Canon, however, missed the opportunity to add a mode dial lock during the redesign. Accidentally hitting the mode at the wrong settings is one of my biggest pet peeves with my Mark II, and it’s the same with the Mark III. It’s probably not a big problem for casual shooters, but when the Mark II (or III) is in a dual-camera harness, it has a tendency to knock around the waist and go into the wrong mode. Now imagine quickly reaching for your camera to capture that split-second moment at a wedding, whether it’s a first kiss, a confetti toss, or a family member’s reaction, and you can see why having a feature that allows the camera to go into negative mode is a big plus.
The EVF and LCD displays carry over from the previous model, which is disappointing—we’ve yet to see a four-axis LCD from Canon that can match the good cameras seen on Sony’s latest cameras. The 3-inch, 1.62m dot LCD can tilt in and out to get the most angles you’d like to shoot from. Sadly, there’s also no large LCD screen to quickly see your settings; these seem to be reserved for the flagship EOS R1, R3, and R5 series cameras.
A speed demon
Canon’s EOS R6 Mark II was no slouch in the speed department, but the new Mark III takes it to a whole new level. While the 12 frames per second (fps) and 40 fps burst rates of the two models are similar on paper, remember that the Mark III’s 32.5 MP full-frame chip has three more pixels to process, and is capable of recording 20 full frames of RAW half a second before Capture is pressed. This makes photographing birds at the exact moment of departure from a permanent location very easy, and I think that birders, sports, and action photographers will really like to use it. While the Mark II had this feature, it can now be provided with an M-Fn button to make it easier to turn it on and off when needed. If we talk about this button, it is more spongy than the previous model, which was more “clicky”. I found it unclear whether I pressed the button or not, but now it’s almost silent, so wildlife photographers will no doubt appreciate this subtle change.
One thing missing is Canon’s Digic Accelerator, which means the R6 III doesn’t get Action Priority Auto Focus (AF), so it won’t be good for contact sports like soccer, basketball, or volleyball. However, there is support for Nominate Register People Priority, released on the high-end R1 and R5 cameras. As the name suggests, this allows you to register faces so the camera knows who to prioritize when there are a lot of people in the shot. This is great not only for sports photos, where you want famous players to be in focus, but also for events like weddings, where you want to focus on the bride, groom, and close family members. I’ve spent many hours with Canon’s EOS R1, R5 Mark II, and R6 III, and I don’t think many will be disappointed with the R6 III’s performance when it comes to sports. The AF is very sticky and responsive, and if you want to take pictures of your child playing in the Sunday league, the Register People Priority will be enough to ensure you track your key players and get a sharp shot. Obviously, if you shoot sports professionally, the R5 II or R1 will be a better choice for you.
