EOS R1vs A7 III
VS
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.
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 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
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 is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EOS R1 (2024) | A7 III (2018) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £5,999 | £1,699 |
| Sensor | 24.2MP Full-Frame Stacked CMOS | 24.2MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | 24.2MP | 24.2MP |
| Video | 6K RAW/60p, 4K/120p, 1080p/240p | 4K/30p (6K oversampled), 1080p/120p slow-motion |
| Autofocus | Dual Pixel CMOS AF III — 100% coverage, deep learning subject detection | Phase-detect, 693 points, real-time Eye AF & animal AF |
| Stabilisation | IBIS — up to 8 stops combined | 5-axis IBIS, 5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 40fps electronic, 12fps mechanical | 10fps with AF/AE tracking |
| Battery Life | ~530 shots (CIPA) | ~710 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 1470g (with battery) | 565g (body, battery, card) |
| Dimensions | 159.5 × 143.9 × 87.3mm | 126.9 × 95.6 × 73.7mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification | EVF, 2.36M dots, 0.78× magnification |
| Screen | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen | 3.0" tilting touchscreen, 921k dots |
| Mount | Canon RF mount | Sony E-mount |
| Memory Cards | Dual CFexpress Type B | Dual SD (UHS-II slot 1, UHS-I slot 2) |
| Connectivity | USB-C (10Gbps), Wi-Fi 6GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet, HDMI | USB-C (USB 3.2), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS R1 | A7 III |
|---|---|---|
| Sports | — | |
| Wildlife | ||
| Photojournalism | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Wedding | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Travel | — | |
| Street | — | |
| Video | — |
More comparisons with EOS R1
Camera family history