Canon 5DS R vs Sony A6500

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Canon 5DS R vs Sony A6500

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35mm 864.0mm²
50.6 megapixels
ISO 100 - 6400

Go in depth with our full Canon 5DS R Review.
How does it shoot? Canon 5DS R in the real world.
See real-world photos taken with the 5DS R.
Compare Canon 5DS R image quality against competitors.
What’s the bottom line? Read our Canon 5DS R conclusion.

APS-C 366.6mm²
24.2 megapixels
ISO 100 - 25,600

Go in depth with our full Sony A6500 Review.
How does it shoot? Sony A6500 in the real world.
See real-world photos taken with the A6500.
Compare Sony A6500 image quality against competitors.
What’s the bottom line? Read our Sony A6500 conclusion.

Succeeded by the Sony A6600
Compare A6500 vs A6600
Compare Canon 5DS R vs Sony A6600

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Differences

Canon 5DS R advantages over Sony A6500

Lens selection
Excellent vs Good
Better lens selection gives you more options
Larger sensor
35mm vs APS-C
More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
Fast startup
~0.50 vs 1.3 sec
Faster startup lets you catch the moment
Higher effective ISO

Higher effective ISO

Maximum effective ISO is an estimate of the highest sensitivity at which a camera can capture excellent quality photos.

Cameras with higher effective ISO will be better choices for indoor photography, night shooting, and indoor sports photography, especially if you intend to make large prints.

You can learn more at our glossary entry.

Maximum effective ISO test data courtesy of DxO Mark.
5DS R test data on DxO Mark A6500 test data on DxO Mark

2,308 vs 1,405 iso
Take photos in low light with less noise
Longer stills battery life
More info

Longer stills battery life

Cameras with longer battery life can take more photos before exhausting their batteries.

Special note: The measurement standard for battery life stipulates that if a camera has an internal flash, it must be used for 50% of photos taken. For this reason, comparisons of one camera with an internal flash to another without will not be comparable

700 vs 350 shots
Capture more photos
Top deck display
Yes vs No
Check settings with a screen on top of the camera
More pixels
50.6 vs 24.2 megapixels
Higher resolution photos
Dual card slots
Yes vs No
Gives you more storage flexibility
Lacks anti-aliasing filter
No Filter vs Filter
Enjoy sharper photos
Faster shutter
1/8000 vs 1/4000 sec
Shoot wide open in bright light

Sony A6500 advantages over Canon 5DS R

Focus peaking
Peaker vs Non-peaker
Your camera will highlight what's in focus
In-Camera Image Stabilization
Yes vs No
Reduces the effects of camera shake at slower shutter speeds
Shoot 4K video
4K (UHD) vs 1080p
Make sure you have a fast computer
Touchscreen
Touch vs No touch
Interact with your camera just like your smartphone
In-camera panoramas
Yes vs No
Stitches multiple shots into a panoramic photo
Tiltable Screen
Tiltable vs Fixed
Tilt the screen for shooting flexbility
Built-in Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi vs None
Share your photos wirelessly
NFC
Yes vs No
Simplifies pairing your camera with supported phones
Built-in Bluetooth
Yes vs No
Always-on wireless connectivity
More dynamic range

More dynamic range

Cameras with more dynamic range allow you to take photos with dramatic differences in highlight and shadow areas while retaining detail in both.

Think of a brilliant sunset on a rocky beach: Bright sunset in the background, with dark rocks in the foreground. High dynamic range means more of the extremes will be faithfully reproduced.

Dynamic range test data courtesy of DxO Mark.
A6500 test data on DxO Mark 5DS R test data on DxO Mark

13.7 vs 12.4 evs
Retain detail in highlight and shadows
On-sensor phase detect
Yes vs No
Usually improves live view and video AF performance
Internal flash
Internal flash vs None
Useful in a pinch for fill flash
Thinner
53 mm vs 76 mm
Thinner
Lighter weight
453g vs 948g
Lighter weight
Less shutter lag
0.18 vs 0.27 sec
Focus and take a photo quickly (wide angle)
Has anti-aliasing filter
Filter vs No Filter
Reduces unsightly moiré in photos
Faster JPEG shooting
11.1 fps vs 4.8 fps
Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
Bigger JPEG buffer
231 vs 28 shots
Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)
Faster RAW shooting
11.1 fps vs 4.9 fps
Faster RAW shooting in burst mode
Bigger RAW buffer
110 vs 15 shots
Larger buffer for RAW shots (burst mode)
Slow-motion videos
Yes vs No
Shoot slow-motion videos
Higher extended ISO
51200 vs 12800 ISO
Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility

Similarities

Common Strengths

Eye-level viewfinder
Both provide
You'll be able to frame photos even when the sun is out
External Mic Jack
Both provide
Improved sound fidelity when shooting video
HDMI out
Both provide
Use HDMI output to monitor or review video
Hot shoe
Both provide
Off-camera flashes open new possibilities
Bulb shutter
Both provide
Hold the shutter open manually for long exposures

Common Weaknesses

Tilt-swivel screen
Neither provide
Tilt and swivel the screen for maximum shooting flexibility
Built-in GPS
Neither provide
Geotag your photos
Headphone jack
Neither provide
Monitor audio recording while you shoot video

User reviews

Amazon
Adorama
Read 5DS R User Reviews

Amazon
Adorama
Read A6500 User Reviews

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Body Only

Body Only
Kit with 18-135mm lens

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Review Excerpt

Phenomenal resolution and sharpness; Fine Detail Picture Style is like in-camera Unsharp Mask; Excellent print quality; Decent high ISO performance; Improved normalized dynamic range compared to 5D Mark III; Decent burst speed with good buffer depths; Built-in intervalometer & timelapse movie mode.
AF speed tested closer to consumer-level DSLRs; Dynamic range lower than competing models from Nikon & Sony; Lack of OLPF means subject to more aliasing artifacts with some subjects; No 60p video frame rate; No headphone jack; Timelapse video is only 1080p.
Read our Canon 5DS R Review

Comfortable, premium body with good controls; Touch-screen for subject selection; Hybrid image stabilization system; Excellent image quality; Better high ISO JPEGs than the A6300; Extremely fast 11.1 fps burst capture; Very deep buffers for raw and JPEG alike; 4K video capture with no pixel binning
Pricey for an APS-C camera; JPEG colors aren't the most accurate; Very slow buffer clearing; Laggy touch-pad AF function; Poorly-placed movie button; No headphone jack; Mediocre battery life
Read our Sony A6500 Review

The Competition

Compared to Nikon D810

Canon 5DS R

Nikon D810

$1849
35mm

Less expensive
More cross-type AF points

$2251
35mm

Bigger pixels
Higher effective ISO

Compare Canon 5DS R vs Nikon D810

Sony A6500

Nikon D810

$1198
APS-C

Less expensive
Focus peaking

$2251
35mm

Lens selection
Larger sensor

Compare Sony A6500 vs Nikon D810

Compared to Canon 5DS

Canon 5DS R

Canon 5DS

$1849
35mm

Lacks anti-aliasing filter

$1549
35mm

Less expensive
Has anti-aliasing filter

Compare Canon 5DS R vs Canon 5DS

Sony A6500

Canon 5DS

$1198
APS-C

Focus peaking
In-Camera Image Stabilization

$1549
35mm

Lens selection
Larger sensor

Compare Sony A6500 vs Canon 5DS

Compared to Fujifilm X-Pro2

Canon 5DS R

Fujifilm X-Pro2

$1849
35mm

Lens selection
Larger sensor

$1300
APS-C

Focus peaking
Shoot 4K video

Compare Canon 5DS R vs Fujifilm X-Pro2

Sony A6500

Fujifilm X-Pro2

$1198
APS-C

In-Camera Image Stabilization
Touchscreen

$1300
APS-C

Higher max flash sync
More dots on screen

Compare Sony A6500 vs Fujifilm X-Pro2

Compared to Sony A6300

Canon 5DS R

Sony A6300

$1849
35mm

Lens selection
Larger sensor

$848
APS-C

Focus peaking
Less expensive

Compare Canon 5DS R vs Sony A6300

Sony A6500

Sony A6300

$1198
APS-C

In-Camera Image Stabilization
Touchscreen

$848
APS-C

Less expensive

Compare Sony A6500 vs Sony A6300

Compared to Nikon D850

Canon 5DS R

Nikon D850

$1849
35mm

Less expensive

$2464
35mm

Focus peaking
Shoot 4K video

Compare Canon 5DS R vs Nikon D850

Sony A6500

Nikon D850

$1198
APS-C

Less expensive
In-Camera Image Stabilization

$2464
35mm

Lens selection
Larger sensor

Compare Sony A6500 vs Nikon D850

Compare Other Cameras?