Going mirrorless

I’ve been a Nikon photographer for nearly forty years – first with an SLR and then a DSLR – but decided to upgrade to mirrorless and settled on a Canon EOS R5 after extensive research. Here’s why.

I first became a Nikon shooter in 1984 when I received a Nikon FG-20 SLR for my birthday. It soon went everywhere with me, documenting my hiking in the Whites, Adirondacks, Olympics, Smokies, and more – well into the 1990s. At that point I briefly used one of the earliest digital cameras – an Apple QuickTake – before purchasing a point-and-shoot Panasonic digital camera small enough that I used an Altoids tin as a carrying case!

But it was in 2008, when we moved to India, that I finally set aside film cameras and switched to digital SLR (DLSR), with a hand-me-down Nikon D70. I took thousands of shots across India, Europe, and Africa. I upgraded to a hand-me-down Nikon D300. Things got really serious in 2016 when I upgraded to a Nikon D500 before climbing Kilimanjaro, and in 2018 when I purchased a second D500 body before a wildlife trip to Costa Rica.

So, this year when I decided to upgrade to mirrorless – leaving behind the SLR for the first time since 1984 – my first inclination was to stick with Nikon. Nikon has been slow to the mirrorless game, however, and only recently came out with a high-quality mirrorless camera body, the Z9. It has reviewed well, but is still difficult to obtain (they are only now (August) shipping orders placed in April!) … and even if I could get my hands on one, the reviews show it’s not quite up to par with the competition.

So I set out research the competition. I focused on three top-quality full-frame mirrorless cameras: Canon R5, Nikon Z9, and Sony ⍺1. Mirrorless cameras are the future, and they offer the opportunity for me to jump to full-frame cameras without the weight and bulk of the DLSR full-frame cameras like the Nikon D850. Although every photographer has different needs and different criteria, mine were the following:

• Suitable for general use – travel, landscape, wildlife photography
• Primarily for photography, with videography as a distant second
• Small size and lightweight, because I often hike with my camera and lenses
• Sufficiently inexpensive so I can afford two bodies; for some travel I want a backup body, and for some outings I want two active bodies
• Full-frame sensor, if possible, to bring me to a new level of quality
• Readily available body and a good selection of mirrorless lenses
• Easy to learn and to use

Backward compatibility with my Nikon kit was not very important, because my lenses are nearly all DX (crop-frame) lenses and I was now aiming for full-frame bodies. This reduced the value of sticking to the Nikon ecosystem.

Choosing the Canon R5

Ultimately, I chose the Canon R5, and here’s why:

• + best overall for landscape and travel, and good for wildlife, per reviewers
• + lightest body (same as the Sony, but far lighter than the Nikon)
• + 45 megapixels, comparable to Nikon (46mp) though less than Sony (50mp)
• + 20 fps, double that of my Nikon D500, though not as good as Sony 30 fps
• + menu system noted for clarity and ease of use
• + EVF lag is small and barely noticeable
• + AF tracking very good
• + excellent animal-eye AF, human-eye AF – simple and effective; better than Sony, especially at close range; even better for insects and birds
• + video AF supports human-eye or bird-eye AF, even with 100-500mm lens
• + easy to switch between photo & video mode
• + more stable for video recording
• + supports both faster (CFexpress-B) and cheaper (SD) cards
• + fully articulated screen
• + better/safer lens release mechanism
• + 800mm f/11 lens is light, small, and inexpensive
• + least expensive, and I wanted to buy two bodies
• + it is well-established and many anticipate Canon R10 will emerge as its “flagship” body and eclipse the Nikon Z9 and Sony ⍺1 bodies.

On the other hand, I noted some possible complaints:

• – exhibits rolling-shutter problems when using only electronic shutter
• – worst buffer of all three (only 2 seconds at full speed)
• – 20fps may be achievable only when battery > 50% charge?

The Nikon Z9 has several advantages and disadvantages:

• – extremely difficult to obtain (months-long waitlist)
• – it is the heaviest and largest of the three
• – battery grip cannot be removed (poor for hiking or travel!)
• – in comparing all three paired with a 600mm lens (common for wildlife), it is by far the heaviest (3 pounds heavier!)
• + 46 megapixels
• + native ISO = 64 rather than 100
• + pre-release capture, an unusual feature likely to be copied by others
• – AF not as good as the others, especially with smaller f-stops
• – AF less often successful on flying birds than the other two
• – EVF less good than the others
• + illuminated buttons
• + sensor shield
• + two CFexpress-B slots
• ± wide selection of older glass, but slower AF on mirrorless
• – no mechanical shutter… and maybe more trouble with rolling shutter

The Sony ⍺1 has several advantages and disadvantages:

• – most expensive – close to double the cost of the Canon R5
• + 50 megapixels
• + 30 fps in RAW, the only one of these three cameras to do so
• + 30 fps with silent electronic shutter – better for sports (at a distance)
• – its menu system is noted as complex and hard to use
• + big memory buffer
• + no rolling shutter
• + best AF tracking capability of all three… but Canon R5 almost as good
• + eye focus performs well, but must choose animal type manually
• – video AF only supports human-eye AF
• + more reliable at spot-AF tracking, less so for bird-eye AF tracking
• – CFexpress-A cards (not CFexpress-B) … more expensive, less capacity
• – least versatile flip screen
• + EVF has no lag, no blackout, and best resolution of all three cameras
• + wide selection of native glass (best across all three vendors)

Detailed reviews

Before making my choice, I read many websites and watched countless YouTube reviews; the above observations derive from that reading. The most helpful were from Tony & Chelsea Northrup, as well as a few from Jan Wegener and Jared Polin. I found the following videos/pages to be most helpful.

• Chelsea Northrup’s playlist comparing these three cameras:
  • Dumping my Canon R5? (PART 1)
    • She had been using the Canon R5 for several years, and is now considering the Sony a1 and the Nikon z9; this is first in a series of reviews to decide.
    • All three have good image quality, USB-C charging.
    • Canon R5 has good usability, good for travel, good for landscape, cheaper than Z9 or a1, light/compact lenses, and a fully articulating screen.
    • Canon also has 2 card slots including the cheaper SD card.
    • The Nikon Z9 has GPS and glowing buttons – wish all had those.
  • Nikon Z9 vs Sony a1 / Canon R5: Landscapes & Travel Camera Review
  • BEST Portrait Camera: Nikon Z9 vs Sony a1 vs Canon R5 (part 3)
  • Ultimate WILDLIFE camera: Sony a1 vs Nikon Z9 vs Canon R5
  • I’m DUMPING Canon… for Nikon or Sony?
    • Although she noted all three are fantastic cameras, she picked the Sony because she does a lot of wildlife photography and it has the best AF and can shoot 30 fps RAW; it was not the winner for landscape or travel, however, and tied for best in portraits.
• Chelsea and Tony Northrup’s other reviews of one or more of these cameras:
  • Canon EOS R5 Review: Travel & Landscape Photography
    • Here they compared the R5 with the Sony a7r3, and liked the R5 for its low-light performance, image stabilization, flip screen, lightweight 600mm f/11 lens, and sensor-cover feature.
  • Sony a1 vs Canon R5 Review: Portraits, Sports & Wildlife
  • Ultimate WILDLIFE camera: Sony a1 vs Nikon Z9 vs Canon R5
  • Nikon Z9 vs Canon R3 vs Sony a1: AMAZING!!
  • $600-$2,000: 10 Wildlife Photography Lenses Reviewed!
  • SHOCKING Sony a1 vs Canon R5 Review: Portraits, Sports & Wildlife
  • ULTIMATE Image Quality test: Sony a1 & a7R IV vs Canon R5 & Nikon Z7 II
    • They found the Sony had the best stabilization (by 1 stop), but the pixel-shift technology was not worthwhile. The Canon had better dynamic range, and the Nikon Z7ii better still. They like the Canon flip screen best. Overall, the Canon R5 was best overall.
• Jared Polin is a bit quirky but has some good insights:
  • Sony a1 vs Nikon Z9 vs Canon R3: Which Camera Should You Buy? (2022)
    • (note, about the Canon R3 not R5)
  • Canon EOS R5 vs Sony a1: Which Camera SHOULD You Buy? 2022
• And Jan Wegener reviewed the Canon RF 100-500mm lens several times:
  • Canon RF 100-500 Does it WORK in LOW LIGHT & with Teleconverters?
  • Don’t tell my R5s that I have been using the A1! Sony Alpha 1 vs Canon EOS R5
  • He specifically compared the Canon R5 + 100-500mm lens with the Sony alpha1 with its 200-600mm lens; the Sony was considerably larger and heavier, but it did have an internal zoom. He liked the Canon’s hood and ability to remove the collar and foot; smaller filter size; much shorter minimal focus distance. He found the Canon better for video stabilization and birds-eye AF tracking in video. He thought the Sony was slightly better in sharpness. He disliked the Sony lens’ programmable buttons, and disliked the Canon’s requirement to zoom out before adding a teleconverter. Overall he preferred the Canon (more flexible, lighter, smaller, cheaper).
• DPreview compared the Canon R5 with some older Sony and Nikon cameras; Canon R5 vs Sony a7r4 and Nikon Z7ii
  • Canon wins overall, though it had the highest price among those three.
  • Canon had the best ergonomics, best display,
  • Canon was second-best AF vs Sony, but the best animal-eye detection
  • Canon was best for video.
  • Canon was second-best for battery life, to Sony.
  • Image quality was better on Sony and Nikon than on Canon.