EOS-1D X Mark IIIvs A7R 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
Sony
A7R II (2015)
Starting from £799 new
Best for Portrait, landscape & studio photography
View A7R 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.
Portrait, Landscape & Studio Photography — A7R II (2015): The A7R II transformed the A7R series — adding IBIS, 4K video, BSI sensor tech, and phase-detect AF in one generation. A landmark Sony camera.
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
A7R II (2015)
- Landscape and architecture photographers who want 42MP with IBIS for handheld shooting
- Portrait and studio photographers who need high resolution with improved AF reliability
- Sony FE system users who want a capable high-resolution body at a used price
- A7R I owners who need the stabilisation, 4K, and improved AF the original lacked
Quick take: The a7r ii has the highest resolution at 42mp; the a7r ii is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EOS-1D X Mark III (2020) | A7R II (2015) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £3,500 | £799 |
| Sensor | 20.1MP full-frame CMOS | 42.4MP Full-Frame BSI CMOS Exmor R |
| Resolution | 20.1MP | 42.4MP |
| Video | 5.5K RAW, 4K 60fps (crop), 4K 60fps (full-frame via firmware) | 4K/30p (S35 or full-frame), 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | 191-point all cross-type OVF AF; 525-point Dual Pixel CMOS AF (Live View) | 399 phase-detect + 25 contrast-detect AF points, face detection |
| Stabilisation | — | IBIS — 5-axis, up to 4.5 stops (first A7R with IBIS) |
| Burst Rate | 16fps mechanical, 20fps live view | 5fps |
| Battery Life | ~2850 shots (CIPA) | ~290 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 1250g (body only) | 625g (with battery and card) |
| Dimensions | 158 × 167.6 × 82.6mm | 126.9 × 95.7 × 60.3mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | OVF 0.76× magnification, 100% coverage | EVF, OLED 2.36M dots, 0.78× magnification |
| Screen | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen, 4.15M dots | 3.0" tilting LCD, 1.23M dots (no touch) |
| Mount | Canon EF | Sony FE (full-frame E-mount) |
| 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, Wi-Fi, NFC |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS-1D X Mark III | A7R II |
|---|---|---|
| Sports & Action | ||
| Wildlife | — | |
| Wedding & Events | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Street | — | |
| Landscape | ||
| Architecture | — | |
| Travel | — |
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