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Special thanks to Samy’s Camera for providing our Canon 5D Mark IV.
Hi, this is Jay P. Morgan and Kenneth Merrill. Today we’re getting back to our camera reviews with the Canon 5D Mark IV vs the Sony a7R II. There’s been a ton of buzz surrounding the release of the updated 5D. Many people feel Canon didn’t go far enough. We took a look at the capabilities of both of these cameras, putting them head to head in order to see how the quality of the video held up over varying degrees of under and overexposure. I was really interested in the results because I have an a7R II, and I was curious about how it would compare to the Mark IV.
Like this review? We’ve got more here.
In our test we again over and underexposed both the Canon 5D Mark IV and the Sony a7R II cameras to see how they held up, how the color held up, and just how far we could push the image. We used the Spyder Color Checkr to help see where we stood. We’re sharing compressed 8-bit footage here, so we can’t expect it to push and pull the same way Alexa, URSA Mini or Red footage does. But if you’re shooting on a low budget and you don’t have the lights or you’re shooting on the street at night, you want to know, “How far can I push it in terms of ISO, underexposure or overexposure. Can I pull back those highlights?” That’s what we looked at today.
Go ahead and take a look at the footage and let us know if you agree with our conclusion about the Canon 5d Mark IV vs the Sony a7R II. Leave us a comment here on the site or go over to our Community Group on Facebook and get involved in the discussion over there. We look forward to hearing from you.
-Jay P.
I own a 5D Mark III and 2 L lenses (24-70) and (70-200). I was seriously considering the Sony A7 R2, because Canon was taking so long to come out with a follow on to the III. I do mainly portraiture.
The Sony was light years ahead of the Mark III, including the sensor and 4K video.
There were several things that held me back from buying the Sony:
1. Only one card slot. No good if you have a card issue during a photo shoot.
2. When I’m doing a photo shoot I want it to be easy to quickly change exposure. My testing of the Sony revealed it was much harder and complex to change exposure.
3. There was no good solution for hanging my L lenses off the Sony, no matter how much money I could spend.
But, if the Mark IV didn’t have a significant improvement in dynamic range, better 1080p video, and an improved and larger sensor, I was prepared to sell my Canon L lenses and go for the Sony.
To cut to the chase, I have had my 5D IV for several weeks, and I am completely happy with it.
I’m confused. You keep saying the 5DMArkIV has a crop factor? Does it have a choice like the 1d Series where you can switch to ff vs 1/3.
My opinion- I love Sony for outside. Its a lovely sharp camera IF you don’t have to push the ISO over 400. I began my photography with the A350 then to the A700 to A77. It was great for hummingbirds (in full sun) But…….. (Wait for it) I switched to Canon because Sony just can’t get their noise under control. 🙁
Now I am confused. I thought the Sony is the holy shrine of low noise at high ISO?
I work for a company that has a pair of A7Rii’s. We shoot a lot of corporate video and vary our use depending on our needs. We rarely use S-Log unless it is a high contrast situation. The basic color profile works well for our needs. We pair them with some Atomos Shoguns and shoot mostly HD. When we shoot 4k it is generally when using green screen to get the better 4k prores key.
The sensors do collect dust and having a puffer nearby every time you mount a lens is important.
I think the other aspect of the A7Rii you didn’t mention in your video that makes a difference for filming is the 5 axis stabilization. While it may not be as smooth as a gimbal, it is built into the camera making handheld shots better on the fly or when the budget doesn’t call for a gimbal. It has been a super useful feature on our productions.
In addition to shooting a lot of video I am also a photographer. In my personal arsenal, Ive got an A77, A99, A7, A6000 and Ive been considering the A7Rii. I own a lot of a-mount glass and now look forward to the comparisons between the A7Rii and A99ii. Ultimately, that could come down to needing both too since I am already invested into both Sony systems.
Hey, great opinion! you decided on the A7RII or the A99ii?
I have the a7R II
Ok is this really apples to apples?. First off the Mk IV is a DSLR stills camera that does video. Why do people think this is what it should be used for? Buy a video camera if you want video! Just don’t understand this mentality.
I’ve spent the last year shooting A7Rii. Mostly stills (primarily portraits and live performance), and every once in a great while, a little video. Coming from a long history of shooting Canon (40D, 5D2, 7D, 5D3), At first I was completely blown away by the A7Rii. Detail and focus accuracy is tremendous. Eye-AF is downright life changing for a portrait shooter. In some situations, depending on the light, I still am 100% satisfied with what I get from the Sony. But the ONE issue that keeps coming back to bother me is color.. Especially with people shots. In some light, with certain skintones, shots from the A7Rii are perfect right out of camera. Then someone with a different skintone and/or slightly different color to the light, and it’s almost impossible to bring them back to a natural, pleasing look. And yes, I always set custom white balance. Sometimes faces look downright orange, with a sort of green wash over everything. I find that I’m spending much more time fiddling with WB and color sliders in Lightroom than I ever did in my Canon days. Sony may kick Canon’s butt when it comes to specs, but Canon takes the trophy for color science.
A couple weeks into owning the A7Rii, while I was still in the new-camera-honeymoon, I told myself I’d never go back to Canon. But now I’m strongly considering picking up a 5D4 to either replace or shoot alongside the Sony. And it all comes down to colors.
BPlet
I have the a7ii and a 6d. last event all my canon glass was stolen 85, 50, 35 all L, I am now faced with a major purchase of equipment. I was moving away from canon and going to pick up the Rii. Can you tell me how your Rii AF is in dark event settings? I rented the Mark IV and loved the way it handled and yes the files were great.
Is Color your only issue do you miss the camera synch port and what about flash
thank you
Ian
If focus on stills is important, 5d all the way!