EOS-1D X Mark IIIvs A9 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
A9 II (2019)
Starting from £3299 new
Best for Professional sports, wildlife & photojournalism
View A9 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.
Professional Sports, Wildlife & Photojournalism — A9 II (2019): The A9 II polished the A9's groundbreaking formula — 20fps blackout-free, improved subject tracking, and a LAN port made it the professional sports standard.
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
A9 II (2019)
- Sports photographers who need 20fps with reliable eye and body tracking
- Photojournalists who need LAN transfer and instant wireless file delivery
- Wildlife photographers who want the fastest Sony AF in a proven body
- A9 owners who need the improved ergonomics, weather sealing, and Ethernet
Quick take: The a9 ii has the highest resolution at 24mp; the a9 ii is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EOS-1D X Mark III (2020) | A9 II (2019) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £3,500 | £3,299 |
| Sensor | 20.1MP full-frame CMOS | 24.2MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Exmor RS |
| Resolution | 20.1MP | 24.2MP |
| Video | 5.5K RAW, 4K 60fps (crop), 4K 60fps (full-frame via firmware) | 4K/30p, 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | 191-point all cross-type OVF AF; 525-point Dual Pixel CMOS AF (Live View) | 693 phase-detect + 425 contrast-detect, real-time eye/body tracking |
| Stabilisation | — | IBIS — 5-axis, up to 5.5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 16fps mechanical, 20fps live view | 20fps (blackout-free with full AF/AE) |
| Battery Life | ~2850 shots (CIPA) | ~500 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 1250g (body only) | 678g (with battery and card) |
| Dimensions | 158 × 167.6 × 82.6mm | 128.9 × 96.4 × 77.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | OVF 0.76× magnification, 100% coverage | EVF, OLED 3.69M dots, 0.78× magnification |
| Screen | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen, 4.15M dots | 3.0" tilting touchscreen |
| Mount | Canon EF | Sony FE (full-frame E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | Dual CFexpress Type B slots | Dual SD UHS-II slots |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth 4.2, USB-C 3.1 Gen 2, Ethernet | USB-C, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet (LAN), HDMI |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS-1D X Mark III | A9 II |
|---|---|---|
| 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