EOS R1vs A5100
Canon
EOS R1 (2024)
Starting from £5999 new
Best for Professional sports, wildlife & photojournalism
View EOS R1
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Professional Sports, Wildlife & Photojournalism — EOS R1 (2024): Canon's ultimate professional camera — 40fps, a class-leading EVF, and AI AF that simply doesn't miss.
Casual & Travel — A5100 (2014): The A5100 is one of the smallest APS-C mirrorless cameras ever made. Its 24MP sensor, phase-detect AF, and selfie-friendly flip screen pack remarkable capability into a shirt-pocket-sized body. No EVF or hot shoe limits it for serious use, but as a compact travel camera or beginner's first mirrorless, it punches well above its price on the used market.
Who should buy what
EOS R1 (2024)
- Professional sports and news photographers who cannot miss a shot
- Wildlife photographers needing the fastest AF and burst available
- Photojournalists requiring reliable pro-grade build and connectivity
- Canon R3 owners or 1D X Mark III users upgrading to mirrorless flagship
A5100 (2014)
- Beginners stepping up from a smartphone
- Compact travel photographers
- Casual vloggers who want APS-C quality
Quick take: The a5100 has the highest resolution at 24mp; the a5100 is the most affordable; only the eos r1 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EOS R1 (2024) | A5100 (2014) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £5,999 | £200 |
| Sensor | 24.2MP Full-Frame Stacked CMOS | 24.3MP APS-C Exmor CMOS |
| Resolution | 24.2MP | 24.3MP |
| Video | 6K RAW/60p, 4K/120p, 1080p/240p | 1080p/60p |
| Autofocus | Dual Pixel CMOS AF III — 100% coverage, deep learning subject detection | Hybrid phase-detect / contrast-detect AF, face detection |
| Stabilisation | IBIS — up to 8 stops combined | None |
| Burst Rate | 40fps electronic, 12fps mechanical | 6fps |
| Battery Life | ~530 shots (CIPA) | ~400 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 1470g (with battery) | 224g (body only) |
| Dimensions | 159.5 × 143.9 × 87.3mm | 109.6 × 62.8 × 35.7mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | No |
| Viewfinder | EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification | None |
| Screen | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen | 3.0" flip-up touchscreen, 921k dots |
| Mount | Canon RF mount | Sony E-mount |
| Memory Cards | Dual CFexpress Type B | Single SD / MemoryStick PRO Duo slot |
| Connectivity | USB-C (10Gbps), Wi-Fi 6GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet, HDMI | Micro USB, Wi-Fi, NFC |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS R1 | A5100 |
|---|---|---|
| Sports | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Photojournalism | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Wedding | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Casual | — | |
| Travel | — | |
| Street | — | |
| Landscape | — | |
| Sports & Action | — |
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