EOS Mvs A7 III
Canon
EOS M (2012)
Starting from £80 new
Best for Canon mirrorless history & EF-M collectors
View EOS M
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.
All-Round Photography & Video — A7 III (2018): Still one of the best all-round cameras money can buy — particularly strong used. The A7 III proved that full-frame doesn't have to mean compromises, and nothing at this price point has meaningfully beaten it.
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
A7 III (2018)
- Enthusiast photographers upgrading from APS-C for the first time
- Working photographers who need reliable AF and weather sealing
- Anyone who shoots in low light regularly
- Hybrid shooters needing both stills and video performance
Quick take: The a7 iii has the highest resolution at 24mp; the eos m is the most affordable; only the a7 iii is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EOS M (2012) | A7 III (2018) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £80 | £1,699 |
| Sensor | 18MP APS-C CMOS | 24.2MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | 18.0MP | 24.2MP |
| Video | 1080p 30fps | 4K/30p (6K oversampled), 1080p/120p slow-motion |
| Autofocus | Contrast-detect AF only — notoriously slow | Phase-detect, 693 points, real-time Eye AF & animal AF |
| Stabilisation | — | 5-axis IBIS, 5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 4fps | 10fps with AF/AE tracking |
| Battery Life | ~230 shots (CIPA) | ~710 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 262g (body only) | 565g (body, battery, card) |
| Dimensions | 108.6 × 66.5 × 32.3mm | 126.9 × 95.6 × 73.7mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | None (optional EVF accessory) | EVF, 2.36M dots, 0.78× magnification |
| Screen | 3.0" fixed touchscreen, 1.04M dots | 3.0" tilting touchscreen, 921k dots |
| Mount | Canon EF-M mount | Sony E-mount |
| Memory Cards | 1× SD/SDHC/SDXC | Dual SD (UHS-II slot 1, UHS-I slot 2) |
| Connectivity | USB 2.0 | USB-C (USB 3.2), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS M | A7 III |
|---|---|---|
| Casual | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Street | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| 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