Sony a7 III Versus Canon R: Which Is Better?

The Canon EOS R has now been in the hands of a select few, and following on from the early impressions and all of the noise about card slots, Tony Northrup has pitted it against the camera that Canon is seeking to challenge: the Sony a7 III.

As you'd expect from Northrup, this is a no-nonsense runthrough of all of the major features of each camera and how they stack up against each other: focusing, frame rate, video, controls, autofocus, dynamic range, and the selection of lenses. There are clear benefits to each, though it's possible that, for the most part, one edges it over the other. For some, the flip-out screen of the EOS R will be decisive, but for serious videographers, this will never be enough to justify many of its shortcomings, such as the 4K crop factor.

Something that I've only just discovered is that, like the Sony, the Canon will charge its battery in-camera via USB, but only if you are using the native Canon charger, the PD-E1 USB Power Adapter, which, when it hits the shelves in February next year, will cost an astonishing $190.

A hat-tip to Northrup for somehow managing to keep a straight face when doing the video autofocus tests. Brace yourself around the 11-minute mark, and consider yourself warned if you suffer from pupaphobia (fear of puppets).

Andy Day's picture

Andy Day is a British photographer and writer living in France. He began photographing parkour in 2003 and has been doing weird things in the city and elsewhere ever since. He's addicted to climbing and owns a fairly useless dog. He has an MA in Sociology & Photography which often makes him ponder what all of this really means.

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22 Comments

The important part about the EOS R has nothing to do with the body, but the RF lenses and building that portfolio... Think of the lenses as the real important thing here.

This body is just something to tide us over in the interim while Canon gets their Sony Killer body ready for a 2019 release.

This does not excuse them from releasing a mediocre body in 2018.

They have other good bodies that are just a little more expensive, like the a7r3. And to be fair until the R came out the a7iii was the cock of the walk in entry level cameras. Definitely gotta hand it to Canon though on that RF system 👍

By the time canon makes a sony killer camera, sony will already make 2 canon killer cameras.
Who was so slow in this business during the last 5 years. :)

Exactly! These Canon/Nikon fanboys keep saying that in the next few years Canon/Nikon will not only be able to catch-up to Sony but possibly overtake them.

I'm not saying that's impossible, but it's like they're assuming that Sony is not doing anything to further enhance their product and just waiting for the others to catch-up.

I like how some Canonians made fun of Sony not including a separate battery changer and they find out this is what Canon does. I guess they at least include the charger in the box...

There will be a battery charger included - just not the USB charger. Also you can rest assured that you will get a body cap and lens rear cap from Canon, even when you buy a kit.

Nikon Z7

The new iPhone is better.

bit disapointed in that it doesn't have IBIS and the 1.6 crop isnt very good. only FF camera that does this.

winner: a7iii
reason: 2 card slot

doble card double pleasure

Sony is better for now but Canon will pass it as soon as it gets perfect eye af and dual cards, 4k 60p.

Why is everyone comparing the Canon EOS R to the Sony A7iii and not the the A7Riii? Sure, the A7Riii is more expensive and has higher resolution, but so is the EOS R when compared to the A7iii.

Besides, the A7iii was released months before the EOS R was, and without any direct challenger at that time. Obviously, Canon had time to "improve" on what Sony has already released.

Please...

The Canon also costs 15% more than the Sony.

I had Nikon, my last ones were 2 D810, I had canon, the last one was 7D Mark II, now I have Sony A7R3, I use it for wildlife, I could never focus as well and as fast as now. The difference is really incredible. I would not go back to the other brands unless there is a marked difference, not just subtle differences

In the process of liquidating Nikon equipment for mirrorless switch.

Specs aside, how did you find the famed “color science” of Canon vs the Sony?

Perhaps shooting raw it doesn’t matter as much, but out of the box, which do you like more? I realize this is hugely subjective... Everyone goes on about Canon colors, especially for skin tones, but that’s not everyone’s subject.

Many times I shot directly in jpg in the Sony and I like the result I get, the black and white is beautiful, almost like the Fuji.

I can not compare exactly about the differences because I do not have the same lenses for both systems. The skins are very good, of course I'm using the Batis and I did not expect less: D