Professional Sports, Wildlife & Press Photography — EOS-1D X Mark III (2020): Canon's DSLR masterpiece — 20fps live view, 5.5K RAW, 191 cross-type AF points, and dual CFexpress. Almost certainly the finest optical viewfinder camera ever made.
Canon Mirrorless History & Ef-M Collectors — EOS M (2012): Canon's first mirrorless — a historic body that broke new ground with touch-AF and EF-M, but its sluggish contrast-detect system quickly became its Achilles heel.
Professional Sports, Wildlife & Photojournalism — EOS R1 (2024): Canon's ultimate professional camera — 40fps, a class-leading EVF, and AI AF that simply doesn't miss.
Who should buy what
EOS-1D X Mark III (2020)
EOS M (2012)
EOS R1 (2024)
Quick take: The eos r1 has the highest resolution at 24mp; the eos m is the most affordable; only the eos-1d x mark iii, eos r1 are weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EOS-1D X Mark III (2020) | EOS M (2012) | EOS R1 (2024) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £3,500 | £80 | £5,999 |
| Sensor | 20.1MP full-frame CMOS | 18MP APS-C CMOS | 24.2MP Full-Frame Stacked CMOS |
| Resolution | 20.1MP | 18.0MP | 24.2MP |
| Video | 5.5K RAW, 4K 60fps (crop), 4K 60fps (full-frame via firmware) | 1080p 30fps | 6K RAW/60p, 4K/120p, 1080p/240p |
| Autofocus | 191-point all cross-type OVF AF; 525-point Dual Pixel CMOS AF (Live View) | Contrast-detect AF only — notoriously slow | Dual Pixel CMOS AF III — 100% coverage, deep learning subject detection |
| Stabilisation | — | — | IBIS — up to 8 stops combined |
| Burst Rate | 16fps mechanical, 20fps live view | 4fps | 40fps electronic, 12fps mechanical |
| Battery Life | ~2850 shots (CIPA) | ~230 shots (CIPA) | ~530 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 1250g (body only) | 262g (body only) | 1470g (with battery) |
| Dimensions | 158 × 167.6 × 82.6mm | 108.6 × 66.5 × 32.3mm | 159.5 × 143.9 × 87.3mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | OVF 0.76× magnification, 100% coverage | None (optional EVF accessory) | EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification |
| Screen | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen, 4.15M dots | 3.0" fixed touchscreen, 1.04M dots | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen |
| Mount | Canon EF | Canon EF-M mount | Canon RF mount |
| Memory Cards | Dual CFexpress Type B slots | 1× SD/SDHC/SDXC | Dual CFexpress Type B |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth 4.2, USB-C 3.1 Gen 2, Ethernet | USB 2.0 | USB-C (10Gbps), Wi-Fi 6GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet, HDMI |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS-1D X Mark III | EOS M | EOS R1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports & Action | — | — | |
| Wildlife | — | ||
| Wedding & Events | — | — | |
| Portrait | |||
| Vlogging & Video | |||
| Street | — | ||
| Landscape | — | — | |
| Casual | — | — | |
| Travel | — | — | |
| Sports | — | — | |
| Photojournalism | — | — | |
| Wedding | — | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
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Camera family history