Last Minute Feedback: 5D mk IV, 6D mk II, or A7III?

[bosstones]

So...might pull the trigger shortly to catch some last minutes sale prices at B&H. Horrible time to solicit feedback/opinions since it is New Year's Eve in my part of the world but...what the heck:

I'm bouncing between the. Canon 5D mark IV, Canon 6D mark II, and Sony a7III. Canon R wasn't really on my mind since the Sony seemed to be the better mirrorless but could be an option. I just tend to never early adopt.

I currently shoot with a Rebel XTi and 5D mark II along with an assortment of L and non-L lenses. Reasons for looking to upgrade are: 1) it's been a while and tech has improved greatly, 2) ISO performance (night & low light photography), and 3) added resolution for post-processing & print.

All 3 camera options are an improvement in all 3 areas. Cost is across the board.

Thoughts?

[PshhhhhMW]

Canon EOS-R plus EF adapter! Solves the problem of Lens choices. Which is the reason I wont recommend the Sony. I currently have the 5DM4 and my biggest complaint is size and weight. I'll probably go Canon mirrorless within the next couple of years.

[EALm4]

A7III for sure especially if you shoot stills. IBIS, ISO performance, dual cards, eye-AF and Sony native glass is excellent. Lots of 3rd party companies like Sigma and Tamron also making very nice and fast E-mount glass. Get a metabones or sigma adapter if you will want to use your Canon glass however, you'll sacrifice some AF focus speed performance.

[tracer bullet]

Originally Posted by bosstones

...along with an assortment of L and non-L lenses...

I'd stick with Canon. After that, I'm sure you've read the reviews and know some of the performance differences, and if you're still undecided then head to a store and hold both in your hands, you should be able to decide pretty fast. If you are still undecided, just go for the cheaper of the two.

[P1]

Friend of mine had the 6D Mark II and it just felt a bit flimsy, although I'm sure quality is fine. I'd choose the 5D Mark IV or the Sony. I tried the Sony with some of my larger Canon lenses and the Sony just felt very off balance as I was holding it.

I have a 5D Mark III now, and although it's incredibly bulky, the images it creates are wonderful. I also have a Sony mirrorless, however, but it's just a simple A5000. Between the two, I have what I need (for now).

[bosstones]

Appreciate the responses, everyone. I missed the sales on the 5D mk4 and 6D mk2 and, honestly, I keep looking for a reason to pull the trigger on the EOS R but can't quite find one. Just when I think I have, I run into something that seems to negate it.
Most things are fine for my purposes and I don't care about video but it seems like a rush job and I surmise that Canon will release a new version vs patch/fix the current one (even though they supposedly have promised more frequent FW updates). The best thing it has going for it is that I can use my current glass w/ full compatibility...which is huge, but I keep finding enough "not-so-greats for the $" for the aspect of the camera I do care about.

The a7iii is tempting but I don't really want to start a whole new glass collection.

[PshhhhhMW]

Originally Posted by bosstones

Appreciate the responses, everyone. I missed the sales on the 5D mk4 and 6D mk2 and, honestly, I keep looking for a reason to pull the trigger on the EOS R but can't quite find one. Just when I think I have, I run into something that seems to negate it.
Most things are fine for my purposes and I don't care about video but it seems like a rush job and I surmise that Canon will release a new version vs patch/fix the current one (even though they supposedly have promised more frequent FW updates). The best thing it has going for it is that I can use my current glass w/ full compatibility...which is huge, but I keep finding enough "not-so-greats for the $" for the aspect of the camera I do care about.

The a7iii is tempting but I don't really want to start a whole new glass collection.

This is interesting news:

https://fstoppers.com/gear/canon-foc...es-2019-324622

Hoping they come out with a flagship mirrorless body that blows the Sony out of the water. I'll jump on that.

[PshhhhhMW]

Originally Posted by bosstones

Appreciate the responses, everyone. I missed the sales on the 5D mk4 and 6D mk2 and, honestly, I keep looking for a reason to pull the trigger on the EOS R but can't quite find one. Just when I think I have, I run into something that seems to negate it.
Most things are fine for my purposes and I don't care about video but it seems like a rush job and I surmise that Canon will release a new version vs patch/fix the current one (even though they supposedly have promised more frequent FW updates). The best thing it has going for it is that I can use my current glass w/ full compatibility...which is huge, but I keep finding enough "not-so-greats for the $" for the aspect of the camera I do care about.

The a7iii is tempting but I don't really want to start a whole new glass collection.

Also not sure if you're local but Samys has a great sale on the 5DM4:

https://www.samys.com/s/Canon%205d

[tcphoto]

I shoot for a living and have carried Canon 1Series bodies until late last year. I've been thinking about upgrades and lightening the backpack, so I sold my 1Dx and 1DsIII and replaced them with two 5DIV's. I would have lost my tail if I sold the L's, didn't want to deal with adapters and the Sony menu system is not getting rave reviews. I love the Canon RAW files and the R system is too new to commit to for me and clients. I shopped around, had a little patience and I bought new for an average of $2300. each.

[bosstones]

Well....after a bit more thought and a little bit of a whim, I got the R. It just arrived so I haven't had a chance to play w/ it yet but I post thoughts after I have.

[P1]

Really looking forward to a review and some shots!

[bosstones]

Originally Posted by PshhhhhMW

This is interesting news:

https://fstoppers.com/gear/canon-foc...es-2019-324622

Hoping they come out with a flagship mirrorless body that blows the Sony out of the water. I'll jump on that.

One of the factors that led me to pull the trigger on the R is that all rumors I've found seem to point to a more entry-level mirrorless coming up next, nothing higher end. The R also seems to be their mid-level offering (like the 5D series) so far as pro/prosumer stuffs go. Good enough for me to not feel so bad when their next mirrorless cam comes out.

Originally Posted by P1et

Really looking forward to a review and some shots!

lol...so far, too much work and only some random shots of the dog and his shredded toy (taken at various ISOs for comparison).

So far, although the controls are a bit different than my 5Dii and older XTi, they have not been bad to adjust to. I have accidentally hit the multi-function bar on occasion but it hasn't annoyed me the way it has some folks (that didn't end up disabling it altogether). I have it set to adjust ISO so it just means it bumps me up a single increment since it only occurs if I rest my thumb on it while composing a shot. If I kept moving my thumb off/on, which I don't, then it increment more. Since it doesn't in my case, it doesn't bother me much since I haven't been using it on the fringe of where addt'l noise is really a factor.

I have the control ring on the EF adapter set to adjust aperture and it works well (for me). One finger gets focus duty (if manually focusing...rare for me), another gets zoom duty (if not using a prime), and yet another gets aperture duty. Keeps my left hand productive aside from holding the lens. lol

The rotary wheel on the back of the body isn't there anymore and the dial on the top (also used for Mode) doesn't feel as intuitive to me (for aperture) as the control ring does. I haven't set the dial to a different control setting yet since things seem to be working using my current settings.

I do wish they left a joystick on the back but not a big deal so far. It would seem to be better placed or easier to change direction (vice the directional pad it has) if moving the focus point manually. I believe the touchscreen can be used to drag the focus point around manually but I've only been using the buttons/pad and EVF so far. Baby steps.

No regrets thus far (phew!).

[PshhhhhMW]

Originally Posted by bosstones

Well....after a bit more thought and a little bit of a whim, I got the R. It just arrived so I haven't had a chance to play w/ it yet but I post thoughts after I have.

Awesome! Just got back from a Boston trip where I was lugging around the 5DMIV being a tourist and got tired of the weight. The comparison reviews on the R vs 5DMIV are super helpful but I guess the weight savings are minimal?

How's it feel weight wise for you? I might just keep the 5D and grab the entry level mirrorless as a back up.

[bosstones]

Originally Posted by PshhhhhMW

Awesome! Just got back from a Boston trip where I was lugging around the 5DMIV being a tourist and got tired of the weight. The comparison reviews on the R vs 5DMIV are super helpful but I guess the weight savings are minimal?

How's it feel weight wise for you? I might just keep the 5D and grab the entry level mirrorless as a back up.

Weight-wise, there is a slight difference but nothing that I would really care about. I'm not the best judge of this, though, since I am a human pack mule. The pack I carry for work is regularly around 30-ish+ lbs. For field work, that goes up and I'll still hand carry gear. It's all exercise to me. The weight of the 5D2 was never an issue for me (while shooting or carrying).

I weighed the 5D2 that I have as well as the R. Here's what I got:

1. 5D2 (body only): 1lb 15.875oz
2. EOS R (body only): 1lb 7.125oz
3. EOS R (body + EF Control Ring adapter): 1lb 11.5oz

So, the R adapter adds back some of the weight saved from the lighter R body but the pair is still lighter overall than the 5D2. I would probably say that the weight is a little more distributed for the R + adapter, though, since the adapter weight is more forward biased. Conversely, the 5D2 is more rear biased since the body is the heavier than most of the lenses I use. Note that I have not looked up spec weights nor any difference between the 5D2 and 5D4. I only have the mark II.

I quickly took a few, crude comparison pix of the 2 bodies w/ my XTi. I'll post those in a little bit.

[bosstones]

Not that some of these comparisons don't exist elsewhere on the web (and w/ better quality pix), but....here ya go.

As I mentioned in my last post, weight-wise, there is only about a 0.25 lb difference between the 5D2 and EOS R + EF/Control Ring adapter. The control ring adapter is about 0.25 lbs by itself.

Some things to note:

• The crack on the screen of the 5D2 is the schott glass screen protector. It dutifully did its job in my backpack while I was TDY and I just haven't replaced it yet.
• Dimensionally, EVF aside, the R is relatively smaller due to lack of prism. With the EF/Control Ring adapter mounted, the R is actually thicker.
• The EVF sticks out further from the rear face of the camera than it does on the 5D2.
• There's a sensor below the outside of the EVF. When covered or the LCD screen stowed, the EVF is active. When not, the LCD screen is active.
• I wish the AF Select button was in-line w/ the other buttons like on the 5D2. It may just be that I'm not used to it yet. I can use the bottom of the top digit of my thumb to hit it which is still foreign to me.
• The info display can select-ably include a level indicator (both rear screen & EVF). Canon has eliminated excuses for not correcting horizon lines.