EOS-1D X Mark IIIvs EOS R6 Mark IIIvs 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 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.
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.
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 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
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 r6 mark iii has the highest resolution at 32mp; the eos r8 is the most affordable; only the eos-1d x mark iii, eos r6 mark iii are weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EOS-1D X Mark III (2020) | EOS R6 Mark III (2025) | EOS R8 (2023) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £3,500 | £2,799 | £1,099 |
| Sensor | 20.1MP full-frame CMOS | 32.5MP full-frame stacked CMOS | 24.2MP Full-frame BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | 20.1MP | 32.5MP | 24.2MP |
| Video | 5.5K RAW, 4K 60fps (crop), 4K 60fps (full-frame via firmware) | 4K 60fps oversampled from 7K, 6K RAW internal | 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 — deep-learning subject detection for people, animals and vehicles, up to 40fps tracking | Dual Pixel CMOS AF II, 1053 zones, eye/face/subject tracking |
| Stabilisation | — | In-body 5-axis IS, up to 8.5 stops | None (no IBIS) |
| Burst Rate | 16fps mechanical, 20fps live view | 40fps (electronic shutter), 12fps (mechanical) | 6fps mechanical, 40fps electronic |
| Battery Life | ~2850 shots (CIPA) | ~580 shots (CIPA, LP-E6P) | ~220 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 1250g (body only) | 670g (body with battery and card) | 461g body only |
| Dimensions | 158 × 167.6 × 82.6mm | 138.4 × 98.4 × 88.4mm | 132.5 × 86.1 × 70.0mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes | No |
| Viewfinder | OVF 0.76× magnification, 100% coverage | EVF, 5.76M-dot, up to 120fps | EVF, 2.36M dots, 0.59× |
| Screen | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen, 4.15M dots | 3.2-inch vari-angle touchscreen, 2.1M-dot | 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen |
| Mount | Canon EF | Canon RF | Canon RF mount (full-frame) |
| Memory Cards | Dual CFexpress Type B slots | Dual SD / SDHC / SDXC (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 6, Bluetooth 5.0, 2.5GbE | USB-C, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS-1D X Mark III | EOS R6 Mark III | EOS R8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports & Action | |||
| Wildlife | — | ||
| Wedding & Events | — | ||
| Portrait | |||
| Vlogging & Video | |||
| Street | |||
| Landscape | |||
| 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