EOS-1D X Mark IIIvs OM-D E-M5 Mark II
Canon
EOS-1D X Mark III (2020)
Starting from £3500 new
Best for Professional Sports, Wildlife & Press Photography
View EOS-1D X Mark III
Olympus
OM-D E-M5 Mark II (2015)
Starting from £350 new
Best for Travel & Landscape
View OM-D E-M5 Mark II
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.
Travel & Landscape — OM-D E-M5 Mark II (2015): The E-M5 II was the benchmark weather-sealed travel camera of its generation. The 16MP sensor is modest by today's standards but excellent in practice, and the 5-axis IBIS is genuinely useful. Weather sealing, a flip screen, and a high-res composite mode make it a practical companion. A highly capable used-market buy for travel and outdoor photographers who don't need the latest resolution numbers.
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
OM-D E-M5 Mark II (2015)
- Travel photographers wanting compact + weather sealing
- Outdoor and landscape shooters
- Micro Four Thirds system users
Quick take: The eos-1d x mark iii has the highest resolution at 20mp; the om-d e-m5 mark ii is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EOS-1D X Mark III (2020) | OM-D E-M5 Mark II (2015) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £3,500 | £350 |
| Sensor | 20.1MP full-frame CMOS | 16MP Micro Four Thirds Live MOS |
| Resolution | 20.1MP | 16.0MP |
| Video | 5.5K RAW, 4K 60fps (crop), 4K 60fps (full-frame via firmware) | 1080p/60p |
| Autofocus | 191-point all cross-type OVF AF; 525-point Dual Pixel CMOS AF (Live View) | Contrast-detect AF, face detection |
| Stabilisation | — | 5-axis IBIS, 5.0 stops |
| Burst Rate | 16fps mechanical, 20fps live view | 10fps |
| Battery Life | ~2850 shots (CIPA) | ~310 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 1250g (body only) | 417g (with battery and card) |
| Dimensions | 158 × 167.6 × 82.6mm | 123.7 × 85.0 × 44.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | OVF 0.76× magnification, 100% coverage | Electronic, 2.36M dots, 0.74× magnification |
| Screen | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen, 4.15M dots | 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen, 1.04M dots |
| Mount | Canon EF | Micro Four Thirds |
| Memory Cards | Dual CFexpress Type B slots | Single SD UHS-I slot |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth 4.2, USB-C 3.1 Gen 2, Ethernet | USB 2.0, Wi-Fi |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS-1D X Mark III | OM-D E-M5 Mark II |
|---|---|---|
| Sports & Action | ||
| Wildlife | ||
| Wedding & Events | — | |
| Portrait | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Street | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Travel | — | |
| Macro | — | |
| Astrophotography | — |
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