Technical Details for Canon EOS 3

Canon EOS 3 ... incorporates the world's first area AF system, a high precision focusing system, higher speed eye-control and improved high-speed focus tracking. The advanced camera technology of the EOS 3 further improves on the speed and performance for which the EOS range is renowned.

The EOS 3's ground-breaking area AF system uses 45 focusing points for accurate subject capture. The seven focusing points at the center are high precision cross type sensors for f2.8 lenses, or faster, while the other 38 are sensitive to horizontal lines at f/5.6. Even with an f/4 or faster lens, the center focusing point works as a cross type focusing sensor, greatly enhancing the prospect of capturing the desired subject. Any one of the 45 focusing points can be easily selected using a button and dial operation with the selected point superimposed in red in the viewfinder. The seven metering methods the EOS 3 offers are compatible with the area AF system.

The power drive booster allows seven frames per second shooting with both predictive AF and AI Servo AF. The EOS 3 built-in motor drive enables shooting up to 4.3fps with low noise.

A 32-bit microcomputer allows faster auto focusing and gives the user rapid and precise eye control operation through pupil edge detection. The viewfinder has also been improved by the addition of an eye-controlled indicator and a high-speed sync indicator. The result is greater control for the user.

The EOS 3 features an advanced rotary magnet-controlled ultra-fast shutter for speed ranges of 30sec to 1/8000 sec. Shutter speeds are electronically regulated for the greatest possible accuracy.

With similar operation to that of the EOS 1N, the EOS 3 contains an illuminated LCD panel, displaying camera settings at a glance, including a remaining frame counter. Up to 18 preset functions can be preset for enhanced flexibility.