A Battle Between the Canon EOS R3, Nikon Z 9, and Sony a1 Mirrorless Cameras

Camera manufacturers have really found another gear the last few years, obliterating the old maxim that you could have things like resolution or shooting speed, but not both, by releasing cameras that can tackle literally any situation you can throw at them. So, who holds the current crown? This excellent video compares the Canon EOS R3, Nikon Z 9, and Sony a1 mirrorless cameras to find out. 

Coming to you from DPReview TV, this great video pits the Canon EOS R3, Nikon Z 9, and Sony a1 mirrorless cameras against each other. It really is remarkable how innovation has exploded in the last few years. It was less than five years ago that I was praising the Sony a7R III for being the first high-resolution body that could shoot 10 fps, thus, for the first time, not making photographers choose between a lot of detail or a fast burst speed. And now, we have bodies pumping out 50-megapixel still images at triple that speed with a host of other more advanced features as well. You truly can have it all with these cameras, which makes it quite an exciting time for those who demand a lot of their equipment. Check out the video above to see the three cameras in action.

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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22 Comments

Actually the Sony AF eye tracking locks on instantly and starts focus and stays sticky where as the Nikon has to first find the subject in the square box then the AF (eye) will lock on so its a slower and more complicated process shooting the Nikon...the Canon when the Square is over the subject it finds the (eye) and locks on easy and captures mostly perfect shots. (Although all cameras will miss focus in the bursts I(n the beginning, middle or the end) depending on many conditional issues.

From some serious reviewers shooting moving subjects and showing the actual results seems as ranking is Sony and Canon lens depending, available light depending and distance to subject seem comparable with a slight edge to Sony. Nikon is also a fair contender but with low light and the user being able to place the square then acquire the focus and switch then to 3D two to three button access yes it gets accurate focus.

So rather than cramming subject categories in the video show the viewfinder with actual shooting and how each camera focus locks and stays sticky in what light with what lens at what distance and then show the sharpness achieved compared to each other with results like 40 frames in two burst % of tack sharp...then we can decided for ourselves what shooting scenario's either of the camera will shine in for us.

How you use the camera greatly influenced the results for each review and system also the use of extenders on the lenses greatly diminished the results on all three systems.

I have yet to find a comparison of portrait shooting where the AF under strobe or continuous light hits the eye and not the lashes?

regards

PS Nikons AF in video is a star not sure it bests Canon but until Sony updates firmware for the A1 the video AF sucks.

None of them beat the other, they are all awesome cameras that will fulfil the needs of any skilled photographer on the planet… don’t get drawn into the silly race to the top, the end.

To be clear, the conclusion of DPreview is that the AF of the Z9 is the best of the 3

That's a fun video and all, but really, if you're already in either one of those ecosytems, you're likely not going to go with the other brand anyway. And beside, if you can't get good pics and/or videos with either one of those cameras, you need another profession/hobby.

Or maybe they need to open a book or two or find a professional photographer who isn't a smug ahole to teach them a proper way of photography.

That's why I haven't jumped on mirrorless craze. Clearly coming from Canon, I find that they are going off track and are losing focus. They messed with the R5 overheat non sense and I thought that with a (much) smaller pixel count, the R3 would be top ranked in it's group with no question. Right here I see it's not. May be too greedy?

I wouldn't say that Canon messed up by going mirrorless; they had to. And as a matter of fact, they are on track to take the #1 spot in mirrorless. That said, they did bumble the R5 with the overheating, but they do have an option now with the R5c. I shoot the R5 and don't have that issue b/c I don't do video as much. That said, I personally do think the mirrorless is the way to go, my main point was that you'd be just fine with any of those cameras and if not, then maybe photography/video is not the right profession. LOL

It's not about the mirrorless move, I have no problem with that, it's about rushing the camera. Since I plan on making the switch this year, may be Nikon will come out first with something less complex that the Z9 and made primarily for still photographers. I need new lenses no matter who gets my $.

I didn't like the mirrorless entry for the longest time because there was a race to see who could make the camera that I would hate to use the most....I don't like small cameras. But good ole' Nikon and Canon made the very wise decision to keep close to their DSLR form factor. Nikon did it big time with the Z9. The R3 is close. The R5 and Z7II are close to their older siblings as well. Put a grip on the R5 and it's close to my gripped 5DIV. :-)

Which unbelievable photography tool is the best, yawn…. The new standard for pointless arguments.

An old wise man once told me that most cameras are better than most photographers...

Walk into a room with the industrial look nikon or canon and everyone knows you're getting paid

With the sony you can pass as a civilian

Do people really care though, other than camera nerds?

I guess if you go to an extreme; you hire a shooter for your daughter's wedding and he comes in with an Iphone 10. :-)

Yeah but that's wayyyy out of the scope of sensible conversation on a photography website. This guy is implying someone with an APS-C camera etc wouldn't be taken seriously, which you and i both know is nonsense.

I know...that was the reason for the smiley face. I guess I should have made myself clear. It's hard to convey a little comic relief into a conversation.

Ahh sorry, very true it’s sometimes hard to pick up on the humour.

I’m too used to the smily face being used by trolls on rumour sites as a way of trying to make light of their ridiculous comments. It makes genuine use of it more difficult to pick up on:)

Yep! It's probably the most pervasive reason for discussions/arguments. We do our best to convey what we're talking about, but even though my only form of speaking is English, I still manage to screw it up now and then.

I live in the North of England, its safe to say we use a butchered form of English haha... I bet there are native English speaking people who would struggle to understand half the stuff I say:)

One of my carguy shows is Wheeler Dealers. You hear just about every accent known to the British Isles on the show. Some accents have the Queen's English stamped all over them, some are almost like listening to an alien from the planet Klaxar. We also watch a lot of Brit comedies. One of my favorite characters is Onslo from Keeping Up Appearances. Love to listen to him talk!

Haha yeah classic shows... Gavin Hardcastle on Youtube would be quite close to how I speak but im more Northern so slightly different variation.

If while on a job I am concerned about how my camera looks to others, then I have a few more things to worry about.