EOS Mvs A1
Canon
EOS M (2012)
Starting from £80 new
Best for Canon mirrorless history & EF-M collectors
View EOS M
Sony
A1 (2021)
Starting from £5999 new
Best for Professional sport, wildlife, portrait & hybrid shooting
View A1
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 Sport, Wildlife, Portrait & Hybrid Shooting — A1 (2021): 50MP, 30fps, 8K — the Sony A1 is the most complete professional camera ever made.
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
A1 (2021)
- Professional photographers who need resolution and speed without compromise
- Sports and wildlife photographers demanding the absolute fastest Sony
- Studio and fashion photographers who also shoot sport or events
- A9 III or A7R V owners who want a single body that does everything
Quick take: The a1 has the highest resolution at 50mp; the eos m is the most affordable; only the a1 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EOS M (2012) | A1 (2021) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £80 | £5,999 |
| Sensor | 18MP APS-C CMOS | 50.1MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Exmor RS |
| Resolution | 18.0MP | 50.1MP |
| Video | 1080p 30fps | 8K/30p, 4K/120p, 1080p/240p |
| Autofocus | Contrast-detect AF only — notoriously slow | Real-time Tracking, AI subject recognition — 759 phase-detect points |
| Stabilisation | — | IBIS — up to 5.5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 4fps | 30fps electronic with full AF/AE |
| Battery Life | ~230 shots (CIPA) | ~430 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 262g (body only) | 737g (with battery) |
| Dimensions | 108.6 × 66.5 × 32.3mm | 128.9 × 96.9 × 80.8mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | None (optional EVF accessory) | EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification, 240fps |
| Screen | 3.0" fixed touchscreen, 1.04M dots | 3.0" fully tilting touchscreen |
| Mount | Canon EF-M mount | Sony FE mount (full-frame E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | 1× SD/SDHC/SDXC | Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | USB 2.0 | USB-C, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet, HDMI |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS M | A1 |
|---|---|---|
| Casual | — | |
| Travel | — | |
| Street | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Sports | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Landscape | — | |
| Wedding | — |
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