The upcoming Canon EOS R3, Canon's professional-grade full-frame mirrorless sports camera, will cost less than its rival the Sony A1 – and could clock in with a price tag of $5,999 (approximately £4,240 / AU$7,710).
This would make the Canon EOS R3 (opens in new tab) about $500 cheaper than the Sony A1 (opens in new tab) ($6,498 / £6,499 / AU$9,999) as well as Canon's current flagship sports camera, the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III (opens in new tab) ($6,498 / £6,999 / AU$10,310).
• Read more: Best camera for sports photography (opens in new tab)
That's according to a new report from the sleuth at Canon Rumors, noting that multiple sources claim that Canon's recently announced camera will clock in cheaper than Sony's recently released one.
"Multiple folks have told me that Canon has been vague about pricing, but that the Canon EOS R3 would undercut both the Sony Alpha a1 ($6498) and Canon’s own EOS-1D X Mark III ($6499) at launch," wrote the outlet (opens in new tab).
"One source did say that they think the EOS R3 would launch at $5999 based on hints from a couple of people at Canon."
The price comparison with the Sony A1 is significant, since the two cameras appear to be pitched at the same market – even though Canon has still released precious little in the way of specs about the R3.
What we do know, however, is that the R3 boasts the same headline 30 frames per second continuous burst shooting as the A1. It has also been rumored that the R3 will feature a 45MP sensor and 8K video (opens in new tab), which again broadly matches the specs of the Sony (which clocks in with a slightly higher-res 51MP sensor).
If Canon can indeed produce a similarly specced camera, featuring the 'pro DSLR' form factor (with integrated vertical grip) and cutting-edge tech including eye-controlled autofocus (opens in new tab) for $500 less than the Sony A1, that would be quite the coup.
Read more:
Sony A1 review (opens in new tab)
Canon EOS-1D X Mark III review (opens in new tab)
Best Sony cameras (opens in new tab)
Best Canon cameras (opens in new tab)