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 p.80 #8 · Sony-shooters thoughts on the Canon R5/R6 | |
Jman13 wrote:
As I'm another who has added a new RF body to my stable in addition to my Sony gear, I guess I can now chime in with my thoughts after a few weeks with the R6 in comparison with my A7R IV (and the A7 III I owned before).
1) Obviously in my case, my A7R IV has a rather substantial resolution advantage, which makes the Sony what I generally will reach for when going out to shoot landscapes. Despite the R6 having a bit lower resolution than the A7III, I really don't see any practical difference between the R6 files I have and the A7 III files I shot when I owned that camera.
2) That said, I have started to miss having the articulated screen for landscape use, as being able to tilt for low verticals is a really nice bonus with the R6.
3) Sony's lens selection is obviously superior at the current time. However, while adapting EF glass isn't the ideal end-game, it works exceptionally well (far better than adapting it to Sony), and is as good or better than using the same lenses on an EF DSLR. In my case, I'm going this route for my wide-angle and telephoto zooms (Tamron 17-35/2.8-4 for the UWA...a really good lens for only $600, and I got a used EF 70-200/4L IS for $500, which is a fantastic lens...and the second time I've owned it in my life). I'm sure the third party options will come, and I'm hoping Sigma and Tamron can port their E-mount glass to RF mount, as I'd love to have the 14-24 on my Canon, as well as the Tamron 70-180/2.8.
4) The RF Glass I do own is very good, though I own the 'lower end' RF glass: the 35/1.8, 85/2 and 24-105/4L. All three are excellent optically, and the 35 and 85 are wonderful for being compact, sharp, stabilized and extremely versatile since both can go to 1:2 magnification. The 24-105L is one of the best extended standard zooms I've used, and is really excellent throughout the whole range. I love that lens.
5) I prefer the handling and operation of the R6 in nearly every way to the A7R IV. The grip is bigger and more comfortable, the dials fall naturally to my hands, the menus are well organized, the touch interface is just wonderful and is how a touch interface should be. I do prefer the tactile nubs on the A7R IV focus joystick, and the AF-On button is bigger and nicer to press.
6) Autofocus - both are excellent. The R6 is better. In continuous AF, they are close, but the R6 nails the eyes during action at a higher rate, and seems to be even a little more precise than the Sony in placing the plane of focus on the iris. In single point AF, the R6 is notably faster. I usually leave my Sony cameras in C-AF because single shot can be a lot slower. Both are very accurate.
7) IBIS - a huge advantage to the R6. I can typically count on Sony's IBIS to give me between 1 and 2.5 stops of stabilization, depending on the lens and my positioning. The Canon I can count on between 3 and 5, and typically in the 4 stop range for unstabilized lenses. With stabilized RF lenses, we're looking at around 6-7 stops. When the light dips without a tripod, I'm able to shoot at significantly lower ISOs, and know the shot will be sharp. It's just about the confidence with the camera, and it's really freeing. When combined with the excellent AF, the R6 is probably the most 'sure' camera I've used, as I just know I'll be able to get the shot in whatever conditions are out there. It's a nebulous thing, but I hope I described it ok.
8) Wireless connectivity - again a big win for the R6...just connects easier, faster, more surely, with no dropped connections. The remote shooting app is full-featured, allowing you to change essentially every major shooting setting, AF points, and even switch from stills to video without touching the camera, though Sony has improved this as of late, adding essentially all of those things, except you still can't touch to focus, which is beyond stupid. Like the A7R IV, it can also connect when the camera is off, but it does so surely, while I am generally 50/50 with getting it to work well on my Sony.
9) EVF - In good light, I think they are comparable, and the R6's might even look a little more natural, but that's offset by the A7R IV's higher resolution. In lower light, the Sony is better, as I don't get any lag in my A7R IV finder in dim light, while the Canon starts to drop framerate a bit. Overall, an edge to the Sony for sure.
10) Sony offers more customization: buttons can be assigned to a greater range of functions, while Canon limits it to about 10-15 things total (though there's only about one or two things I'd like to see added). Also, the quick menu (Sony's Fn menu and Canon's Q menu) can be customized to anything on Sony, while Canon's is completely locked down, which is a bummer.
11) And I almost forgot: Responsiveness. The R6 makes the Sony feel slow. Starts up notably faster when flicking the power switch, and you literally never wait on anything. Shot 150 images in a burst, and 40 of them are still writing? No problem...can instantly review images that have already written to the card, or change any setting or menu item. This didn't bother me too much when I was shooting Sony only, but after using the R6 and then switching back to the Sony it becomes instantly apparent. Even little things like raising the camera to your eye and the EVF auto-switch...there's a small but perceptible delay on the Sony (not that it's a big deal)...it is instant on the Canon..by the time the finder reaches your eye it is already on. Ok...you do wait on one thing with the R6 - when shutting the camera off, it goes through its sensor cleaning regimen, then closes the shutter and retracts the lens, which takes about two seconds.
12) Which reminds me: dust: I didn't think this would be something I'd notice, but I do: dust is so much less prevalent on the R6. Canon's sensor shake dust reduction works a lot better and because the shutter comes down when turning the camera off, the sensor is exposed less in the first place. I almost never have a dust spot on my R6 images. I think I've cloned one spot. (and the dust was gone from the sensor before the end of the shoot, because the dust reduction got it off at some point.) With my A7R IV at small apertures, I often have to clone 15-20 spots, and I blow my sensor off fairly regularly and clean it directly about once every two months.
Overall, for me, the Sony has better pure image quality due mostly to resolution (DR might be very slightly better on the Sony, but it's negligible in real world use, and Color is probably a little better on the Canon, but that can be predominantly equalized in post), and the EVF is better as you'd expect for a higher end camera. Beyond that, I actually generally enjoy using the Canon more. Some of that may be because it's newer to me, but I review and use a lot of cameras, and I was immediately taken by the Canon for how it operates.
The other big win in Sony's corner right now is of course the available native lens selection, which is fantastic. The outstanding Voigtlander primes, the great third party glass from Sigma, Tamron and Samyang (though Samyang has already brought two of its lenses to RF). I have thought about dropping my A7R IV kit to just my three f/2.8 zooms...or to just my manual focus primes. For the time being, though, I'm going to sit pat with my kits how they are and see how lens development and camera development play out.
Ultimately, two great cameras, and two systems that are really going for it...we all win. - If anyone is interested, my review of the R6 is done now as well: https://admiringlight.com/blog/review-canon-eos-r6/...Show more →
Thank you for your opinion.
One question here: "6) Autofocus - both are excellent. The R6 is better. In continuous AF, they are close, but the R6 nails the eyes during action at a higher rate, and seems to be even a little more precise than the Sony in placing the plane of focus on the iris. In single point AF, the R6 is notably faster. I usually leave my Sony cameras in C-AF because single shot can be a lot slower. Both are very accurate"
Did you compare the A7riv downsampled to 20 MP to compare or did you compare at 100% each?
One other thing: I never have a dust problem, although we use the cameras daily for paid shoots and swap lenses a lot. Our A9ii has the option to close the shutter, which I never do, since there is no need for me. I find it interesting, that so many have issues in this direction.
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