Canon
EOS R1 2024
Best for Professional sports, wildlife & photojournalism
£6399
new today at Wex Photo Video
Decision tools · Compare
EOS R1 vs A9 III
Quick take: The A9 III has the highest resolution at 25MP.
16 specs side by side·15 genres scored·UK prices from Wex Photo Video and Clifton Cameras
How to read this page. Highlighted cells win that row on the spec alone. Genre scores are the engine's base scores (enthusiast, photo and video); Camera Match re-weights them for your level and priorities. Price buttons are affiliate links; the price you pay is the same.
Price buttons are affiliate links — GearFrame may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never affects a score. Learn more
Verdictwhich should you buy?
EOS R1 — Professional Sports, Wildlife & Photojournalism: Canon's ultimate professional camera — 40fps, a class-leading EVF, and AI AF that simply doesn't miss.
A9 III — Sports & Action Professionals: A paradigm-shifting camera — the global shutter eliminates every rolling shutter limitation that has constrained action photography for years.
Who should buy what
EOS R1 (2024)
is the right camera for you if…
- 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
A9 III (2023)
is the right camera for you if…
- Professional sports photographers who need zero blackout and 120fps burst
- Wildlife photographers who demand the most advanced Sony AF available
- Photojournalists who need flash sync at any shutter speed
- A9 II owners upgrading to the world's first full-frame global shutter
Full specificationsthe better value in each row is highlighted
| Specification | EOS R1Canon · 2024 | A9 IIISony · 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £6,399 | £5,699Best |
| Sensor | 24.2MP Full-Frame Stacked CMOS | 24.6MP full-frame Exmor RS CMOS (global shutter) |
| Resolution | 24.2MP | 24.6MPBest |
| Video | 6K RAW/60p, 4K/120p, 1080p/240p | 4K/120p, 4K/60p, 1080p/240p |
| Autofocus | Dual Pixel CMOS AF III — 100% coverage, deep learning subject detection | AI subject recognition AF, 759-point phase-detect |
| Stabilisation | IBIS — up to 8 stops combined | 8-stop IBIS |
| Burst Rate | 40fps electronic, 12fps mechanical | 120fps blackout-free electronicBest |
| Battery Life | ~530 shots (CIPA) | 530 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 920g (body only) | 703g (body only)Best |
| Dimensions | 159.5 × 143.9 × 87.3mm | 136.1 × 96.9 × 82.9mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification | 0.64" Quad-XGA OLED EVF, 9.44M dots |
| Screen | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen |
| Mount | Canon RF mount | Sony FE (E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | Dual CFexpress Type B | Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | USB-C (10Gbps), Wi-Fi 6GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet, HDMI | USB-C 3.2, HDMI A, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 |
Wins the row — price, resolution, burst, battery, weight and sealing are compared; text specs aren't ranked.
How they score by genreengine base scores out of 10
Genre
EOS R1
A9 III
Portrait
8.3/10
8.5/10
Street
5.7/10
6.6/10
Travel
5.5/10
6.5/10
Wedding & Events
8.5/10
8.5/10
Vlogging & Video
5.5/10
6.5/10
Filmmaking
8.3/10
8.2/10
Documentary
8.0/10
8.2/10
Sports & Action
9.1/10
9.4/10
Landscape
6.3/10
6.5/10
Wildlife
8.9/10
9.2/10
Casual
4.6/10
5.3/10
Food
7.6/10
7.9/10
Macro
8.3/10
7.6/10
Architecture
6.6/10
6.6/10
Astrophotography
6.7/10
6.8/10
Scores come from the same engine as Camera Match: verified specifications weighted by what each genre needs, with documented adjustments. The product page and this table show the enthusiast base score. See how scores are calculated →
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