Sports budget cameras
p.1 #1Sports budget cameras
Hi all,
I want to ask this question again and for the last time so i can have my decision very soon this year if possible or soon enough.
I am a Canon shooter for sports, but i stopped long time ago and my last camera was a DSLR, now if i want to resume photography with sports i am planning to get mirrorless cameras[brand new] that can serve me for about several years, my 1DX i bought it in 2012 i believe so i spent over a decade holding it but i stopped as i said, i don't keep changing or upgrading that much really, so whatever current latest model i can buy nowadays i will hold into it for almost half decade or a decade if possible, so here is my question:
Which two Canon mirrorless cameras do you recommend for sports that are not R1 or R3 please [due to price]
My only lenses i am using now mainly in sports are: EF 300mm 2.8 IS mk1, 70-200mm 2.8 IS mk2, 85mm 1.8, 135mm f2, i had before 24-70 2.8 mk1 but it is gone in Canon repairing service shop that is closed and out of business, i will get a replacement lens for 24-70
I want to ask this question again and for the last time so i can have my decision very soon this year if possible or soon enough.
I am a Canon shooter for sports, but i stopped long time ago and my last camera was a DSLR, now if i want to resume photography with sports i am planning to get mirrorless cameras[brand new] that can serve me for about several years, my 1DX i bought it in 2012 i believe so i spent over a decade holding it but i stopped as i said, i don't keep changing or upgrading that much really, so whatever current latest model i can buy nowadays i will hold into it for almost half decade or a decade if possible, so here is my question:
Which two Canon mirrorless cameras do you recommend for sports that are not R1 or R3 please [due to price]
My only lenses i am using now mainly in sports are: EF 300mm 2.8 IS mk1, 70-200mm 2.8 IS mk2, 85mm 1.8, 135mm f2, i had before 24-70 2.8 mk1 but it is gone in Canon repairing service shop that is closed and out of business, i will get a replacement lens for 24-70
Jul 18, 2026 at 10:10 PM
p.1 #2Sports budget cameras
Staying with Canon will require an adapter for those lenses. Body wise: probably the R6-II is your best choice.
Jul 19, 2026 at 05:32 AM
p.1 #3Sports budget cameras
schlotz wrote:
Staying with Canon will require an adapter for those lenses. Body wise: probably the R6-II is your best choice.
Yeah agree and the canon adapter is pretty flawless with those older lenses. I think the R6 Mark iii has improved autofocus but will cost you more. Are you sure a used R3 can’t fit into your budget? 😀
Staying with Canon will require an adapter for those lenses. Body wise: probably the R6-II is your best choice.
Yeah agree and the canon adapter is pretty flawless with those older lenses. I think the R6 Mark iii has improved autofocus but will cost you more. Are you sure a used R3 can’t fit into your budget? 😀
Jul 19, 2026 at 09:08 AM
p.1 #4Sports budget cameras
He's in the UAE Carl. Used might not be an option.
Jul 19, 2026 at 10:41 AM
p.1 #5Sports budget cameras
R6 M2 has some crazy deals at the moment. Its basically a scale down R3. R6 M3 will get a MP bump but for sports, it does not matter much. You have the glass covered and it will work flawlessly with your mirrorless bodies. Good luck 
Jul 19, 2026 at 11:24 AM
p.1 #6Sports budget cameras
schlotz wrote:
Staying with Canon will require an adapter for those lenses. Body wise: probably the R6-II is your best choice.
The adapter is a must of course once i choose a Canon ML camera to be used with my old EF lenses, thank you.
Staying with Canon will require an adapter for those lenses. Body wise: probably the R6-II is your best choice.
The adapter is a must of course once i choose a Canon ML camera to be used with my old EF lenses, thank you.
Jul 19, 2026 at 04:02 PM
p.1 #7Sports budget cameras
carl_g wrote:
Yeah agree and the canon adapter is pretty flawless with those older lenses. I think the R6 Mark iii has improved autofocus but will cost you more. Are you sure a used R3 can’t fit into your budget? 😀
I try very very hard to always stay with a brand new item, and if it is my first Canon Mirrorless and after these long time stopping i don't see the point i buy a used, so those who gave up R3 what did they get then?
Actually R6 Mark III and R5 Mark II are the top choices in my list and mind, and talking about that R3 if buying used because of its brand price in fact i managed to find Nikon Z9 for the same price of R3 brand new or very close, between the two i will choose Z9 instantly, even if it is not the top best in sports at least it is amazing brilliant for birding and wildlife which is another thing i want to do next to sports, but sports is top priority for me, and the used R3 can be maybe almost close to R6 Mark III new or even R5 Mark 1, the only thing i hate about R3 is its mp, i discussed with someone very very long talk and he told me it is very wrong to consider mp as a factor, i used 1DX and i crop so much, and even its crop it outperforms the native uncropped frame from 1D3 i have or even 1D2n in the past before i sell it, newer cameras all having more mp than 1DX anyway, so i was thinking going higher mp just in case i crop a lot even if he said that is wrong idea, even R1 has 24mp, silly at that cost, even Nikon old camera Z7 versions has more mp.
schlotz wrote
Staying with Canon will require an adapter for those lenses. Body wise: probably the R6-II is your best choice.I try very very hard to always stay with a brand new item, and if it is my first Canon Mirrorless and after these long time stopping i don't see the point i buy a used, so those who gave up R3 what did they get then?
Actually R6 Mark III and R5 Mark II are the top choices in my list and mind, and talking about that R3 if buying used because of its brand price in fact i managed to find Nikon Z9 for the same price of R3 brand new or very close, between the two i will choose Z9 instantly, even if it is not the top best in sports at least it is amazing brilliant for birding and wildlife which is another thing i want to do next to sports, but sports is top priority for me, and the used R3 can be maybe almost close to R6 Mark III new or even R5 Mark 1, the only thing i hate about R3 is its mp, i discussed with someone very very long talk and he told me it is very wrong to consider mp as a factor, i used 1DX and i crop so much, and even its crop it outperforms the native uncropped frame from 1D3 i have or even 1D2n in the past before i sell it, newer cameras all having more mp than 1DX anyway, so i was thinking going higher mp just in case i crop a lot even if he said that is wrong idea, even R1 has 24mp, silly at that cost, even Nikon old camera Z7 versions has more mp.
Jul 19, 2026 at 04:14 PM
p.1 #8Sports budget cameras
schlotz wrote:
He's in the UAE Carl. Used might not be an option.
True, and i can't trust people here to have clean good condition used cameras, although i can order online overseas, but it will be bad idea if for any reason there is something wrong about it then a headache of whatever for return or refund, you know what i mean.
He's in the UAE Carl. Used might not be an option.
True, and i can't trust people here to have clean good condition used cameras, although i can order online overseas, but it will be bad idea if for any reason there is something wrong about it then a headache of whatever for return or refund, you know what i mean.
Jul 19, 2026 at 04:16 PM
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p.1 #9Sports budget cameras
cs3is wrote:
R6 M2 has some crazy deals at the moment. Its basically a scale down R3. R6 M3 will get a MP bump but for sports, it does not matter much. You have the glass covered and it will work flawlessly with your mirrorless bodies. Good luck
Actually, even when i use EF 300mm in sports mainly football, i always crop with my 1DX, and although i still have good acceptable results i still want more mp, in fact i liked the cropped image from 1DX with 300mm more than non cropped images from 1D MarkIII with 300mm, i was hoping to get R7 because it has 33mp and a crop factor, but people didn't recommend it for low light and AF speed and such, so i ignored it, wish Canon make a Mark II for R7 keeping crop factor and maybe increase a bit that mp but having a better AF focus, that will be my choice no doubt.
I want R6 M3 for that MP bump exactly, and so R5 M2 is even better in this case, but somewhere people talked about low light of R5 M2 isn't on par and prefer the one from R6, that is also another point to think about it, but after all if i stop at every pros and cons of each camera then i will never get anything, i have to weigh which is more important for me personally more than for others.
R6 M2 has some crazy deals at the moment. Its basically a scale down R3. R6 M3 will get a MP bump but for sports, it does not matter much. You have the glass covered and it will work flawlessly with your mirrorless bodies. Good luck
Actually, even when i use EF 300mm in sports mainly football, i always crop with my 1DX, and although i still have good acceptable results i still want more mp, in fact i liked the cropped image from 1DX with 300mm more than non cropped images from 1D MarkIII with 300mm, i was hoping to get R7 because it has 33mp and a crop factor, but people didn't recommend it for low light and AF speed and such, so i ignored it, wish Canon make a Mark II for R7 keeping crop factor and maybe increase a bit that mp but having a better AF focus, that will be my choice no doubt.
I want R6 M3 for that MP bump exactly, and so R5 M2 is even better in this case, but somewhere people talked about low light of R5 M2 isn't on par and prefer the one from R6, that is also another point to think about it, but after all if i stop at every pros and cons of each camera then i will never get anything, i have to weigh which is more important for me personally more than for others.
Jul 19, 2026 at 04:21 PM
p.1 #10Sports budget cameras
Tareq wrote:
Actually, even when i use EF 300mm in sports mainly football, i always crop with my 1DX, and although i still have good acceptable results i still want more mp, in fact i liked the cropped image from 1DX with 300mm more than non cropped images from 1D MarkIII with 300mm, i was hoping to get R7 because it has 33mp and a crop factor, but people didn't recommend it for low light and AF speed and such, so i ignored it, wish Canon make a Mark II for R7 keeping crop factor and maybe increase a bit that mp...Show more →
300mm will fall short for football on FF. If you are cropping a lot then I guess you need to invest in the glass more than the body. R6 M3 will be a sweet spot for high ISO shooting and good amount of Pixels. I have both and for wildlife and aviation, I always go to R7 with 1.4x on it.
cs3is wrote
R6 M2 has some crazy deals at the moment. Its basically a scale down R3. R6 M3 will get a MP bump but for sports, it does not matter much. You have the glass covered and it will work flawlessly with your mirrorless bodies. Good luck300mm will fall short for football on FF. If you are cropping a lot then I guess you need to invest in the glass more than the body. R6 M3 will be a sweet spot for high ISO shooting and good amount of Pixels. I have both and for wildlife and aviation, I always go to R7 with 1.4x on it.
Jul 19, 2026 at 07:29 PM
p.1 #11Sports budget cameras
cs3is wrote:
Actually, even when i use EF 300mm in sports mainly football, i always crop with my 1DX, and although i still have good acceptable results i still want more mp, in fact i liked the cropped image from 1DX with 300mm more than non cropped images from 1D MarkIII with 300mm, i was hoping to get R7 because it has 33mp and a crop factor, but people didn't recommend it for low light and AF speed and such, so i ignored it, wish Canon make a Mark II for R7 keeping crop factor and maybe increase a bit that mp but having a better AF focus, that will be my choice no doubt.
I want R6 M3 for that MP bump exactly, and so R5 M2 is even better in this case, but somewhere people talked about low light of R5 M2 isn't on par and prefer the one from R6, that is also another point to think about it, but after all if i stop at every pros and cons of each camera then i will never get anything, i have to weigh which is more important for me personally more than for others.300mm will fall short for football on FF. If you are cropping a lot then I guess you need to invest in the glass more than the body. R6 M3 will be a sweet spot for high ISO shooting and good amount of Pixels. I have both and for wildlife and aviation, I always go to R7 with 1.4x on it.
Getting a long prime glass is WAY out of my reach, and i won't dream about it or even wish, i used my 300mm for years and have enough great shots with it already, i know a lens such as 400mm can do better in football or 500/600mm for birding, but that is my limit, so i decided i just upgrade the body and not the glass, and if i will shoot wildlife or even bird if they remain still and use a manual focus then i can do that with my telescope.
Tareq wrote
cs3is wrote
R6 M2 has some crazy deals at the moment. Its basically a scale down R3. R6 M3 will get a MP bump but for sports, it does not matter much. You have the glass covered and it will work flawlessly with your mirrorless bodies. Good luckI want R6 M3 for that MP bump exactly, and so R5 M2 is even better in this case, but somewhere people talked about low light of R5 M2 isn't on par and prefer the one from R6, that is also another point to think about it, but after all if i stop at every pros and cons of each camera then i will never get anything, i have to weigh which is more important for me personally more than for others.
Getting a long prime glass is WAY out of my reach, and i won't dream about it or even wish, i used my 300mm for years and have enough great shots with it already, i know a lens such as 400mm can do better in football or 500/600mm for birding, but that is my limit, so i decided i just upgrade the body and not the glass, and if i will shoot wildlife or even bird if they remain still and use a manual focus then i can do that with my telescope.
Jul 19, 2026 at 09:09 PM
p.1 #12Sports budget cameras
Knowing what your budget is would be very helpful. I went from 1Dx bodies to R3 bodies (one used and one brand new) and can't be happier. They are incredible bodies and a great value. IMO, if you want to use a body for as long as you've used your 1Dx bodies, getting a pro body is a good move.
Jul 20, 2026 at 12:02 PM
p.1 #13Sports budget cameras
Scott Sewell wrote:
Knowing what your budget is would be very helpful. I went from 1Dx bodies to R3 bodies (one used and one brand new) and can't be happier. They are incredible bodies and a great value. IMO, if you want to use a body for as long as you've used your 1Dx bodies, getting a pro body is a good move.
The budget is never fixed with me and can't determine how much, one time it is up to $1000 another time it can be maximum $3000, and if i want to go more then it means i have to wait months and keep saving until i can get up to $4000-5000 one time per year, but i have many old cameras laying around, if i can sell them all or most of them then it can help me to refund something, but i gave up to sell anything at good price, any camera i have now will be around 1/10 or 10-20% of its original price, so a $7000 camera is roughly $1000 is a rip off, i am not in a big need to sell it that cheap, but i know how time and life is going and used prices all gone down and more new cameras never getting lower prices, top end cameras from those brands are still at $4k-7k, if they accept i trade in my old camera for about %50 i will accept, not i sell mine for %20 cost then i add %80 myself.
I think i will look at A7R VI the newest camera from Sony, it is not a sports camera, but it can be a replacement for 5 cameras i already have, if i can sell those five cameras above $1500 at least then getting A7R6 is a matter of time, and later i can add another camera for sports even if it is not perfect for sports, i don't R3 specs really no matter how good it is in sports, i prefer R5II or Nikon Z9 or Sony A1ii and such cameras, but i will not be in rush, the more i wait the more products i can see, good i didn't upgrade my Sony A7R to Mark II and again to Mark III then Mark 4 then Mark 5, or getting 3 versions as some people did.
Knowing what your budget is would be very helpful. I went from 1Dx bodies to R3 bodies (one used and one brand new) and can't be happier. They are incredible bodies and a great value. IMO, if you want to use a body for as long as you've used your 1Dx bodies, getting a pro body is a good move.
The budget is never fixed with me and can't determine how much, one time it is up to $1000 another time it can be maximum $3000, and if i want to go more then it means i have to wait months and keep saving until i can get up to $4000-5000 one time per year, but i have many old cameras laying around, if i can sell them all or most of them then it can help me to refund something, but i gave up to sell anything at good price, any camera i have now will be around 1/10 or 10-20% of its original price, so a $7000 camera is roughly $1000 is a rip off, i am not in a big need to sell it that cheap, but i know how time and life is going and used prices all gone down and more new cameras never getting lower prices, top end cameras from those brands are still at $4k-7k, if they accept i trade in my old camera for about %50 i will accept, not i sell mine for %20 cost then i add %80 myself.
I think i will look at A7R VI the newest camera from Sony, it is not a sports camera, but it can be a replacement for 5 cameras i already have, if i can sell those five cameras above $1500 at least then getting A7R6 is a matter of time, and later i can add another camera for sports even if it is not perfect for sports, i don't R3 specs really no matter how good it is in sports, i prefer R5II or Nikon Z9 or Sony A1ii and such cameras, but i will not be in rush, the more i wait the more products i can see, good i didn't upgrade my Sony A7R to Mark II and again to Mark III then Mark 4 then Mark 5, or getting 3 versions as some people did.
Jul 20, 2026 at 02:29 PM
p.1 #14Sports budget cameras
The market is the ultimate decider when it comes to used pricing. Yes, that doesn't sit well in most peoples' logic when they know what they originally paid for equipment. Bottom line which you pointed to, is that what you can get today for used equipment will be more than what you will get waiting longer. The money spent back then is long gone from your wallet. If there is equipment sitting around collecting dust due to lack of use then it serves little purpose. Not selling it gains nothing except more dust. IMO, if there are non-use bodies in your collection, get what you can from them now and move on. JMTC
Jul 21, 2026 at 04:57 AM
p.1 #15Sports budget cameras
schlotz wrote:
The market is the ultimate decider when it comes to used pricing. Yes, that doesn't sit well in most peoples' logic when they know what they originally paid for equipment. Bottom line which you pointed to, is that what you can get today for used equipment will be more than what you will get waiting longer. The money spent back then is long gone from your wallet. If there is equipment sitting around collecting dust due to lack of use then it serves little purpose. Not selling it gains nothing except more dust. IMO, if there are non-use bodies in...Show more →
Your points are very true, and i am kind of doing that but not sure when or how, i have many other things i want to sell or upgrade not just of photography gear, but sounds in the past or even now once i have enough budget i never stand back and i buy immediately, i got into new hobbies and i collect stuff for dust again too, but the other hobbies are kind of two things:
1. Items aren't very expensive so selling them are always not big lose at the end.
2. Items are long term or longevity, so i buy and don't worry about it for over 20 years, even a very small item.
So with photography i feel either i never get back to it even if i will buy one body i can afford because it will serve me for few/several years and i will think about upgrade later but can't sell it for good price, or i buy used as you said and then i don't know for how long i keep buying used or how much i sell the used i buy, kind of there is no safe end to it, but as i said somewhere, i have no regret at all of whatever i bought in the past as brand new even without much of use, even a camera i used for only 1-2 years i don't feel sad i stopped using it, i am sad actually on Canon pricing and their continuous releasing, but that is not Canon alone, most likely i change their cameras more regularly, while if i go another brands i don't feel i have to do that more regularly, for example with Sony A7R, i can easily pass A7R2 and 3 and get 4 or 5, while in Canon i bought 1D2n then 1D3, i even was going to buy 1D4 but i was late, so i bought 1DX and was going to buy 1DX2 and 1DX3 but i lost my job, the bottom line is with Canon i don't know they don't make any body that can last for very long time or a decade without having so many models in between, Nikon Z9 or Sony A1ii both have specs that make me to hold them for 6 years easily, while with Canon i feel i need two bodies to hold longer and then one of them if not both have to go, i know i can keep my 1DX for 100 years, but i know majority just moved on long time ago no matter what.
The market is the ultimate decider when it comes to used pricing. Yes, that doesn't sit well in most peoples' logic when they know what they originally paid for equipment. Bottom line which you pointed to, is that what you can get today for used equipment will be more than what you will get waiting longer. The money spent back then is long gone from your wallet. If there is equipment sitting around collecting dust due to lack of use then it serves little purpose. Not selling it gains nothing except more dust. IMO, if there are non-use bodies in...Show more →
Your points are very true, and i am kind of doing that but not sure when or how, i have many other things i want to sell or upgrade not just of photography gear, but sounds in the past or even now once i have enough budget i never stand back and i buy immediately, i got into new hobbies and i collect stuff for dust again too, but the other hobbies are kind of two things:
1. Items aren't very expensive so selling them are always not big lose at the end.
2. Items are long term or longevity, so i buy and don't worry about it for over 20 years, even a very small item.
So with photography i feel either i never get back to it even if i will buy one body i can afford because it will serve me for few/several years and i will think about upgrade later but can't sell it for good price, or i buy used as you said and then i don't know for how long i keep buying used or how much i sell the used i buy, kind of there is no safe end to it, but as i said somewhere, i have no regret at all of whatever i bought in the past as brand new even without much of use, even a camera i used for only 1-2 years i don't feel sad i stopped using it, i am sad actually on Canon pricing and their continuous releasing, but that is not Canon alone, most likely i change their cameras more regularly, while if i go another brands i don't feel i have to do that more regularly, for example with Sony A7R, i can easily pass A7R2 and 3 and get 4 or 5, while in Canon i bought 1D2n then 1D3, i even was going to buy 1D4 but i was late, so i bought 1DX and was going to buy 1DX2 and 1DX3 but i lost my job, the bottom line is with Canon i don't know they don't make any body that can last for very long time or a decade without having so many models in between, Nikon Z9 or Sony A1ii both have specs that make me to hold them for 6 years easily, while with Canon i feel i need two bodies to hold longer and then one of them if not both have to go, i know i can keep my 1DX for 100 years, but i know majority just moved on long time ago no matter what.
Jul 21, 2026 at 02:04 PM