Canon EOS 5DS R Versus Sony Alpha A7R II Comparison

Features
Handling
Performance
Verdict
Specifications

The Canon EOS 5DS R and Sony Alpha A7R II are two of the highest resolution digital cameras recently introduced, both featuring a full-frame sensor, let's find out how they compare. The Canon EOS 5DS R features a 50 megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor, whilst the Sony Alpha A7R II features a 42.4 megapixel full-frame BSI CMOS sensor. 

Read our full Canon EOS 5DS R Review
Read our full Sony Alpha A7R II Review

Canon EOS 5DS R vs Sony Alpha A7R II Features 

The Sony Alpha A7R Mark II offers the highest resolution full-frame sensor after the Canon EOS 5DS and 5DS R, with a 42.4 megapixel sensor, compared to 50 megapixel sensors in the Canon cameras. However, the Sony is the world's first backlit illuminated full-frame CMOS sensor which means the camera should offer better high ISO performance, as well as a wider range of ISO settings. We run through the major specifications of the two cameras below:

Key Features Comparison:

Some of the main differences are in the camera size and weight, with the Sony Alpha A7R II being noticeably smaller, featuring an electronic viewfinder (EVF), an extended ISO range, much higher number of focus points, plus 4K video recording with both mic and headphone sockets. The Sony also offers built in Wi-Fi and NFC, which are missing from the Canon. The shutter life of the Sony is rated at 500,000 shots, compared to 150,000 shots on the Canon, however, the battery life on the Canon is much better at 700 shots. The Sony A7R II offers built in 5-axis image stabilisation that works for both stills and video, whereas with the Canon, you have to purchase lenses with image stabilisation.

Canon EOS 5DS R vs Sony Alpha A7R II Handling

Both cameras have a large rubberised grip, and metal bodies with the Canon EOS 5DS R featuring weather sealing. Both cameras feel extremely well built, as you would expect for cameras costing close to £3000 each. The angular design of the Sony Alpha A7R II may not be to everyone's liking, however we found the size and design of the camera to be a good mix between compactness and handling, being not as small as some mirrorless cameras, but also being much smaller than full-frame Digital SLRs.

On the back you find one of the key differences between a mirrorless compact system camera and a Digital SLR. Namely the electronic viewfinder (EVF) on the Sony, and an optical viewfinder on the Canon DSLR. The optical viewfinder can be beneficial in low light, as well as give you the view of the scene as your eye would see it without any delay or lag. However, this also means you don't see the scene in front of the camera as the camera sensor sees it, and this is where the EVF has an advantage, as you get to see the view as the camera sees it, and will be able to correct exposure or white balance before shooting if needed. 
 

Whilst the rear screen of the Canon EOS 5DS R is larger at 3.2inches, the Sony Alpha A7R II features a tilting 3inch screen which is great for shooting from a different angle. Both cameras give quick access to further settings on screen, with the Fn button on the Sony, and the Q button on the Canon, bringing up the options. 

Both cameras feature a locking mode dial, front and rear dials, with an additional exposure compensation dial on the Sony Alpha A7R-II. Side access to the memory card is provided, and in the case of the Canon EOS 5DS R, there is both an SD and a CompactFlash slot. On the A7R II there is one memory card slot, but it will take either a Sony Memory Stick or an SD memory card, and for 4K video recording the camera requires a high speed SD UHS I U:3 card.

The Canon EOS 5DS R has a large number of external buttons, which are pre-configured and labelled, whereas the Sony Alpha A7R II has four customisable buttons, letting you set up the camera as you want. 

The Sony Alpha A7R II has a battery life rating of 340 shots, and a second battery is provided in the box, as some people have found the battery life to be much shorter. The Canon EOS 5DS R has a battery life rating of 700 shots, more than double that of the Sony. 

Canon EOS 5DS R vs Sony Alpha A7R II Performance

We took images at the same location on a tripod, with very similar settings to see the difference between the two cameras output. Outdoor comparison images are shown below - simply click the image to view the full size original. You can view additional sample photos in the Canon EOS 5DS R review, and the Sony Alpha A7R II review.

Sony A7R II - 55mm Thoresby Hall | 1/320 sec | f/8.0 | 55.0 mm | ISO 100

Canon EOS 5DS R - 50mm f/1.4 Lens | 1/400 sec | f/8.0 | 50.0 mm | ISO 100

A7R-II | 1/250 sec | f/8.0 | 35.0 mm | ISO 100

EOS 5DS R | 1/320 sec | f/8.0 | 35.0 mm | ISO 100

Whilst both cameras are clearly able to take a detailed high resolution photo, there are subtle differences when looking closely at the images. The Sony Alpha A7R Mark II has boosted the shadows and produced an image with less contrast when compared to the Canon, however this can be altered on both cameras, with DRO (Dynamic Range Optimizer) on the Sony, and ALO (Auto Lighting Optimizer) on the Canon. The Sony image also produces a sharper JPEG image on default settings, and even with the Canon EOS 5DS R set to "Fine Detail" the image still appears slightly soft in comparison. The colour output of the Sony camera has a higher level of saturation, which some may prefer over the Canon's colour. 

ISO Range: 

Sony Alpha A7R II ISO100 Canon EOS 5DS R

ISO100 comparison

Sony Alpha A7R II ISO3200 Canon EOS 5DS R

ISO3200 comparison

Sony Alpha A7R II ISO12800 Canon EOS 5DS R

ISO12800 comparison - This ISO setting is the highest ISO level that the Canon can go to, whereas the Sony can continue to ISO102400. The Canon images have less detail, and more noise, with softer images than the Sony on default settings. It's possible that by processing the raw files from the Canon that you could match the levels of sharpness, however, for those that simply want images to be sharp straight from the camera, the Sony Alpha A7R II has more pleasing results. The Sony is also capable of retaining more detail as the ISO setting is increased. 

Sony Alpha 7R II ISO test images

Canon EOS 5DS R ISO test images

WB Comparison:

Sony Alpha 7R II White-balance test images

Canon EOS 5DS R White-balance test images

The Sony gives images that have been corrected for colour much more strongly compared to the Canon images, particularly when using the white balance presets. The Canon, on the other hand, is much more likely to retain the atmosphere and colour balance of a scene, giving warm results under our tungsten lights. As both cameras have manual white balance, and numerous ways to correct for any white balance issues, this isn't much of an issue, however for the person who wants the camera to correct as much as possible when shooting, the Sony Alpha A7R II would be the best choice here.

Value for Money

The Sony Alpha A7R II is available for £2599 body only, whilst the Canon EOS 5DS R is available for £3199 body only, making the Canon EOS 5DS R £600 more expensive than the A7R II. Other alternatives for high resolution photography, includes the Pentax 645Z medium format Digital SLR at roughly £6799 body only, or the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II, with a 40 megapixel high resolution stills mode, available for £899 body only, although this does require the use of a tripod and ideally still subjects. 

Canon EOS 5DS R vs Sony Alpha A7R II Verdict

The Sony Alpha A7R II offers the World's first backlit full-frame CMOS sensor, and delivers better low light performance than the Canon. The A7R II is also offering a range of advanced technological features, which are simply not available with the Canon, including Wi-Fi, NFC connectivity, 5-axis image stabilisation in the camera, 4K video recording, mic / headphone sockets, more focus points, plus the ability to add features via Sony Playmemories Apps. All in a much more compact camera body. 

This comparison covers just some of the main aspects of these two cameras, and you should be wary of thinking a single overall rating can give the difinitive answer as to which camera is better or "the best". A huge part of an interchangeable lens camera system is the availability of lenses, as this will influence what kind of photography you can do, as well as the size of the complete system. Canon has a massive range of lenses available, of varying sizes, so that if you wanted to have a fairly small complete system, you could buy a number of small prime lenses, which would make the weight of the camera balance out a little bit. You could also do the same with the Sony and end up with a lighter and smaller system, although the range of lenses is more limited. 

There are a much smaller number of Sony FE mount lenses, although this is growing, with Sony, Zeiss and others adding lenses to the range. However, a number of Sony FE mount lenses are quite large due to the use of a full-frame sensor, and the technical make-up of the E mount. For a truly compact mirrorless system, you could look at the Micro Four Thirds cameras, which has a smaller sensor, as well as smaller lenses as a result. One benefit of the Sony Alpha 7 series is the ability to use any other lens on the camera (including Canon's lenses) with an adapter, and with the combination of focus peaking, using manual focus lenses on the Sony Alpha 7 series is much more enjoyable than using manual focus lenses on a Digital SLR camera, due to the optical viewfinder not being optimised for manual focus. In addition you can't replace the focusing screen on the 5DS or 5DS R.

Whether the Sony Alpha A7R II is for you or not, depends on your shooting style, as well as whether you are currently invested in any system. If you wanted to switch to a smaller system, with more modern features, then the Sony Alpha A7R II certainly delivers an impressive range of features, as well as impressive image quality and noise performance. However, it would be particularly useful to check what lenses you would use with the Sony A7R II and whether they would deliver the results you wanted. If you have a number of Canon lenses, and are particularly familiar with Canon EOS 5D series cameras, then the 5DS R would make a great choice as the top of the range Canon EOS DSLR.

Read our full Canon EOS 5DS R Review
Read our full Sony Alpha A7R II Review.