Canon EOS R3 vs Sigma DP2 Merrill

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Canon EOS R3 and the Sigma DP2 Merrill, 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 Sigma DP2 Merrill was introduced in February 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 R3 over Sigma DP2 Merrill.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Sigma DP2 Merrill 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 Sigma DP2 Merrill has a 3.0" Fixed screen with 920k 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 Sigma DP2 Merrill.

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. Sigma DP2 Merrill features a 46 megapixel APS-C CMOS (Foveon X3) sensor with dimensions of 24 x 16 mm and a total area of 256 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 6,400.

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.

Canon EOS R3 is equipped with DIGIC X processor and can take pictures up to 6000 x 4000 resolution. Sigma DP2 Merrill is equipped with Dual TRUE II engine processor and can take pictures up to 4704 x 3136 resolution.

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. connector for video signal output.

Battery

Canon EOS R3 comes with LP-E19 battery pack with battery life of 760 shots.

External Storage Slots

Canon EOS R3 has two card slots - one for CFexpress Type B and one for SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II). Sigma DP2 Merrill has a single card slot.

Shutter

Canon EOS R3 has Electronic shutter and Mechanical 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 [] on Sigma DP2 Merrill. Canon EOS R3 can shoot continuously up to 30.0 fps with electronic shutter and up to 12.0 fps with mechanical shutter. Sigma DP2 Merrill can shoot continuously up to 4.0 fps.

Focusing

Canon EOS R3 has Dual Pixel CMOS AF II system with 4779 focusing points and Sigma DP2 Merrill has . 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 Sigma DP2 Merrill. You can also do exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Canon EOS R3 and exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Sigma DP2 Merrill.

Flash

Cameras have no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected to both of them via Intelligent Hot Shoe or PC Terminal or Wireless connection to Canon EOS R3 and via Shoe Mount to Sigma DP2 Merrill. 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 Sigma DP2 Merrill body has dimensions of 122 x 67 x 59 mm (4.8 x 2.64 x 2.32"). Canon EOS R3 weighs 1015 g (2.24 lb / 35.80 oz) and Sigma DP2 Merrill weighs 330 g (0.73 lb / 11.64 oz).

Canon EOS R3

Sigma DP2 Merrill

150 mm

143 mm

122 mm

67 mm

143 mm

67 mm