Canon EOS R3vs EOS R8vs A7C II

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
Sony A7C II Sony A7C II (2023) From £1499 Best for Full-frame hybrid View A7C II

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.

Full-Frame Hybrid — A7C II (2023): Full-frame AI autofocus in the most compact body available — the best camera under £1,500 for hybrid shooters.

↓ 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

A7C II (2023)

  • You want full-frame image quality in the most compact body possible
  • You travel constantly and need a serious camera that doesn't weigh down your bag
  • You're a portrait or lifestyle photographer who shoots on the move
  • You create content for social media or YouTube and want full-frame quality in a vlog-friendly form

Quick take: The a7c ii has the highest resolution at 33mp; the eos r8 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)A7C II (2023)
Price £5,999 £1,099 £1,499
Sensor 24.1MP full-frame BSI stacked CMOS 24.2MP Full-frame BSI CMOS 33MP Full-frame Exmor R BSI CMOS
Resolution 24.1MP 24.2MP 33.0MP
Video 6K RAW, 4K/120p, 1080p/180p 4K/60p oversampled 10-bit, FHD/180p 4K/60p oversampled, S-Log3, 10-bit internal
Autofocus Dual Pixel CMOS AF II with Eye Control AF Dual Pixel CMOS AF II, 1053 zones, eye/face/subject tracking 759-point phase-detect, AI subject recognition
Stabilisation 8-stop IBIS None (no IBIS) 5-axis IBIS, 7.0 stops
Burst Rate 30fps electronic / 12fps mechanical 6fps mechanical, 40fps electronic 10fps mechanical, 30fps electronic
Battery Life 620 shots (CIPA) ~220 shots (CIPA) ~530 shots (CIPA)
Weight 1015g body only 461g body only 514g body only
Dimensions 150.0 × 142.6 × 87.2mm 132.5 × 86.1 × 70.0mm 124.0 × 71.1 × 63.4mm
Weather Sealed Yes No No
Viewfinder 0.76" OLED EVF, 5.76M dots, 120fps EVF, 2.36M dots, 0.59× EVF, 2.36M dots, 0.70× magnification
Screen 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen 3.0" vari-angle touchscreen
Mount Canon RF Canon RF mount (full-frame) Sony FE (full-frame E-mount)
Memory Cards Dual CFexpress Type B Single SD UHS-II slot Dual slots: SD UHS-II + CFexpress Type A
Connectivity USB-C 3.2, HDMI full-size, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, LAN USB-C, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi USB-C (3.2), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
⚡ Compare specs side by side Canon EOS R3 prices → EOS R8 prices → A7C II prices →

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