Canon EOS R3 vs Sony ZV-E1

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Canon EOS R3 and the Sony ZV-E1, 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 Sony ZV-E1 was introduced in March 2023. 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 Sony ZV-E1.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Sony ZV-E1 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" screen with 4,150k dot resolution and Sony ZV-E1 has a 3.0" screen with 1,037k dot resolution. Both have Fully Articulated screens. Fully articulated screen makes cameras selfie and vlogger friendly and generally very useful for video shooting. Both models feature 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 Sony ZV-E1.

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. Sony ZV-E1 features a 12.1 megapixel Full Frame BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 35.6 x 23.8 mm and a total area of 566.4 mm². Its native ISO range is 80 - 102,400 and expands to 40 - 409,600 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.

Sony ZV-E1 has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

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. Sony ZV-E1 is equipped with BIONZ XR processor and can take pictures up to 4240 x 2832 resolution.

Lens Mount

Canon EOS R3 has Canon RF lens mount and Sony ZV-E1 has Sony E 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

The cameras have a built-in 5-Axis Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS) (8 stops of compensation in Canon EOS R3 and 5 stops of compensation in Sony ZV-E1). This means that you are still getting vibration reduction when cameras are 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

Cameras have 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

Canon EOS R3 and Sony ZV-E1 have 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.

NFC on Sony ZV-E1

Sony ZV-E1 has Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which simplifies the process of pairing it with other NFC-enabled devices like smartphones or tablets. It allows to quickly transfer photos and videos or remotely control the camera from compatible device. NFC can also be used for authentication and security purposes. It can verify your identity before accessing certain features or transferring sensitive data. It can be used with NFC-enabled accessories as well, such as lenses, flashes and GPS devices.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 3.2 Gen 2x1 (10 GBit/sec) Type-C inputs for data transfer and battery charging. Canon EOS R3 has a Micro Type D HDMI and Sony ZV-E1 has a Micro HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Canon EOS R3 comes with LP-E19 battery pack with battery life of 760 shots and Sony ZV-E1 comes with NP-FZ100 battery pack with battery life of 570 shots.

External Storage Slots

Canon EOS R3 has two card slots - one for CFexpress Type B and one for SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II). Sony ZV-E1 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II) card slot.

Shutter

Canon EOS R3 and Sony ZV-E1 have 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 1/8000 sec on Sony ZV-E1. Canon EOS R3 can shoot continuously up to 30.0 fps with electronic shutter and up to 12.0 fps with mechanical shutter. Sony ZV-E1 can shoot continuously up to 10.0 fps.

Focusing

Canon EOS R3 has Dual Pixel CMOS AF II system with 4779 focusing points and Sony ZV-E1 has Fast Hybrid AF (Phase-detection / Contrast-detection) system with 759 focusing points. Canon EOS R3 has detection range from -7.5 to +20 EV and Sony ZV-E1 has detection range from +6 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 and Sony ZV-E1 range from -3 to +20 EV and +3 to +20 EV respectively and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±3 EV range on Canon EOS R3 and ±5 EV range on Sony ZV-E1. You can also do exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Canon EOS R3 and exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Sony ZV-E1.

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 Intelligent Hot Shoe to Sony ZV-E1. 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 Sony ZV-E1 body has dimensions of 121 x 72 x 54 mm (4.76 x 2.83 x 2.13"). Canon EOS R3 weighs 1015 g (2.24 lb / 35.80 oz) and Sony ZV-E1 weighs 483 g (1.06 lb / 17.04 oz).

Canon EOS R3

Sony ZV-E1

150 mm

143 mm

121 mm

72 mm

143 mm

72 mm

87 mm

54 mm