EOS-1D X Mark IIIvs A7 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
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.
All-Round Photography & Video — A7 III (2018): Still one of the best all-round cameras money can buy — particularly strong used. The A7 III proved that full-frame doesn't have to mean compromises, and nothing at this price point has meaningfully beaten it.
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
A7 III (2018)
- Enthusiast photographers upgrading from APS-C for the first time
- Working photographers who need reliable AF and weather sealing
- Anyone who shoots in low light regularly
- Hybrid shooters needing both stills and video performance
Quick take: The a7 iii has the highest resolution at 24mp; the a7 iii is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EOS-1D X Mark III (2020) | A7 III (2018) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £3,500 | £1,699 |
| Sensor | 20.1MP full-frame CMOS | 24.2MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | 20.1MP | 24.2MP |
| Video | 5.5K RAW, 4K 60fps (crop), 4K 60fps (full-frame via firmware) | 4K/30p (6K oversampled), 1080p/120p slow-motion |
| Autofocus | 191-point all cross-type OVF AF; 525-point Dual Pixel CMOS AF (Live View) | Phase-detect, 693 points, real-time Eye AF & animal AF |
| Stabilisation | — | 5-axis IBIS, 5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 16fps mechanical, 20fps live view | 10fps with AF/AE tracking |
| Battery Life | ~2850 shots (CIPA) | ~710 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 1250g (body only) | 565g (body, battery, card) |
| Dimensions | 158 × 167.6 × 82.6mm | 126.9 × 95.6 × 73.7mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | OVF 0.76× magnification, 100% coverage | EVF, 2.36M dots, 0.78× magnification |
| Screen | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen, 4.15M dots | 3.0" tilting touchscreen, 921k dots |
| Mount | Canon EF | Sony E-mount |
| Memory Cards | Dual CFexpress Type B slots | Dual SD (UHS-II slot 1, UHS-I slot 2) |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth 4.2, USB-C 3.1 Gen 2, Ethernet | USB-C (USB 3.2), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS-1D X Mark III | A7 III |
|---|---|---|
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Wildlife | ||
| Wedding & Events | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Street | ||
| Landscape | — | |
| Travel | — | |
| Video | — |
More comparisons with EOS-1D X Mark III
Camera family history