DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY NEWS FROM ePHOTOzine

[SECTION]INTRODUCTION[/SECTION]

 

 

Quick Verdict

Canon has delivered what could be the ideal Hybrid Mirrorless Full-Frame camera, capable of the highest standards for both stills and video. With solid, sturdy construction, well-thought-out control layout and an extensive feature set, what's not to like?

 

Hybrid full-frame cameras have until now hovered around the 24MP mark, a point at which speed of operation and resolution meet to find a sensible compromise. This stretches now up to the 32.5MP of the Canon R6 Mark III, offering a new standard of performance. Is this a compromise that merely meets all the conflicting requirements in a no-man's-land or is it a bold new standard of performance that stretches the technical capabilities to new heights? Armed with the superb Canon RF 85mm f/1.4 VCM lens, we set forth on our voyage of discovery.

 

Canon R6 Mark III Features

First impressions are of a solid, chunky but not overly large camera body, thankfully weather resistant as we face the February rain, and weighing in at a manageable 699g with card and battery according to Canon, but actually measuring at 690g as we are using an SD card as opposed to the CFExpress Type B. If this was a video review, then the latter option would no doubt have been an advantageous choice.

The main features are detailed below, but there are some nice touches that deserve a mention. Even before the lens is attached, the protective cover for the sensor can be seen, and this is a really good idea. So many cameras leave the sensor naked and exposed when lenses are changed, so the added security offered by Canon is very welcome.

 

 

Stills/Video is selected by a small switch on the left of the top plate. On the right, we have the mode dial plus two control dials, the on/off switch and the stills and video shutter releases. The latter is separate but placed well, so that shaky starts can be better avoided.

The vari-angle screen is crisp and sharp, as is the OLED EVF. The magnification of the EVF image is only 0.76x, but it serves well enough. The image does not cause eye fatigue and gives an accurate representation of the scene.

 

 

Canon R6 Mark III Key Features

• Full frame
• IBIS up to 8.5 stops centre
• IBIS up to 7.5 stops peripheral
• 32.5MP CMOS sensor
• DIGIC X Processor
• Mechanical shutter 30s – 1/8000s
• Electronic shutter 30s – 1/16,000s
• Mechanical shutter up to 12fps
• Electronic shutter up to 40fps
• Dual pixel CMOS AF II -6.5EV to +20EV
• Metering range -3EV to +20EV
• ISO range 50-102,400
• 0.5cm OLED EVF 3.69M dots, up to 120fps refresh rate
• EVF 100% view, 0.76x
• 3” Vari-angle touch-sensitive TFT LCD monitor 1.62M dots
• Operation 0C to +40C
• WiFi, 5GHz/2.4GHz
• Bluetooth 5.1
• HDMI Type A
• E-3 remote terminal
• USB-C 3.2
• 3.5mm Mic and headphone sockets 
• Moisture and dust resistance
• 699g with battery and card
• Battery LP-E6P, approx 620 shots
• 1 SD UHS-II card slot
• 1 CFExpress Type B card slot
• 138.4 x 98.4 x 88.4mm

 

Canon R6 Mark III Handling

Although handling can be a very personal thing, Canon has impressively given us a myriad of options and possibilities to use and control the camera. There is a considerable amount of duplication, where more than one control alters a parameter. This is especially true within the extensive menus, where the top control wheel, the secondary control wheel and the rotary dial around the set button may all be utilised as we prefer. This is all fine as we simply choose the one we want to use. Dials and wheels can be reprogrammed as required and the camera can be set up to the individual photographer with ease. Spending time to set up things optimally will reap rewards in faster and more intuitive operation.

For this review, the lens control ring is set to alter ISO, the rear rotary dial is set to alter exposure compensation and the mode dial stays on Av. Aperture is controlled by the upper front dial. All the buttons do something useful. It's just a matter of learning what does what to get quick access to any features that might want regular adjustment. There is even a Colour button that gives direct access to the digital filters. 

The joystick moves the focus point, and when this is set to one point focus it can be easily relocated around the image field as required. To reset to centre, just push the joystick and it locks into centre, identified by a small dot appearing in the centre of the AF box. The joystick is well placed to avoid the point of focus being accidentally moved when the camera is being carried in one hand. There is something here that is rarely mentioned, and that is, if it is so convenient to carry the camera without a strap in the right hand, ready for instant use, then how does this work for a left-handed user? This applies to all marques, and is not singling out Canon. The only left-handed cameras I know of need us to look back at the 1950s and 1960s and makers such as Ihagee (Exakta).

In terms of what we have though, the R6 Mark III handles in a totally exemplary fashion, balancing well, operating slickly and delivering some fantastic shots. Within the Canon range, this reviewer would gravitate towards the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV in the DSLR range and this R6 Mark III in the R series mirrorless cameras, both around 30MP and offering a sensible balance between image size and speed of operation. The new camera is a pleasure to use.

 

[SECTION]PERFORMANCE[/SECTION]

Canon R6 Mark III Performance

The performance section is where we look at the image quality performance of the camera. Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.
 

Canon R6 Mark III Sample Photos Previous Next

 

Lens Performance – The Canon RF 85mm f/1.4L VCM lens provided with the camera for this review has been covered and is a truly excellent and impressive lens. There are plenty of outstanding Canon lenses that can be coupled with the R6 Mark III and will yield beautiful results. True, the L series lenses are expensive, but the camera deserves the best to take full advantage of its performance.

 

Canon R6 Mark III ISO test images Previous Next

 

ISO Performance – This is possibly the best ISO performance ever seen in any Canon body. Images are clean up to and including ISO 1600. Noise just creeps in at ISO 3200 and 6400, but even here, the structure is very tight and the integrity of the test chart boxes is maintained. ISO 12800 is still a tight grain structure, although noise is now clearly visible. ISO 25600 sees considerable noise, but again, the structure of the image is tight. Noise at ISO 51200 and 102400 is very obvious, but the box edges can still be discerned even in the darkest areas. An excellent result.

 

Canon R6 Mark III White-balance test images Previous Next

 

White Balance – There are a number of preset options for white balance, and various adjustments can be made to these. AWB has the usual options between white and ambience priority. To this we can add Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten light, Fluorescent light, Flash, Custom and four slots for specific colour temperatures. AWB is useful for mixed lighting and general use, but to keep the colours of a scene, the other presets do a great job. Cloudy is very close to the Cloudy or 81A filters we used on film, and this setting warms portraits very attractively. Shade is perfect for those purple-hued woodland shadows and is especially effective for fungus hunting.

 

Canon R6 Mark III Digital filters Previous Next

 

Digital Filters – Interestingly, Canon has provided Scene modes on this body, despite it clearly being aimed at the advanced amateur and professional users. There is a wide selection, and these have not been shot with this review, as each setting clearly needs the specific situation to be meaningful. The settings available are Portrait, Smooth skin, Group Photo, Landscape, Panoramic shot, Sports, Kids, Panning, Close-up, Food, Night Portrait, Handheld Night Scene, HDR Backlight Control and Silent Shutter. It might be arguable that using such shortcuts doesn't end up teaching much about photography, but then it also is true that the beginner could end up with better images and this would be encouraging in itself.

More general digital filters are found in the Colour mode section of the menus. There are two groups of these and samples have been shot of all of them.

Picture Style settings are Auto, Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Fine Detail, Neutral, Faithful, Monochrome and three User Defined selections.

Colour Filters are a bit more exotic and sometimes somewhat mysterious, but we have StoryTeal&Orange, StoryMagenta, StoryBlue, PaleTeal&Orange, RetroGreen, Sepiatone, AccentRed, TastyWarm, TastyCool, BrightAmber, BrightWhite, ClearLightBlue, ClearPurple and ClearAmber.

 

Video –  We might expect a Canon Hybrid body to have a good set of video options:

• Open gate recording up to 30fps
• DCI 7K RAW up to 60fps
• 4K UHD up to 120fps
• 2K up to 180fps
• FHD up to 180fps
• Canon log 2, 3, HDR PQ and Canon 709
• Time lapse up to 4K 30fps

Quality of impromptu filming is excellent and focus tracks well. Stability is also excellent, and although a close look at the video aspects of the camera is outside the main focus of this review, it's clear that there is great potential for some convincing quality footage.

 

[SECTION]VERDICT[/SECTION]

 

 

Value For Money

The [AMUK]Canon R6 Mark III|Canon+R6+Mark+III[/AMUK] is priced at £2799.

To put this in perspective, let's look at a range of marques and prices:

Canon 

• [AMUK]R6 II|Canon+R6+II[/AMUK], £2199
• [AMUK]R5 II|Canon+R5+II[/AMUK], £4399
• [AMUK]R5|Canon+R5[/AMUK], £3149

Nikon

• [AMUK]Z6 III|Nikon+Z6+III[/AMUK], £2499
• [AMUK]Z7 II|Nikon+Z7+II[/AMUK], £2499
• [AMUK]Zf|Nikon+Zf[/AMUK], £2299

Panasonic Lumix

• [AMUK]S1R II|Panasonic+Lumix+S1R+II[/AMUK], £2999
• [AMUK]S1 IIE|Panasonic+Lumix+S1+IIE[/AMUK], £2199

Sony

• [AMUK]A7 IV|Sony+A7+IV[/AMUK], £2099
• [AMUK]A7 V|Sony+A7+V[/AMUK], £2799
• [AMUK]A7R V|Sony+A7R+V[/AMUK], £2999

These are all full frame, admittedly some rather more or less than the 32.5MP of the R6 Mark III. On that basis and its intended market place, probably the Sony A7 V is the closest competitor. Both are equally priced, so looking at lens costs, features, and handling are the factors that will separate the options out.

 

Canon R6 Mark III Verdict

This could end up being a battle of Giants as the Canon R6 Mark III pushes strongly into the full-frame hybrid camera market. There are so many great cameras, so looking at the cameras themselves is only the beginning. The lens range, the ability to use adapters to explore other ranges, and the availability or not of third-party options are all part of the bigger overall picture. The lens costs are likely to be high, as it would seem a waste to add a low-cost kit lens to a camera as fine as the R6 Mark III.

Of course, the cameras listed as possible alternatives are all very different beasts and in the end, it's down to handling and any specific requirements that the photographer may have. The R6 Mark III is certainly a terrific option, sturdy, efficient in handling and capable of the highest quality, both for stills and video. The noise control is also quite possibly the best seen so far from Canon.

Such a meeting of fine qualities leaves us with a very powerful option that is, inevitably, an Editor's Choice.

 

Canon R6 Mark III Pros

• Great images and video
• Well-thought-out control layout
• ISO performance is excellent
• Very fast and responsive AF
• Customisation options
• High-quality construction
• Moisture and dust resistance
• High-quality EVF

 

Canon R6 Mark III Cons

• Expensive
• No third-party lenses

 

[REVIEW_FOOTER]R_features=4.5|R_handling=5|R_performance=5|R_value=4.5|R_overall=5|A_level=5|A_text=Editor's Choice – A powerhouse of features and performance from this versatile hybrid camera|E_id=8016[/REVIEW_FOOTER]

 

View the Canon R6 Mark III camera specs in the equipment database.

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