CANON R3 HANDS-ON PREVIEW | Auto Focus Performance at the US OPEN

[@longrider9551]

Wonderful review Jerry, so glad to see real sports shooters giving us the skinny, the fro's and northrups have no business telling us something they dont know. I am glad Canon gave people like you the opportunity to try it out, and draw a comparison between the old and new. I am a Sony shooter but I am glad to see the camera tech pushed farther by anyone, we all get better gear in this way

[@JerryTLai]

Fro and Northrup serve their purpose. But they definitely do not have the same access that people like me might have as far as pushing a camera in a real world situation as opposed to a test environment. Great point about trickling down camera tech. It's a lot like cars... when someone comes out with some new bells and whistles everyone else comes up with their own version of it sooner than later. Thanks as always for watching!

[@videosuperhighway7655]

I am still not ready for mirrorless lol, love my 1dx Mark III and once I hear production is stopped will buy a spare. Guess old habits are hard to break.

[@NikCan66]

Thanks for this detailed information and appreciate the action sports events photographers will love this new camera.

[@JerryTLai]

@NikCan thank you very much for the kind comment, and thanks for watching. No doubt the biggest beneficiaries to this new camera will be the sports and action photogs.

[@videosuperhighway7655]

I am more than happy with 20mp or 18mp. The megapickle wars is stupid.

[@JustinCarf]

Thank you for your thoughts on the R3.

[@basha3738]

Excellent review! Very straight forward thanks!

[@JerryTLai]

Thanks for watching! Can't wait to get this in my hands again!

[@hockeyfan950]

Thanks for your review! As always, very informative. I’m curious how the tracking worked on the R3 in regards to people moving in front of the subject you were shooting. I shoot volleyball with my R5 and R6 and have had a problem where both cameras will prioritize a foreground person in lieu of the one I initially had my AF tracking.

[@JerryTLai]

Thank you for watching! I do not have enough real world experience with the R3 and erratic movements and multiple targets to tell you how it performs. It was great tracking tennis - which has a single subject and few obstacles - so yes, soccer/football - or in your case VB - will be the real test.

[@bngr_bngr]

Back in the film days. Canon had the eye auto focus EOS-3. I found it better than the EOS-1n for focusing. Don’t know why Canon didn’t develop that technology back then.

[@JerryTLai]

I don't have direct experience with the EOS3 but the representative did point that out to me that the technology did exist back then. We didn't really go into why it was never developed or why it's being brought back now. Like I said, when I first saw it floating around in the R3 I thought it was a bit of a gimmick. Maybe it still is. But I can see how it helps. Using the eye to select is a little bit faster than trying to use the multi controller which I find a little overly sensitive to touch sometimes.

[@bngr_bngr]

@@JerryTLai I’m looking forward to using it.

[@MomentousGaming]

Great video, would love to see a video about best practice for photographing tennis. Which positions are good, what kinda lenses you would recommend etc!

[@JerryTLai]

Thanks for watching! Tennis is surprisingly probably my favorite sport to shoot. It isn't really that popular in the USA, but I do at some point plan on making a video about the photo positions I like to shoot tennis from. Stay tuned!

[@GB-AK]

I enjoy your videos to learn more about shooting sports. Do you by chance have any videos for shooting Hockey? I have some upcoming hockey games to shoot any would appreciate any tips/advise you might have. Thanks again for all the great videos.

[@JerryTLai]

Thank you for watching! I don't have a hockey specific video out, but I will eventually get to a "best photo positions" video for hockey.

[@tbgtom]

Sounds exciting!

[@JerryTLai]

It’s going to be great to see these out in the wild! Hopefully the worldwide chip shortage doesn’t affect the shipping and delivery time frame.

[@MichaelKantormusic]

Interesting. I’m too heavily invested in Sony prime lenses. I would be interested to see the Canon flagship when it comes out but I am doing ok with the A1 so no need to change right now.

[@JerryTLai]

Yes it is definitely hard (and expensive!) to chase the manufacturers back and forth. Sony makes great cameras and you certainly are not going to go wrong with the a1.

[@trippalhealicks]

k

[@showcasehardwoodfloors1473]

Great video Jerry & thank u! So i shoot with a 1DX3 & absolutely love it. I’ve had every version from the 1D4 to the 1DX & 1DX2. Although i shoot mostly events sports is my passion & have had the opportunity to get into some venues with F1 being my favorite! I did actually pre order the R3 but can always cancel it if I decide to keep my 1DX3. The biggest reassign I upgraded from the 1DX2 to the 3 was due to the face tracking which is pretty remarkable so I can only imagine how this eye tracking is going to be! One negative of my 1DX3 is that the face detection only works in live view mode I believe (so correct me if I’m wrong). So does regular eye/face tracking (not with your pupil) work on the R3 not only on live view but looking thru the EVF?? I’m old skool so I still love shooting thru the viewfinder but I guess at some point I have to adapt to the times!!!🤷🏻‍♂️

[@JerryTLai]

I've shot and been to a lot of cool stuff, but I haven't been to F1 yet. Really got into it once Netflix created the Drive to Survive series. Yes, the regular eye/face tracking on the R3 works via the EVF or looking through the back of the screen.

[@showcasehardwoodfloors1473]

@@JerryTLai 👍🏻 View my photos at: www.emcphotography.com/Sports/Racing/Formula-1-Grand-Prix-Du-Canada

[@nyambe]

I think you are the Ideal target for the R3, specially because you are a 1Dxiii user. Personally I find it hard to get excited about the R3. It reminds me of Apple when they boast about features others have been using for a long time. The 1Dxiii did excited when it launched but if you have using advanced mirrorless recent cameras.. are you going to be that amazed by the R3?

[@cooloox]

Jerry clearly said the camera is faster and the AF more sticky than the R5. He also said the 1DXIII was hard to use after the R3 so he grabbed the R5. What new tech are you used to that doesn't make this camera excite you? Imagine multiple people in close proximity and you want to focus on a specific person. Tell me a quicker way to select that person than by simply looking at them! Are you a Sony shooter? What have you been using for a long time because it sure isn't ege-controlled AF?

[@nyambe]

@@cooloox You do have 30fps to make sure you get the picture mate. Mirrorless have gotten so good that you are not going to miss that money shot. In fact, you might end up with too many great shots. Autofocus in cameras has not really been a problem for the past 2-3 years. Only in clickbaiting youtubers that seems to be a problem. What bothers me about the R3 is that Canon is selling it as if they just invented sliced bread. Had this launched last year, it would have been exiting, but the A1 has been around for a while, and the R3 does not really beat it in photography.

[@JerryTLai]

Thank you both for the lively discussion. Canon of course is going to push it as the next greatest thing. But ultimately it comes down to individuals who use the camera to judge. Do I think it is better than the R5? Of course... but is it worth the $6K upgrade? That will certainly be up for debate, and probably won't be settled until production units start shipping and we can put the camera through more challenging situations.

[@nh18bmjh8b]

How is Jared and DPreview allowed to share the images and you aren't? (same pre-production model)

[@JerryTLai]

For that I cannot explain. I was not able to publish any photos I took either. Fro and DPreview are big channels that do reviews for a living, and must have received newer builds than the one I had, which was more about the feel and function/operation.

[@kemleeabascal2393]

Hi Jerry you have been very helpful with all your videos, specially for me that I'm new to sports photography, I would like to ask you a question about auto ISO should I? or keep it in M like i've been doing another things please, when you look through the viewfinder in canon right at the right lower corner there is a blinking dot what is it? not all the time and I have the anti-flicker off thank you for all the videos you do helping us become a better sport photographer

[@JerryTLai]

Auto ISO is a great tool to use, especially if you are in a situation where the light changes constantly (e.g. partly cloudy day or the field is partially lit). You set your shutter, aperture, and then auto ISO and it should approximate your exposure so that you don't have anything drastically over or under exposed. I believe the blinking dot you are referring to is for some Canon cameras. I believe that is the "focus confirmation" dot... it doesn't mean the camera is necessarily going to make an in focus frame, it just means that the autofocus system has locked onto what it thinks your target is. If it is blinking or blinking rapidly then it is still hunting.

[@HeathBlythe]

A1 doesn't shoot 30FPS with 50MP on 16bit RAW. That's the difference. R3 does 30FPS, 24MP with 16bit RAW.

[@JerryTLai]

I didn’t know that - but I also never asked as I am generally a JPG shooter (a lot of us sports and editorial photographers shoot JPG only). Thanks for sharing this detail!

[@HeathBlythe]

@@JerryTLai ;) They're both amazing cameras, and if they're operated by a good photographer, they're even better. Keep up the great work! :)

[@mbismbismb]

Yeah u tell em sony fanboi and their glorified a1

[@johnmoore8435]

Do you believe there's still an R1 camera coming? Especially since Canon has stated explicitly this camera is positioned between the R5 and 1Dx Mark III, I'd think there has to be, I just haven't seen many rumors, and not sure what the upgraded features would be.

[@JerryTLai]

Hi John - you said it yourself, Canon has explicitly stated that the R3 is positioned between the R5 and 1Dx3. They will go on to say that the R3 in several ways is superior to the 1Dx3, but that they were not comfortable putting the "1" moniker on the camera which strongly suggests there will be one coming. Hopefully sooner than later!

[@robertanderson1553]

Jerry I just got the r6 ll do you have what the best settings would be, I am coming from the 1dx to my first mirrorless camera

[@pavelchatterjee4424]

Would you recommend an r6 mkii or r3? I am basically covering sports and cultural events for newspapers here in Germany. Need the speed, therefore these two cameras. I am comming from canon 5d mk3. Should I instead wait for canon r5 mk 2?

[@JerryTLai]

Any of the mirrorless models will be a large upgrade for you. If you are more concerned about speed vs megapixels, I don't think the R6 mk2 (even though I've not personally used it), is too far off from what you get for the R3 if you don't care about weather sealing or build quality. In my opinion, wait for the R5 mk2 only if you need the file size.

[@andreicalin99]

one question do you own the gear or its provided as a journailst

[@debbieshriner1308]

Are you going to be making new videos

[@brandennall]

Thanks for the update, Jerry! Do you think the purchase is worth it from the R6? I shoot sports/events an average of 6 days a week and currently use the R6 as primary. Hit rate is between 90 an 95% of 4000 shots roughly per week, with very low light being about 25%-30% of that due to gyms and poorly lit stadiums/venues. Or...do I order 2 more R6 and call it good until the (R1??)?

[@JerryTLai]

I think for most people, even though the R3 sounds really splashy/flashy... it's not enough of an upgrade over the R6/R5 if they really think about it. The AF as I mentioned is interesting, but as of right now I cannot speak as to your hit % in dimly lit gyms. I suspect the R3 will of course be better, but how much better I cannot quantify until I can really put it through some tests since I also only used the camera in daylight.

[@brandennall]

@@JerryTLai thank you! Have a great Sunday!

[@noelchignell1048]

Nice video Jerry, did you find the initial AF acquisition to be as fast as the 1DXiii ? This seems to be an area where mirrorless bodies haven't been able to match DSLRs yet, in some instances the R5 fails to focus on the subject at all unless you prefocus on something at the same distance. Thanks Noel

[@JerryTLai]

At least when comparing to the tennis from the week, I did find the AF acquisition to be just as fast as the 1Dx3. However do take this with a grain of salt for now, because tennis is not a particularly taxing sport for a camera to get initial focus. That said, rackets, net cords, ball boys or just ordinary movement did not throw off focus (a problem in older generations). Once locked in, it was tack sharp virtually every frame.

[@noelchignell1048]

@@JerryTLai be interesting to see how it compares when you get a production one to test properly

[@pavelchatterjee4424]

How did you find the r5 for sports. Was there a lot of rolling shutter in the electronic shutter? I am confused between the r5 and r3. My needs are high framerate for sports and high iso performance. I can go for the r3 but that will burn a serious hole in my bank balance, which can recover over time, but what is an ideal decision in this scenario?

[@JerryTLai]

The r5 electronic shutter and the rolling shutter effect is indeed quite poor for sports. You will get a lot of weird effects in fast moving objects - from bendy golf clubs, to hilariously sized bats and rackets, and mushy baseballs. With the R5, I find that using the mechanical shutter is a must. Outside of my trial with the R3 when I published this video, I don't have very much hands on experience with the camera so I cannot speak to if the rolling shutter has improved as much as Canon claims.

[@jovemrenney]

@@JerryTLai SONY A1..

[@NoName-jq7tj]

Hello Jerry great insight again. But please advise do you really need 30fps. Thanks

[@JerryTLai]

Very good question - and the answer is in most scenarios, no it is overkill. With the R5, I was actually using the mechanical shutter most of the time shooting at 12fps. Some Sony users who I know that use the A92 dial it down below 20fps as well because in most applications, it's way too many frames to look through. That said, if there is an exact look you are going for that requires crazy timing - for example I recently shot the Chicago Air Show and I wanted the jets in a very specific formation - then yes the 20 or 30fps made it very easy. Or at the Olympics, I had photographers who wanted to shoot archery events where you can see the arrow coming right out of the bow... so again 20 or 30fps made this super easy. But in most applications, it's too much. Thank you for watching!

[@riotrob]

Canon, at least with the r5 and r6, is only giving you the choice of 30 FPS when in electronic shutter. So it’s not if you need it or not, it’s your only option.

[@JerryTLai]

That is correct, with the R5/R6 it is 20fps with no ability to dial the electronic shutter down. The only way to "slow" it down would be to switch to the mechanical shutter.... which is what I ended up doing when shooting with the R5. I didn't look for it, but I was told the R3 you will be able to shoot at less than 30fps with the electronic shutter. I do not know what fps that will end up being though.

[@HeathBlythe]

@@JerryTLai If anyone thinks they've got too many pictures to review through, then shoot less and better. 30FPS is merely a way to account for the speed the camera is able to shoot at. Simply put, you'll get more of one single moment if you shoot in 30FPS than 20 or 12, even if you shoot in tiny bursts. Half a second press with 30FPS is going to give you 15 frames to pick from any given action moment. Half a second press with 12FPS is going to give you 6 frames. This is why 30FPS matters, otherwise, I'd suggest not buying the camera if you're going to use mechanical shutter.

[@SteveMitchell-bt8ez]

No one talks about the eye focus stuff because no one uses it (that I know).

[@_shreyash_anand]

Is it flickering or banding in the background in those R5 photos? Don't remember seeing them on TV.

[@JerryTLai]

So it's strange. That banding only appears on matches on Ashe (the main court) because of the LED boards behind the players. It affects all cameras - mirrorless AND mechanical - but some characteristic of mirrorless cameras make them stand out a lot more. The interesting thing is the R3 has a feature where it can measure and calculate the flicker, so suggest shutter speeds that will eliminate it.

[@ediedavis9968]

Will the 70-200 used on the Mark IV also work on the R3?

[@JerryTLai]

Yes, but you will need to use a lens adapter. I did all my testing on the Canon R bodies intentionally using EF lenses with adapters. As long as you have relatively new lenses (for example some of the 15-20 yr old Series I lenses might have problems), I did not notice any lag in AF performance or any degradation in sharpness like you often see with teleconverters.

[@ediedavis9968]

@@JerryTLai thank you and I enjoy your videos

[@rac199]

I have an Canon EF 400/2.8 IS3 & am considering a 1dx iii or R3 (+ a Canon adapter). Do the EF telephoto lenses work 100% seamlessly with the R3?

[@JerryTLai]

Hi Ra - thanks for watching. I have intentionally always used mirrorless cameras like the R5 (and R3 now) with the adapter and EF lenses. I was skeptical about adapters but in my use and testing, I have not seen any decrease in performance or sharpness. I have used the lens mount adapter on a 70-200 f2.8, 200-400 f4 and a 400 f2.8 with no issues. I've been told the older lenses might have issues, but since you have the IS3, you should have no problem with the adapter an the new R3 (or R5/R6 if you go that route instead).

[@rac199]

Ok thanks. By the way, I was leaning towards the 1dx iii because at this time i prefer OVF, it’s native for that lens and I was skeptical about adapting the lens. Your video convinced me that the time is right to try mirrorless.

[@JerryTLai]

I was skeptical with EVFs when I first started using them. Early generation bodies had terrible ones. But all the new ones are really high resolution, have little to no lag, and don’t hurt or strain my eyes. To me the choice between EVF vs OVF is a non factor now

[@acardena13]

The eye focus really has me interested but not interested enough to spend $6k on a camera body just yet

[@JerryTLai]

It is interesting tech... I didn't think I'd find it useful, but it is indeed a little bit quicker to use eye AF than to muck around with that multi controller (at least for me). That in itself wouldn't be a reason to buy the camera, but the AF tracking once you lock onto a target is quite impressive. I can't wait to get my hands on this again and see it in action at something a bit more challenging like football/soccer.

[@acardena13]

@@JerryTLai I agree. I like to see how it performs for auto-racing. When you were using it, did you happen to notice if the eye tracking affected battery life in any way?

[@RogerZoul]

Lucky you!

[@JerryTLai]

Very fortunate indeed!

[@jaydropsvapereviewvlogbisa1261]

I'm sad sir jerry lai 😥

[@esphilee]

That Tony? Hmmmmmm …

[@frostybe3r]

Good video but you need to work on your lighting and video quality, you have an R5 afterall, I expected alot better. I'm also unsure why you're having issues with the eye autofocus, I can easily track fast-moving birds with the R5... Single dot sucks lol.

[@JerryTLai]

Hi Bernie - thanks for watching. Admittedly, lightning is not my area of expertise and with YT just being a hobby - I haven't invested in a transforming one of my rooms to a studio or a full video lighting kit. But maybe that's what I'll need to level up. LOL yeah, I'm having a hard time going back to single dot now that I know what else is out there.

[@frostybe3r]

@@JerryTLai Hah yeah, I just pre-ordered the R3 to use mainly for video and wildlife, I bought a cheap Neewer LED light stand which works pretty well. :)

[@royjohnson6623]

Mi dispiace ma sony è molto piu avanti sia di canon che nikon , tutti dovranno stare al loro passo ma sarà molto dura anche se io non abbandono il brand Nikon