Canon EOS R3 vs Nikon D810A

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Canon EOS R3 and the Nikon D810A, 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 D810A was introduced in February 2015. 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 D810A.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon D810A 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 and Nikon D810A have 3.2" screens with 4,150k dot and 1,229k dot resolutions respectively. Canon EOS R3 has a Fully Articulated screen which makes it selfie and vlogger friendly and generally very useful for video shooting. Nikon D810A has a Fixed screen 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.

Viewfinder

Canon EOS R3 has a built-in 0.5" Electronic (OLED) viewfinder with 5,760k dot resolution and Nikon D810A has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. They both have 100% coverage.

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 D810A features a 36.3 megapixel Full Frame CMOS sensor with dimensions of 35.9 x 24 mm and a total area of 576 mm². Its native ISO range is 200 - 12,800 and expands to 100 - 51,200 in boosted mode.

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 D810A is equipped with EXPEED 4 processor and can take pictures up to 7360 x 4912 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like FX: 5520 x 3680, 3680 x 2456; 1.2: 6144 x 4080, 4608 x 3056, 3072 x 2040; 5:4: 6144 x 4912, 4608 x 3680, 3072 x 2456; DX: 4800 x 3200, 3600 x 2400, 2400 x 1600 with 5:4, 3:2 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Canon EOS R3 has Canon RF lens mount and Nikon D810A has Nikon F 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.

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 D810A has a Mini HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Canon EOS R3 comes with LP-E19 battery pack with battery life of 760 shots and Nikon D810A comes with EN-EL15 battery pack with battery life of 1200 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 D810A has two card slots - one for SD/SDHC/SDXC and one for CompactFlash (Type I, compliant with UDMA).

Shutter

Canon EOS R3 has Electronic shutter and Mechanical Focal Plane shutter. Nikon D810A has Electronically controlled vertical-travel focal-plane 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 1/8000 sec on Nikon D810A. Canon EOS R3 can shoot continuously up to 30.0 fps with electronic shutter and up to 12.0 fps with mechanical shutter. Nikon D810A can shoot continuously up to 5.0 fps.

Focusing

Canon EOS R3 has Dual Pixel CMOS AF II system with 4779 focusing points and Nikon D810A has 51 (15 cross-type) focusing points. Canon EOS R3 has detection range from -7.5 to +20 EV and Nikon D810A has detection range from -1 to +19 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 ±5 EV range on Nikon D810A. You can also do exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Canon EOS R3 and exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Nikon D810A.

Flash

Nikon D810A has a built-in flash with maximum range of 12.00 m at ISO 100 and also accepts external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal or Wireless connection. 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.

Canon EOS R3 body has dimensions of 150 x 143 x 87 mm (5.91 x 5.63 x 3.43") and Nikon D810A body has dimensions of 146 x 123 x 82 mm (5.75 x 4.84 x 3.23"). Canon EOS R3 weighs 1015 g (2.24 lb / 35.80 oz) and Nikon D810A weighs 880 g (1.94 lb / 31.04 oz).

Canon EOS R3

Nikon D810A

150 mm

143 mm

146 mm

123 mm

143 mm

123 mm

87 mm

82 mm