EOS M50 IIvs Ricoh GR IIIxvs A7 III
Which should you buy?
Beginners & Vlogging — EOS M50 II (2020): Canon's most approachable mirrorless — Dual Pixel AF and beautiful colour science in a beginner-friendly body.
Street Portraits & Reportage — Ricoh GR IIIx (2021): APS-C in a shirt pocket with a 40mm perspective — the GR IIIx is the ideal street portrait compact for photographers who want a slightly tighter frame.
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)
- You want your first mirrorless camera at the lowest possible price
- You're a vlogger or content creator just starting out
- Note: EF-M mount is discontinued — consider the EOS R50 for a future-proof system
Ricoh GR IIIx (2021)
- You want the GR experience with a slightly tighter, more versatile field of view
- You shoot portraits, food, or street scenes where 40mm suits better than 28mm wide
- You want a premium compact that fits in a shirt pocket with better tonal rendering than a phone
A7 III (2018)
- Enthusiast photographers upgrading from APS-C for the first time
- Working photographers who need reliable AF and weather sealing
- Anyone who shoots in low light regularly
- Hybrid shooters needing both stills and video performance
Quick take: The ricoh gr iiix has the highest resolution at 24mp; 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) | Ricoh GR IIIx (2021) | A7 III (2018) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £449 | £999 | £1,699 |
| Sensor | 24.1MP APS-C CMOS | 24.2MP APS-C CMOS | 24.2MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | 24.1MP | 24.2MP | 24.2MP |
| Video | 4K/25p (cropped), 1080p/60p | 1080p/60p | 4K/30p (6K oversampled), 1080p/120p slow-motion |
| Autofocus | Dual Pixel CMOS AF, 143 AF points, eye detection | Hybrid contrast/phase-detect AF with subject detection | Phase-detect, 693 points, real-time Eye AF & animal AF |
| Stabilisation | None (no IBIS) | 4-stop IBIS (Shake Reduction) | 5-axis IBIS, 5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 10fps | 4fps | 10fps with AF/AE tracking |
| Battery Life | ~305 shots (CIPA) | 200 shots (CIPA) | ~710 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 387g body only | 262g | 565g (body, battery, card) |
| Dimensions | 116.3 × 88.1 × 58.7mm | 111.2 × 61.4 × 33.2mm | 126.9 × 95.6 × 73.7mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | EVF, 2.36M dots, 0.39× | None | EVF, 2.36M dots, 0.78× magnification |
| Screen | 3.0" vari-angle touchscreen | 3.0" fixed touchscreen | 3.0" tilting touchscreen, 921k dots |
| Mount | Canon EF-M mount | Fixed 40mm-equiv f/2.8 lens | Sony E-mount |
| Memory Cards | Single SD UHS-I slot | Single SD UHS-I | 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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