WNPP Episode #33 Canon EOS R3 High Speed 30 FPS Issue Solved

I have just published Episode #33 of my Wild Nature Photography Podcast. This podcast details a fix for the issue I discussed in Podcast #32 of the Canon EOS R3 not being able to shoot continuously for more than about 6 seconds when in High Speed + (30 FPS) mode. My sincere thanks to my very good friend Dave in the states for finding this solution and sharing it with me.

In brief, out of the box, the Canon EOS R3 can only shoot around five to six seconds on High Speed + mode before it stops for a second, starts again then stutters. The problem would appear on the surface to be a buffer issue, but extensive testing has shown that the cards we have been using (1400 mb/s+) are more than fast enough to write 30 FPS at 24 MPX. This leaves the processor as the brick wall and it was my conclusion that the processor was not capable of writing out the files at 30 FPS for more than about six seconds before it could no longer keep up. As it turns out, this is NOT the case. By setting the camera’s shutter button to AE lock, instead of ‘Start Metering’ the camera can shoot 30 FPS unlimited in High Speed + mode.

In summary, if you set up your Canon EOS R3 for back button focus and have the back button focus also ‘start metering’ and set the shutter release to ‘AE lock’ the camera will shoot 30 FPS unlimited in High Speed + mode. With this setup, the processor no longer has to worry about metering between frames and this is the difference between the camera stalling, and continually shooting without stopping. This is an absolutely ideal solution as there is zero need to meter individually between frames when shooting at 30 FPS. In fact, it’s advantageous not to be metering between frames if you are shooting in Manual.

With this issue resolved the EOS R3 now powers ahead as the best wildlife camera Canon has ever produced. Its auto-focus is absolutely incredible and with its No. 1 rating by DXO for the Best Low Light performer in a still frame camera, it really is just about the perfect Wildlife camera. I am very much looking forward to finally testing the cold weather performance of the R3 in winter in Finland in February.