EOS-1D X Mark IIIvs D5
Canon
EOS-1D X Mark III (2020)
Starting from £3500 new
Best for Professional Sports, Wildlife & Press Photography
View EOS-1D X Mark III
Nikon
D5 (2016)
Starting from £1800 new
Best for Professional Sports, Photojournalism & Wildlife
View D5
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 Sports, Photojournalism & Wildlife — D5 (2016): Nikon's ultimate pro DSLR and a certified space traveller — the D5's 153-point AF, 12fps, and ISO 3,280,000 made it the weapon of choice for Olympic and space photography.
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
D5 (2016)
- Sports and wildlife photographers with an F-mount telephoto investment
- Photojournalists who need the fastest, most reliable DSLR AF available
- Nikon system professionals looking for a flagship body at used prices
- Collectors of cameras with a documented space pedigree
Quick take: The d5 has the highest resolution at 21mp; the d5 is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EOS-1D X Mark III (2020) | D5 (2016) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £3,500 | £1,800 |
| Sensor | 20.1MP full-frame CMOS | 20.8MP full-frame BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | 20.1MP | 20.8MP |
| Video | 5.5K RAW, 4K 60fps (crop), 4K 60fps (full-frame via firmware) | 4K UHD 30fps (heavy sensor crop) |
| Autofocus | 191-point all cross-type OVF AF; 525-point Dual Pixel CMOS AF (Live View) | Multi-CAM 20K 153-point AF system, 99 cross-type |
| Burst Rate | 16fps mechanical, 20fps live view | 12fps mechanical |
| Battery Life | ~2850 shots (CIPA) | ~3780 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 1250g (body only) | 1405g (body only) |
| Dimensions | 158 × 167.6 × 82.6mm | 160 × 158.5 × 92mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | OVF 0.76× magnification, 100% coverage | OVF 0.72× magnification, 100% coverage |
| Screen | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen, 4.15M dots | 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots |
| Mount | Canon EF | Nikon F mount |
| Memory Cards | Dual CFexpress Type B slots | Dual XQD slots (XQD variant) |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth 4.2, USB-C 3.1 Gen 2, Ethernet | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet (RJ-45), USB 3.0 |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS-1D X Mark III | D5 |
|---|---|---|
| Sports & Action | ||
| Wildlife | ||
| Wedding & Events | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Street | ||
| Landscape |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
More comparisons with EOS-1D X Mark III
Camera family history