Daven Mathies/Digital Trends
When Canon launched the EOS RP in February 2019, the mirrorless digicam made historical past as the most cost effective new full-frame digicam ever made. At $1,300, it undercut the bottom value of each the Sony A7 III and Nikon Z 6 by $700 (to see the way it stacks up with the latter, take a look at our Canon EOS RP versus Nikon Z 6 comparability). Of course, not often does cheaper imply higher, and Canon needed to minimize a lot from the higher-end EOS R in an effort to carry the slimmed-down RP to such a low value. So how does this entry-level full-frame mirrorless digicam stack as much as the most recent technology of what’s seemingly the preferred full-frame mirrorless digicam ever made?
Sony A7 III
Canon EOS RP
Sensor
24-megapixel full-frame sensor
26.2 megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor with optical low move filter
Burst Speed
10 fps w/ AF-C (8 fps with dwell view)
5 fps, or 4 fps with steady autofocus
Shutter Speed
1/8,000 to 30 sec.
30 sec. to 1/4000, bulb. 1/180 flash sync
ISO
100-51,200 (50-204,800 prolonged)
100 – 40,000
Autofocus
693-point hybrid phase-detection distinction AF
4,779-point Dual Pixel autofocus right down to -5 EV
Image Stabilization
5-axis sensor-shift stabilization
None (out there in some lenses)
Video
4K/30p, 1080/120p, S-Log, 8-bit
4K at 24 fps with a 1.7x crop, 1080p at 60 fps, 8-bit
EVF
2.36m-dot EVF
2.36 million dot EVF
LCD
2.95 inch, 921,00 dot tilting touchscreen
3.0-inch, 1.04 million dot tilting touchscreen
Media Slots
1 SD, 1 Memory Stick Duo or SD
Single SD card slot
Battery
Li-ion rated for 610 pictures
250 pictures
Dimensions (WxHxD)
5 x 3.87 x 3 inches
5.22 x 3.35 x 2.76 inches
Weight
1.43 kilos
1.07 kilos
Price
$2,000
$1,299
Read extra
Sony A7 III evaluation
Canon EOS RP Review
Buy Now
Sensor
On paper, the sensors on the EOS RP and the A7 III are fairly shut. Both are full body and have related pixel counts, with the EOS RP providing barely extra decision at 26 megapixels in comparison with the A7 III’s 24.
1.
Shot on Sony A7 III
2.
Shot on Canon EOS RP
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Shot on Sony A7 III
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Shot on Canon EOS RP
While each cameras produced wonderful JPEGs, the RAW photographs from the EOS RP go away a lot to be desired. The Sony presents rather more flexibility for making changes in publish, notably on the subject of brightening darkish ares of a picture. The Sony additionally performs very nicely in low mild at excessive ISO settings, and produces a few of the lowest noise ranges we’ve ever seen. The EOS RP does a good job at excessive ISOs, however it undoubtedly falls behind.
If you solely wish to shoot in JPEG, you received’t discover an enormous distinction between the 2 cameras. But if you wish to get probably the most you probably can out of your photographs — which, if you happen to’re shopping for a full-frame digicam, you most likely do — then the A7 III will certainly provide you with extra.
Winner: Sony A7 III
Speed
This is the place the A7 III actually shoots forward, providing steady capturing at 10 frames per second. Not solely is that this double what the A7 II might do, it’s additionally double what the EOS RP can do. Although the A7 III drops to 8 fps with dwell view, that’s nonetheless nicely forward of the RP. If you’re capturing motion, the A7 III is unquestionably the higher digicam. And not simply due to velocity…
Winner: Sony A7 III
Autofocus
Canon’s Dual Pixel Autofocus, which makes use of on-chip phase-detection, has at all times impressed us. It is quick, easy, and correct — all the pieces you want in an AF system. In our expertise, the RP additionally carried out nicely even in dimly lit conditions. Canon claims it might probably focus in mild as little as -5 EV, which could be very darkish.
But Sony has had three generations of mirrorless cameras to good its personal autofocus system, and the A7 III doesn’t simply profit from its hybrid phase- and contrast-detection system, however from reworked algorithms which were skilled on neural networks to acknowledge topics and anticipate movement. Combined with the quicker capturing velocity, this lets the A7 III hold observe of shifting topics with ease, the main target level staying locked on the essential space, akin to an athlete’s eyes.
The RP is definitely excellent for such a low-cost digicam, however it might probably’t actually maintain a candle to Sony’s extra superior system.
Winner: Sony A7 III
Stabilization
You don’t must look past the specs to determine this one out — the Canon EOS RP lacks in-body stabilization. The Sony A7 III has 5-axis sensor-shift stabilization that gives 5 stops of shake discount. Canon could have optical stabilization in lots of its RF lenses, however lens stabilization isn’t efficient on as many axes. And, after all, with a non-stabilized lens, you’re out of luck. This is a reasonably straightforward win for the Sony.
Winner: Sony A7 III
Video
This is one other clear win for the A7 III. Sony presents an insane quantity of customization for its video modes that makes it worthy of amateurs and professionals alike. You can shoot it like an automated camcorder, or go for most management over each side of picture high quality with choices for S-Log colour profiles and extra. It additionally maintains wonderful autofocus whether or not in 4K or 1080p resolutions.
The EOS RP does not less than provide 4K video, however solely at 24p (the Sony can do 24 or 30p). Worse, Canon’s wonderful Dual Pixel Autofocus is unusable in 4K mode, which means the digicam resorts to slower contrast-detection autofocus. 4K can be recorded from a severely cropped area of the sensor, throwing away the full-frame look. We advocate simply sticking with 1080p on the EOS RP, which is way simpler to make use of.
Winner: Sony A7 III
Design
The EOS RP is the lightest and smallest full-frame mirrorless digicam, which is actually a bonus to the best clients. However, that dimension benefit all however disappears as soon as you place a lens on the digicam. Full-frame lenses are large. Moreover, the Sony A7 III isn’t that a lot larger to start with, however it additionally presents extra controls, climate sealing, and twin reminiscence card slots. If you’re making an attempt to liberate each final ounce, the Canon is likely to be the way in which to go, however there’s no denying that the Sony is the extra purposeful design.
Winner: Sony A7 III
Is there a transparent winner?
Well, yeah. If it wasn’t apparent, the Sony A7 III is the higher digicam, however that shouldn’t be stunning given the value distinction. The EOS RP is healthier matched towards last-generation’s A7 II (which continues to be out there new, and truly for even much less cash than the EOS RP). But if dimension and value are crucial components for you — or you have got a group of Canon DSLR lenses you wish to adapt to mirrorless — the EOS RP is an effective purchase. It’s an easy-to-use digicam that brings full-frame imaging to an intermediate value, even when it doesn’t match as much as its dearer friends on picture high quality or tech.