EOS-1D X Mark IIIvs EOS R5vs EOS R8
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
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.
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.
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 R8 (2023)
- Photographers wanting full-frame image quality at the lowest RF price
- EOS RP owners upgrading to better autofocus and modern video specs
- Beginners who want to start on full-frame without overspending
- Travel photographers who want a lightweight full-frame RF body
Quick take: The eos r5 has the highest resolution at 45mp; the eos r8 is the most affordable; only the eos-1d x mark iii, eos r5 are weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EOS-1D X Mark III (2020) | EOS R5 (2020) | EOS R8 (2023) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £3,500 | £2,499 | £1,099 |
| Sensor | 20.1MP full-frame CMOS | 45MP Full-Frame CMOS | 24.2MP Full-frame BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | 20.1MP | 45.0MP | 24.2MP |
| Video | 5.5K RAW, 4K 60fps (crop), 4K 60fps (full-frame via firmware) | 8K RAW/30p, 4K/120p, 1080p/120p | 4K/60p oversampled 10-bit, FHD/180p |
| 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, 1053 zones, eye/face/subject tracking |
| Stabilisation | — | IBIS — up to 8 stops combined with IS lenses | None (no IBIS) |
| Burst Rate | 16fps mechanical, 20fps live view | 12fps mechanical, 20fps electronic | 6fps mechanical, 40fps electronic |
| Battery Life | ~2850 shots (CIPA) | ~320 shots (CIPA) | ~220 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 1250g (body only) | 650g (with battery) | 461g body only |
| Dimensions | 158 × 167.6 × 82.6mm | 138.5 × 97.5 × 88mm | 132.5 × 86.1 × 70.0mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes | No |
| Viewfinder | OVF 0.76× magnification, 100% coverage | EVF, 5.76M dots, 0.76× magnification | EVF, 2.36M dots, 0.59× |
| Screen | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen, 4.15M dots | 3.15" fully articulating touchscreen | 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen |
| Mount | Canon EF | Canon RF mount | Canon RF mount (full-frame) |
| Memory Cards | Dual CFexpress Type B slots | CFexpress Type B + SD UHS-II | Single SD UHS-II slot |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth 4.2, USB-C 3.1 Gen 2, Ethernet | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HDMI | USB-C, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS-1D X Mark III | EOS R5 | EOS R8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports & Action | — | ||
| Wildlife | — | ||
| Wedding & Events | — | ||
| Portrait | |||
| Vlogging & Video | |||
| Street | — | ||
| Landscape | |||
| Sports | — | — | |
| 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