23Mar Traded in my 5d mark III for a Sony A7s II

I’ve been shooting on the Canon 5d mark III for about 4 years now and Canon bodies in general for almost seven years. During that time, I’ve stuck with the Canon 5d mark III even as I began to shoot more and more on the Panasonic GH4. Even though many have complained about the lack of resolution of the 1080p image recorded by the 5dmkIII, the quality has kept me happy all this time. While I still love the look of the 5dmkIII, it’s finally time for me to move on.

There are rumors that Canon may be updating the 5d line of cameras. When they do, the 5dmkIII will likely drop from the current price of $2000 to somewhere in the $1400 range or even lower as people begin to sell in order to migrate up. At the same time, the Sony a7s II has started to hover at a price of around $2400. While I still love the 5dmkIII, the Sony a7s II has a lot more to offer.

I’ve been renting the Sony a7s II off and on for the last 6 months. The 5dmkIII is a far better stills camera, AF is much better (especially in low light), and the 5dmkIII is built a lot tougher than the Sony a7s II. That said, the a7s II records 4k video internally, offers very good in body 5 axis image stabilization, focus peaking, extreme low light performance, and an integrated XLR audio adapter system via the K1M XLR audio adapter. These features, as well as the ability to adapt just about any lens to the a7s II finally won me over.

My Canon 5d mark III has sold and I’ve joined the Sony a7s II camp. I will soon be selling off my original Sony a7s, but in a surprise twist, I’ll be holding on to the Panasonic GH4 and all of my M43 kit. While the GH4 isn’t a low light monster and it lacks the full frame image that I have grown to love, the camera is a joy to use and does a great job at ISO 1600 and bellow. I have a robust collection of M43 glass that I’ve built up over the last few years, and it seems to be the perfect complement to the Sony a7s II.

Will I ever go back to Canon? The truth is, I still have a Canon 6d body for stills and I’ve kept all of my Canon glass. If a 5d mark IV or 5dc is released in the next year or so with things like internal 4k recording, focus peaking, and great low light performance, I would consider moving back. That said, the camera I have is the camera I shoot on. The a7s II and GH4 will be my main and backup cameras for the rest of 2016 and maybe even longer.

I don’t plan to invest heavily in Sony FE glass as adapters will do the trick, but if Canon doesn’t step up to the plate, my L lenses might hit the auction block. If things escalate to that point, Canon will most likely loose me as a customer and I suspect I’m not the only one facing this dilemma.

Do better Canon, your market share is at stake.

Tags: Canon 5d Mark III, Panasonic Gh4, Sony a7s II