Canon 5DS R has a
51.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Dual DIGIC 6 processor. On the other hand, Sony A9 has a
24.0MP Full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm ) sized Stacked BSI-CMOS sensor and features BIONZ X processor.
Canon 5DS R's sensor provides 27MP more than Sony A9's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely.
On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.
Another difference between these two cameras is that Canon 5DS R's sensor lacks anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moiré occurring in certain scenes.
Below you can see the 5DS R and A9 sensor size comparison.
Canon 5DS R and Sony A9 have almost the same sensor size, so neither of them has any significant advantage over the other in terms of providing control over depth of field when used with the same focal length and aperture.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. It scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Canon 5DS R and Sony A9 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that A9 has a better overall score of 92, 6 points higher compared to 5DS R's score of 86.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Canon 5DS R |
86 |
24.6 bits |
12.4 Evs |
2308 ISO |
Sony A9 |
92 |
24.9 bits |
13.3 Evs |
3517 ISO |