I Bought Into Sony Camera System

When Sony announced the A7r IV my eyes lit right up. They announced a 61MP sensor which at the time seemed like a beast. Being a landscape shooter, those extra MP can make a significant difference. Being a photojournalist, the extra MP allows you to crop in a bit further which is great when combined with a longer lens.

Previously I was using a Canon 5ds and 5ds R. The Canon’s have a sensor with 50MP which is also nothing short of amazing. Compare it to Canon’s DSLR 5d Mark IV at 30MP or the newer mirrorless Nikon Z7 at 45MP. Or heck even Canon’s new mirrorless R5 at 45MP.

The 50MP of my Canon 5ds/5ds R allowed me to get closer to the Portapique community during the Nova Scotia shootings when paired with a Canon 300mm 2.8. Instead of posting a morbid picture of Portapique, here is one of the shots I took during the PEI election where a bomb threat was issued to one of our polling stations. Both photos are the exact same image, just cropped in much further.

Another one of Covehead Harbour Lighthouse.

Today, the Canon 5ds & 5ds R are the highest Megapixel DSLRs available.

A 61MP sensor would allow me to crop in even closer.

Prior to buying the Sony A7R IV, I was debating on what to do. I wanted more megapixel which led me to look at another system like the medium format Fuji GFX 100 which would also require me to buy into the Fuji lenses. This would be great for landscape shots but not so great for any photojournalist or sports coverage I do. Imagine being in Cape Breton photographing landscapes and all of a sudden I am heading to Moncton, New Brunswick for an editorial event. With 2 systems, this would require to stop over in Charlottetown (think, 75 minute ferry+45 minute drive to Chtown+45 minute drive to bridge+30 mins to NS/NB highway…..yeah, that won’t work or take both camera systems with me everywhere I go…which would would becoming annoying because of all the gear.

I wanted something that would meet in the middle. High MP meets a fast shutter..The Canon 5ds/5ds R offered 5 fps and so didn’t the Fuji GFX 100. Not exactly fast but the Sony A7r IV offers 10 fps at 61MP. Twice the speed at a higher MP count. Great I thought. So I picked one up in May amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

For editorial or sports, The Sony A9r II is a 24MP mirrorless beast at 20fps with amazingly sharp autofocus. Tack sharp for covering sporting events. I intend on purchasing one of them prior to sports restarting in our region. (Update: I’ve purchased a Sony A9 II).

In comparison to what Canon is launching lately, I was definitely interested in the Sony system. After following all the Canon rumours for an upgrade to the 5ds/5ds R, no announcement ever came. An R5 announcement did tho and while 8K video is great, I don’t shoot video unless I absolutely need to.

During the Nova Scotia shootings, I absolutely needed to during the procession however that was an irregular moment.