Beginners & Vlogging — EOS M50 II (2020): Canon's most approachable mirrorless — Dual Pixel AF and beautiful colour science in a beginner-friendly body.
Entry Full-Frame Stills Photography — EOS RP (2019): An affordable gateway into the RF system. The RP makes sense as a stepping stone camera — if you're committed to Canon RF glass, this is the cheapest full-frame body to buy those lenses for. Just manage expectations on video and battery life.
All-Round Photography & Video — A7 III (2018): Still one of the best all-round cameras money can buy — particularly strong used. The A7 III proved that full-frame doesn't have to mean compromises, and nothing at this price point has meaningfully beaten it.
Who should buy what
EOS M50 II (2020)
EOS RP (2019)
A7 III (2018)
Quick take: The eos rp has the highest resolution at 26mp; the eos m50 ii is the most affordable; only the a7 iii is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EOS M50 II (2020) | EOS RP (2019) | A7 III (2018) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £449 | £799 | £1,699 |
| Sensor | 24.1MP APS-C CMOS | 26.2MP Full-Frame CMOS | 24.2MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | 24.1MP | 26.2MP | 24.2MP |
| Video | 4K/25p (cropped), 1080p/60p | 4K/24p (with 1.7× crop), 1080p/60p | 4K/30p (6K oversampled), 1080p/120p slow-motion |
| Autofocus | Dual Pixel CMOS AF, 143 AF points, eye detection | Dual Pixel CMOS AF, 4779 manually selectable positions | Phase-detect, 693 points, real-time Eye AF & animal AF |
| Stabilisation | None (no IBIS) | None (no IBIS) | 5-axis IBIS, 5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 10fps | 5fps mechanical | 10fps with AF/AE tracking |
| Battery Life | ~305 shots (CIPA) | ~250 shots (CIPA) — very limited | ~710 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 387g body only | 485g (body, battery, card) | 565g (body, battery, card) |
| Dimensions | 116.3 × 88.1 × 58.7mm | 132.5 × 85.0 × 70.0mm | 126.9 × 95.6 × 73.7mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | EVF, 2.36M dots, 0.39× | EVF, 2.36M dots, 0.70× magnification | EVF, 2.36M dots, 0.78× magnification |
| Screen | 3.0" vari-angle touchscreen | 3.0" vari-angle touchscreen, 1.04M dots | 3.0" tilting touchscreen, 921k dots |
| Mount | Canon EF-M mount | Canon RF-mount | Sony E-mount |
| Memory Cards | Single SD UHS-I slot | Single SD UHS-II | Dual SD (UHS-II slot 1, UHS-I slot 2) |
| Connectivity | USB Micro-B, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, micro HDMI | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | USB-C (USB 3.2), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC |
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