Canon EOS R3vs EOS R8vs ZV-1 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 ZV-1 II Sony ZV-1 II (2023) From £649 Best for Pocket vlogging View ZV-1 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.

Pocket Vlogging — ZV-1 II (2023): The best pocket vlogging camera — 1-inch sensor, ultrawide zoom, flip screen, and real-time Eye AF in a shirt pocket.

↓ 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

ZV-1 II (2023)

  • You create vlog content solo and want reliable face tracking in a genuinely portable camera
  • You want a wide zoom range for shooting variety without ever changing lenses
  • You want clearly better image quality and stabilisation than a smartphone, simply packaged

Quick take: The eos r8 has the highest resolution at 24mp; the zv-1 ii 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)ZV-1 II (2023)
Price £5,999 £1,099 £649
Sensor 24.1MP full-frame BSI stacked CMOS 24.2MP Full-frame BSI CMOS 20.1MP 1-inch Exmor RS CMOS
Resolution 24.1MP 24.2MP 20.1MP
Video 6K RAW, 4K/120p, 1080p/180p 4K/60p oversampled 10-bit, FHD/180p 4K/30p, 1080p/120p
Autofocus Dual Pixel CMOS AF II with Eye Control AF Dual Pixel CMOS AF II, 1053 zones, eye/face/subject tracking Phase-detect + contrast, 315 points, Real-time Eye AF
Stabilisation 8-stop IBIS None (no IBIS) Optical SteadyShot (OIS)
Burst Rate 30fps electronic / 12fps mechanical 6fps mechanical, 40fps electronic 15fps
Battery Life 620 shots (CIPA) ~220 shots (CIPA) ~260 shots (CIPA)
Weight 1015g body only 461g body only 292g
Dimensions 150.0 × 142.6 × 87.2mm 132.5 × 86.1 × 70.0mm 105.5 × 60.0 × 43.5mm
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" fully tilting touchscreen
Mount Canon RF Canon RF mount (full-frame) Fixed zoom — 18–50mm f/1.8–4.0 equiv
Memory Cards Dual CFexpress Type B Single SD UHS-II slot Single SD UHS-I slot
Connectivity USB-C 3.2, HDMI full-size, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, LAN USB-C, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi USB-C, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm mic input
⚡ Compare specs side by side Canon EOS R3 prices → EOS R8 prices → ZV-1 II prices →

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