Is the EOS R3 a good purchase in 2025?

[petereprice]

I've recently come back to Canon, and currently have the Canon R5 Mark II and Canon R6 II as a backup body. I shoot events, portraits, documentary photography and some photojournalism stories. For my event and documentary photo work I tend to shoot in very low light situations where I sit from ISO 6400-12800. Originally I was looking to use the R6 Mark II, but I found a really good deal on a R3. I'm interested in it for its stacked sensor and low light performance. I'm mainly looking for a second body to my R5 Mark II that has the best low light performance and the ability to shoot silent without too much rolling shutter. I've looked at the R1, but I don't like that the R1 is bigger and heavier than the R3. So my question is...is getting an R3 in 2024/2025 still a good idea based on my requirements?

[March411]

Petereprice, welcome to the forum.

So I'm going to go with the old answer a question with a question 😉

Is the R3 going to give you the features and resolution you want for the price of purchase? If you believe it will then you already know the answer, pick it up!

I currently own the R5 and the R6 MkII and couldn't be happier with both bodies. I recently started doing more sporting events and wanted the higher FPS, extended battery life, stacked sensor, high-precision EVF and excellent low light performance. I bought the R3 off the Canon Refurb site for a great price and it has been a solid addition to my gear. For the price I get everything I wanted out of the R3, the only negative is my R6 Mk II has competition when I am loading up the camera bag.

Personally I don't think you can go wrong with the R3 but I was in the same boat as you and picked one up. I may be a bit bias.

On the Canon Refurbished site in stock. 

EOS R3 Body - $3000 

[petereprice]

Thanks Marc!  Yeah I was looking at that price and was very tempted but decided to sit on it for a minute and I just checked and it’s now out of stock so I’ll have to wait for it to be restocked again!  Seems these refurb deals come and go frequently!

In regards to your question.  For that price of $3000 I think that’s a killer deal to get another stacked sensor body with my R5 Mark II that has better low light performance but can also do silent shutter with minimal to no rolling shutter mainly for events.  That’s mainly what I’m looking for.  But I’m also contemplating just getting another R5 Mark II because I have found the low light performance to be pretty good as well.

[March411]

The R5 Mk II would be a great purchase and owning two of the same bodies makes sense when shooting events.  The pre-shooting feature is fantastic for sports and wildlife and the 45 MP gives you more flexibility in post. I was able to get my hands on one for a couple days and thought it was an outstanding piece of equipment. The two bodies are insanely different when it comes to size and grip/handling. If you shoot video the R5 Mk II has also improved this feature over the R5 which offers value to many, I shoot stills so for me it was mute.

Personally the R3 offered the higher frame rate and with its lower megapixel count, handles high ISO better which for me produces cleaner images in low light. It also offers a slightly better rolling shutter performance and weather sealing which were key points for me.

You really can't go wrong with either and the R5 Mk II will have a longer support/service life cycle then the R3 based on their release dates. Either one is a win/win!

[karmlol]

The R1 isn't that much bigger and heavier than the R3. Not noticeably so at least.

But yes the R3 has great noise performance. Ever so marginally better than the R1, actually, at higher ISOs, and about 1 full stop better at 100-200 ISO.

If you don't need the R1's key features of a larger viewfinder and pre-continuous shooting (saving images from before you press the shutter) and are looking specifically for a low light Canon body, then the R3 is probably one of the best picks.