EOS-1D X Mark IIIvs A9
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 (2017)
Starting from £1999 new
Best for Professional sports, wildlife & action photography
View A9
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 & Action Photography — A9 (2017): The camera that changed professional photography — the A9's 20fps blackout-free burst and silent shutter proved mirrorless had definitively surpassed the DSLR.
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 (2017)
- Sports photographers who want the original 20fps mirrorless at a lower used price than the A9 II
- Wildlife photographers who need blackout-free burst with fast, reliable tracking
- Sony FE system users who want a professional sports body
- Photographers interested in the camera that changed the industry
Quick take: The a9 has the highest resolution at 24mp; the a9 is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EOS-1D X Mark III (2020) | A9 (2017) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £3,500 | £1,999 |
| 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 + 25 contrast-detect, real-time eye/body tracking |
| Stabilisation | — | IBIS — 5-axis, up to 5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 16fps mechanical, 20fps live view | 20fps (blackout-free, silent electronic shutter with full AF/AE) |
| Battery Life | ~2850 shots (CIPA) | ~650 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 1250g (body only) | 673g (with battery and card) |
| Dimensions | 158 × 167.6 × 82.6mm | 126.9 × 95.6 × 63.0mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | OVF 0.76× magnification, 100% coverage | EVF, OLED 3.69M dots, 0.78× magnification, 60fps refresh (blackout-free) |
| 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, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth, HDMI |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS-1D X Mark III | A9 |
|---|---|---|
| Sports & Action | ||
| Wildlife | ||
| Wedding & Events | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Street | — | |
| Landscape | — | |
| 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