Sony A7Rv, Canon R6ii, Fujifilm X-T5
It’s been a busy few weeks of camera releases with the Sony FX30, Sony ZV1-F, Sony A7Rv and now the Canon R6 mark2 and the Fujifilm X-T5.
I’m looking forward to trying the FX30 and it should be a great video option at below $2k, competing well with Panasonic and Blackmagic.
The A7Rv is interesting for it’s intelligent autofocus, especially considering how good the Sony autofocus already. The video specs seem good on paper too initially but with the potential for over-heating and rolling shutter so I’d still consider it a stills camera. The autofocus does look impressive though. Even staying at 61mp that’s still far more resolution than I need.
The new Canon R6ii hits that competitive mid-level all-rounder segment, up against the Lumix S5, Sony A7iv and Nikon Z6ii. Who wins now? I still like my S5 and it’s great value. Especially because it often comes bundled with one of the f/1.8 lenses as well as the 20-60mm for just under $2k. The R6ii is coming in at the same price at its predecessor in the US, at $2500 so the same price as the A7iv. I like the few ergonomic changes that they’re made with the power switch moved to the right and the photo/video toggle on the left. It does feel like a relatively minor upgrade to the sensor though, with more resolution at 24mp but still not back-illuminated or stacked. Good rolling shutter control and really no overheating problems though according to DPReview. So very close in specs but the A7iv still seems to have a slight edge unless you prefer the Canon ergonomics and colors. Both great cameras though.
Fujifilm also released their new X-T5, and the big headline there is the jump to 40mp. A lot of resolution for any camera, but particularly for an APS-C sensor. It looks like a great photography camera but I have one concern. The front and rear dials are ‘clickable’, so they can operate like a button too. It might not sound like a big thing, and when it works well that’s all good. But I found on my X-T3 that I frequently ‘clicked’ the wheel accidentally when I was just trying to change aperture or shutter speed. It was especially bad in cold weather and became extremely frustrating. Trying it very briefly at a Fujifilm presentation, the dials didn’t seem improved on the X-T5. I love that they reduced the size and weight though while still improving the image stabilization. 6k video is an option, but potentially limited by overheating, rolling shutter and the lack of a CFExpress card option. It was interesting too that the Fujifilm rep seemed to consider OM Systems as their main competitors, rather than the full-frame cameras.
So 3 improved cameras and I’m most interested to test the autofocus on the Sony. They should all do well in the market and be good upgrades for a lot of photographers, although maybe not for videographers. There’s nothing to make me want to switch from my Lumix S5 yet. Time for an S5ii or S5H though Panasonic?
