Canon vs Sony Mirrorless Cameras: Which brand I prefer and why!
One of my most asked questions from people that have followed me for a while is why I switched back to Canon! I started my photo journey with Canon, switched to Sony for a few years, then sold all my Sony gear and went back to Canon! Let’s break down this switch.
A brief overview of my photography journey
Ever since I was a kid, I remember being a super creative family! My mom loved taking photos and my dad ran a business where he had to make a lot of creative marketing decisions! He drew up products for his home decor company and pair all the products with a story, so I was bound to get the creative gene! When I got to high school, I started using Canon gear since that’s what the yearbook staff provided! I really enjoyed editing the yearbook, taking photos, and doing all my friend’s senior photos back when it was just becoming popular in 2009. During my junior year of high school, my parents bought me a Canon Rebel SXi and it kick started my photo career!
How working in a camera store played a strong influence
After college, I got a job at my local camera store, Shutterbug! I worked here for a few years and I gained so much knowledge about all different camera brands, new technology that was coming out, and how to work each camera. I started to understand the differences between cropped sensor and full frame cameras which prompted me to buy my first full frame, a Canon 6D! After a couple of years, I upgraded to a Canon 5D Miii and really built out my kit with multiple camera bodies and lenses.
The DSLR to Mirrorless industry shift
Just before COVID hit, I noticed a huge industry shift towards mirrorless and it prompted me to start thinking about upgrading. Since I still worked in the camera store, I had a great understanding of different brand’s cameras that were coming out, and the common issues and perks associated with them. As a Canon girl, I noticed their new “M Series” was not doing well compared to other mirrorless cameras and that line tanked. At the same time, Sony was leading the mirrorless industry and I was able to try out one of my friend’s cameras to see if I liked it!
A breakdown of my thought process of Canon vs Sony Mirrorless
2019- Switching from Canon to Sony
When Canon first started releasing their “R Series,” there were lots of reports that the cameras would overheat when you did video. While I don’t shoot videos, I also didn’t want a camera that was known to overheat! When I watched Sony start to take the lead on the mirrorless race, I tried a friend’s camera and really liked how light the camera was! After testing out Sony cameras for a bit, I decided to switch to mirrorless for low light capabilities and their whole G Master lens series was amazing! I tested my friends' RAW's to see how they looked and went with my presets and I barely had to make any adjustments. The cameras were cheaper and lighter and I enjoyed the change!
The main reasons I switched to Sony:
- The cameras and lenses were so much cheaper
- The cameras were super light weight which was so nice when hiking for elopements
- I understood the interface and was really comfortable working with Sony after spending so much time with it while working at the camera store
2023- Switching back to Canon after using Sony
Honestly, I felt like I was cheating on Canon the whole time I used Sony cameras! I was using Canon my whole life and it was weird not to be shooting on Canons anymore. I love the canon body styles and the softer colors produced with it. I wasn’t a huge fan of Sony’s “back of camera” photo view. It always looked HDR which could make me second guess my photos, but I always loved them when I started editing! I ultimately knew I always wanted to go back to Canon, but I wasn’t sure when. Then, Canon dropped a DREAM lens, the 28-70mm 2.0 and I realized I could shoot in one body and one lens which would make my workflow so much easier when I do so many other things while shooting. (I still have back up bodies and lenses, but I don’t always need to grab them with this set up!)
The main reasons why I switched back to Canon:
- The 28-70mm DREAM lens
- I loved the idea of only needing one camera and one lens, still being able to get creative, and shoot polaroids, BTS video, and film
- I have always been a Canon girl and was just waiting for the right time to switch back!
My current camera set up: Canon r5ii with a 28-70 2.0
Here's a link to all my gear i use!
I went back to Shutterbug to look at the R6 Mii and the R5, feel them in my hands, and look into it a bit more before making a decision. They had a great holiday sale and bought a R6 Mii because I loved the dual SD cards and high frames per second for GIFs. The R5 had a CF and SD slot and CF cards are expensive! I bought the 28-70mm lens and started shooting with it right away! I was so confident with the interface and the colors in editing and absolutely love being back on Canon!
It's been about 8 months since I got the Canon r6ii and while it was a good camera, i ultimately ended up getting the newer Canon r5ii in August 2024. This camera has been WAY better for me, way less glitchy and random moments of being frozen. There were too many shots missed on the r6ii that drove me nuts so i'm happy to have upgraded to the r5ii now.