EOS-1D X Mark IIIvs EOS R5vs EOS R6 Mark III
Canon
EOS-1D X Mark III (2020)
Starting from £3500 new
Best for Professional Sports, Wildlife & Press Photography
View EOS-1D X Mark III
Canon
EOS R5 (2020)
Starting from £2499 new
Best for Professional hybrid shooters, portrait & wildlife
View EOS R5
Canon
EOS R6 Mark III (2025)
Starting from £2799 new
Best for Hybrid photo & video professionals, sports and wildlife shooters
View EOS R6 Mark III
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
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.
Professional Hybrid Shooters, Portrait & Wildlife — EOS R5 (2020): A landmark camera — 8K video and 45MP in one body set the standard for what mirrorless could be.
Hybrid Photo & Video Professionals, Sports And Wildlife Shooters — EOS R6 Mark III (2025): The EOS R6 Mark III takes everything that made the Mark II a hybrid favourite and pushes it further — a faster stacked sensor, smarter autofocus, and genuinely professional video specs. It's the most complete all-rounder in Canon's RF full-frame lineup, sitting just below the R5 II in resolution while matching it for speed.
Who should buy what
EOS-1D X Mark III (2020)
- Sports and wildlife photographers with a Canon EF lens collection
- Professionals who prefer the optical viewfinder experience
- Press photographers who need 20fps, weather sealing, and Ethernet
- Canon historians who want to mark the end of the EOS-1D DSLR era
EOS R5 (2020)
- Professional photographers who need both resolution and video in one body
- Wildlife and sports photographers who want top AF with 20fps burst
- Hybrid shooters who need 8K or 4K/120p alongside high-resolution stills
- R5 Mark II buyers on a budget — the R5 still delivers exceptional results
EOS R6 Mark III (2025)
- Working photographers who need a single body for both stills and serious video work
- Sports and wildlife shooters who need 40fps burst shooting with reliable subject tracking
- Hybrid content creators producing 4K and 6K footage alongside high-resolution stills
- Enthusiasts upgrading from the EOS R6 Mark II who want faster AF and more resolution
Quick take: The eos r5 has the highest resolution at 45mp; the eos r5 is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EOS-1D X Mark III (2020) | EOS R5 (2020) | EOS R6 Mark III (2025) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £3,500 | £2,499 | £2,799 |
| Sensor | 20.1MP full-frame CMOS | 45MP Full-Frame CMOS | 32.5MP full-frame stacked CMOS |
| Resolution | 20.1MP | 45.0MP | 32.5MP |
| Video | 5.5K RAW, 4K 60fps (crop), 4K 60fps (full-frame via firmware) | 8K RAW/30p, 4K/120p, 1080p/120p | 4K 60fps oversampled from 7K, 6K RAW internal |
| Autofocus | 191-point all cross-type OVF AF; 525-point Dual Pixel CMOS AF (Live View) | Dual Pixel CMOS AF II — 1053 AF zones, subject/animal detection | Dual Pixel CMOS AF II — deep-learning subject detection for people, animals and vehicles, up to 40fps tracking |
| Stabilisation | — | IBIS — up to 8 stops combined with IS lenses | In-body 5-axis IS, up to 8.5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 16fps mechanical, 20fps live view | 12fps mechanical, 20fps electronic | 40fps (electronic shutter), 12fps (mechanical) |
| Battery Life | ~2850 shots (CIPA) | ~320 shots (CIPA) | ~580 shots (CIPA, LP-E6P) |
| Weight | 1250g (body only) | 650g (with battery) | 670g (body with battery and card) |
| Dimensions | 158 × 167.6 × 82.6mm | 138.5 × 97.5 × 88mm | 138.4 × 98.4 × 88.4mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | OVF 0.76× magnification, 100% coverage | EVF, 5.76M dots, 0.76× magnification | EVF, 5.76M-dot, up to 120fps |
| Screen | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen, 4.15M dots | 3.15" fully articulating touchscreen | 3.2-inch vari-angle touchscreen, 2.1M-dot |
| Mount | Canon EF | Canon RF mount | Canon RF |
| Memory Cards | Dual CFexpress Type B slots | CFexpress Type B + SD UHS-II | Dual SD / SDHC / SDXC (UHS-II) |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth 4.2, USB-C 3.1 Gen 2, Ethernet | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HDMI | USB-C, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, 2.5GbE |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS-1D X Mark III | EOS R5 | EOS R6 Mark III |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports & Action | — | ||
| Wildlife | |||
| Wedding & Events | — | — | |
| Portrait | |||
| Vlogging & Video | |||
| Street | — | ||
| Landscape | |||
| Sports | — | — | |
| Wedding | — | — | |
| Travel | — | — | |
| Casual | — | — |
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