Established in 1984, the Camera Grand Prix is one of the photography industry's most prestigious awards, both in Japan and internationally. The 2026 winners have now been announced.
Organized by the Camera Journal Press Club, the awards recognize standout products released in Japan during the previous fiscal year, with seven prizes handed out this year. Alongside awards decided by editors and industry experts, the Readers' Awards highlight the camera gear that photographers themselves voted for.
The 2026 Readers' Award in the camera category went to the Canon EOS R6 Mark III, with users praising its performance, refined handling, and impressive price-to-performance ratio.
Readers' Award – Camera: Canon EOS R6 Mark III
The Camera Grand Prix 2026 published a selection of comments from voters explaining why the Canon EOS R6 Mark III earned the prestigious honor.
One theme quickly stood out: users across different genres and experience levels were impressed by the camera's balance of performance and value.
"This camera is just as good as the EOS R5 Mark II, but it's cheaper than the R5. Since it now uses CFexpress cards, I don't need anything more," wrote one user, while another added: "I was impressed by the overall high level of refinement, which is reminiscent of the DSLR, the EOS 5D Mark IV."
Another voter summed it up in one sentence: "This camera offers the best balance of image quality and price."
For some users, the R6 Mark III represents a philosophy that goes beyond specifications – one that "never betrays the photographer's intentions."
Canon EOS R6 Mark III: price & competition
The R6 Mark III also impressed us in our review. Available for $2,799 / £2,799, this powerful mirrorless packs so much performance that it feels close to a flagship model.
For context, the R6 Mark III launched in November 2025 at the same price as the R6 Mark II in 2022, though the older model is now available for $1,999 / £2,049.
While the R6 Mark III won't suit every budget, Canon says it features more than 50 upgrades over the Mark II. Here are six updates that could make the upgrade worthwhile for many photographers.
The R6 Mark III faces strong competition, with rivals including the Sony A7 V ($2,898 / £2,799), Nikon Z6 III ($1,996.95 / £1,599), and Panasonic Lumix S1 II ($2,897.99 / £2,599) – all excellent cameras in their own right.
Is this the best photo-first Canon on the market?
The R6 Mark III shares its core architecture with the Canon EOS C50, but targets photo-first hybrid shooters, while the C50 is designed primarily for video creators.
It also inherits one of Canon's best pro features: Registeres People Priority. This allows you to save up to ten faces in priority order, helping the camera focus on the right subject during group shots, weddings, events, and sports photography.
Still, advanced features matter little if AF (autofocus) can't keep up – and Canon's subject tracking stands out as one of the strongest in class, as our Canon expert and reviewer James Artaius highlighted.
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