Your experiences with AF of Sony A7R5 and canon R5

[Lenabirch]

Hey

i am planning on switching out my canon 5DM4 and 5DM3 and switching to a mirrorless system.



I will mainly be using them for newborn, family and kids, dogs (and owners) and a little wedding photography. I won’t be using them to film.

I dislike using a flash because I aim for very authentic photos, capturing the emotions and interactions and I find flash very intimidating and distracting for most families. As I shoot indoors as well and never really know how the lighting in the peoples homes will be, a good performance in low light is important (little noise, reliable AF).

Most important to me is the quality and reliability of the autofocus. There are a lot of situations with families where the kids will be tumbling around and a good photo opportunity will only last a second, in which the autofocus needs to work reliably.

I also like shooting outdoors, where kids might be sitting in grass that might sway in front of their faces, while the kids are also moving about.

The autofocus also needs to work great with animals like dogs (also running through fields with obstacles in between) and horses (with manes flying in front of the eyes ect.

Currently I am leaning toward the Sony A7R5 (and maybe as a second body the A7R4) The alternative would be the canon R5 and maybe as a second body the R3 or another R5. My main reason for preferring the Sony is the availability of lenses from third parties.

I only have some reservations about the sony, because I have seen quite a few reviews which show that the autofocus of the Sony A7R5 isn’t always reliable, or might seem reliable in the viewfinder, but once you open the pictures up on the computer you will see that the focus is slightly off.

Have any of you possibly had experience with both of the above mentioned cameras and can ease my mind about my worries regarding the superiority of the autofocus of the R5?



another question I have is: I heard of people having problems opening the raw files of the Sony in Lightroom. Will I have to change my workflow? Does this Problem also exist with canon? Currently I import my files directly onto Lightroom classic as a raw file. I would prefer not to have to find a workaround.



thank you in advance and I am looking forward to hearing about your experiences with these cameras!

 

[Waku Waku]

Hey

i am planning on switching out my canon 5DM4 and 5DM3 and switching to a mirrorless system.

I will mainly be using them for newborn, family and kids, dogs (and owners) and a little wedding photography. I won’t be using them to film.

I dislike using a flash because I aim for very authentic photos, capturing the emotions and interactions and I find flash very intimidating and distracting for most families. As I shoot indoors as well and never really know how the lighting in the peoples homes will be, a good performance in low light is important (little noise, reliable AF).

Most important to me is the quality and reliability of the autofocus. There are a lot of situations with families where the kids will be tumbling around and a good photo opportunity will only last a second, in which the autofocus needs to work reliably.

I also like shooting outdoors, where kids might be sitting in grass that might sway in front of their faces, while the kids are also moving about.

The autofocus also needs to work great with animals like dogs (also running through fields with obstacles in between) and horses (with manes flying in front of the eyes ect.
Currently I am leaning toward the Sony A7R5 (and maybe as a second body the A7R4) The alternative would be the canon R5 and maybe as a second body the R3 or another R5. My main reason for preferring the Sony is the availability of lenses from third parties.

Realistically you would need to try the A7RV & R5 yourself either at the store or rent. Decide for yourself. We have no clue how fast your kids, dogs, or horses are moving. Maybe they are Olympic speedsters. Mine aren't, they just jump and roll around, so it is more than enough to handle. I've even done casual birding, but nothing like an eagle swooping down at the speed of a bullet.

My hunch is it would be enough for you, but only you can't determine. Are you satisfied with the AF speed/reliability of your 5DM4? If so, A7RV or R5 would most likely exceed it.

A7RV is Sony's latest/smartest subject detection AF algorithm. Meaning it is smart at finding what subject and where. Tracking or following the subject at fast speed isn't it's strongest point but it does so decently well.

For fast pace sports or motion you would want a stacked sensor camera which would be a Sony A1/A9 or Canon R3. However, the A1/A9 doesn't have the latest AI chip/algorithm.

• A7RV - best subject detection & good tracking
• A1/A9 - good subject detection & best tracking.

Until a A9iii or A1ii release in the future you can't have the best of both worlds.

I only have some reservations about the sony, because I have seen quite a few reviews which show that the autofocus of the Sony A7R5 isn’t always reliable, or might seem reliable in the viewfinder, but once you open the pictures up on the computer you will see that the focus is slightly off.

Which reviews are these? I would like to view them. Unless they are trying to capture fast subjects A7R5 is one of Sony's best & most reliable offering.

another question I have is: I heard of people having problems opening the raw files of the Sony in Lightroom. Will I have to change my workflow? Does this Problem also exist with canon? Currently I import my files directly onto Lightroom classic as a raw file. I would prefer not to have to find a workaround.

There is no issue opening A7RV RAWs in Lightroom now.

When it first released it was so new Adobe had not rolled out updates for a couple months, but they have now. This is the same for any new camera release.

 

[ProDude]

I owned and used professionally, a Canon R5 for a year and a half. It is an excellent camera in all regards and I'm not taking anything away from it. I however, got tired of the overall weight involved using their RF L glass along with the R5 gripped.

I sold off all my Canon gear last summer working with a OM-1 and their Pro glass for a bit to lower the carry weight and it's animal tracking was indeed excellent, actually faster and stickier then the Canon. However I hankered for more resolution in the end.

I decided to try out a A7RV. My first swing with it was too quick to come to final conclusions, but in the end stuck with it and the 200-600G lens along with the Tamron 35-150 f2/2.8, Sigma 14-24 DG DN Art and Tamron 28-200 lenses.

What I found is the speed with which a human face or eye is detected is faster then you can blink an eye. Definitely a tad quicker then the Canon. Once acquired I also found it was indeed more consistent in staying put no matter what. The Canon for example, would not grab onto where the eye of a person is if they turned to the side, where the Sony nails it every time, like a 6th sense or a very very good guess.

With animals it has much the same results. On my house bunnies the Sony goes immediately to the eye of my lionhead bunny which you can't even see his eyes most of the time due to his fur. The Canon wouldn't do that.

I noted when going down to a pond that had ducks, since I don't do burst shooting at all, all I needed to do was point the camera in the direction of a duck static or taking off and it nailed it each and every time perfectly. The Canon was a tad hit or miss in the same circumstances.

The auto white balance on the Sony frankly knocks the Canon right out of the park. It's also been exceedingly reliable where as the Canon didn't render it quite right much of the time. Sure post processing could address this, but the A7RV was superior. I don't think I have to mention the EVF is leagues beyond the Canon. The LCD is far more flexible and is higher contrast and sharper as well. The battery life on the Sony sure is far superior as well. The custom configuration on the Sony is at the TOP of it's game and beyond the Canon as well. I'll leave it there.

 

[Mattitude V1]

Both have great AF, but if your priority is low noise, why would you consider either?

 

[richard cohen]

I've owned both but kept my R5 mostly because I shoot a lot of wildlife. The a7r5 is the first sony camera I've liked...it has a really nice 'heft' to it, felt better in my hands than my r5. Slightly higher resolution and probably slightly (not a lot) better af, but it is just too slow for wildlife shooting imo, especially bif which I shoot a lot. There are times when I need to go to 20 fps in full resolution mode, and that became a deal breaker for me. But the sony isn't designed to be a wildlife camera, and for everything else it is pretty great imo.

 

[Travellingfrank]

I started out with the Canon R5 and recently switched to the Sony A7Rv....mostly due to the smaller form factor and availability of 3rd party lenses.

After a while I actually prefer the ergonomics of the Sony, which surprised me.

The menu sytem on the Canon is much more intuitive and easier to use, but the Sony menu is useable.

I had the RF 50mm 1.2 and traded it in for the Sony GM 50mm 1.2 which I find better and more reliable in terms of autofocus....but it is not a night or day difference for sure.

Also, as somebody else already mentioned the autofocus on the Sony will actually grab a persons face reliably from the side or when turning, something the Canon definitely struggles with.

Again, the aditional lenses available on the Sony really help....native Sigma, Tamron and Voigtlander come to mind.

You will need a lot of additional storage with the Sony camera though....my compressed raw files on the Canon are around 20mb vs about 70 mb for the compressed raw files on the Sony.....makes a huge difference in hard drive space.

I dont shoot video and never in hi-speed mode, so the lesser fps on the Sony dont bother me.

The Canon is a great camera and I enjoyed it a lot....but now I much prefer my Sony for the above mentioned reasons....your mileage may vary.

 

[ProDude]

I've owned both but kept my R5 mostly because I shoot a lot of wildlife. The a7r5 is the first sony camera I've liked...it has a really nice 'heft' to it, felt better in my hands than my r5. Slightly higher resolution and probably slightly (not a lot) better af, but it is just too slow for wildlife shooting imo, especially bif which I shoot a lot. There are times when I need to go to 20 fps in full resolution mode, and that became a deal breaker for me. But the sony isn't designed to be a wildlife camera, and for everything else it is pretty great imo.

You are aware I'm sure that the R5 at 20fps is 12 bit not 14 bit? Also there is a plethora of Youtube folks I've noticed have been gravitating towards the A7RV for their wildlife and birding. As I said for myself personally I'm not a burst shooter. But the A7RV nails whatever you're aiming at so to me its no compromise. Besides I'd rather have several perfect shots than shoot 60 and try to save several suitable shots. To each their own.

 

[ProDude]

I started out with the Canon R5 and recently switched to the Sony A7Rv....mostly due to the smaller form factor and availability of 3rd party lenses.

After a while I actually prefer the ergonomics of the Sony, which surprised me.

The menu sytem on the Canon is much more intuitive and easier to use, but the Sony menu is useable.

I agree with the simplicity of the R5 menu, however, once one has custom configured the plethora of buttons (and on the RV there were enough to do so where on the R5 there weren't) it's actually faster and simpler to operate accessing all you want to. My motivation was also largely the size/feel as well as the 3rd party lens options which were vast.

 

[MediaArchivist]

Hey

Hello!

I do not have a Canon R5, but I have been using my Sony a7Rv since December and I can clear up a few issues mentioned in your post if that will help.

I dislike using a flash because I aim for very authentic photos, capturing the emotions and interactions and I find flash very intimidating and distracting for most families.

Could not agree more. I just wanted to mention that

As I shoot indoors as well and never really know how the lighting in the peoples homes will be, a good performance in low light is important (little noise, reliable AF).

I do concerts in dive bars, with little or no lighting. Low noise and AF performance are critical. The a7Rv is stellar.

I only have some reservations about the sony, because I have seen quite a few reviews which show that the autofocus of the Sony A7R5 isn’t always reliable, or might seem reliable in the viewfinder, but once you open the pictures up on the computer you will see that the focus is slightly off.

I have thousands of photos and have not experienced this, even with a lens at f/1.2.

another question I have is: I heard of people having problems opening the raw files of the Sony in Lightroom.

This was the case for the first few weeks after the camera was released in December. I had a similar problem with Capture One. I found a way to tweak the raw files so C1 thought they were a7Riv files, but by the time my camera arrived there was a C1 update. The Adobe update came out a week or so later.

Will I have to change my workflow? Does this Problem also exist with canon? Currently I import my files directly onto Lightroom classic as a raw file. I would prefer not to have to find a workaround.

You'll be fine with the Sony, and probably the Canon. Adobe Camera Raw supports both and I think that means the latest LR does as well:

https://helpx.adobe.com/camera-raw/kb/camera-raw-plug-supported-cameras.html

 

[Newton Bryce]

i am planning on switching out my canon 5DM4 and 5DM3 and switching to a mirrorless system.

Went the same route. I looked at Canon but found Sony as an open system with lots of choices for any budget. I did not focus so much on a specific camera model, since there will be a steady stream of new and higher performing models from both Canon and Sony.

Most important to me is the quality and reliability of the autofocus. There are a lot of situations with families where the kids will be tumbling around and a good photo opportunity will only last a second, in which the autofocus needs to work reliably.

Going for the highest end camera would be the safest route, but mid range cameras seems to perform better than previous DSLR cameras. I especially noticed the EVF, and how great it is for focus control when light is a bit low.

To my point: The key for best autofocus performance is to dive into the menus and set up the camera/AF settings properly for the actual situation before you start shooting. When doing this, I am very pleased with my A7IV. The A7r5 seems like a great AF machine (not for my budget, though).

For direct comparision between the cameras you ask for, others have to chime in.

 

[DippyTwitty]

I owned and used professionally, a Canon R5 for a year and a half. It is an excellent camera in all regards and I'm not taking anything away from it. I however, got tired of the overall weight involved using their RF L glass along with the R5 gripped.

I sold off all my Canon gear last summer working with a OM-1 and their Pro glass for a bit to lower the carry weight and it's animal tracking was indeed excellent, actually faster and stickier then the Canon. However I hankered for more resolution in the end.

I decided to try out a A7RV. My first swing with it was too quick to come to final conclusions, but in the end stuck with it and the 200-600G lens along with the Tamron 35-150 f2/2.8, Sigma 14-24 DG DN Art and Tamron 28-200 lenses.

What I found is the speed with which a human face or eye is detected is faster then you can blink an eye. Definitely a tad quicker then the Canon. Once acquired I also found it was indeed more consistent in staying put no matter what. The Canon for example, would not grab onto where the eye of a person is if they turned to the side, where the Sony nails it every time, like a 6th sense or a very very good guess.

With animals it has much the same results. On my house bunnies the Sony goes immediately to the eye of my lionhead bunny which you can't even see his eyes most of the time due to his fur. The Canon wouldn't do that.

I noted when going down to a pond that had ducks, since I don't do burst shooting at all, all I needed to do was point the camera in the direction of a duck static or taking off and it nailed it each and every time perfectly. The Canon was a tad hit or miss in the same circumstances.

The auto white balance on the Sony frankly knocks the Canon right out of the park. It's also been exceedingly reliable where as the Canon didn't render it quite right much of the time. Sure post processing could address this, but the A7RV was superior. I don't think I have to mention the EVF is leagues beyond the Canon. The LCD is far more flexible and is higher contrast and sharper as well. The battery life on the Sony sure is far superior as well. The custom configuration on the Sony is at the TOP of it's game and beyond the Canon as well. I'll leave it there.

Basically this nails it. While my experience with the R5 was only a few months, and it was a very good camera, I prefer the Sony.

For me, lens choices (can't live without the 35-150 now) the eye-detect AF and a little bit higher resolution are the reasons. I don't care much about weight/size/menus/noise/IQ as both cameras were excellent.

I mostly shoot people, but am looking forward to trying out the animal AF once the weather here in the Great White North is a little more suitable for it.

 

[MediaArchivist]

To my point: The key for best autofocus performance is to dive into the menus and set up the camera/AF settings properly for the actual situation before you start shooting.

Excellent point. The defaults work very well, but situational tweaking can make AF even better (or much worse— so know what you're doing before doing).

 

[pollup]

For what you're going to be shooting, I can say that both the A7R5 and the Canon R5 will be great cameras, they both work fine in low light, with reliable AF and a lot of MP.

If you process the RAW files, the A7R5 has the edge in image quality because of the higher dynamic range and there is no DNR in the RAWs, whereas Canon bakes it in.

If you need 20fps, obviously the Canon is the camera to get, but this gets you 12bit only.

I'd say that the choice should be about the lenses:

- Is there any specific lens that you want to use that is not available on the other mount? For ex, Canon has a 800mm f11 lens that Sony lacks.

- Do you want to use 3rd party native lenses? (Note that they never existed in EF mount, they were all reverse engineered, non of them was native)

 

[ProDude]

I owned and used professionally, a Canon R5 for a year and a half. It is an excellent camera in all regards and I'm not taking anything away from it. I however, got tired of the overall weight involved using their RF L glass along with the R5 gripped.

I sold off all my Canon gear last summer working with a OM-1 and their Pro glass for a bit to lower the carry weight and it's animal tracking was indeed excellent, actually faster and stickier then the Canon. However I hankered for more resolution in the end.

I decided to try out a A7RV. My first swing with it was too quick to come to final conclusions, but in the end stuck with it and the 200-600G lens along with the Tamron 35-150 f2/2.8, Sigma 14-24 DG DN Art and Tamron 28-200 lenses.

What I found is the speed with which a human face or eye is detected is faster then you can blink an eye. Definitely a tad quicker then the Canon. Once acquired I also found it was indeed more consistent in staying put no matter what. The Canon for example, would not grab onto where the eye of a person is if they turned to the side, where the Sony nails it every time, like a 6th sense or a very very good guess.

With animals it has much the same results. On my house bunnies the Sony goes immediately to the eye of my lionhead bunny which you can't even see his eyes most of the time due to his fur. The Canon wouldn't do that.

I noted when going down to a pond that had ducks, since I don't do burst shooting at all, all I needed to do was point the camera in the direction of a duck static or taking off and it nailed it each and every time perfectly. The Canon was a tad hit or miss in the same circumstances.

The auto white balance on the Sony frankly knocks the Canon right out of the park. It's also been exceedingly reliable where as the Canon didn't render it quite right much of the time. Sure post processing could address this, but the A7RV was superior. I don't think I have to mention the EVF is leagues beyond the Canon. The LCD is far more flexible and is higher contrast and sharper as well. The battery life on the Sony sure is far superior as well. The custom configuration on the Sony is at the TOP of it's game and beyond the Canon as well. I'll leave it there.

Basically this nails it. While my experience with the R5 was only a few months, and it was a very good camera, I prefer the Sony.

For me, lens choices (can't live without the 35-150 now) the eye-detect AF and a little bit higher resolution are the reasons. I don't care much about weight/size/menus/noise/IQ as both cameras were excellent.

I mostly shoot people, but am looking forward to trying out the animal AF once the weather here in the Great White North is a little more suitable for it.

You'll be in for a treat. The A7RV's focus system is so fast on animals its crazy.

 

[PWPhotography]

All others said are mostly true. But you seem priority in low light and AF reliability, then actually Canon R5 has an advantage in low-light AF that is always true for years, although Sony A7r V does narrow down. The reason is not brand but different AF technology. Canon unique DPAF (dual-pixel AF) vs (all others) PDAF+CDAF. DPAF is closer to DSLR AF system that also has an advantage in low light and in wide-open for AF then stop-down to designated aperture such as in strobe-light studio. But otherwise Sony does have an edge in eye-AF tracking although Canon is close.

Check this review for reference.

--
https://www.flickr.com/photos/55485085@N04/albums

 

[jeffj3]

Hey

Hello!

I do not have a Canon R5, but I have been using my Sony a7Rv since December and I can clear up a few issues mentioned in your post if that will help.

I dislike using a flash because I aim for very authentic photos, capturing the emotions and interactions and I find flash very intimidating and distracting for most families.

Could not agree more. I just wanted to mention that

As I shoot indoors as well and never really know how the lighting in the peoples homes will be, a good performance in low light is important (little noise, reliable AF).

I do concerts in dive bars, with little or no lighting. Low noise and AF performance are critical. The a7Rv is stellar.

I only have some reservations about the sony, because I have seen quite a few reviews which show that the autofocus of the Sony A7R5 isn’t always reliable, or might seem reliable in the viewfinder, but once you open the pictures up on the computer you will see that the focus is slightly off.

I have thousands of photos and have not experienced this, even with a lens at f/1.2.

another question I have is: I heard of people having problems opening the raw files of the Sony in Lightroom.

This was the case for the first few weeks after the camera was released in December. I had a similar problem with Capture One. I found a way to tweak the raw files so C1 thought they were a7Riv files, but by the time my camera arrived there was a C1 update. The Adobe update came out a week or so later.

Will I have to change my workflow? Does this Problem also exist with canon? Currently I import my files directly onto Lightroom classic as a raw file. I would prefer not to have to find a workaround.

You'll be fine with the Sony, and probably the Canon. Adobe Camera Raw supports both and I think that means the latest LR does as well:

https://helpx.adobe.com/camera-raw/kb/camera-raw-plug-supported-cameras.html

Nice to see this from someone that has it. I just picked mine up today. First pics tomorrow!

 

[DippyTwitty]

All others said are mostly true. But you seem priority in low light and AF reliability, then actually Canon R5 has an advantage in low-light AF that is always true for years, although Sony A7r V does narrow down. The reason is not brand but different AF technology. Canon unique DPAF (dual-pixel AF) vs (all others) PDAF+CDAF. DPAF is closer to DSLR AF system that also has an advantage in low light and in wide-open for AF then stop-down to designated aperture such as in strobe-light studio. But otherwise Sony does have an edge in eye-AF tracking although Canon is close.

Check this review for reference.

That's a really helpful comparison!

In my own limited testing, I had no problems auto focusing in really low light (candlelight) although it wasn't a subject who was moving around. For my use case, there was no problem, though it of course depends on what & where you're shooting.

 

[Lenabirch]

About the reviews: The main one that stuck in my mind is the review by the Northrups:

and another review (which is in German though) which can be found here:

 

[lattesweden]

All others said are mostly true. But you seem priority in low light and AF reliability, then actually Canon R5 has an advantage in low-light AF that is always true for years, although Sony A7r V does narrow down. The reason is not brand but different AF technology. Canon unique DPAF (dual-pixel AF) vs (all others) PDAF+CDAF. DPAF is closer to DSLR AF system that also has an advantage in low light and in wide-open for AF then stop-down to designated aperture such as in strobe-light studio. But otherwise Sony does have an edge in eye-AF tracking although Canon is close.

Check this review for reference.

 

[Waku Waku]

About the reviews: The main one that stuck in my mind is the review by the Northrups:

and another review (which is in German though) which can be found here:

Tony was mostly complaining about the A7R4. A7R5 does much better than A7R4 in low light but still behind Canon R5 a bit. Difference in AF technology as Canon uses dual pixel. For wildlife birds that is where Tony still complains further with the A7R4, but the A7R5 while much better still show it's weakness with readout speed slower than A1's stacked sensor. He still praises it and says it can be done just not A1 level.

German video was mostly testing with bird & animals which IMO is Sony's weakest subject detection type. It's best with humans as it understand body parts/poses, Sony advertise this point alot, but less so with animals which has different fur/skin/color variations.

In both videos they focused on non-humans subjects, moving wildlife and with zoom lens. All of which are not the A7R5 strong points. Reviews were done prior to product launch and since then there been firmware updates to Sony zoom lenses for A7R5 compatibility. Wonder if this changes anything. I've been shooting primarily with GM primes and of the birds shots I've taken AF were spot on. Thought I'm very tempted at a FE 200-600 G