Canon EOS R3 vs Nikon 1 S1

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Canon EOS R3 and the Nikon 1 S1, 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 R3 was introduced in September 2021 and Nikon 1 S1 was introduced in June 2013. 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 R3 over Nikon 1 S1.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon 1 S1 over Canon EOS R3.

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 R3 has a 3.2" Fully Articulated screen with 4,150k dot resolution and Nikon 1 S1 has a 3.0" Fixed screen with 460k dot resolution. Fully articulated screen makes Canon EOS R3 selfie and vlogger friendly and generally very useful for video shooting. Canon EOS R3 also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Electronic (OLED) Viewfinder on Canon EOS R3

Canon EOS R3 has a built-in 0.5" Electronic (OLED) viewfinder with 5,760k dot resolution. It has a 100% coverage and 0.76x magnification. There is no built-in or optional viewfinder available on Nikon 1 S1.

Canon EOS R3 features a 24.1 megapixel Full Frame Stacked CMOS sensor with dimensions of 36 x 24 mm and a total area of 864 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 102,400 and expands to 50 - 204,800 in boosted mode. Nikon 1 S1 features a 10.1 megapixel 1-inch CMOS sensor with dimensions of 13.2 x 8.8 mm and a total area of 77.4 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 12,800.

Canon EOS R3 has Stacked CMOS sensor. The key feature of such sensor is its three-dimensional structure, which consists of multiple layers of semiconductor material and circuitry stacked on top of each other. This allows the sensor to have dedicated layers for image capture and signal processing. This separation allows for faster data readout, reducing rolling shutter effects and enabling high-speed shooting and video recording. It is also more power-efficient.

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 R3 is equipped with DIGIC X processor and can take pictures up to 6000 x 4000 resolution. Nikon 1 S1 can take pictures up to 3872 x 2592 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3840 x 2160, 2896 x 1944, 1936 x 1296 with 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Canon EOS R3 has Canon RF lens mount and Nikon 1 S1 has Nikon 1 lens mount. Due to Full Frame sensor in Canon EOS R3 its crop factor is equal to 1x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length. Due to 1-inch sensor in Nikon 1 S1 its crop factor is equal to 2.7x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 2.7.

In-Body Image Stabilization on Canon EOS R3

Canon EOS R3 has a built-in 5-Axis Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS) with 8 stops of compensation. This means that you are still getting vibration reduction when camera is paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.

Built-in GPS on Canon EOS R3

Canon EOS R3 has a built-in GPS (Global Positioning System) technology which allows you to automatically tag the location where you took your photos. You can later categorize, organize, and search for photos based on location. This is very useful for travel and outdoor photographers for documenting the locations where images were captured.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in GPS.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Canon EOS R3

Canon EOS R3 has a built-in Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 5, 802.11ac/b/g/n, 2.4/5 GHz) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

Bluetooth on Canon EOS R3

Canon EOS R3 has a built-in Bluetooth which lets you to connect the camera to a smartphone or a dedicated remote control device. This allows you to remotely trigger the camera, adjust settings and controls remotely through a paired mobile app. While Wi-Fi is generally faster for transferring larger files, Bluetooth can be used for small, selective transfers, it can provide real-time information about your camera's battery status, memory card capacity, and other key settings directly on your paired smartphone or smartwatch.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in Bluetooth.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB inputs for data transfer. Canon EOS R3 has a Micro Type D HDMI and Nikon 1 S1 has a Type C HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Canon EOS R3 comes with LP-E19 battery pack with battery life of 760 shots and Nikon 1 S1 comes with EN-EL20 battery pack with battery life of 220 shots.

External Storage Slots

Canon EOS R3 has two card slots - one for CFexpress Type B and one for SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II). Nikon 1 S1 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Shutter

Canon EOS R3 has Electronic shutter and Mechanical Focal Plane shutter. Nikon 1 S1 has Electronic shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/64000 sec with electronic shutter and up to 1/8000 sec with mechanical shutter on Canon EOS R3, and up to 1/16000 sec with electronic shutter and up to 1/4000 sec with mechanical shutter on Nikon 1 S1. Canon EOS R3 can shoot continuously up to 30.0 fps with electronic shutter and up to 12.0 fps with mechanical shutter. Nikon 1 S1 can shoot continuously up to 15.0 fps.

Focusing

Canon EOS R3 has Dual Pixel CMOS AF II system with 4779 focusing points and Nikon 1 S1 has Hybrid autofocus (phase detection/contrast-detect AF)
AF-assist illuminator system with 135 focusing points. Canon EOS R3 has detection range from -7.5 to +20 EV. The ability to focus at as low as -7.5 EV is a feature exclusive to top-tier professional cameras.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Canon EOS R3 ranges from -3 to +20 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±3 EV range on Canon EOS R3 and ±3 range on Nikon 1 S1. You can also do exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Canon EOS R3 and exposure lock and manual exposure adjustment on Nikon 1 S1.

Flash

Nikon 1 S1 has a built-in flash with maximum range of 5.00 m. Canon EOS R3 has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Intelligent Hot Shoe or PC Terminal or Wireless connection. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/250 sec on Canon EOS R3 and 1/60 sec on Nikon 1 S1.

Canon EOS R3 body has dimensions of 150 x 143 x 87 mm (5.91 x 5.63 x 3.43") and Nikon 1 S1 body has dimensions of 102 x 61 x 30 mm (4.02 x 2.4 x 1.18"). Canon EOS R3 weighs 1015 g (2.24 lb / 35.80 oz) and Nikon 1 S1 weighs 197 g (0.43 lb / 6.95 oz).

Canon EOS R3

Nikon 1 S1

150 mm

143 mm

102 mm

61 mm

143 mm

61 mm