Canon EOS 5DS R vs Canon EOS 5D Mark III

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Canon EOS 5DS R and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Canon EOS 5DS R was introduced in February 2015 and Canon EOS 5D Mark III was introduced in May 2012. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon EOS 5DS R over Canon EOS 5D Mark III.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon EOS 5D Mark III over Canon EOS 5DS R.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Canon EOS 5DS R and Canon EOS 5D Mark III have 3.2" Fixed screens with 1,040k dot resolution.

Viewfinder

Cameras have built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinders. They both have 100% coverage and 0.71x magnification.

Canon EOS 5DS R features a 50.6 megapixel Full Frame CMOS sensor with dimensions of 36 x 24 mm and a total area of 864 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 6,400 and expands to 100 - 12,800 in boosted mode. Canon EOS 5D Mark III features a 22.3 megapixel Full Frame CMOS sensor with dimensions of 36 x 24 mm and a total area of 576 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 25,600 and expands to 50 - 102,400 in boosted mode.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Canon EOS 5DS R is equipped with Dual DIGIC 6 processor and can take pictures up to 8688 x 5792 resolution. Canon EOS 5D Mark III is equipped with DIGIC 5+ processor and can take pictures up to 5760 x 3840 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3840 x 2560, 2880 x 1920, 1920 x 1280, 720 x 480 with 3:2 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Cameras have Canon EF lens mount. Due to their Full Frame sensor their crop factor (also called lens multiplier) is equal to 1x. This means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length.

No Low-Pass Filter on Canon EOS 5DS R

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Canon EOS 5DS R. This results in a slightly sharper image but may also introduce moiré patterns and aliasing artifacts when photographing subjects with fine, repetitive patterns or details.

No Image Stabilization

The cameras do not have image stabilization. On Canon EOS 5DS R it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Canon EOS 5D Mark III nothing can be done. On Canon EOS 5D Mark III it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Canon EOS 5DS R nothing can be done.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB inputs for data transfer. Canon EOS 5DS R has a Mini HDMI and Canon EOS 5D Mark III has a Mini HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Canon EOS 5DS R and Canon EOS 5D Mark III come with LP-E6 battery pack with battery life of 700 shots on Canon EOS 5DS R and with battery life of 950 shots on Canon EOS 5D Mark III.

External Storage Slots

Canon EOS 5DS R has two card slots - one for SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) and one for CompactFlash (UDMA 7). Canon EOS 5D Mark III has two card slots - one for SD/SDHC/SDXC and one for CompactFlash (Type I, UDMA 7).

Shutter

Canon EOS 5DS R has Electronic shutter and Mechanical Focal Plane shutter. Canon EOS 5D Mark III has Electronically Controlled Vertical-travel Mechanical Focal-plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Canon EOS 5DS R, and up to 1/8000 sec on Canon EOS 5D Mark III. Canon EOS 5DS R can shoot continuously up to 5.0 fps. Canon EOS 5D Mark III can shoot continuously up to 6.0 fps.

Focusing

Both cameras have Dual Pixel CMOS AF system with 61 (41 cross-type) focusing points and from -2 to +18 EV detection range. and from -2 to +18 EV detection range.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Canon EOS 5DS R and Canon EOS 5D Mark III range from 0 to +20 EV and +1 to +20 EV respectively and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range. You can also do exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Canon EOS 5DS R and exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Canon EOS 5D Mark III.

Flash

Cameras have no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected to both of them via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/200 sec on both cameras.

Canon EOS 5DS R and Canon EOS 5D Mark III bodies have the same dimensions of 152 x 116 x 76 mm (5.98 x 4.57 x 2.99"). Canon EOS 5DS R weighs 930 g (2.05 lb / 32.80 oz) and Canon EOS 5D Mark III weighs 950 g (2.09 lb / 33.51 oz).

Canon EOS 5DS R

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

152 mm

116 mm

152 mm

116 mm

116 mm

116 mm

76 mm

76 mm