EOS-1D X Mark IIIvs A7R 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
Sony
A7R III (2017)
Starting from £1799 new
Best for Landscape, studio & commercial photography
View A7R 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.
Landscape, Studio & Commercial Photography — A7R III (2017): The camera that converted professionals to mirrorless — 42MP, IBIS, and 10fps in a body that still competes today.
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 III (2017)
- Landscape and studio photographers who need 42MP resolution at a used-price discount vs A7R IV
- Canon/Nikon DSLR professionals considering a mirrorless switch at a lower investment
- Commercial and product photographers who want full-frame resolution with IBIS for handheld work
- Portrait photographers who want the sharpest possible full-frame files for large print work
Quick take: The a7r iii has the highest resolution at 42mp; the a7r iii is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EOS-1D X Mark III (2020) | A7R III (2017) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £3,500 | £1,799 |
| Sensor | 20.1MP full-frame CMOS | 42.4MP full-frame BSI Exmor R CMOS |
| Resolution | 20.1MP | 42.4MP |
| Video | 5.5K RAW, 4K 60fps (crop), 4K 60fps (full-frame via firmware) | 4K/30p (full-frame readout), 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | 191-point all cross-type OVF AF; 525-point Dual Pixel CMOS AF (Live View) | 399 phase-detect + 425 contrast AF points — real-time Eye AF |
| Stabilisation | — | 5-axis IBIS — 5.5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 16fps mechanical, 20fps live view | 10fps with AF/AE tracking |
| Battery Life | ~2850 shots (CIPA) | ~650 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 1250g (body only) | 650g body only |
| Dimensions | 158 × 167.6 × 82.6mm | 126.9 × 95.6 × 73.7mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | OVF 0.76× magnification, 100% coverage | EVF, 3.69M dots, 0.78× magnification |
| Screen | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen, 4.15M dots | 3.0" touchscreen, tilting |
| Mount | Canon EF | Sony FE mount (full-frame E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | Dual CFexpress Type B slots | Dual SD slots (one UHS-II) |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth 4.2, USB-C 3.1 Gen 2, Ethernet | USB-C, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm mic jack |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS-1D X Mark III | A7R III |
|---|---|---|
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Wedding & Events | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Street | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Wedding | — | |
| Sports | — |
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