EOS R6 Mark IIIvs A6500
Canon
EOS R6 Mark III (2025)
Starting from £2799 new
Best for Hybrid photo & video professionals, sports and wildlife shooters
View EOS R6 Mark III
Sony
A6500 (2016)
Starting from £649 new
Best for Travel, street & versatile everyday photography
View A6500
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Hybrid Photo & Video Professionals, Sports And Wildlife Shooters — EOS R6 Mark III (2025): The EOS R6 Mark III takes everything that made the Mark II a hybrid favourite and pushes it further — a faster stacked sensor, smarter autofocus, and genuinely professional video specs. It's the most complete all-rounder in Canon's RF full-frame lineup, sitting just below the R5 II in resolution while matching it for speed.
Travel, Street & Versatile Everyday Photography — A6500 (2016): The first Sony APS-C with IBIS — the A6500 added in-body stabilisation, touch AF, and a far deeper buffer to the A6300's already strong formula.
Who should buy what
EOS R6 Mark III (2025)
- Working photographers who need a single body for both stills and serious video work
- Sports and wildlife shooters who need 40fps burst shooting with reliable subject tracking
- Hybrid content creators producing 4K and 6K footage alongside high-resolution stills
- Enthusiasts upgrading from the EOS R6 Mark II who want faster AF and more resolution
A6500 (2016)
- Travel photographers who want IBIS in a compact weather-sealed E-mount body
- A6300 owners who need the stabilisation or touch AF the A6300 lacked
- Street and documentary photographers who want a capable compact with weather sealing
- Sony E-mount shooters looking for a capable used body at an accessible price
Quick take: The eos r6 mark iii has the highest resolution at 32mp; the a6500 is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EOS R6 Mark III (2025) | A6500 (2016) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,799 | £649 |
| Sensor | 32.5MP full-frame stacked CMOS | 24.2MP APS-C Exmor CMOS |
| Resolution | 32.5MP | 24.2MP |
| Video | 4K 60fps oversampled from 7K, 6K RAW internal | 4K/30p (full pixel readout), 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | Dual Pixel CMOS AF II — deep-learning subject detection for people, animals and vehicles, up to 40fps tracking | 425 phase-detect + 169 contrast-detect AF points, face/eye detection |
| Stabilisation | In-body 5-axis IS, up to 8.5 stops | IBIS — 5-axis, up to 5 stops (first Sony APS-C with IBIS) |
| Burst Rate | 40fps (electronic shutter), 12fps (mechanical) | 11fps |
| Battery Life | ~580 shots (CIPA, LP-E6P) | ~310 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 670g (body with battery and card) | 453g (with battery and card) |
| Dimensions | 138.4 × 98.4 × 88.4mm | 120.0 × 66.9 × 53.3mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | EVF, 5.76M-dot, up to 120fps | EVF, OLED 2.36M dots, 0.70× magnification |
| Screen | 3.2-inch vari-angle touchscreen, 2.1M-dot | 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen |
| Mount | Canon RF | Sony E-mount |
| Memory Cards | Dual SD / SDHC / SDXC (UHS-II) | Single SD UHS-I slot |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, 2.5GbE | USB, Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS R6 Mark III | A6500 |
|---|---|---|
| Sports & Action | ||
| Wildlife | ||
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Landscape | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Street | ||
| Casual | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
More comparisons with EOS R6 Mark III
Camera family history