Canon EOS R3vs EOS R8vs Ricoh GR IIIx

GearFrame · Updated March 2026

Canon Canon EOS R3 Canon Canon EOS R3 (2021) From £5999 Best for Sports & photojournalism professionals View Canon EOS R3
VS
Canon EOS R8 Canon EOS R8 (2023) From £1099 Best for Full-frame entry View EOS R8
VS
Ricoh Ricoh GR IIIx Ricoh Ricoh GR IIIx (2021) From £999 Best for Street portraits & reportage View Ricoh GR IIIx

Which should you buy?

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.

Full-Frame Entry — EOS R8 (2023): Canon's most affordable full-frame mirrorless — 4K/60p 10-bit and class-leading Dual Pixel AF at an accessible entry price.

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.

↓ Full specifications below

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

EOS R8 (2023)

  • You want full-frame image quality on a tight budget
  • You shoot mainly in good light and can live without built-in stabilisation
  • You primarily shoot stills with occasional video

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

Quick take: The eos r8 has the highest resolution at 24mp; the ricoh gr iiix is the most affordable; only the canon eos r3 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.

Full specifications

Specification Canon EOS R3 (2021)EOS R8 (2023)Ricoh GR IIIx (2021)
Price £5,999 £1,099 £999
Sensor 24.1MP full-frame BSI stacked CMOS 24.2MP Full-frame BSI CMOS 24.2MP APS-C CMOS
Resolution 24.1MP 24.2MP 24.2MP
Video 6K RAW, 4K/120p, 1080p/180p 4K/60p oversampled 10-bit, FHD/180p 1080p/60p
Autofocus Dual Pixel CMOS AF II with Eye Control AF Dual Pixel CMOS AF II, 1053 zones, eye/face/subject tracking Hybrid contrast/phase-detect AF with subject detection
Stabilisation 8-stop IBIS None (no IBIS) 4-stop IBIS (Shake Reduction)
Burst Rate 30fps electronic / 12fps mechanical 6fps mechanical, 40fps electronic 4fps
Battery Life 620 shots (CIPA) ~220 shots (CIPA) 200 shots (CIPA)
Weight 1015g body only 461g body only 262g
Dimensions 150.0 × 142.6 × 87.2mm 132.5 × 86.1 × 70.0mm 111.2 × 61.4 × 33.2mm
Weather Sealed Yes No No
Viewfinder 0.76" OLED EVF, 5.76M dots, 120fps EVF, 2.36M dots, 0.59× None
Screen 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen 3.0" fixed touchscreen
Mount Canon RF Canon RF mount (full-frame) Fixed 40mm-equiv f/2.8 lens
Memory Cards Dual CFexpress Type B Single SD UHS-II slot Single SD UHS-I
Connectivity USB-C 3.2, HDMI full-size, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, LAN USB-C, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
⚡ Compare specs side by side Canon EOS R3 prices → EOS R8 prices → Ricoh GR IIIx prices →

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