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Canon announces the EOS R6 Mark III, its latest 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. Scheduled for release on November 25, the body-only model will retail for $2,799 as well as in kits with the RF 24-105mm STM or RF 24-105mm L lens for $3,149 and $4,049 respectively.
The R6 line is aimed at a broader range of users who may not need the higher 45-megapixel camera at the higher price EOS R5 Mark II Or want to spend upwards of $4,000 for the body alone. But the R6 Mark III doesn’t seem to be slowing down now that it has bumped up the resolution from 24MP in the last-gen model to 32.5MP. The Mark III can also capture high-quality video at up to 4K/120p and 7K/60p RAW, including support for full corner-to-corner open-gate shooting for greater cropping flexibility.
There are more gamma settings on offer too, with a Canon Log 2 mode and a custom look. But some of the most useful functional changes for videographers might be the inclusion of a recording light to make it visible from afar when shooting and moving from a Micro HDMI port to a full-size HDMI Type-A port. As for the autofocus system in the new camera, you can now record a person’s face to ensure that it gives him priority when tracking continuously.
One change that may appeal to some is Canon’s move from dual SD card slots in the R6 Mark II to an asymmetric setup in the Mark III, with one CFexpress Type B and one SD. The CFexpress can achieve higher speeds, and this is likely partly responsible for the R6 Mark III’s ability to capture longer bursts of images while maintaining the same shooting speeds as the last-generation model (12fps with mechanical shutter or 40fps electronic), even at higher resolutions. But CFexpress cards are usually more expensive, and managing multiple card formats is more complicated. Unlike the CFexpress Type A, the Type B card slots can’t be set up to hold an SD card either – like you find on Sony cameras with their combo slots.
Launched alongside the EOS R6 Mark III, Canon has an interesting new lens: the RF 45mm f/1.2 STM. It’s a standard compact prime lens with a very bright maximum aperture for capturing shots in low light and with a very shallow depth of field. It’s also one of the most affordable f/1.2 lenses I’ve ever heard of, at $469.99 and expected to ship in early December. Compatible full-frame autofocus lenses with f/1.2 apertures are usually upwards of $1,500, even from third parties like Sigma, so seeing one from Canon for under $500 is very strange.
It’s not an L lens, so it’s not weatherproof, and you’ll have to pay an extra $59.99 for a lens hood. During his briefing, Canon USA representative Drew MacCallum described the lens as not intended for the most precise pixel peepers, as it relies on some in-camera corrections to support image exposure and help offset its lower cost. Regardless, as someone whose favorite lens is the Sony FE 50mm f/1.2, I’d like to see more affordable f/1.2 lenses become a trend.