Canon EOS-3 Specifications

[For full EOS-3 specs, see the Canon EOS-3 Specifications page]

The EOS-3 is widely regarded as one of Canon's best film SLR bodies. So what's so great about the EOS-3? Well, here are my highpoints.

AF at f8

First, when using the center focus point, it will AF with any Canon EOS lens which has a maximum aperture of f8 or more. This means you get full AF using an EF300/4L or EF600/4L with a 2xTC, or an EF400/5.6L with a 1.4x. All other Canon EOS bodies except for the EOS-1 series cutoff AF at f5.6. If you're shooting with telephoto lenses, this factor alone makes the EOS-3 worth owning.

45 eye controlled focus points

The EOS-3 has 45 focus points - and eye control focus (ECF). If you're a fan of ECF, then you'll love this feature! If you don't like ECF, you can turn it off and manually select your focus point.

Water Sealed

The EOS-3 is as well sealed against water as the EOS-1n which means it can be used in adverse conditions. Note that it's not waterproof, you can't dunk it underwater, but all the controls and dials are sealed against moisture, so you can shoot in the rain much longer than with a less well sealed camera. The seals also protect the internals of the camera from dust.

Professional grade shutter

While shutters on Canon's consumer camera bodies are typically rated for 30,000-50,000 cycles, the shutter on the EOs-3 is rated for 100,000 cycles. In an actual test one magazine get over 400,000 cycles from an EOS-3 shutter before failure.

Large bright viewfinder with 97% coverage

If you're used to shooting with an EOS 10D or (worse) and EOS 300D, you'll be amazed at both the size and the brightness of the EOS-3 viewfinder! You can also fit one of 9 different screens in place of the standard screen.

Multi-spot metering

In addition to a single 2.4% spot, up to 8 spot meter readings can be automatically averaged. Partial (8.5%), centerweighted and 21-zone evaluative metering are also available

High speed film transport

Up to 4.3fps with no booster, or up to 7fps with the PB-E2

AF performance

With fast lenses (f2.8 or faster), AF accuracy with one of the center AF zones is three times that of the consumer grade EOS bodies (Elans and Rebels)due to the use of multiple high precision cross type sensors around the center of the frame.

Price

The street price on the EOS-3 (List price $1500), has fallen from around $1400 when it was first introduced to under $900 now (08/04). While not exactly cheap, it nevertheless represents excellent value as Canon's lowest cost full professional standard body, capable of standing up to professional level abuse (!) while offering fast and reliable AF on a par with the EOS-1 series.