Canon EOS 90Dvs Canon EOS R3vs Sony A9 III

GearFrame · Updated March 2026

Canon Canon EOS 90D Canon Canon EOS 90D (2019) From £849 Best for Sports, wildlife & DSLR enthusiasts View Canon EOS 90D
VS
Canon Canon EOS R3 Canon Canon EOS R3 (2021) From £5999 Best for Sports & photojournalism professionals View Canon EOS R3
VS
Sony Sony A9 III Sony Sony A9 III (2023) From £5999 Best for Sports & action professionals View Sony A9 III

Which should you buy?

Sports, Wildlife & Dslr Enthusiasts — Canon EOS 90D (2019): The best APS-C DSLR Canon ever made — 32MP, 10fps, weather sealing, and an optical viewfinder experience no mirrorless can replicate.

Sports & Photojournalism Professionals — Canon EOS R3 (2021): The pinnacle of Canon's mirrorless lineup for speed — Eye Control AF and 30fps burst in the most rugged body Canon has ever produced.

Sports & Action Professionals — Sony A9 III (2023): A paradigm-shifting camera — the global shutter eliminates every rolling shutter limitation that has constrained action photography for years.

↓ Full specifications below

Canon EOS 90D (2019)

  • You're invested in Canon EF DSLR lenses and don't want to switch systems
  • You shoot wildlife or sports and prefer an optical viewfinder
  • You want a mid-range DSLR upgrade without going mirrorless

Canon EOS R3 (2021)

  • You shoot sport, motorsport, wildlife, or news at a professional level
  • You need Canon's most reliable and fastest autofocus available
  • You need extreme weather sealing for demanding shooting conditions

Sony A9 III (2023)

  • You shoot professional sport, motorsport, or action and need zero rolling shutter distortion
  • You need reliable high-speed flash sync for studio or on-location action work
  • You want the absolute pinnacle of Sony's action and sports camera technology

Quick take: The canon eos 90d has the highest resolution at 32mp; the canon eos 90d is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.

Full specifications

Specification Canon EOS 90D (2019)Canon EOS R3 (2021)Sony A9 III (2023)
Price £849 £5,999 £5,999
Sensor 32.5MP APS-C CMOS (Dual Pixel AF) 24.1MP full-frame BSI stacked CMOS 24.6MP full-frame Exmor RS CMOS (global shutter)
Resolution 32.5MP 24.1MP 24.6MP
Video 4K/30p (1.6× crop), FHD/120p 6K RAW, 4K/120p, 1080p/180p 4K/120p, 4K/60p, 1080p/240p
Autofocus Dual Pixel CMOS AF (live view), 45-point phase-detect (OVF) Dual Pixel CMOS AF II with Eye Control AF AI subject recognition AF, 759-point phase-detect
Stabilisation None (no IBIS) 8-stop IBIS 8-stop IBIS
Burst Rate 10fps mechanical 30fps electronic / 12fps mechanical 120fps blackout-free electronic
Battery Life ~1300 shots (CIPA with OVF) 620 shots (CIPA) 530 shots (CIPA)
Weight 701g body only 1015g body only 703g body only
Dimensions 140.7 × 104.8 × 76.8mm 150.0 × 142.6 × 87.2mm 136.1 × 96.9 × 82.9mm
Weather Sealed Yes Yes Yes
Viewfinder Optical pentaprism, 100% coverage, 0.95× magnification 0.76" OLED EVF, 5.76M dots, 120fps 0.64" Quad-XGA OLED EVF, 9.44M dots
Screen 3.0" vari-angle touchscreen 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen
Mount Canon EF / EF-S Canon RF Sony FE (E-mount)
Memory Cards Dual SD UHS-II slots Dual CFexpress Type B Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II
Connectivity USB 2.0, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi USB-C 3.2, HDMI full-size, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, LAN USB-C 3.2, HDMI A, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3
⚡ Compare specs side by side Canon EOS 90D prices → Canon EOS R3 prices → Sony A9 III prices →

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