Canon EOS R6 Mark III

Canon EOS R6 Mark III Mirrorless Camera Body — An Overview

The Canon EOS R6 Mark III is the third generation of Canon’s full-frame mirrorless all-rounder, on the back of the original R6 and R6ii, obviously with many improvements, as would be expected with the advances in technology.

The upgrades are obvious in resolution, autofocus tracking, and connectivity. The new 32.5MP full-frame CMOS sensor delivers beautifully detailed images with a wide dynamic range, and can shoot at an impressive 40 frames per second using the electronic shutter.

The autofocus system is borrowed from the R5 Mark II, using Dual Pixel CMOS AF II with Deep Learning for even better subject detection and tracking. While I don't fully understand it, Canon has also added internal RAW Open Gate video recording, giving you multiple cropping options from a single take. The R6 Mark III can record 7K RAW video up to 60p, 4K up to 120p, and oversampled 4K up to 60p, with both Clog2 and Clog3 profiles for flexible colour grading. (EDIT: If that's confusing, then you probably shoot mostly stills, like I do!)

There are also clever features like People Priority and Pre-continuous Shooting which will help you catch the perfect moment without worrying about timing or focus.

For quick subjects. like wildlife and sports the Canon EOS R6 Mark III has the power and versatility to handle it all. Compared to it's predecessor, it achieves better performance, efficiency, and handling across the board.

What it offers wildlife photographers

• More resolution (32.5 megapixel) means more detail and better cropping potential. 

• The autofocus system is upgraded: it uses the new AF engine from Canon and subject detection that includes animals and birds. That’s a big plus for wildlife. 

• High burst rates (40 fps in electronic mode)gives you a better chance of catching fast action.

• Greater in-body stabilisation (IBIS) and better handling helps when you’re hand-holding long lenses, or working in lower-light conditions which are common wildlife photography situations.

• The CF Express it now has is bullet proof for image storage - much more reliable than SD

However, keep this in mind

• Even with 32.5 MP, if you are photographing tiny, distant subjects (e.g., small birds far away) and heavily cropping, you may still find yourself wanting more “reach” or more buffer room. The sensor is better than past R6 models, but wildlife cropping is always challenging.

• With very fast movement you might need to check for rolling-shutter effects or other artefacts.

• The lens you pair it with matters a lot. Wildlife success depends heavily on telephoto reach (e.g., 500 mm +, or 100-500mm zooms) and on how good your lens is (AF speed, sharpness, stabilisation). The camera body will help, but it’s only half of the system.

• Field conditions: wildlife often means tricky light (early morning, dusk), long hours, maybe poor weather. While the R6 Mark III should handle these better than many, always plan for battery spares, good weather-protection and so on.

My verdict for wildlife use

If I were you and considering the R6 Mark III for wildlife photography, I’d say: yes — it’s a very strong choice, especially if you already use or plan to use good telephoto lenses. It offers much of what one wants for wildlife: strong AF, more resolution, good burst speeds, stabilisation and modern features.

If I were to pick a scenario:

• If you shoot mammals, mid-sized animals or birds at moderate distance, you’ll likely be very impressed.

• If you shoot small birds far away, or do heavy cropping, you might still want to consider whether even higher resolution or a camera with even more reach/cropping margin would benefit you. But the R6 Mark III will still work and will likely beat many older systems.

Comparison with other R6 models