EOS R1vs A7C
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.
Compact Travel & Content Creation — A7C (2020): The A7C proves full-frame doesn't have to be bulky. Excellent battery life, reliable Eye AF and a vari-angle screen in a pocketable body is a compelling combination for travel and content creators. The A7C II improved on it, but the original remains a strong value buy.
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
A7C (2020)
- Travel photographers who want full-frame in the smallest possible body
- Content creators who need a flip screen and reliable Eye AF
- Photographers upgrading from APS-C who want to keep a compact kit
- Vloggers who need 4K and great battery life on the road
Quick take: The a7c is the most affordable; only the eos r1 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EOS R1 (2024) | A7C (2020) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £5,999 | £1,299 |
| 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 (oversampled), 1080p/120p slow-motion, S-Log2/S-Log3 |
| 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) | ~740 shots (CIPA) — outstanding for a Sony mirrorless |
| Weight | 1470g (with battery) | 509g (body, battery, card) |
| Dimensions | 159.5 × 143.9 × 87.3mm | 124.0 × 71.1 × 59.7mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | No |
| Viewfinder | EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification | None built-in — use rear screen or accessory EVF |
| Screen | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen | 3.0" vari-angle touchscreen, 921k dots |
| Mount | Canon RF mount | Sony E-mount |
| Memory Cards | Dual CFexpress Type B | Single SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | USB-C (10Gbps), Wi-Fi 6GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet, HDMI | USB-C (USB 3.2 Gen 2), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS R1 | A7C |
|---|---|---|
| Sports | — | |
| Wildlife | ||
| Photojournalism | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Wedding | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Travel | — | |
| Video | — | |
| Street | — |
More comparisons with EOS R1
Camera family history