Canon M200 vs R3

The Canon EOS M200 and the Canon EOS R3 are two digital cameras that were officially introduced, respectively, in September 2019 and September 2021. Both the M200 and the R3 are mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras that are based on an APS-C (M200) and a full frame (R3) sensor. Both cameras offer a resolution of 24 megapixels.

Below is an overview of the main specs of the two cameras as a starting point for the comparison.

Headline Specifications

Canon M200		Canon R3
Mirrorless system camera		Mirrorless system camera
Canon EF-M mount lenses		Canon RF mount lenses
24 MP – APS-C sensor		24 MP – Full Frame sensor
4k/25p Video		6K/60p Video
ISO 100-25,600		ISO 100-51,200 (50 - 204,800)
No viewfinder, LCD framing		Electronic viewfinder (5760k dots)
3.0" LCD – 1040k dots		3.2" LCD – 4150k dots
Tilting touchscreen		Swivel touchscreen
6.1 shutter flaps per second		12 shutter flaps per second
Lens stabilization only		In-body stabilization
not weather sealed		Weathersealed body
315 shots per battery charge		760 shots per battery charge
108 x 67 x 35 mm, 299 g		150 x 143 x 87 mm, 1015 g

Check M200 offers at
ebay.com
Check R3 price at
amazon.com

Going beyond this snapshot of core features and characteristics, what are the differences between the Canon EOS M200 and the Canon EOS R3? Which one should you buy? Read on to find out how these two cameras compare with respect to their body size, their imaging sensors, their shooting features, their input-output connections, and their reception by expert reviewers.

Body comparison

The physical size and weight of the Canon M200 and the Canon R3 are illustrated in the side-by-side display below. The two cameras are presented according to their relative size. Three consecutive views from the front, the top, and the rear side are shown. All size dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The M200 can be obtained in two different colors (black, white), while the R3 is only available in black.

If the front view area (width x height) of the cameras is taken as an aggregate measure of their size, the Canon R3 is considerably larger (196 percent) than the Canon M200. Moreover, the R3 is substantially heavier (239 percent) than the M200. It is noteworthy in this context that the R3 is splash and dust-proof, while the M200 does not feature any corresponding weather-sealing.

The above size and weight comparisons are to some extent incomplete since they do not consider the interchangeable lenses that both of these cameras require. Hence, you might want to study and compare the specifications of available lenses in order to get the full picture of the size and weight of the two camera systems.

Concerning battery life, the M200 gets 315 shots out of its Canon LP-E12 battery, while the R3 can take 760 images on a single charge of its Canon LP-E19 power pack. As can be seen in the images above, the R3 has a battery grip built in. This facilitates image-taking in portrait orientation and gives it additional battery power. The power pack in the R3 can be charged via the USB port, which can be very convenient when travelling.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the two cameras alongside a broader set of comparators. If you want to switch the focus of the display and review another camera pair, you can move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible camera comparisons there.

Body Specifications

#		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Canon M200	108 mm	67 mm	35 mm	299 g	315	n	Sep 2019	549	ebay.com
2.		Canon R3	150 mm	143 mm	87 mm	1015 g	760	Y	Sep 2021	5,999	amazon.com
3.		Canon R6 Mark II	138 mm	98 mm	88 mm	670 g	450	Y	Nov 2022	2,499	amazon.com
4.		Canon 1D X Mark III	158 mm	168 mm	83 mm	1440 g	2850	Y	Jan 2020	6,499	amazon.com
5.		Canon R5	138 mm	98 mm	88 mm	738 g	320	Y	Jul 2020	3,899	amazon.com
6.		Canon R6	138 mm	98 mm	88 mm	680 g	360	Y	Jul 2020	2,499	amazon.com
7.		Canon M50 Mark II	116 mm	88 mm	59 mm	387 g	305	n	Oct 2020	599	ebay.com
8.		Canon 250D	122 mm	93 mm	70 mm	449 g	1070	n	Apr 2019	599	amazon.com
9.		Canon G5 X Mark II	111 mm	61 mm	46 mm	340 g	230	n	Jul 2019	899	ebay.com
10.		Canon G7 X Mark III	105 mm	61 mm	41 mm	304 g	235	n	Jul 2019	749	amazon.com
11.		Canon M50	116 mm	88 mm	59 mm	390 g	235	n	Feb 2018	779	ebay.com
12.		Canon SX740	110 mm	64 mm	40 mm	299 g	265	n	Jul 2018	399	amazon.com
13.		Canon SX70	127 mm	91 mm	117 mm	608 g	325	n	Sep 2018	549	amazon.com
14.		Canon M100	108 mm	67 mm	35 mm	302 g	295	n	Aug 2017	499	ebay.com
15.		Canon M10	108 mm	67 mm	35 mm	301 g	255	n	Oct 2015	499	ebay.com
16.		Fujifilm XF10	113 mm	64 mm	41 mm	279 g	330	n	Jul 2018	499	ebay.com
17.		Panasonic S5	133 mm	98 mm	82 mm	714 g	440	Y	Sep 2020	1,999	amazon.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The price is, of course, an important factor in any camera decision. The listed launch prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The M200 was launched at a markedly lower price (by 91 percent) than the R3, which puts it into a different market segment. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down.

Sensor comparison

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant of image quality. A large sensor will tend to have larger individual pixels that provide better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixel-units in a sensor of the same technological generation. Further, a large sensor camera will give the photographer additional creative options when using shallow depth-of-field to isolate a subject from its background. On the downside, larger sensors are more costly to manufacture and tend to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

Of the two cameras under consideration, the Canon M200 features an APS-C sensor and the Canon R3 a full frame sensor. The sensor area in the R3 is 160 percent bigger. As a result of these sensor size differences, the cameras have a format factor of, respectively, 1.6 and 1.0. Both cameras have a native aspect ratio (sensor width to sensor height) of 3:2.

Technology-wise, the R3 uses a more advanced image processing engine (DIGIC X) than the M200 (DIGIC 8), with benefits for noise reduction, color accuracy, and processing speed.

Even though the R3 has a larger sensor, both cameras offer the same resolution of 24 megapixels. This implies that the R3 has a lower pixel density and larger individual pixels (with a pixel pitch of 6.00μm versus 3.72μm for the M200), which gives it a potential advantage in terms of light gathering capacity. In addition, the R3 is a somewhat more recent model (by 1 year and 11 months) than the M200, and its sensor might have benefitted from technological advances during this time.

The Canon EOS M200 has a native sensitivity range from ISO 100 to ISO 25600. The corresponding ISO settings for the Canon EOS R3 are ISO 100 to ISO 51200, with the possibility to increase the ISO range to 50-204800.

In terms of underlying technology, the M200 is build around a CMOS sensor, while the R3 uses a Stacked BSI-CMOS imager. Both cameras use a Bayer filter for capturing RGB colors on a square grid of photosensors. This arrangement is found in most digital cameras.

For many cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service is based on lab testing and assigns an overall score to each camera sensor, as well as ratings for dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), color depth ("DXO Portrait"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"). The adjacent table reports on the physical sensor characteristics and the outcomes of the DXO sensor quality tests for a sample of comparator-cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

#		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Canon M200	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4k/25p	24.0	13.5	1836	82
2.		Canon R3	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	6K/60p	25.0	14.7	4086	96
3.		Canon R6 Mark II	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4k/60p	25.4	14.6	3154	96
4.		Canon 1D X Mark III	Full Frame	20.0	5472	3648	4K/60p	24.2	14.5	3248	91
5.		Canon R5	Full Frame	44.8	8192	5464	8K/30p	25.3	14.6	3042	95
6.		Canon R6	Full Frame	20.0	5472	3648	4k/60p	24.2	14.3	3394	90
7.		Canon M50 Mark II	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/24p	24.0	13.6	1939	83
8.		Canon 250D	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/25p	23.9	13.4	1791	82
9.		Canon G5 X Mark II	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	4K/30p	22.2	12.4	583	65
10.		Canon G7 X Mark III	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	4K/30p	22.2	12.4	583	65
11.		Canon M50	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/24p	23.8	13.3	1684	81
12.		Canon SX740	1/2.3	20.2	5184	3888	4K/30p	20.6	12.1	1050	51
13.		Canon SX70	1/2.3	20.2	5184	3888	4K/30p	20.6	12.1	1063	51
14.		Canon M100	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	23.5	12.9	1272	78
15.		Canon M10	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	22.2	11.4	753	65
16.		Fujifilm XF10	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/15p	24.0	13.4	1844	83
17.		Panasonic S5	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/60p	25.1	14.5	2697	94
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Many modern cameras cannot only take still pictures, but also record videos. Both cameras under consideration have a sensor with sufficiently fast read-out times for moving pictures, but the R3 provides a better video resolution than the M200. It can shoot movie footage at 6K/60p, while the M200 is limited to 4k/25p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. For example, the R3 has an electronic viewfinder (5760k dots), which can be very helpful when shooting in bright sunlight. In contrast, the M200 relies on live view and the rear LCD for framing. The table below summarizes some of the other core capabilities of the Canon M200 and Canon R3 in connection with corresponding information for a sample of similar cameras.

Core Features

#		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Canon M200	none	n	3.0 / 1040	tilting	Y	1/4000s	6.1/s	Y	n
2.		Canon R3	5760	Y	3.2 / 4150	swivel	Y	1/8000s	12.0/s	n	Y
3.		Canon R6 Mark II	3690	n	3.0 / 1620	swivel	Y	1/8000s	12.0/s	n	Y
4.		Canon 1D X Mark III	optical	Y	3.2 / 2100	fixed	Y	1/8000s	20.0/s	n	n
5.		Canon R5	5760	Y	3.2 / 2100	swivel	Y	1/8000s	12.0/s	n	Y
6.		Canon R6	3690	n	3.0 / 1620	swivel	Y	1/8000s	12.0/s	n	Y
7.		Canon M50 Mark II	2360	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	10.0/s	Y	n
8.		Canon 250D	optical	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	5.0/s	Y	n
9.		Canon G5 X Mark II	2360	n	3.0 / 1040	tilting	Y	1/2000s	30/s	Y	Y
10.		Canon G7 X Mark III	none	n	3.0 / 1040	tilting	Y	1/2000s	30/s	Y	Y
11.		Canon M50	2360	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	10.0/s	Y	n
12.		Canon SX740	none	n	3.0 / 922	tilting	n	1/3200s	10.0/s	Y	Y
13.		Canon SX70	2360	n	3.0 / 922	swivel	n	1/2000s	10.0/s	Y	Y
14.		Canon M100	none	n	3.0 / 1040	tilting	Y	1/4000s	6.1/s	Y	n
15.		Canon M10	none	n	3.0 / 1040	tilting	Y	1/4000s	4.6/s	Y	n
16.		Fujifilm XF10	none	n	3.0 / 1040	fixed	Y	1/4000s	6.0/s	Y	n
17.		Panasonic S5	2360	n	3.0 / 1840	swivel	Y	1/8000s	7.0/s	n	Y
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

One difference between the cameras concerns the presence of an on-board flash. The M200 has one, while the R3 does not. While the built-in flash of the M200 is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light.

The reported shutter speed information refers to the use of the mechanical shutter. Yet, some cameras only have an electronic shutter, while others have an electronic shutter in addition to a mechanical one. In fact, the R3 is one of those camera that have an additional electronic shutter, which makes completely silent shooting possible. However, this mode is less suitable for photographing moving objects (risk of rolling shutter) or shooting under artificial light sources (risk of flickering).

The Canon R3 has an intervalometer built-in. This enables the photographer to capture time lapse sequences, such as flower blooming, a sunset or moon rise, without purchasing an external camera trigger and related software.

The M200 writes its imaging data to SDXC cards, while the R3 uses CFexpress (type B) or SDXC cards. The R3 features dual card slots, which can be very useful in case a memory card fails. In contrast, the M200 only has one slot. The R3 supports UHS-II cards (Ultra High Speed data transfer of up to 312 MB/s), while the M200 can use UHS-I cards (up to 104 MB/s).

Connectivity comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Canon EOS M200 and Canon EOS R3 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

#		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Canon M200	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
2.		Canon R3	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.2	Y	-	Y
3.		Canon R6 Mark II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.2	Y	-	Y
4.		Canon 1D X Mark III	Y	mono / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.1	Y	-	Y
5.		Canon R5	Y	mono / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.2	Y	-	Y
6.		Canon R6	Y	mono / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.2	Y	-	Y
7.		Canon M50 Mark II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
8.		Canon 250D	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	-	Y
9.		Canon G5 X Mark II	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	3.1	Y	-	Y
10.		Canon G7 X Mark III	-	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	3.1	Y	-	Y
11.		Canon M50	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
12.		Canon SX740	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
13.		Canon SX70	-	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
14.		Canon M100	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	Y
15.		Canon M10	-	stereo / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-
16.		Fujifilm XF10	-	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
17.		Panasonic S5	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.2	Y	-	Y

It is notable that the R3 has a headphone jack, which makes it possible to attach external headphones and monitor the quality of sound during the recording process. The M200 lacks such a headphone port.

Studio photographers will appreciate that the Canon R3 (unlike the M200) features a PC Sync socket, so that professional strobe lights can be controlled by the camera.

The R3 is a recent model that features in the current product line-up of Canon. In contrast, the M200 has been discontinued (but can be found pre-owned on ebay). There has not been a direct replacement model for the M200 from Canon. Further information on the features and operation of the M200 and R3 can be found, respectively, in the Canon M200 Manual (free pdf) or the online Canon R3 Manual.

Review summary

So how do things add up? Is the Canon M200 better than the Canon R3 or vice versa? A synthesis of the relative strong points of each of the models is listed below.

Reasons to prefer the Canon EOS M200:

• More compact: Is smaller (108x67mm vs 150x143mm) and thus needs less room in the bag.
• Less heavy: Is lighter (by 716g or 71 percent) and hence easier to carry around.
• Easier fill-in: Is equipped with a small onboard flash to brighten deep shadow areas.
• More affordable: Was introduced into a lower priced category (91 percent cheaper at launch).
• More heavily discounted: Has been on the market for longer (launched in September 2019).

Advantages of the Canon EOS R3:

• Better image quality: Is equipped with a larger and more technologically advanced sensor.
• Richer colors: The sensor size advantage translates into images with better, more accurate colors.
• More dynamic range: Larger sensor captures a wider spectrum of light and dark details.
• Better low-light sensitivity: Larger sensor produces good images even in poorly lit environments.
• Better jpgs: Has a more modern image processing engine (DIGIC X vs DIGIC 8).
• Better video: Provides higher definition movie capture (6K/60p vs 4k/25p).
• Better sound: Can connect to an external microphone for higher quality sound recording.
• Better sound control: Has a headphone port that enables audio monitoring while recording.
• Easier framing: Has an electronic viewfinder for image composition and settings control.
• Easier setting verification: Features a control panel on top to check shooting parameters.
• Larger screen: Has a bigger rear LCD (3.2" vs 3.0") for image review and settings control.
• More detailed LCD: Has a higher resolution rear screen (4150k vs 1040k dots).
• More flexible LCD: Has a swivel screen for odd-angle shots in portrait or landscape orientation.
• Faster shutter: Has higher mechanical shutter speed (1/8000s vs 1/4000s) to freeze action.
• Faster burst: Shoots at higher frequency (12 vs 6.1 flaps/sec) to capture the decisive moment.
• Less disturbing: Has an electronic shutter option for completely silent shooting.
• Easier time-lapse photography: Has an intervalometer built-in for low frequency shooting.
• More portrait friendly: Features an integrated vertical grip for easier portrait shooting.
• Longer lasting: Gets more shots (760 versus 315) out of a single battery charge.
• Easier travel charging: Can be conveniently charged via its USB port.
• Better sealing: Is splash and dust sealed for shooting in inclement weather conditions.
• Sharper images: Has stabilization technology built-in to reduce the impact of hand-shake.
• Better lighting: Features a hotshoe and can thus hold and trigger an external flash gun.
• Faster data transfer: Supports a more advanced USB protocol (3.2 vs 2.0).
• Better studio light control: Has a PC Sync socket to connect to professional strobe lights.
• Greater peace of mind: Features a second card slot as a backup in case of memory card failure.
• Faster buffer clearing: Supports a more advanced SD data transfer standard (UHS-II vs UHS-I).
• More modern: Was introduced somewhat (1 year and 11 months) more recently.

If the number of relative strengths (bullet points above) is taken as a guide, the R3 is the clear winner of the contest (28 : 5 points). However, the relative importance of the various individual camera aspects will vary according to personal preferences and needs, so that you might like to apply corresponding weights to the particular features before making a decision on a new camera. A professional wedding photographer will view the differences between cameras in a way that diverges from the perspective of a travel photog, and a person interested in cityscapes has distinct needs from a macro shooter. Hence, the decision which camera is best and worth buying is often a very personal one.

How about other alternatives? Do the specifications of the Canon M200 and the Canon R3 place the cameras among the top in their class? Find out in the latest Best Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera listing whether the two cameras rank among the cream of the crop.

In any case, while the comparison of the spec-sheets of cameras can offer a general idea of their imaging potential, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the shooting experience and imaging performance when actually working with the M200 or the R3. User reviews that are available, for instance, at amazon can sometimes shed light on these issues, but such feedback is all too often partial, inconsistent, and inaccurate.

Expert reviews

This is why expert reviews are important. The following table reports the overall ratings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]). As can be seen, the professional reviewers agree in many cases on the quality of different cameras, but sometimes their assessments diverge, reinforcing the earlier point that a camera decision is often a very personal choice.

Expert Camera Reviews

#		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Canon M200	..	+	3/5	79/100	4/5	4/5	Sep 2019	549	ebay.com
2.		Canon R3	5/5	o	4.5/5	..	5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2021	5,999	amazon.com
3.		Canon R6 Mark II	5/5	+ +	4.5/5	91/100	4.5/5	5/5	Nov 2022	2,499	amazon.com
4.		Canon 1D X Mark III	..	+ +	5/5	..	4.5/5	4/5	Jan 2020	6,499	amazon.com
5.		Canon R5	4.5/5	+	4/5	91/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jul 2020	3,899	amazon.com
6.		Canon R6	5/5	+ +	4/5	90/100	4.5/5	5/5	Jul 2020	2,499	amazon.com
7.		Canon M50 Mark II	4/5	..	4/5	..	4.5/5	3.5/5	Oct 2020	599	ebay.com
8.		Canon 250D	4/5	o	4.5/5	79/100	4/5	4/5	Apr 2019	599	amazon.com
9.		Canon G5 X Mark II	4/5	+	4/5	82/100	..	4/5	Jul 2019	899	ebay.com
10.		Canon G7 X Mark III	..	+ +	4/5	81/100	4/5	..	Jul 2019	749	amazon.com
11.		Canon M50	..	+	4/5	79/100	..	3.5/5	Feb 2018	779	ebay.com
12.		Canon SX740	..	+	3.5/5	..	4/5	4/5	Jul 2018	399	amazon.com
13.		Canon SX70	..	+ +	3.5/5	..	3.5/5	3.5/5	Sep 2018	549	amazon.com
14.		Canon M100	3/5	+	..	..	4/5	3.5/5	Aug 2017	499	ebay.com
15.		Canon M10	..	..	..	..	..	4/5	Oct 2015	499	ebay.com
16.		Fujifilm XF10	..	..	4/5	75/100	4/5	4.5/5	Jul 2018	499	ebay.com
17.		Panasonic S5	4.5/5	+ +	4.5/5	88/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2020	1,999	amazon.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. Thus, a score needs to be put into the context of the launch date and the launch price of the camera, and comparing ratings of very distinct cameras or ones that are far apart in terms of their release date have little meaning. It should also be noted that some of the review sites have over time altered the way they render their verdicts.

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Other camera comparisons

Did this review help to inform your camera decision process? In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities of other camera models, just use the search menu below. As an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool.

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