Very quick autofocus, quiet with USM. Numerous and quite accurate metering modes.
Feels solid, reliable, and comfortable. Extremely bright viewfinder. Eye control focus. Great lenses.

The camera can be daunting to the uninitiated.

I have used or owned many cameras throughout my career and I have found the EOS 3 to be the best...(although I haven't tried the EOS-1V).
Initially, I was wary of the eye control focus. After taking the time to calibrate it I am amazed how quick and responsive it is.
For those of you who wear glasses do the calibrations with your glasses on and off and in differing light levels. It will work just takes time.
The metering is dead on. I have read the complaints of lazy photographers who can't or won't use their brains to compensate for the meter. Remember guys and gals we are the photographers not our cameras.
Also, any person who rates this camera one star obviously hasn't spent any time truly using it.
Picking up the 3 in the store for 1 minute doesn't make you an expert.
I thought I was a die hard "give me a metal body, manual focus, manual metering, spin and click the knobs kind of guy" but I found that the EOS 3 is a pleasure to work with. Very comfortable in my hand and at my eye. It gives me numerous creative options. I will say this though.. to get the most from this camera you must, I repeat must, read the manual and practice. Yes, you can pick it up, turn it on, and set it to "P" and start shooting, but this camera was made for alot more than that type of photography or photographer.
When it comes to survivability I have no complaints. I don't baby my equipment and the EOS 3 has taken it all without a hiccup. I would recommend this camera to anyone who wants a tough, versatile, and responsive weapon in their photographic arsenal.

Customer Service

Not needed yet

Similar Products Used:

Nikon F5, F100, F3, EOS-1N, Minolta 9.

Superbly accurate AF over very wide area
Flash system terrific

ECF gimmicky and sometimes unreliable
Louder than it should be
only 1/200th synch with older flashes
Canon dropped the price when the 1V came out, meaning I could have paid less if I'd waited six months or so.

I measured this body against a 1n when replacing one of my worn out EOS-1s and it came down to two factors: AF and price. AF first: in a word, foolproof. I use 2.8L lenses and this camera gives me the best "light box" to put behind that expensive but oh so wonderful glass. I program it for just 11 sensors, making the system that much faster focusing. As for price, I bought my first EOS-3 before the 1V came out so had to compare it with the older 1n. With the difference at almost $500 Canadian dollars, the EOS-3 won out due to the larger AF area. As for the plastic body, I'm a newspaper photof who's put these bodies through their paces and so far, I have no complaints whatsoever. To the naysayers, if any camera sustains what the technicians call "impact damage," chances are the body is still going to crack. I used T-90s for years and dropped most of them and they still kept on working. This is a highly recommendable camera and a great buy now that the 1V is available.

Customer Service

Outstanding. Fast, efficient and friendly, when they receive a damaged lens or body they just send me a loaner until mine's done, which often takes no longer than a week or so.

Similar Products Used:

Canon A2, EOS-1, T-90,
F-1n

Accurate ECF, terrific no nonsense metering, tough build quality (I have dropped it and abused it for over a year), deadly fast and accurate autofocus, specially with USM lenses.

Mirror slap could be softer. I miss the soft mirror noise of my A2E.

This is one kick ass camera which I never regret buying, even after the 1V's release.

Customer Service

None needed

Similar Products Used:

EOS-1N, 1V, A2E, Elan-IIe, Nikon F4S, N90s, F100, Pentax PZ-1P

fast autofocus, eye control is much much better than ELAN and A2, even with glasses. Cool looking, lots of cool functions.

Custom functions take a while to figure out, heavy, expensive, compared to amateur cameras, and no AF assist lamp.

I think you people who complain about construction are on crack. I was really worried it was gonna be a REBEL 3000, likening to the plastic body. However, that is definately not the case because The construction is VERY Solid, and heavy-duty yet maintains relative lightweightedness. Also, the Eye-control though unnecessary most of teh time, has yet to fail, even with -4.75 lens glasses. Certainly more than I have expected!

Customer Service

not yet needed

Similar Products Used:

CANON EOS IX, ELAN IIE, A2E, Nikon N50, EOS 1N

The 45-point ECF. Requires a bit of getting used to, but then: Stunning.
Bright viewfinder
Well balanced with the booster.
All necessary gadgets and functions - as expected
Sturdy!

The door accessing the functions
No visible battery reading
Pricey

For all of you who say it's not sturdy enough - I fell from an armored vehicle with the camera -approx. 5 feet. My 550EX flash separated itself form the body and flew away. The camera? Ready to capture the image of my sprained foot!

The EOS3 is excellent with the 28-135 IS USM f/3,5-5,6. It is only so sad that Canon has not produced a pro lens at f/2,8! This really is a real drawback.

I also use the Nikon D1, and I really would like to see Canon opting for the 3D color matrix metering. It would be fantastic.

Customer Service

Not needed

Similar Products Used:

EOS 5, Nikon D1, Nikon F4

Lightning fast AF, 'Feel', Canon's USM and IS lenses

Layout of controls, AF not as consistant as I would have expected, noisy,

Focussing was wonderfully quick and quiet though I never did like ECF. Despite repeated calibrations it was unreliable, Nikons latest thumbwheel is much quicker and better overall. The flash system is a big improvement but by not taking distance into account like Nikons system it is not as reliable or predictable. Tried 2 flashes in wireless mode but exposure was a problem The camera itself despite not being one of the earlier models with underexposure problems, still had a habit of returning slides that were just a little too dark for my taste. Almost worth keeping for the 28-135mmIS lens but I have sold it and will be getting a Nikon F100 and F80 - better layout,handling,flash manual focussing of lenses

Customer Service

Not neede though Minoltas service on the 700si left a lot to be desired ie they returned it with the fault unfixed and I was without the camera for 2 months in total.

Similar Products Used:

Canon A-1,AE-1,T70,T90
Contax 159,137MA
EOS 650,620,600,100,1,5,50e,3
Dynax, 700si,9xi,8OOsi
Nikon F801,F601,F90

Incredibly fast operation (when compared to EOS 5), there is no need to turn a dial to get to desired mode of operation. The camera also saves settings when turned off, which again speeds up operation - very useful for concert photography. Very easy flash operation when combined with 550EX and E-TTL. Rugged construction - can handle rough conditions much better than the EOS 5. It required far less care when in Tanzania, since the body is well sealed.

ECF never worked - but this doesn't matter to me since I most often operate my lenses in manual focus, and metering is done using Sekonic light meter. Battery check is performed by pressing a button behind grip trap-door.
The cost.

If it wasn't quite so expensive, I would replace my EOS 5 with a second EOS 3. I often use two camera bodies especially when working at concerts.

Customer Service

No idea - I'll soon know though since I'm sending one of my lenses for repair :(

Similar Products Used:

Canon EOS 1
Canon EOS 5

Fast autofocus, great metering, solid build. I take picture of orchids, people and while traveling. The accessories such as focusing screens and magnifiers make it easy to set focus on the desired point. The is very important when DOF is important.

Side door kicks open easily. Eye controlled focus is a feature I always turn off and never plan to use.

An excellent replacement for my workhorse Elan II. If you don't have the money for an EOS 1v, then purchase the EOS 3 and turn off the eye controlled focus.

Customer Service

Not used

Similar Products Used:

Elan II, Olympus, Sigma,

The EOS-3 is quick. It focuses fast and responds fast. The eye-controlled focus works far better than the earlier models (Elan IIe and A2e, of which I've owned both). It feels solid and fits the hand like a glove.

The "trap" door on the grip is often kicked open by my hand and is not easily accessible.

For anyone requiring fast autofocus with a variety of specialized lenses and features, this is an all-around great camera. It does just about everything when you want it to.

Customer Service

Had to return the EOS-3 for service on the eye-controlled focus... it wouldn't properly calibrate to my eye. The service took a week and a half and there were no hassles with money or shipping. The focus system was immediately replaced and sent back to me without a hitch.

Similar Products Used:

Canon EOS Elan II, Elan IIe, A2, A2e, Nikon F100, Nikon F5.

Focus speed. Metering system. Overall feel and ease of use. Pretty much everything on this camera is a strength.

The fact that all Canon cameras, regardless of quality, get ripped on by many (not all) Nikon users. AF optimized for f/2.8 or faster.

Other than the new EOS 1v, this camera is the best product Canon has produced yet. The meter is spot on and very rarely gets tricked by strange lighting scenarios. It does E-TTL flash metering with both my 550EX and the 380EX I use with my Elan IIe. The camera feels substantial without being a pig, and the power booster is optional (unlike the F5) The 45 point eye control focus is a bit much, but there is a custom function that can reduce the number of points to 11. This is by far the better setting. It is very quiet which is advantageous when shooting wildlife. Auto focus works best with f/2.8 or faster. This is my one gripe because although I own several fast lenses, the lens that remains on the camera about 80% of the time is my 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS. This is a wonderful lens, and still focuses quickly, but noticably slower than my 28-70mm f/2.8. This camera is an excellent value and even cheaper now that the EOS 1v is out. Now if most Nikon users would quit ripping on anything Canon, I would be completely happy.

Customer Service

Not needed for any of my Canons. (knock on wood)

Similar Products Used:

F5, F100, EOS 1n-RS, EOS Elan IIe, EOS Rebel 2000, even my dad's Leica R8 (talk about quality optics!)