I feel Canon only really launched one new EOS R System camera in 2025; the Canon EOS R6 Mark III, which only just made it out in 2025, having being launched in November.
I say Canon only launched one camera last year, but there was the EOS R50 V update to the R50, launched in 2025 as a ‘video-first interchangeable lens camera’, plus the EOS C50 7K full-frame sensor video camera.
But there was only ONE Canon EOS R mirrorless camera in the traditional sense. So why did Canon only launch the Canon EOS R6 Mark III last year, and what could we expect to see soon in 2026?
Of course, the Canon EOS R7 Mark II APS-C mirrorless camera seems highly likely, probably in the first half of this year. The R7 was launched back in 2022, so it’s a line that’s due an update now, plus we’ve already had the R5 Mark II, and R6 Mark II and Mark III.
However, I’d rather see an R3 Mark II! With the Winter Olympics in mid Feb in Italy, could we see a new sports camera like a new R3? After all, Canon and the rest like to launch new pro sports cameras before every Summer Olympics..
A new EOS R3 is an interesting idea. You may say “But do we need an R3 II, when we have the R1, R5 II and R6 III?”
While there are others who saw the flagship R1 in 2024 as a R3 Mark II, so perhaps Canon should just bring out an R3 Mark III in 2026!
As a photographer who grew up with Canon EOS DSLRs, and a big fan of the EOS 5D Mark IV sized camera bodies, I personally find the R5 bodies too small for my hands. The R6 and R7 are even smaller and often a bit fiddly to handle.
The R3 is a beautiful camera, with a sturdy build, and a great size for jobbing pros. It feels very well balanced with bigger f/2.8 lenses strapped on the front compared to the R5 etc. It's also available at a great price this year.
With the R3’s built-in grip for vertical shooting, the R3 is noticeably beefier than the R5 series, but just a tad smaller and lighter to make it more manageable than the R1 for long-term use, day in, day out.
The R1 is 158 x 150 x 87mm compared to the R3's 150 x 143 x 87mm, and weighs 1115g compared to the R3's 1015g. The R3 is also a good chunk of change cheaper than the R1.
And as the R3 came out back in 2021, its specs are out of date compared to the 2024’s R1. It would be great to see the R3 with all the latest AF bells and whistles, but I’d love it to have a 45MP full-frame sensor, then have *two* crop modes at 1.3x (30MP) and 1.6x (24MP) to give you more reach but without resolutions compromises.
It’s highly unlikely a camera like this would ever be made – why give people three cameras in one, when you can sell them three cameras instead!
Or here’s a radical thought – perhaps we’ll see an all-new Canon EOS R2 in 2026? The R2 has a nice ring to it. A new line of pro EOS R cameras that sits just below the R1 flagship’s specs and price point. Canon could also call the Mark II version the R2 D2!
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