Canon vs Sony for video: EOS R5 & R6 vs Sony a7S III (vlog camera review)

Table of contents:
0:00 Introduction
3:22 Product/Unboxing Videos (AF)
4:33 Talking Head Videos (eye-detect AF)
5:56 Handheld stability (sensor stabilization)
6:25 Walking Videos
7:04 Color science
7:28 Lenses & adapters
8:47 Microphones
9:54 Dual card slots
10:54 Recording time & overheating
12:20 R5 4k vs 4k high quality
12:58 Overheating 4k/60 slow motion
14:05 HDMI & Atomos Ninja V
15:14 Summary

[thedondeluxe]

The intro could be summed up like this: "All I want is the perfect camera..."

[Ramage]

Tony, thanks you for the awesome and very balanced review of the 3 systems.

I am an R5 owner and could not be happier with the Camera because it meets MY needs. I will be adding an R6 because again it meets MY needs. The Sony is amazing and anyone should be excited to own it but for me and my Canon glass "investment" it does not make sense. Let's all hope that Canon, Sony, Nikon and all the rest keep upping the ante so we all benefit.

[Atamaii]

Nice job, but, if you do it all yourself, as I do, you want to record good audio in camera. The Sony doesn't just connect the mic through a hot shoe it (according to Sony), can receive 2x stereo lines through the XLR K3M. But no one has demonstrated that yet!

[cbflazaro]

the problem in the R5 at weddings isnt if it overheats at 4k line skipped. Its that after you film a wedding ceremony at soft 4k in a church for an hour. first, you need to restart every 30min, second, after the ceremony is over, you dont have 4k60/120 for the confetti as they walk out and lastly, no backup/dual card recording.
Doesn't matter how long you can record 4k "normal" if you cant shoot 10 seconds of 4k60 during the confetti after shooting 4k normal during a ceremony

[JohnThaiFilmmaker]

I am a longterm canon user until 2018 i bought my first sony camera which is sony a73, recently i just bought sony a7s3 which a whole new level. I have been using these camera for my corporate video, event shooting and it never fail me.

[simianinc]

Good review of the camera capabilities, Tony. I’d love to see a part 2 review where compare the edit ability based on Codecs, 10-bit v 8-bit, file sizes etc - preferably on both Premiere and Fingal Cut Pro. As an aside, I don’t think greater contrast is a plus. Since the old school days of the Canon 5D Mark II, we;ve been reducing the contrast in the cameras settings so we have more to play with in post. Unless you’re shooting raw, stretching out the DR in your NLE can lead to artefacts. the positive is that I think the DR of modern cameras mitigates this somewhat.

[Theasdfff]

A7SIII for video. King of Low Light as usual for video.

[view]

There are a ton of comments of here already so I apologize if it’s already been mentioned, but Canon does have an RF 15-35 F2.8L Tony as native glass - I know, I use it with my R and R5 . No native 24mm, but the inexpensive RF35 is fantastic - this lens doesn’t get enough love for how great it is and the price point . I looks like a micro HDMI compared to the RF 50 1.2, but it’s so affordable, light-weight and does a great job .

I tried the A7RIII for a year and didn’t come to like it ( much like Chelsea’s video ) as I wanted to give it a chance, so I sold my Sony gear and stayed with my Canon stuff .

I’m a photographer first, but so a lot of my own family or church video work . For 2 hours, using an external recorder or output to an external hard drive works great .

[TheArtofSimpleGolf]

If recording golf videos which would you recommend? Can use lapel wireless or ideally on camera mic. Prefer the cheaper canon for cost, but need the right set up as waste so much time things failing.

[avarmadillo]

A FEW QUESTIONS FOR TONY: Tony, GREAT review, and very thorough. But I'm going to ask you about a few things you didn't touch on that are important to some of us. Here they are:
1. How good is the APS-C mode on the Sony?
2. How good is the Sony Stab. with 3rd party, non-electronic lenses?
I DO love shooting video fully manual---and find focus by wire lenses IMPOSSIBLE to use..
Finally, let me say NONE of the reviewers EVER cover the two issues I just posed---yet, there are thousands of us who love shooting fully manual lenses, and love shooting hand held, while using BOTH full frame and APS-C modes. Why are we constantly TOTALLY neglected? Can't you just give those of us who PREFECT shooting mirrorless this way just a few moments of testing and commentary on the results?
Oh yes, Hey from Texas.

[mcunner]

I find it ridiculous when other tubers recommend full frame, saying it is the only way, but stop down every lens so that it looks like a smartphone.

[nilk]

From your wishlist: Full Frame, Full Width 4K, Flippy Screen, Phase Detect AF = C700 FF, Sony FX9, Sony A7Siii...

But if you don't care about changing the lens or full frame, the Sony FDR-AX700 gave you all the rest of the list with fixed lens and smaller sensor a very long time ago (including built in ND filters)

[jackbisson]

Sony lock on AF for targeting objects is amazing. AutoFocus can be very useful for some situations, especially when you are a one person band.

[magnus]

Timing is everything! They couldnt help but release the update as you were working on this video!

[Astrolavista]

To me, the Sony looked a lot smoother on the walking stability test, not just a little bit.

[danieldougan]

It's a terrible waste of cameras like these to just use them for vlogging. The R5 and a7s III are really cinematic tools, and the R6 is not far behind.

If you just want to vlog, there are more affordable and suitable cameras available, especially with crop sensors.

[vaskoobscura_]

I don't understand why all you YouTube reviewers keep saying the R system doesn't have a large lens selection? Yes there are few RF lenses right now but every singe EF lens ever made works as a native lens on the RF mount. . . . ya there are hundreds of lenses for the mirrorless RF system. Even EF-S lenses work like native glass on the RF system.

[TesLatino]

What a great video. I would just add a note at the top of the description that Canon launched a great $179 RF 50mm f1.8 lens in November 2020 just a few months after you published this. Now there is no need to adapt the nifty fifty.

Oh, and it was probably added later but now you can record video in both SD cards.

[stevecarver]

Note that the Sony A7S III it will accept 2 channels of stereo, four lines. Sony wants you to use the XLR K7M adapter for audio. I believe in your video you have a Sony SMADP3D Multi-Interface Shoe Adapter and a URX-P03D 2-Channel Portable Receiver. I will look to using splitters to get 4 lines of basic audio from lav mics into the camera.

[sammyh]

I bought the r6 and I am very happy. I don't care about hdmi port. I stuck a rode mic on top and works great. Shoots great 4k 60 and that's more than what I need. Easy menu. Beautiful photos. Great stabilization. Canon is also introducing more and more rf glass. Priced at 2500 usd. Can't justify paying more for anything else.
By the way, overheating is not an issue for most of us. How many people actually shoot interviews? And more than 30 minutes? Not many.