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Canon 5D MII vs Sony A7

Portability
56
Imaging
65
Features
70
Overall
67
Canon EOS 5D Mark II front
 
Sony Alpha A7 front
Portability
78
Imaging
71
Features
80
Overall
74

Canon 5D MII vs Sony A7 Key Specs

Canon 5D MII
(Full Review)
  • 21MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400 (Boost to 25600)
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Canon EF Mount
  • 850g - 152 x 114 x 75mm
  • Revealed February 2009
  • Superseded the Canon 5D
  • Successor is Canon 5D MIII
Sony A7
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 50 - 25600
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 474g - 127 x 94 x 48mm
  • Released January 2014
  • Replacement is Sony A7 II
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Canon 5D MII vs Sony A7 Overview

Let's look a bit more in depth at the Canon 5D MII and Sony A7, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by manufacturers Canon and Sony. The image resolution of the 5D MII (21MP) and the A7 (24MP) is pretty comparable and both cameras boast the identical sensor sizing (Full frame).

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The 5D MII was launched 6 years before the A7 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Canon 5D MII being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A7 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go into a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple overview of how the 5D MII grades against the A7 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Canon 5D MII over the Sony A7

 5D MII A7 

Reasons to pick Sony A7 over the Canon 5D MII

 A7 5D MII 
ReleasedJanuary 2014February 2009Fresher by 60 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1230k920kCrisper screen (+310k dot)

Common features in the Canon 5D MII and Sony A7

 5D MII A7 
Focus manually More exact focusing
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurement
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Lack of Touch friendly screen

Canon 5D MII vs Sony A7 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to carry your camera, you should consider its weight and proportions. The Canon 5D MII features external measurements of 152mm x 114mm x 75mm (6.0" x 4.5" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 850 grams (1.87 lbs) and the Sony A7 has measurements of 127mm x 94mm x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9") with a weight of 474 grams (1.04 lbs).

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Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you select at that time. Below is a front view physical size comparison of the 5D MII against the A7.

Canon 5D MII vs Sony A7 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the 5D MII and A7 is 56 and 78 respectively.

Canon 5D MII vs Sony A7 top view buttons comparison

Canon 5D MII vs Sony A7 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is hard to visualise the contrast in sensor sizing purely by checking out a spec sheet. The visual underneath might give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the 5D MII and A7.

As you can see, both the cameras feature the identical sensor size albeit not the same resolution. You should expect the Sony A7 to provide greater detail utilizing its extra 3MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs way more aggressively. The older 5D MII will be behind in sensor technology.

Canon 5D MII vs Sony A7 sensor size comparison

Canon 5D MII vs Sony A7 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon 5D MII vs Sony A7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon 5D MII as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A7 as a Portrait photography camera
79
manual focus
resolution is good (21MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
includes face detection focus
supports RAW formats
82
focusing manually
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
has face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Canon 5D MII as a Street photography camera
Sony A7 as a Street photography camera
59
great sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
environment proof
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
79
tilting screen
great sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
weather proof
lighter than others (474g)
above average high ISO (25,600)
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Canon 5D MII Sports photography advice
Sony A7 Sports photography advice
70
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
resolution is good (21 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
includes tracking autofocus
environment proof
supports phase detect auto focus
max frames per second low (4.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
66
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
weather proof
comes with phase detect autofocus
max fps very slow (5.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
bad battery (340 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Canon 5D MII Travel photography info
Sony A7 Travel photography info
55
environment proof
resolution is good (21 megapixels)
missing Time Lapse function
does not posses selfie friendly display
69
lighter than others (474 grams)
weather proof
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
bad battery (340 per charge)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Canon 5D MII Landscape photography features
Sony A7 Landscape photography features
70
manual focus
switch lenses (Canon EF mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
resolution is good (21 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
environment proof
does not have image stabilization
missing Time Lapse function
76
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is decent (3")
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
above average high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
weather proof
does not have image stabilization
bad battery (340 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon 5D MII as a Vlogging camera
Sony A7 as a Vlogging camera
29
includes face detection focus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with external mic support
does not posses selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
36
has face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does have microphone socket
lighter than others (474 grams)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
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Canon 5D MII vs Sony A7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon 5D MII and Sony A7
 Canon EOS 5D Mark IISony Alpha A7
General Information
Brand Name Canon Sony
Model type Canon EOS 5D Mark II Sony Alpha A7
Class Advanced DSLR Pro Mirrorless
Revealed 2009-02-13 2014-01-22
Physical type Mid-size SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Digic 4 Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Full frame Full frame
Sensor measurements 36 x 24mm 35.8 x 23.9mm
Sensor area 864.0mm² 855.6mm²
Sensor resolution 21 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 5616 x 3744 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 6400 25600
Maximum boosted ISO 25600 -
Minimum native ISO 100 50
RAW format
Minimum boosted ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 9 117
Cross type focus points - 25
Lens
Lens support Canon EF Sony E
Available lenses 250 121
Crop factor 1 1
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 920k dots 1,230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen tech TFT liquid-crystal color LCD Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dots
Viewfinder coverage 98 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.71x 0.71x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 4.0 frames per second 5.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash modes no built-in flash no built-in flash
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/200 seconds 1/250 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 850 grams (1.87 lbs) 474 grams (1.04 lbs)
Physical dimensions 152 x 114 x 75mm (6.0" x 4.5" x 3.0") 127 x 94 x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 79 90
DXO Color Depth rating 23.7 24.8
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.9 14.2
DXO Low light rating 1815 2248
Other
Battery life 850 images 340 images
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LP-E6 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures))
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, Microdrive SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $1,190 $798