EOS R5vs Sony A9 III
Canon
EOS R5 (2020)
Starting from £2499 new
Best for Professional hybrid shooters, portrait & wildlife
View EOS R5
VS
Sony
Sony A9 III (2023)
Starting from £5999 new
Best for Sports & action professionals
View Sony A9 III
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Professional Hybrid Shooters, Portrait & Wildlife — EOS R5 (2020): A landmark camera — 8K video and 45MP in one body set the standard for what mirrorless could be.
Sports & Action Professionals — Sony A9 III (2023): A paradigm-shifting camera — the global shutter eliminates every rolling shutter limitation that has constrained action photography for years.
Who should buy what
EOS R5 (2020)
- Professional photographers who need both resolution and video in one body
- Wildlife and sports photographers who want top AF with 20fps burst
- Hybrid shooters who need 8K or 4K/120p alongside high-resolution stills
- R5 Mark II buyers on a budget — the R5 still delivers exceptional results
Sony A9 III (2023)
- 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
Quick take: The eos r5 has the highest resolution at 45mp; the eos r5 is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EOS R5 (2020) | Sony A9 III (2023) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,499 | £5,999 |
| Sensor | 45MP Full-Frame CMOS | 24.6MP full-frame Exmor RS CMOS (global shutter) |
| Resolution | 45.0MP | 24.6MP |
| Video | 8K RAW/30p, 4K/120p, 1080p/120p | 4K/120p, 4K/60p, 1080p/240p |
| Autofocus | Dual Pixel CMOS AF II — 1053 AF zones, subject/animal detection | AI subject recognition AF, 759-point phase-detect |
| Stabilisation | IBIS — up to 8 stops combined with IS lenses | 8-stop IBIS |
| Burst Rate | 12fps mechanical, 20fps electronic | 120fps blackout-free electronic |
| Battery Life | ~320 shots (CIPA) | 530 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 650g (with battery) | 703g body only |
| Dimensions | 138.5 × 97.5 × 88mm | 136.1 × 96.9 × 82.9mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | EVF, 5.76M dots, 0.76× magnification | 0.64" Quad-XGA OLED EVF, 9.44M dots |
| Screen | 3.15" fully articulating touchscreen | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen |
| Mount | Canon RF mount | Sony FE (E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | CFexpress Type B + SD UHS-II | Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HDMI | USB-C 3.2, HDMI A, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS R5 | Sony A9 III |
|---|---|---|
| Portrait | ||
| Wildlife | ||
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Sports | — | |
| Landscape | — | |
| Wedding | — | |
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Wedding & Events | — | |
| Travel | — |
More comparisons with EOS R5
Camera family history