EOS Mvs EOS R5 Cvs EOS R6
Canon
EOS M (2012)
Starting from £80 new
Best for Canon mirrorless history & EF-M collectors
View EOS M
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.
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.
Wedding, Portrait, Sports, Video — EOS R6 (2020): The camera that made Canon's RF system worth taking seriously.
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 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
EOS R6 (2020)
- Canon DSLR shooters moving to mirrorless
- Hybrid photographers who shoot both stills and video
Quick take: The eos r5 c has the highest resolution at 45mp; the eos m is the most affordable; only the eos r5 c, eos r6 are weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EOS M (2012) | EOS R5 C (2022) | EOS R6 (2020) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £80 | £3,799 | £1,299 |
| Sensor | 18MP APS-C CMOS | 45MP full-frame CMOS — Cinema EOS colour science | Full-frame CMOS 35mm |
| Resolution | 18.0MP | 45.0MP | 20.1MP |
| Video | 1080p 30fps | 8K RAW internal, 8K/30p, 4K/120p — Cinema RAW Light, C-Log2, C-Log3 | 4K 60fps (crop), 4K 30fps (full), 1080p 120fps |
| Autofocus | Contrast-detect AF only — notoriously slow | Dual Pixel CMOS AF II — subject tracking with Intelligent AF | Dual Pixel CMOS AF II, 6072 AF positions, subject tracking |
| Stabilisation | — | 5-axis IBIS — 8 stops (with IS lens) | 5-axis IBIS, up to 8 stops coordinated IS |
| Burst Rate | 4fps | 12fps mechanical, 20fps electronic | 12fps mechanical, 20fps electronic |
| Battery Life | ~230 shots (CIPA) | ~220 shots stills / unlimited video with fan | 380 shots (LCD), 510 shots (EVF) |
| Weight | 262g (body only) | 680g body only | 598g (body only) |
| Dimensions | 108.6 × 66.5 × 32.3mm | 138.5 × 98.0 × 88.0mm | 138.4 × 97.5 × 88.4mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | None (optional EVF accessory) | EVF 0.76× 5.76M-dot OLED | EVF 0.76× 3.69M-dot |
| Screen | 3.0" fixed touchscreen, 1.04M dots | 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen, 2.1M dots | 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen, 1.62M-dot |
| Mount | Canon EF-M mount | Canon RF mount (full-frame) | Canon RF |
| Memory Cards | 1× SD/SDHC/SDXC | Dual CFexpress Type B slots | 2× SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | USB 2.0 | USB-C, 12G-SDI, HDMI full-size, 3.5mm XLR via adapter, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth 4.2, USB-C 3.1, HDMI |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS M | EOS R5 C | EOS R6 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Casual | — | — | |
| Travel | — | ||
| Street | — | ||
| Portrait | |||
| Vlogging & Video | |||
| Landscape | — | ||
| Wedding | — | — | |
| Sports | — | — | |
| Sports & Action | — | — | |
| Wedding & Events | — | — | |
| Wildlife | — | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
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Camera family history