Lifelong Canon User Considering Nikon or Sony

MrChip wrote in post #18980629
... Are they close in Dynamic Range and high ISO from your experience?

My understanding from reading on this is that the EOS-R is slightly , very slightly, but measurably, behind the 5D4.

Frankly, I believe the EOS-R and the 5D4 share essentially the same sensor. However, my theory is that due to the EOS-R being mirrorless with a sensor that is always on when shooting (for the viewfinder and AF) that the changes needed for these differences in how the cameras function, is the only real difference in the two sensors performance. That for whatever reasons, heat, etc. when you take the 5D4 sensor and re-wire to be on all the time it simply is susceptible to more noise, no matter how slight the difference is.

Measurable, yes. visible? I haven't seen it yet. They seem pretty much the same to me, but again, I haven't shot the EOS-R as much yet. I have seen review sights that have found ways to illustrate it, but they seem to have to work pretty hard at it.

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #18980696
My understanding from reading on this is that the EOS-R is slightly , very slightly, but measurably, behind the 5D4.

...for whatever reasons, heat, etc. when you take the 5D4 sensor and re-wire to be on all the time it simply is susceptible to more noise, no matter how slight the difference is.

I'd also expect this to be true, though I have no dealings with the R, and an
always-on sensor does not fit my desires or needs.

But I'll also offer that the 5D4 is a colossal improvement over previous models, not including the 1D-series,
which I have no experience with.

All in all, I've followed a few similar discussions, and the general consensus seems to put the 5D4
at the top of the Canon heap, if you're not after a 1D-series.
My own preference and use keeps the camera's size smaller, much like the 40D/50D.
The extra bulk of a battery grip was part of my 50D purchase, which I tried exactly once,
and I did not like it. I felt it was not suited to my own preference, and it's been closeted since,
which is why I did not consider any of the 1D-series for my own use.

While I'm not a birder or sports enthusiast, consider a 12800-ISO 5D4 image from a low-light environment:

Wow I love this forum! Everything written makes sense, how the EOS-R will be behind 5D IV with same sensor due to always on and the noise from the heat. Jake, if it is only slightly behind, I think I can live with that because it will be a huge improvement over my 6D II. I can say that there are many times I do not use my Canon gear due to its bulk and weight. All my DSLRs have grips on them so they are all large. Yes, I could take the grips off but there are vacations where I need to pack light and I end up relying on just my Galaxy S9. The idea of having a smaller EOS-R with a compact RF lens is also appealing. I will keep you posted on my thoughts and final decision.

MrChip wrote in post #18980932
Wow I love this forum! Everything written makes sense, how the EOS-R will be behind 5D IV with same sensor due to always on and the noise from the heat. Jake, if it is only slightly behind, I think I can live with that because it will be a huge improvement over my 6D II. I can say that there are many times I do not use my Canon gear due to its bulk and weight. All my DSLRs have grips on them so they are all large. Yes, I could take the grips off but there are vacations where I need to pack light and I end up relying on just my Galaxy S9. The idea of having a smaller EOS-R with a compact RF lens is also appealing. I will keep you posted on my thoughts and final decision.

I was slow to adopt the EOS-R for a number of reasons, not the least of which my prior Mirrorless have always left me a little wanting (Nikon 1V, Fuji XT1)
But with the deals recently I finally caved, and I have to say the more I use this little camera, the more I find myself truly enjoying it as a magnificent flexible tool.

- It's viewfinder and LCD are much better than my Fuji's (two generations old now)

- It uses the same batteries as my still very much in use 5D4 and 7D2 (and 5D2 IR Conversion)

- Despite being very different from a DSLR, it is Canon, so still much more familiar than any of the others I have tried.

- It's lens flexibility is amazing;

• I can use Native RF (Still don't have any)
  
• EF (with adapter, it's truly the same as native performance.)
  
• EF-S So many options! For the whole vacation camera, rather than a whole separate camera with different gear, I can just pack the EOS-R and my 18-135mm, and be completely familiar with everything, still have a compact size and weight, and use the "crop mode" for a nice 12MP image. Do you know how many times over the past decades I have temporarily "forgotten" that my EF-S won;t fit or work on half my cameras? Not so with the EOS-R!
  
• With "Focus peaking" and the tilty screen, and readily available adapters, any manual focus lens is going to be easier to use on the R than it would be with the DSLRs I own.
  
• Macro will be fun again!
  

I was looking for a camera as an all-in-one solution. I had used the Canon Powershot SX40, 50 and 60, but while they have amazing lenses the sensors are too small and get noise easily. I went to the Canon PowerShot G3X - 1" sensor, 24-600mm equivalent lens, but I was frustrated by the add-on EVf (necessary IMHO when shooting with a long telephoto) adding both bulk and complexity to the unit. I went looking for an alternative.

Looking at the reviews it came down to the Sony RX-10 IV. It had excellent reviews, and is packed with features (some of which I may not use), but it DID have a 1" sensor, 24-600 equivalent fast lens, and was built like a mini DSLR. I managed to sell the G3X for what I had paid and got the current deal on the Sony.

I am so used to Canon that I know the menus and ergonomics like the back of my hand, so it is a bit of a learning curve to get to use the Sony as I would like to. I have to say the paper booklet was cursory, and the on-line manual (IMHO) pretty horrendous, so I have a book on the camera coming today or tomorrow.

Itching to see if I had made the right choice I took the camera with me on a morning stroll to a local beach and submit the following results: ALL IMAGES HAND-HELD

First a general shot of the bay: To see the wide-angle performance

Then some Dotterals trying to ignore me!

Now into the forest for a close-up of bark in the dim light

And to complete the survey a couple of portraits taken under a coloured canopy

Impressive results Trevor, particularly with dynamic range.

You've not mentioned if there's been any PP done, however.

SkedAddled wrote in post #19006624
Impressive results Trevor, particularly with dynamic range.

You've not mentioned if there's been any PP done, however.

Hi Craig and thanks for your comment and question.

The images were shot in both RAW and JPG. I imported the RAW images into Photoshop, straightened a horizon on one, did a minor amount of sharpening to compensate for the AA filter (which I would do on any photo apart from the 5DS R) and did a colour balance for the portraits as the light was drastically impacted by the colour of the sail cloth above - my other half looked like boiled lobster, and I wanted to live....

The big thing was probably reducing the size down, both in PS to go within the 10MB limit, then the website resizing of the images to a max 1600 dimension.

This will not move me from my Canon gear, this is a specific camera for a single camera solution. I am working to be able to use some of the advanced features of the is camera, so it is very early days. So far I have stuck to the basics that I would do for any camera.

I am generally happy and very impressed by the camera, although some of the bokeh in the images of the dotterals was quite sharp - something i has seen in reviews of the camera, but overall, a great unit. I suspect that with recent deals and the fact the camera is heading for 3 years on the market that it is about to be replaced by some new "you beaut" updated version...