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Canon EOS R1 vs Sony Alpha 9 III

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

CanonEOS R1SonyAlpha 9 III
Overview
ReleasedNovember 2024January 2024
Image and sensor
Camera typeMirrorlessMirrorless
Sensor formatFull frameFull frame
Sensor typeBack-illuminated stacked CMOSStacked Exmor RS CMOS with global shutter
Sensor dimensions36 × 24 mm35.6 × 23.8 mm
Effective resolution24.2 MP24.6 MP
Largest image6000 × 40006000 × 4000
RAW recordingYesYes
Standard ISO range100–102400250–25600
Sensor detailFull-frame back-illuminated stacked CMOS; approximately 24.2 million effective and 26.7 million total pixels; fixed optical low-pass filter and integrated cleaningApproximately 25.2 million total pixels; integral memory and global exposure rather than sequential line exposure.
Image formatsRAW, C-RAW, JPEG and HEIF; in-camera neural-network upscaling creates approximately 96 MP JPEG/HEIF output, not additional native sensor resolutionJPEG, HEIF and Sony ARW 5.0 RAW.
ISO detailNormal still-photo ISO 100–102400, expandable to 50–409600; movie ranges depend on colour profileStandard ISO 250–25600 for stills and movies; stills expand to ISO 125–51200.
Image processorDIGIC X and DIGIC AcceleratorBIONZ XR with dedicated AI processing unit.
Lens and shooting
Lens mountCanon RFSony E-mount
StabilisationSensor shiftSensor shift
Maximum continuous burst40 fps120 fps
Lens detailRF and RF-S directly; EF/EF-S with EF-EOS R adapters; EF-M incompatible; approximately 1.6× crop with RF-S/EF-S lenses–
AutofocusDual Pixel Intelligent AF with cross-type detection and eye-control selection; people, animal and vehicle detection, registered-person priority and sport-specific Action Priority; cross-type AF unavailable for movies and mechanical/first-curtain Servo AF high-speed-plus bursts; lens and mode restrictions applyUp to 759 still-image or 627 movie phase-detection points; sensitivity EV −5 to 20 with an F2 lens at ISO 100 equivalent. Current UK specification includes automatic subject selection and people, animals, birds, insects, cars, trains and aircraft; launch reviews precede later firmware enhancements.
ShutterMechanical/electronic first curtain 30–1/8000 second; electronic 30–1/64000 second; Bulb supported; available range varies by mode–
Burst detailUp to 40 fps electronic or 12 fps mechanical/first curtain; current UK maker buffer approximately 500 JPEG or 230 RAW electronic and 1000+ JPEG/RAW mechanical; pre-continuous capture up to 20 preceding frames; Servo AF maximum rates require compatible lenses and suitable settingsUp to 120 fps full-resolution electronic bursts with AF/AE tracking under Sony test conditions; speed depends on lens compatibility and shooting settings. Pre-Capture retains up to one second before full shutter press. No mechanical shutter.
Stabilisation detailFive-axis sensor-shift IBIS with coordinated lens IS; up to 8.5 stops centre and 7.5 periphery under CIPA 2024 yaw/pitch/roll testing with RF 24-105mm F2.8L IS USM Z at 105 mm; separate Movie Digital ISFive-axis sensor shift; 8.0-stop CIPA pitch/yaw claim with FE 50mm F1.2 GM and long-exposure noise reduction off. Active and Dynamic Active movie modes supported.
FlashExternal Speedlite support; current UK full-frame sync 1/200 second mechanical, 1/320 first curtain and 1/400 electronic with sync-speed-priority restrictions; Asian table lists earlier 1/250 first-curtain and 1/320 electronic figures–
Video
Highest video resolution6000 × 3164 at 59.94 fps3840 × 2160 at 120 fps
Video detailInternal 6K RAW/Light RAW 6000 × 3164 up to 59.94/50 fps; DCI 4K up to 59.94 fps, UHD 4K up to 119.88/100 fps and DCI 2K/Full HD up to 239.76/200 fps; Canon Log 2/3, proxy recording and simultaneous Full HD/still shooting; UHD/HD horizontal coverage 94% versus 100% for RAW/DCI, with separate cropped modesUp to uncropped 3840 × 2160 120p NTSC or 100p PAL; 4K 60p uses 6K oversampling. Supports 10-bit 4:2:2, S-Log3 and S-Cinetone; All-Intra 4K tops out at 60p. External HDMI RAW output is separate from internal recording.
AudioInternal stereo microphone, external microphone input and headphone output; compatible four-channel recording options–
Screen and viewfinder
ViewfinderElectronicElectronic
Screen size3.2″3.2″
Screen dots2,100,0002,095,104
TouchscreenYesYes
Tilting screenYesYes
Display detailFully articulating capacitive 3.2-inch touchscreen, approximately 100% coverage; top status panelFour-axis LCD tilts and opens sideways; approximately 98° up, 40° down, 180° sideways and 270° rotation.
Viewfinder detail0.64-inch OLED with approximately 9.44 million dots, 100% coverage and selectable 0.9×/0.8×/0.7× magnification; refresh up to approximately 120 fps0.64-inch Quad-XGA OLED with 9437184 dots and approximately 0.90× magnification with a 50 mm lens at infinity; selectable up to 240 fps NTSC or 200 fps PAL.
Connections and design
Wi-FiYesYes
BluetoothYesYes
Battery life (maker's claim)700 photographs530 photographs
Body weight920 g617 g
Release detailCanon Camera Museum confirms marketed November 2024; no market-wide retail day inferred from regional launch datesSony UK announced availability in January 2024; Japan's announcement specifies 26 January. The main date retains UK month precision.
Recording mediaDual CFexpress Type B slots, CFexpress 2.0/VPG400; current UK page specifies maximum 8 TB while Asian table states 2 TB; no SD slotBoth slots accept CFexpress Type A or UHS-I/UHS-II SD.
PortsUSB-C 3.2 Gen 2, full-size HDMI Type A, RJ45 2.5GBASE-T Ethernet, microphone/headphone sockets, N3 remote and PC sync; multi-function shoeUSB Type-C at 10 Gbps, Multi/Micro USB, full-size HDMI, 1000BASE-T Ethernet, sync terminal, 3.5 mm microphone and headphone sockets and digital-audio Multi Interface Shoe.
Wireless connectionsUK Wi-Fi 802.11ax 2×2 MIMO at 2.4/5/6 GHz with regional restrictions and Bluetooth 5.3; integrated GPS/GLONASS/MICHIBIKI supportWi-Fi IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac at 2.4/5 GHz and Bluetooth 5.0.
Battery life detailLP-E19; maker claim at 23°C approximately 700 photographs using EVF or 1330 using LCDNP-FZ100; Sony UK CIPA approximately 530 photographs with LCD or 400 with viewfinder. Japan lists 520/410 respectively. USB Type-C Power Delivery charging and power supported.
ChargingSupplied LC-E19E charger; optional AC-E19N with DR-E19 DC coupler or PD-E1/PD-E2 USB power adapters–
DimensionsApproximately 157.6 × 149.5 × 87.3 mm (width × height × depth)Approximately 136.1 × 96.9 × 82.9 mm (width × height × maximum depth); grip-to-monitor depth 72.8 mm.
Weight detailApproximately 920 g body only; 1115 g including battery and cardSony UK specifies approximately 617 g body only or 702 g with battery and memory card; Japan specifies 618/703 g respectively. Main figures use the UK specification.
In the box–NP-FZ100 battery, BC-QZ1 charger, power cord, cable protector, shoulder strap, body cap, accessory shoe cap and eyepiece cup, according to Sony UK.
MaterialsMagnesium alloy and glass-fibre polycarbonate; integrated vertical grip with duplicated controls; dust- and drip-resistant construction is not waterproof–

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