Based on the top-of-the-line EOS-1N, the EOS DCS 3 digital camera was developed with a high density area CCD containing 1.3 megapixels. The large, 16 MB buffer memory enables high-speed continuous shooting at 2.7 fps in 12-frame bursts. Also, by using the camera's 260 MB hard disk card, about 189 large size frames can be filed.

The equivalent film speed sensitivity range is ISO 200 to 1600. This expands to ISO 400 to 6400 with black-and-white and infrared versions. The camera is therefore well prepared for low-light conditions.