Canon may not be ready for 2024 just yet. Following the dual launch of the EOS R1 and EOS R5 Mark II in July, there are now suggestions it is planning a third full-frame mirrorless camera this year, the EOS R6 Mark III.
There has been speculation about Canon Rumors that the latest mid-range model with a full-frame sensor could hit stores as early as late 2024, along with a list of expected specifications.
It should be noted that the camera, announcement dates, and specs are all based on rumors, though the timeline lines up with Canon’s two-year cycle for the EOS R6 series so far, following 2020’s EOS R6 and the EOS R6 Mark II launching in late 2022.
For a camera of this tier, a two-year product cycle feels shorter than most, but with Nikon recently announcing the excellent Z6 III, which in many ways surpasses the EOS R6 Mark II, perhaps Canon can’t afford to pass this one up.
The fierce Canon-Nikon rivalry is expected to continue
According to Canon Rumors, sources have told them that the EOS R6 Mark III is “pretty much ready to go,” along with a list of expected specifications.
Apparently the sensor will once again be a 24MP one, but that’s ‘related’ to the stacked sensor in the EOS R3, a much more expensive and former flagship used by professional sports and wildlife photographers. There’s no mention of burst shooting speeds, though we’d expect them to be faster if the stacked-sensor rumor is true, plus there’s better control over rolling shutter distortion.
The Nikon Z6 III was the first camera of its kind to feature a ‘partially’ stacked sensor, which has a faster readout speed than the Canon EOS R6 II. An even faster stacked sensor in a potential EOS R6 Mark III would be a logical way for Canon to strike back.
The EOS R6 Mark III shouldn’t get in the way of the EOS R5 Mark II too much, though. Canon also has to keep the price reasonable: the EOS R6 Mark II launched for around $2,500 / £2,700 / AU$4,500, the same price as the new Nikon 6 III. Its successor can’t get much higher than that, either.
In that sense, it’s thought the processor will be an improved DIGIC X, but there will be no DIGIC Accelerator that boosts performance in the EOS R5 Mark II and EOS R1. It should also have the same EVF as the EOS R5, rather than the one in the Mark II version that has Canon’s neat Eye-control AF.
There are a few more specs in the rumor, many of which match the Z6 III. If Canon were to launch the EOS R6 Mark III later this year, it’d be an exciting battle with the Z6 III for the crown of best mirrorless camera overall, and that’s a fight we’re all for.