features a faster, partially stacked sensor that performs better for video and more effectively mitigates rolling shutter. The Z6 III can’t quite match the R6 III’s 40 FPS shooting speed, and it lacks pre-continuous RAW image capture. The R6 III is arguably the better photo camera than the Z6 III, but when it comes to video, it’s more of a toss-up. Speaking of video, the Panasonic S1 II, which uses the same sensor as the Z6 III, has the best video features of the bunch in this general price range. However, it’s also the most expensive competitor to the R6 III, costing a pretty pricey $3,200. It’s a great camera for hybrid users, but a tougher sell for photographers. Finally, there’s the Sony a7 IV, which is very long in the tooth. The camera launched in late 2021 and, while offering about the same resolving power as the R6 III, falls short in every other way. Well, almost every other way, E-mount is still the best platform for lenses, especially since Canon refuses to let third parties make full-frame RF lenses with autofocus. The R6 III takes similarly great photos, has way more speed, better autofocus, and better video features than the a7 IV. The a7 IV is currently $2,000 thanks to a whopping $700 discount, but you give up too much when saving that money. As it stands, the R6 III is the best camera in its class overall. It’s not the best across the board, and it is fairly expensive at a time when many are feeling their purse strings tightening, but it is Canon’s best mirrorless camera for many users. Should You Buy It? Yes. The Canon EOS R6 III is a superb mirrorless camera, even if it doesn’t move the needle quite as much as the R6 II did. Taking the camera for what it is, and not necessarily what it isn’t, Canon has hit another home run.
