Canon EOS C300 Mark III vs Canon EOS C500 Mark II
Every published spec side by side, with today's lowest prices for the market you've chosen.
Key differences
- Announced: Apr 2020 on the EOS C300 Mark III, against Sep 2019 on the EOS C500 Mark II.
- Sensor size: Full frame on the EOS C500 Mark II, against Super 35 on the EOS C300 Mark III.
- Resolution: 18.7 MP on the EOS C500 Mark II, against 8.8 MP on the EOS C300 Mark III.
- Max resolution: 5.9K on the EOS C500 Mark II, against 4K on the EOS C300 Mark III.
- 4K frame rate: 120p on the EOS C300 Mark III, against 60p on the EOS C500 Mark II.
EOS C300 Mark III or EOS C500 Mark II: which should you buy?
Choose the EOS C300 Mark III for its 4K frame rate.
Choose the EOS C500 Mark II for its sensor size, resolution and max resolution.
On paper the EOS C500 Mark II wins more rows (3 to 1); if the EOS C300 Mark III's strengths are the ones you shoot with, and its price is lower where you buy, it can still be the better buy.
 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest price today | $6,349 new $3,349 used | $3,148.72 used |
| Overview | ||
| Type | Cinema camera | Cinema camera |
| Announced | Apr 2020 (best) | Sep 2019 |
| US launch priceUS list price when announced, body only. Today's prices are in the offers table. | $10,999 | $15,999 |
| Lens | Interchangeable | Interchangeable |
| Sensor & image | ||
| Sensor size | Super 35 | Full frame (best) |
| Sensor type | DGO CMOS | CMOS |
| Resolution | 8.8 MP | 18.7 MP (best) |
| Native ISO | 160–25,600 | 160–25,600 |
| In-body stabilisation | No | No |
| Speed & autofocus | ||
| Burst (mechanical) | — | — |
| Burst (electronic) | — | — |
| Fastest shutter (mech.) | — | — |
| Fastest shutter (elec.) | — | — |
| AF pointsMakers count points differently, so this is not ranked. | — | — |
| Subject detectionMakers group subjects differently (Canon's "animal" includes birds), so only having it is ranked. | Human | Human |
| Video | ||
| Max resolution | 4K | 5.9K (best) |
| 4K frame rate | 120p (best) | 60p |
| 10-bit internal | Yes | Yes |
| Internal raw video | Yes | Yes |
| Mic input | Yes | Yes |
| Headphone jack | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder & screen | ||
| Viewfinder | None | None |
| Rear screen | 4.3", 2.76M dots | 4.3", 2.76M dots |
| Screen articulation | Multi-angle (tilt + flip) | Multi-angle (tilt + flip) |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes |
| Body & battery | ||
| Weight (with battery) | — | — |
| Dimensions (W×H×D) | 153 × 148 × 168 mm | 153 × 148 × 168 mm |
| Weather sealed | — | — |
| Battery (CIPA shots) | — | — |
| Card slots | 3 · CFexpress B + CFexpress B + SD | 3 · CFexpress B + CFexpress B + SD |
| USB-C | No | No |
| Built-in flash | No | No |
| Wi-Fi / Bluetooth | None | None |
Green marks the better figure where “better” is unambiguous. A dash means the maker doesn't publish it or we haven't verified it yet.
Price history: is the newer one cheaper?
Low light & noise
EOS C300 Mark III
6.4 µm pixels
8.85 MP on a super 35 sensor, ISO up to 25,600
EOS C500 Mark II
6.8 µm pixels
18.69 MP on a full frame sensor, ISO up to 25,600
Bigger pixels gather more light each, so they tend to show less noise at high ISO, but sensor design matters as much. For real noise at ISO 6400, these sites measure it:
- Photons to Photos: dynamic range vs ISO ↗Photographic dynamic range measured at every ISO, bodies on one chart
- Photons to Photos: noise vs ISO ↗Read noise at every ISO from lab tests: lower is cleaner in the shadows
- DPReview studio scene ↗The same scene shot by each camera at the ISO you pick, side by side
- DPReview reviews ↗Full reviews with high-ISO samples
- Low-light video tests ↗Real-world high-ISO footage on YouTube
Size, to scale
Front (width × height)
Top (width × depth)