Canon has released three cameras fully capable of high-quality video. In this fun comparison we’ll look at the:
The video features are so different surely all cameras won’t appeal to everyone. I wanted to see which cameras are suited for certain types of filmmaking. Let’s get started!
Important!
Treat this as a fun comparison, or a placeholder article, with currently available information.
In many ways, I’m writing this article to understand the distinction myself. Do these cameras serve an overlapping market, or will they appeal to different sets of filmmakers?
I have tested the Canon 1D X Mark III and the R6 shares a similar (or same) sensor – so I know some image characteristics will be carried forward.
The competition
Here’s how some of the current crop of cameras stack up:
| Camera with AF | 4K RAW | 10-bit 4:2:2 | Tough Body |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sony a7III | No | No | No |
| BMPCC 4K/6K^ | Yes | Yes | No |
| Panasonic S1H* | Only with an external recorder | Yes | Yes for body. No if you’re using an external recorder |
| Nikon Z6* | Only with an external recorder | Yes | Yes for body. No if you’re using an external recorder |
| Canon EOS R | No | No | Yes |
| Sony a9 II | No | No | Yes |
*The problem here are the recorders available are not weather sealed, and neither is HDMI.
^No AF intrinsically. There’s the Time of Flight / LiDAR technology to consider, though it would potentially break any weather-sealing or ruggedness.
Currently, the world awaits the Sony a7S III to see if Sony will finally step up their game. In many ways I can understand what Sony is doing. The Sony A7 III has been such a stupendous success that there’s no need for Sony to innovate, until now.
[canon1dxiii]
What kind of filmmaker needs autofocus?
I recently shot a documentary. I had an assistant who also operated a DJI Ronin S (Amazon, B&H).
The idea is, I could potentially have shot the documentary myself, with the entire kit in a backpack.
For the solo filmmaker, having AF is a tremendous advantage. But it has to be reliable. The importance of good autofocus for corporate videos, interview situations, gimbals and weddings cannot be stressed enough. It just saves you a lot of time and money.
After that comes ruggedness. It is assumed you are not pulling out your camera in air-conditioned halls all the time.
Sometimes you might travel to dangerous locations, sometimes to dusty ones. Sometimes you might travel to a country where a replacement is hard to find. Or maybe you need something light enough to fit carry-on or trek with. Reliability is key.
And finally, we come to the price – which is where image quality is also important. Even if you have indie filmmakers pining for 8K RAW or whatever, the reality is theirs films don’t really warrant it. There is little or zero ROI on independent projects or low budget films.
So, even if they can buy these cameras, they are not really the market these cameras are aimed at. If you’re not earning good money already it is hopeless to spend money on expensive gear.
A word on autofocus. There are plenty of documentary and commercial filmmakers who work without AF, so obviously we have sub-markets here. When a production can afford a focus puller we move into a different market segment.
The Canon cameras we’re comparing is squarely aimed at the professional photographer who demands reliability and these video features.
They are also aimed as B-cams for Canon’s video flagships, the Canon C300 Mark III and the Canon C500 Mark II.
Quick menu
- Comparison of sensors and video features
- Exposure, focus and ergonomics
- The costs of media and batteries
- Which is cheapest to own?
- Verdict. Who wins?
Comparison of sensors and video features
Here’s how the camera sensors compare for video:
| Camera | Resolution | Maximum FPS | Video ISO Range^ |
| Canon 1DX Mark III | 5496 x 2904 | 59.94p | 100-25,600 |
| Canon EOS R5 | 8192 × 4320 | 29.97p | Unknown* |
| Canon EOS R6 | 3840 x 2160 | 59.94p | 100-25,600 |
* Probably lower than the other two.
^Even though the cameras go to an impressive 100K ISO, that’s only in stills mode. The ISO range for video is limited.
What about 4K frame rates?
| Camera | Max fps at 4K | Dynamic Range | Max fps at 1080p |
| Canon 1DX Mark III | 59.94 fps | 12 stops | 119.88 fps |
| Canon EOS R5 | 119.88 fps | 12 stops* | 59.94 fps |
| Canon EOS R6 | 59.94 fps | 12 stops | 119.88 fps |
*The R6 shares the same sensor, so I’m expecting a similar response. The R5 will probably have a similar or slightly lower dynamic range.
This is where the Canon EOS R5 pulls ahead, with 120 fps in 4K. In addition to that it also has a 4K super fine mode, which downsamples 8K for a ‘real’ 4K image. This is only available to 29.97 fps, though.
The major downside of the Canon EOS R5 is overheating limitations. It can only record up to 20 minutes in 8K until it needs to cool down. I’ll need to test this in the real world, though it looks like you don’t want to record in more than 10-minute spells.
Next, the codecs and color information:
| Camera | RAW and Code in 4K and Higher | Color Information |
| Canon 1DX Mark III | Canon RAW Lite | H.264/H.265 ALL-I, IPB | RAW | 10-bit 4:2:2/8-bit 4:2:0 |
| Canon EOS R5 | Canon RAW Lite | H.264/H.265 ALL-I, IPB | RAW | 10-bit 4:2:2/8-bit 4:2:0 |
| Canon EOS R6 | H.264/H.265 IPB | 10-bit 4:2:2/8-bit 4:2:0 |
Here you see the first big limitation of the R6. It is restricted to IPB. You don’t get ALL-I, and this heavy compression (H.265 compression is the worst for acquisition) will limit a lot of major color grading, even with 10-bit 4:2:2. However, this limitation will not affect the target market it’s designed for – wedding, event, journalism shooters, etc.
The RAW format in the 1DX Mark III and EOS R5 is Canon RAW Lite, written as a *.CRM file. The RAW compression ratio is typically 3:1. The file sizes can get really large for RAW.
Canon RAW Lite is universally supported by editing and grading programs, and play nice with hardware. Can’t say the same about H.265, which is the worst for hardware.
Finally, what you get externally. All cameras are limited to 4K 60p in 10-bit 4:2:2.
| Camera | Expected Rolling Shutter Performance |
| Canon 1DX Mark III | Rolling Shutter is Terrible |
| Canon EOS R5 | Probably worse than the other two in 8K |
| Canon EOS R6 | Rolling Shutter is Terrible |
The rolling shutter in the 1D X Mark III is terrible, and I expect all three cameras to be poor. The R5 has a slight advantage here. In 4K and 4K cropped mode the rolling shutter might improve and be “par for the course” for the mirrorless segment.
I’ll not talk about the audio features since that needs to be tested in the real world. They have similar features and ports.
Focus and exposure aids, and ergonomics
What’s the point of RAW if you can’t expose it correctly? The little things make all the difference:
The R5 and R6 have zebras, so they’re ahead.
As far as size and weight are concerned:
| Camera | Volume | Weight |
| Canon 1DX Mark III | 135 cubic inches | 1250g |
| Canon EOS R5 | 73 cubic inches | 650g |
| Canon EOS R6 | 69 cubic inches | 598g |
The Canon 1DX Mark III (Amazon, B&H) is larger and heavier than the other two. The R5 is larger and tougher than the R6, though weather sealing is promised on both.
The 1DX has an optical viewfinder, not very useful. The R5 and R6 have electronic viewfinders, which are much more useful for video work.The screen of the 1D X Mark III is fixed, and the LCD screens on the R5 and R6 are full tiltable and swivel out.
Autofocus
All cameras have dual pixel autofocus, but with one major caveat:
The AF does not function with 5.5K RAW 60p/50p on the Canon 1D X Mark III. It only works till 30p.
Image Stabilization
The Canon EOS R5 (Amazon, B&H) and Canon EOS R6 (Amazon, B&H) have internal image stabilization (IBIS), up to 8 stops with compatible lenses. If the lens doesn’t have IS, then I think it’s limited to about 3-5 stops.
Also, the R5 and R6 can use EF lenses as well as RF lenses. The 1D X is restricted to EF lenses.
Batteries and media cards
Here’s a look at the media
| Camera | Dual card slots | Price per GB for 512 GB* |
| Canon 1DX Mark III | Yes, CFexpress Type B | $1.17/GB |
| Canon EOS R5 | Yes, CFexpress Type B and UHS-II SD Card | $1.17/GB and $0.33/GB |
| Canon EOS R6 | Yes, UHS-II SD Card | $0.33/GB |
CFexpress cards are not cheap (comparing Sandisk Extreme Pro to be fair). For practical shoots, you will need multiple cards. This could really add to your budget for RAW shooting.
And, the dual cards are useful, but you can’t record RAW to both cards at the same time. You can record RAW to one card, and 10-bit 4:2:2 to another. This is true of both 1D X and R5.
For all cameras, there is a record limit of 30 minutes. The overheating issue in the R5 makes it even worse in 8K RAW mode and HFR 4K mode.
What about battery life?
| Camera | Battery life | Cost one one battery | Cost of 6 hours of operation |
| Canon 1DX Mark III | 140 minutes | $163 | $420 |
| Canon EOS R5 | Unknown, but probably lowest | $79 | $600* |
| Canon EOS R6 | Should be similar to the 1DX | $79 | $420 |
*Total guesswork on my part here.
You can add battery. grips to both R5 and R6 for even more battery life.
Which is cheaper to own?
Let’s just add up the costs:
| Camera | Canon EOS R5 | Canon EOS R6 | Canon 1DX Mark III |
| Camera body | $3,899 | $2,499 | $6,499 |
| Media and Accessories^ | $600 | $169 | $600 |
| Batteries* | $600 | $420 | $420 |
| Total | $5,099 | $3,088 | $7,519 |
^For one 512 GB card. You can use a SD card with the R5 but then you’ll have to sacrifice RAW.
*Guesstimate here.
Photography specs
Just a quick look, there are lots of other aspects to photography:
| Camera | Resolution | FPS Mechanical | FPS Electronic |
| Canon 1DX Mark III | 20 MP | 16 | 20 |
| Canon EOS R5 | 45 MP | 12 | 20 |
| Canon EOS R6 | 20 MP | 12 | 20 |
The Canon EOS R5 (Amazon, B&H) really stands out as a photography tool, with 20 fps and 45 MP.
Recap
First, a recap:
| Feature | Winner |
| Sensor and ISO | Unknown* |
| Video features | Canon EOS R5 |
| DR and Color | Unknown* |
| Media | Canon EOS R6 |
| Ergonomics | Tie |
| Ports and Monitoring | Tie |
| Autofocus | Canon EOS R6^ |
| Battery life | Canon EOS R6 |
*I know the R6 will be similar to the 1DX, but the R5 is an unknown that needs to be tested.
^The R6 can take RF lenses and has lower megapixels, so should be able to calculate faster. Just a guess.
Before we take our final decision, we’ll let the cameras tell us what they offer that the others don’t:
| Camera | USP | Major Cons |
| Canon 1DX Mark III | Full frame and 1.3x, Tough, 5.5K RAW | Poor video tools, fixed LCD, EF only, no AF in 60p RAW |
| Canon EOS R5 | Full frame, 4K fine and crop mode, 8K RAW, 4K 120 fps, IBIS | Overheating, expensive media for this price-class |
| Canon EOS R6 | Full frame, cheapest, IBIS | H.265 IPB codec |
My Verdict
Here’s what I think:
| Type of Filmmaking | Preferred Camera | Major Reasons |
|---|---|---|
| Short documentaries and corporate videos | Canon EOS R6 | Color grading rarely necessary, Swivel LCD, IBIS |
| Major documentaries or B-cam to the same | Canon 1D X Mark III | The R5 overheats, and you never know how long you’ll need 8K. |
| Short or feature films | Canon EOS R5 | The best 4K you can find. Useful 8K, Swivel LCD |
| Music Videos | Canon EOS R5 | 8K crop to 4K, and 120 fps 4K, Swivel LCD, IBIS |
| Journalism | Canon EOS R6 | Color grading rarely necessary, budgets are too low, IBIS, Swivel LCD |
| Wildlife | Canon 1D X Mark III | The R5 overheats, and you never know how long you’ll need 8K. |
| Weddings and Events | Canon EOS R6 | Color grading rarely necessary, budgets are too low, IBIS, Swivel LCD |
I know people won’t care if they can afford the camera they want, regardless of what might be best for them. But if you’re under a budget and seriously considering which camera is best, I hope this comparison helps you some.
The Canon 1DX Mark III (Amazon, B&H) is an amazing camera, but I feel it is serving a dying niche. It might be the last DSLR ever, but it’ll be great as long as you own it. For me, having used it, its dependability and 5.5K RAW at 60p beats 8K RAW at 30p. 120 fps is something I rarely need, though your mileage may vary.
Considering the market, I really want to give this to the Canon EOS R5 (Amazon, B&H) but two CFexpress cards will cost well over $1,000. You might need more than two. Think about that. You could get by with one SD card, but that seems like a stupid idea considering you could have bought the R6 instead with two same cards.
Do you understand what I mean?
For me, the Canon 1DX Mark III (Amazon, B&H) wins.
Hopefully I’ll get my hands on the R5 soon (I’ve placed pre-ordered one) and maybe things might change.
What do you think?
Looking forward to the r6 I shoot portraits, shots and short videos for our yoga studio and am really looking forward to the 100-500 for wildlife