EOS Mvs EOS R5vs EOS RP
Canon
EOS M (2012)
Starting from £80 new
Best for Canon mirrorless history & EF-M collectors
View EOS M
Canon
EOS R5 (2020)
Starting from £2499 new
Best for Professional hybrid shooters, portrait & wildlife
View EOS R5
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 Hybrid Shooters, Portrait & Wildlife — EOS R5 (2020): A landmark camera — 8K video and 45MP in one body set the standard for what mirrorless could be.
Entry Full-Frame Stills Photography — EOS RP (2019): An affordable gateway into the RF system. The RP makes sense as a stepping stone camera — if you're committed to Canon RF glass, this is the cheapest full-frame body to buy those lenses for. Just manage expectations on video and battery life.
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 (2020)
- Professional photographers who need both resolution and video in one body
- Wildlife and sports photographers who want top AF with 20fps burst
- Hybrid shooters who need 8K or 4K/120p alongside high-resolution stills
- R5 Mark II buyers on a budget — the R5 still delivers exceptional results
EOS RP (2019)
- Canon users who want to start investing in RF glass affordably
- Stills photographers who shoot primarily in good light
- Anyone coming from a Canon DSLR wanting the RF system at low cost
- Travel photographers who prioritise compactness over video specs
Quick take: The eos r5 has the highest resolution at 45mp; the eos m is the most affordable; only the eos r5 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EOS M (2012) | EOS R5 (2020) | EOS RP (2019) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £80 | £2,499 | £799 |
| Sensor | 18MP APS-C CMOS | 45MP Full-Frame CMOS | 26.2MP Full-Frame CMOS |
| Resolution | 18.0MP | 45.0MP | 26.2MP |
| Video | 1080p 30fps | 8K RAW/30p, 4K/120p, 1080p/120p | 4K/24p (with 1.7× crop), 1080p/60p |
| Autofocus | Contrast-detect AF only — notoriously slow | Dual Pixel CMOS AF II — 1053 AF zones, subject/animal detection | Dual Pixel CMOS AF, 4779 manually selectable positions |
| Stabilisation | — | IBIS — up to 8 stops combined with IS lenses | None (no IBIS) |
| Burst Rate | 4fps | 12fps mechanical, 20fps electronic | 5fps mechanical |
| Battery Life | ~230 shots (CIPA) | ~320 shots (CIPA) | ~250 shots (CIPA) — very limited |
| Weight | 262g (body only) | 650g (with battery) | 485g (body, battery, card) |
| Dimensions | 108.6 × 66.5 × 32.3mm | 138.5 × 97.5 × 88mm | 132.5 × 85.0 × 70.0mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes | No |
| Viewfinder | None (optional EVF accessory) | EVF, 5.76M dots, 0.76× magnification | EVF, 2.36M dots, 0.70× magnification |
| Screen | 3.0" fixed touchscreen, 1.04M dots | 3.15" fully articulating touchscreen | 3.0" vari-angle touchscreen, 1.04M dots |
| Mount | Canon EF-M mount | Canon RF mount | Canon RF-mount |
| Memory Cards | 1× SD/SDHC/SDXC | CFexpress Type B + SD UHS-II | Single SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | USB 2.0 | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HDMI | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS M | EOS R5 | EOS RP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Casual | — | — | |
| Travel | — | ||
| Street | — | ||
| Portrait | |||
| Vlogging & Video | — | ||
| Wildlife | — | ||
| Sports | — | — | |
| Landscape | — | — | |
| Wedding | — | — | |
| Video | — | — |
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