As anticipated, Canon officially launched the R6 Mark III this morning.  To the surprise of no one who follows ThruMyLens, I placed my order – delivery is expected later this month on November 20th.   Expect a review here as well as on the ThruMyLens YouTube channel shortly thereafter.

The R6 Mark III could be Canon’s most important release in the last ten years – arguably even more critical than when Canon released both the R5 and R6, which established Canon as a true competitor in the mirrorless camera space.  That’s because it competes in that all-important mid-range enthusiast camera market.

Canon’s mirrorless push in recent years has been strong, but competitors like Nikon Z6 III and Sony A7 IV (and upcoming models) have raised the bar, eclipsing in many respects the R6 Mark II.  The R6 Mark II is Canon’s best selling camera, but without a strong successor, Canon risks being seen as “behind” in certain hybrid / video-friendly specs.  But with the release of the R6 Mark III (or R6 III) Canon has closed that gap.  Here are the specifications for the Canon R6 Mark III:

• 32.5MP Full-Frame CMOS (Non-stacked)
• DIGIC X Processor (no DIGIC Accelerator)
• Dual Pixel CMOS AF II
• 40fps Electronic
• 12fps Mechanical
• AF areas are the same as the R5 Mark II and the R1
• People, Animal, and Vehicle Tracking
• IBIS:  8.5 stops center, 7.5 stops in the corners
• Pre-Capture
• One CFExpress Type B and one UHS-II SD Card Slot
• Open Gate 7k Raw Video Recording
• 4k 120fps
• Canon Log-2 & Canon Log-3
• ISO:  Normal:  100-6400. Expanded:  50-102,400.
• Full-Size HDMI Port
• LP-E6P Battery (Same as the R5 Mark II)
• Price:  $2799.00 Body Only

WERE THERE ANY SURPRISES?

Not really.  Rumored specifications for this hotly anticipated release have been floating around for over a year.  One of the most highly anticipated rumored new feature was a re-designed  Sony-style LCD that could flip up, down, or out to the side – which we did NOT get.  The current R6 Mark II LCD screen design which only allow the screen to flip out to the side carries over to the R6III– great for video work, but less ideal for photography.  The EVF also appears to to carry over from the R6II.  A bit of a disappointment.

WHY DID I ORDER THE R6 MARK III?

I made the jump from my 5D Mark IV to the mirrorless realm with the original R6.  The R6 was and still is a great camera.  The biggest reason I had to upgrade from the R6 to the R6 Mark II was the change in the button layout on the R6 Mark II that more closely aligned with the R5 Mark II.  The rest of the improvements on the R6 Mark II were more incremental in nature (about 4 more megapixels, faster continuous shooting, some autofocus improvements, etc.) but didn’t matter much to me.  Once I got the R5 and later the R5 Mark II, whichever R6 body I was using was simply my secondary/back up camera.  I primarily use the R5 for both photo and video tasks.  So my R6/R6 II was never used nearly as much as my R5/R5 Mark II.   But with the R6 Mark III, there will be times I’ll want to use that camera instead of the R5 Mark II.  The open gate video capabilities not only distinguish it from the other mirrorless Canon bodies, but also from many competitors.  I really don’t think there’s a competitor on the market that can match the specs that the R6III brings to the table in the under $3000.00 price segment.  For me, it will be wonderful to have a second camera body that really doesn’t feel like a huge step down from the R5 Mark II when I’m taking photos.  The other really nice quality of life improvement I will see is the fact that I will be able to use a common battery between the R5 Mark II and R6 Mark II – the Canon LP-E6P:

I did quite a bit of traveling this year and having to use two different sets of batteries for the R5II and R6II is a pain.  It should be noted that as with the R5II you will be able to use the previous generation Canon rechargeable batteries in the R6III – but many of the high-end features will be crippled.  That’s OK for me as I currently own three LP-E6P batteries, and will get a fourth in the R6III box when the new camera arrives – currently set for November 25th.

I should also mention that Cannon did also release the much rumored RF 45mm f1.2 STM lens.  At the un-Canon like price of just $469.00, it’s sure to be a big hit.  As I’ve talked about before, I have the Voigtlander RF 50mm f1.0, so beyond the auto focus capabilities the new Cannon lens brings I don’t feel like it’s something I need to run out and get…yet.

It will be interesting to see if the influencer community embraces the R6III – said it before and I’ll say it again:  Camera.  Of.  The.  Year.