Will a long time 5D shooter like the Sony A7r3?

Guys, I have been shooting Canon cameras since 1979 when my dad gave me an AE-1 for the holidays. I have had SureShots, Elphs, PowerShots, a 5D, a 5D3 a 1Ds2, a 1D2n and I currently have a 1D4 and a 5D4. I have been a Canon fan boy! Researching the Sony A7r3 I'm wondering why? Why is this a little bit emotional for me?

The 5D4 is my goto camera. It's the camera I go hiking with (a lot), carried on my backpack strap, with either a 16-35/4is or a 24-105/4mkii. In all of my hiking gear a half pound saved here and a half pound saved there really adds up. The Sony A7r3 with Sony 24-105/4 saves me a little over a half pound right there on my chest.

The IQ that we're seeing from the A7r3 is phenomenal. The dynamic range is incredible. Noise at higher ISOs seems impressive too. IBIS is a nice bonus.

Having bought, tried and returned the EOS R, I just could not get into using that camera. It seemed very slow to respond to my control inputs and there is no joystick and no dual card slots. Yes, I use the dual slots in my 5D4.

Selling all of the Canon gear I have collected over the years would probably pay for the A7r3 with 24-105/4 and another lens or two.

I shoot mainly landscapes, a little macro, and I shoot portraits and do some yoga photography for friends. I do make and sell prints, usually 16x24". Though I have made some at 10x40".

I wouldn't mind expanding my video shooting but it's not currently a priority.

Will I be happy with the A7r3? Will I miss the 5D4? Will the A7r3 blow me aways so much that I'm like, "Canon who?"

As an aside, I had a Fujifilm X-T1 that I really enjoyed. It has since been given to my college age daughter. She loves it too. I'm just accustomed to FF at this point and don't want to give up resolution.

Thanks.

Once you learn it, you’ll love it. It sounds like you didn't give the R much chance and you should however, Sony cameras have reached good maturity.

Video wise, Sony is in another league. The ability to shoot crop mode, in camera digital zooming, is a big deal

Considering the resolution, the R is a really good AF machine for photos as well.

If you want to try something revolutionary, try an A9

Sony has slightly better DR and some other advantages, that's true. But it doesn't come close to enticing me to leave Canon. I choose to remain in the ecosystem with the best native AF lenses, best color science (imho), and best QC & service. I respect that different people have different wants and needs, and clearly Sony has many satisfied users. However, moving from one FF system to another is almost invariably a case of grass-is-greener and/or GAS. Frankly I think the Sony cameras are low-end toys, and I think the same of the EOS R and Nikon Z7. I would not rely on either if the shot was on the line. I do believe Canon will be the first to release a truly professional full frame mirrorless body, and when they do I'll be glad to be a Canon shooter. If I was a Sony shooter, the Canon 1DR (or whatever it's called) would not entice me to switch, because Sony would then either respond or die. Love the one you're with!

LostArk wrote in post #18860477
Sony has slightly better DR and some other advantages, that's true. But it doesn't come close to enticing me to leave Canon. I choose to remain in the ecosystem with the best native AF lenses, best color science (imho), and best QC & service. I respect that different people have different wants and needs, and clearly Sony has many satisfied users. However, moving from one FF system to another is almost invariably a case of grass-is-greener and/or GAS. Frankly I think the Sony cameras are low-end toys, and I think the same of the EOS R and Nikon Z7. I would not rely on either if the shot was on the line. I do believe Canon will be the first to release a truly professional full frame mirrorless body, and when they do I'll be glad to be a Canon shooter. If I was a Sony shooter, the Canon 1DR (or whatever it's called) would not entice me to switch, because Sony would then either respond or die. Love the one you're with!

You're clearly out of the loop

Use the R3, learn it, is absolutely an advance tool. The A9 simply smokes all Canons aside from the highest 1D models, and even then, it's debatable on which is a better tool

Charlie wrote in post #18860487
You're clearly out of the loop

Use the R3, learn it, is absolutely an advance tool. The A9 simply smokes all Canons aside from the highest 1D models, and even then, it's debatable on which is a better tool

Who's smoking what?

I'm sure any of the photos from the above sampling could have been taken with a Sony, except the ones where the environment would have summarily destroyed it. I'm just saying there's no real reason to switch FF systems. I tested the A7RIII for awhile and decided to stick with my 5D Mark II, as the former felt like a low-end toy, despite being an impressive technical whiz bang. Same holds true for the latest Canon and Nikon mirrorless bodies. Canon is poised to catch up and surpass others in mirrorless anyway, so as I said at any given time thoughts of switching are grass-is-greener syndrome or GAS in all but the most esoteric use cases.

PS - What good is technical superiority if the lens lineup is plagued with severe sample variation and decentering issues? I looked at a 35mm f1.4 ZA lens to see what Sony was all about and have a newfound appreciation for my 35L, which stands as an exemplar of why I stick with Canon even though Sony currently has more pixels and widgets.

LostArk wrote in post #18860501
Who's smoking what?

I'm sure any of the photos from the above sampling could have been taken with a Sony, except the ones where the environment would have summarily destroyed it. I'm just saying there's no real reason to switch FF systems. I tested the A7RIII for awhile and decided to stick with my 5D Mark II, as the former felt like a low-end toy, despite being an impressive technical whiz bang. Same holds true for the latest Canon and Nikon mirrorless bodies. Canon is poised to catch up and surpass others in mirrorless anyway, so as I said at any given time thoughts of switching are grass-is-greener syndrome or GAS in all but the most esoteric use cases.

PS - What good is technical superiority if the lens lineup is plagued with severe sample variation and decentering issues? I looked at a 35mm f1.4 ZA lens to see what Sony was all about and have a newfound appreciation for my 35L, which stands as an exemplar of why I stick with Canon even though Sony currently has more pixels and widgets.

Silly argument, photojournalist's shoot with DSLR's, it's an appeal to authority.

Figures you don't have much experience shooting mirrorless.

Charlie wrote in post #18860509
Silly argument, photojournalist's shoot with DSLR's, it's an appeal to authority.

Figures you don't have much experience shooting mirrorless.

Photojournalism is the most demanding use case for a camera, so it's a good metric for whether hyperbole like "smokes all Canons" holds up. Sony (and Nikon) has marginally better IQ than Canon in some use cases, but has no advantage in terms of real world capability / final viewing output. There's no reason to switch FF camera systems except grass-is-greener syndrome, GAS, or technophilia. I'm not a luddite and will happily make the switch to mirrorless if someone will please release a professional body. Looks like Panasonic beat everyone to the punch with the S1, so to the OP I say that if you are going to make a switch take a serious look at the S1, which is what I would get if I had to switch to mirrorless today.

LostArk wrote in post #18860526
Photojournalism is the most demanding use case for a camera, so it's a good metric for whether hyperbole like "smokes all Canons" holds up. Sony (and Nikon) has marginally better IQ than Canon in some use cases, but has no advantage in terms of real world capability / final viewing output. There's no reason to switch FF camera systems except grass-is-greener syndrome, GAS, or technophilia. I'm not a luddite and will happily make the switch to mirrorless if someone will please release a professional body. Looks like Panasonic beat everyone to the punch with the S1, so to the OP I say that if you are going to make a switch take a serious look at the S1, which is what I would get if I had to switch to mirrorless today.

You can believe what you want.

When Panasonic flops, you can blame the market for being wrong.

Initially, there is a frustration as the Sony user interface is quite counterintuitive.
Once you get the hunch of it and especially, once you have P+P'd some high contrast or badly exposed shots, you will forgive it totally.
You will also appreciate the weight.

This is me, decades of EOS behind me and now five months of A73.
Should have gotten the R but could not justify it at that time.

I still have the 5D4 but it does not get out often.
Hard to sell, also.

LostArk wrote in post #18860526
Photojournalism is the most demanding use case for a camera, so it's a good metric for whether hyperbole like "smokes all Canons" holds up. Sony (and Nikon) has marginally better IQ than Canon in some use cases, but has no advantage in terms of real world capability / final viewing output. There's no reason to switch FF camera systems except grass-is-greener syndrome, GAS, or technophilia. I'm not a luddite and will happily make the switch to mirrorless if someone will please release a professional body. Looks like Panasonic beat everyone to the punch with the S1, so to the OP I say that if you are going to make a switch take a serious look at the S1, which is what I would get if I had to switch to mirrorless today.

What constitutes a professional body to you? It takes professional looking pictures? It has higher frame rates and better focusing then the pack? Has duel card slots? Can take 100s of thousands of shots? High Megapixel counts? Focus Speed? What are you looking for?

Just kinda curious what you have been waiting for, and what the Panasonic can do that the A9, A7r or X7 can't do.

Please don't tell me its body size....

I think the OP should buy a 6D because in good light with L glass the final output is equal to all those new cameras. Every newer model is just grass is greener syndrome

As to the main subject... honestly I have never shot a 5D. I do have a 1DX, and since moving to Sony half way, it just doesn't get used much. And the reason is mostly blasphemous. Has nothing to do with image quality, the awesome autofocus, or anything like that. ( I do long the dynamic range though ). Two reasons I grab my Sonys over the Canons I own. Number 1 - size and weight. Even with the L glass I have attached, it is just so much more a pleasurable thing to bring with me than the Canons. I know many complain that the form factor is too small, but in the end, that is what I love about it. It is unobtrusive. I can plop it on a table, no body notices. Put a 1D on the table, everyone notices. The weight difference... don't mind lugging it all day, where the Canon was noticeable after a while. You get the idea. Second, I love the option to do video. I was on a shoot for a railroad in the middle of nowhere photographing mainline activity for a PR piece. While out there on a whim, I decided to shoot video of the next one that passed. It turned out so cool in 4k, next thing you know I had external mics, recording devices, etc. I literally opened up a whole new area I had never thought about. But the image quality was awesome. Just did some slow motion of birds at a bird feeder. Totally cool stuff I have never done. Never gave it a thought with the Canon gear.

As an aside, 75% of my shooting is done with adapted Canon glass. Not sure it is time to declare a final victor here, still holding out hope that Canon has some compelling offerings soon.

To the downside. Yes, there is an adjustment. Menus are difficult at best. I've stuff all my common changes down into the custom menu. Something I didn't have to do with Canon. The fact that I had shot Canon since mid 1980s could be part of that. But still... it is the weakness of the Sony platform.

If you are not in an urgent need to change.... and you can hang out for another year, I would wait to see what Canon comes out with in the next 12 months. Sony will likely have some updates in that time frame two... If you are happy.... stay. If you've got an itch... the sony is pretty good.

Just switch. If it turns out bad for you, all you've wasted is money, whereas atm you're wasting time, which you can never get back.

I don't know. Buy one & tell us.

Hi guys! OK, still doing tons of research. Still shooting with my 5D. It is pretty freaking heavy for hiking. I do go to the gym just to work my legs so I can carry a pack and gear when I hike...

I just bought a Fujifilm XF 60 f/2.4 R macro for my daughter's birthday to use on her Fujifilm X-T1. It's her second lens along with an XF 23/1.4 R.

And that got me thinking about how much fun that Fujifilm camera was to shoot with all of its analog dials. It also go me thinking about how I almost liked the files and colors from that camera as much as the files and colors from my 5D4...almost. And then I started thinking that the SONY files might require a bigger change in my PP workflow than I'd be comfortable with. SONY is not known for their color science. Fujifilm's is, by my memory, quite good.

Further, the A7r3 with a SONY 24-105/4 is close to $4200! While $4,032 gets me the following Fujifilm kit: Fujifilm X-T3 body, XF 10-24/4 R OIS lens, XF 35/2 WR lens, XF 80/2.8 WR OIS Macro lens, a spare battery, a nice 64 gig SDXC II memory card, a free Fujifilm 64 gig card, two B+W CPs and two B+W ND filters. Granted the X-T3 is probably more comparable to the A73 in terms of resolution. The A73 is about $800 less than the A7r3. But the good SONY lenses are expensive! At least 20% more than Canon's and Fujifilm's....

Finally, moving to SONY might save me 7 ounces right there on my shoulder. But moving to Fujifilm would save me a pound (assuming the 10-24/4, 15-36mm FF equivalent, is mounted). And that might also make a big difference when it comes time to mounting the camera on my very lightweight Gitzo 0 series Traveler tripod.

Entropy may win out and I may just stick with the 5D. But I'm giving Fujifilm another serious look.