EOS Mvs EOS Rvs EOS R5 C

GearFrame · Updated March 2026

Canon EOS M (2012) Starting from £80 new Best for Canon mirrorless history & EF-M collectors View EOS M

Canon EOS R (2018) Starting from £799 new Best for Entry to full-frame mirrorless & RF lens exploration View EOS R

Canon EOS R5 C (2022) Starting from £3799 new Best for Professional video, documentary & hybrid commercial work View EOS R5 C

GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?

Canon Mirrorless History & Ef-M Collectors — EOS M (2012): Canon's first mirrorless — a historic body that broke new ground with touch-AF and EF-M, but its sluggish contrast-detect system quickly became its Achilles heel.

Entry To Full-Frame Mirrorless & Rf Lens Exploration — EOS R (2018): The RF mount's founding camera — 30MP, Dual Pixel CMOS AF, and the proof-of-concept that launched Canon's mirrorless era.

Professional Video, Documentary & Hybrid Commercial Work — EOS R5 C (2022): Canon's R5 reborn for cinema — 8K RAW unlimited, Cinema EOS colour science, and 45MP stills in a weather-sealed body.

↓ Full specifications below

Who should buy what

EOS M (2012)

Canon shooters who want the camera that started Canon's mirrorless story
Budget first-time mirrorless buyers who already own EF/EF-S glass
Collectors of significant digital camera milestones

EOS R (2018)

Canon DSLR users wanting to enter the RF ecosystem at the lowest full-frame price
EF lens collectors who want an affordable RF body to use with the EF-RF adapter
Photographers stepping up from APS-C who want full-frame quality on a budget
RF system fans who want a second body without full EOS R6 pricing

EOS R5 C (2022)

Videographers and cinematographers who want Canon Cinema EOS quality in a compact, run-and-gun body
Hybrid photographers who shoot high-end stills and need 8K RAW video capability in the same body
Documentary filmmakers who want unlimited recording with a built-in fan
RF lens owners who want to add a dedicated cinema body to their Canon system

Quick take: The eos r5 c has the highest resolution at 45mp; the eos m is the most affordable; only the eos r, eos r5 c are weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.

Full specifications

Specification	EOS M (2012)	EOS R (2018)	EOS R5 C (2022)
Price	£80	£799	£3,799
Sensor	18MP APS-C CMOS	30.3MP full-frame CMOS	45MP full-frame CMOS — Cinema EOS colour science
Resolution	18.0MP	30.3MP	45.0MP
Video	1080p 30fps	4K/30p (1.7× crop), 1080p/60p	8K RAW internal, 8K/30p, 4K/120p — Cinema RAW Light, C-Log2, C-Log3
Autofocus	Contrast-detect AF only — notoriously slow	Dual Pixel CMOS AF — 5655 AF areas, Eye AF	Dual Pixel CMOS AF II — subject tracking with Intelligent AF
Stabilisation	—	None	5-axis IBIS — 8 stops (with IS lens)
Burst Rate	4fps	8fps continuous (5fps with AF/AE)	12fps mechanical, 20fps electronic
Battery Life	~230 shots (CIPA)	~350 shots (CIPA)	~220 shots stills / unlimited video with fan
Weight	262g (body only)	660g body only	680g body only
Dimensions	108.6 × 66.5 × 32.3mm	135.8 × 98.3 × 84.4mm	138.5 × 98.0 × 88.0mm
Weather Sealed	No	Yes	Yes
Viewfinder	None (optional EVF accessory)	EVF, 3.69M dots, 0.71× magnification	EVF 0.76× 5.76M-dot OLED
Screen	3.0" fixed touchscreen, 1.04M dots	3.0" touchscreen, tilting	3.0" fully articulating touchscreen, 2.1M dots
Mount	Canon EF-M mount	Canon RF mount (full-frame)	Canon RF mount (full-frame)
Memory Cards	1× SD/SDHC/SDXC	Single SD UHS-II slot	Dual CFexpress Type B slots
Connectivity	USB 2.0	USB-C, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm mic jack	USB-C, 12G-SDI, HDMI full-size, 3.5mm XLR via adapter, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth

Suitability by genre

Genre	EOS M	EOS R	EOS R5 C
Casual	7.0	—	—
Travel	6.0	7.0	4.0
Street	6.0	—	—
Portrait	6.0	9.0	9.0
Vlogging & Video	5.0	4.0	9.0
Landscape	—	9.0	9.0
Wedding	—	7.0	9.0
Sports	—	4.0	7.0

GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →

⚡ Compare specs side by side EOS M prices → EOS R prices → EOS R5 C prices →

Compare pairs from this group

Camera family history