Canon EOS R5 Mark IIvs EOS R8vs Sony A9 III

GearFrame · Updated March 2026

Canon Canon EOS R5 Mark II Canon Canon EOS R5 Mark II (2024) From £4299 Best for Hybrid shooters & professionals View Canon EOS R5 Mark II
VS
Canon EOS R8 Canon EOS R8 (2023) From £1099 Best for Full-frame entry View EOS R8
VS
Sony Sony A9 III Sony Sony A9 III (2023) From £5999 Best for Sports & action professionals View Sony A9 III

Which should you buy?

Hybrid Shooters & Professionals — Canon EOS R5 Mark II (2024): The most complete hybrid camera Canon has ever made — 45MP stacked BSI, 30fps burst, 8K/60p RAW, and Canon's legendary Dual Pixel AF in one body.

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.

Sports & Action Professionals — Sony A9 III (2023): A paradigm-shifting camera — the global shutter eliminates every rolling shutter limitation that has constrained action photography for years.

↓ Full specifications below

Canon EOS R5 Mark II (2024)

  • You're a working photographer or filmmaker who needs high-resolution stills and professional video
  • You shoot commercial, editorial, or high-end portrait work
  • You want the absolute best Canon mirrorless has to offer

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

Sony A9 III (2023)

  • You shoot professional sport, motorsport, or action and need zero rolling shutter distortion
  • You need reliable high-speed flash sync for studio or on-location action work
  • You want the absolute pinnacle of Sony's action and sports camera technology

Quick take: The canon eos r5 mark ii has the highest resolution at 45mp; the eos r8 is the most affordable; only the canon eos r5 mark ii, sony a9 iii are weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.

Full specifications

Specification Canon EOS R5 Mark II (2024)EOS R8 (2023)Sony A9 III (2023)
Price £4,299 £1,099 £5,999
Sensor 45MP full-frame BSI stacked CMOS 24.2MP Full-frame BSI CMOS 24.6MP full-frame Exmor RS CMOS (global shutter)
Resolution 45.0MP 24.2MP 24.6MP
Video 8K/60p RAW, 4K/120p, Cinema RAW Light 4K/60p oversampled 10-bit, FHD/180p 4K/120p, 4K/60p, 1080p/240p
Autofocus Dual Pixel CMOS AF II, AI subject tracking Dual Pixel CMOS AF II, 1053 zones, eye/face/subject tracking AI subject recognition AF, 759-point phase-detect
Stabilisation 8-stop IBIS (coordinated with IS lenses) None (no IBIS) 8-stop IBIS
Burst Rate 30fps electronic / 12fps mechanical 6fps mechanical, 40fps electronic 120fps blackout-free electronic
Battery Life 570 shots (CIPA) ~220 shots (CIPA) 530 shots (CIPA)
Weight 746g body only 461g body only 703g body only
Dimensions 138.5 × 101.2 × 93.5mm 132.5 × 86.1 × 70.0mm 136.1 × 96.9 × 82.9mm
Weather Sealed Yes No Yes
Viewfinder 0.64" OLED EVF, 5.76M dots, 120fps EVF, 2.36M dots, 0.59× 0.64" Quad-XGA OLED EVF, 9.44M dots
Screen 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen
Mount Canon RF Canon RF mount (full-frame) Sony FE (E-mount)
Memory Cards CFexpress Type B + SD UHS-II Single SD UHS-II slot Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II
Connectivity USB-C 3.2, HDMI full-size, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth USB-C, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi USB-C 3.2, HDMI A, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3
⚡ Compare specs side by side Canon EOS R5 Mark II prices → EOS R8 prices → Sony A9 III prices →

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