Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs.
In this section, We are going to illustrate Sony A7S and Canon 5D side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Sony A7S has external dimensions of 127 x 94 x 48 mm (5 x 3.7 x 1.89″) and weighs 489 g (1.08 lb / 17.25 oz) (including batteries). Canon 5D has external dimensions of 152 x 113 x 75 mm (5.98 x 4.45 x 2.95″) and weighs 895 g (1.97 lb / 31.57 oz) (including batteries).
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sony A7S and Canon 5D. Sony A7S is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 25mm narrower, 19mm shorter and 27mm thinner than Canon 5D.
![Sony A7S vs Canon 5D Camera Size Comparison - Front View]()
Comparison image of Sony A7S and Canon 5D Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View
Here is the back view size comparison of Sony A7S and Canon 5D.
![Sony A7S vs Canon 5D Camera Size Comparison - Back View]()
Comparison image of Sony A7S and Canon 5D Size and Weight - Back View
Now lets look at the top view comparison of Sony A7S and Canon 5D.
![Sony A7S vs Canon 5D Camera Size Comparison - Top View]()
Top View Comparison image of Sony A7S and Canon 5D Size
Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day.
Sony A7S is significantly lighter (406g ) than the Canon 5D which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.
Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since both Sony A7S and Canon 5D have the same Full frame sized sensor, their lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will be similar in size and weight.
Weight Comparison
DSLR Cameras
Thickness Comparison
DSLR Cameras
Weather Sealing
Both A7S and 5D have weather sealings in their body, making them resistant to water and dust.
LCD Screen Size and Features
Sony A7S's 3 LCD screen is slightly larger than Canon 5D's 2.5" screen.
In addition to the size advantage, Sony A7S LCD screen also has a
Tilting feature where you can change the angle of the screen to make it easier to shoot from waist or over the head levels. On the other hand, Canon 5D has a fixed type screen which provides less flexibility in shooting positions compared to A7S.
Sony A7S has a 12.0MP Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor. On the other hand, Canon 5D has a 13.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Digic II processor.
Below you can see the A7S and 5D sensor size comparison.
![Sony A7S vs Canon 5D Sensor Size Comparison]()
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7S and Canon 5D Cameras
Sony A7S and Canon 5D have almost the same sensor size so none of them has any significant advantage over other in providing control over depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
Both Sony A7S and Canon 5D sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark 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. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, A7S has scored 87, 16 points higher than 5D.
| Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
|
Sony A7S |
87 |
23.9 bits |
13.2 Evs |
3702 ISO |
|
Canon 5D |
71 |
22.9 bits |
11.1 Evs |
1368 ISO |
Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Canon 5D has an advantage over Sony A7S There are 250 lenses for Canon 5D's Canon EF mount, on the other hand there are only 128 lenses for Sony A7S's Sony E lens mount.
Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. None of these bodies have sensor based image stabilization so you have to buy lenses with Optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 31 lenses for Sony E mount and 76 lenses for Canon EF mount with IS.
| Lens Type |
# of Sony A7S Lenses |
# of Canon 5D Lenses |
| Standard Zoom |
12 (9 Full Frame) |
22 (22 Full Frame) |
| Standard Prime |
18 (9 Full Frame) |
17 (17 Full Frame) |
| Wideangle Zoom |
7 (6 Full Frame) |
20 (20 Full Frame) |
| Wideangle Prime |
42 (26 Full Frame) |
46 (46 Full Frame) |
| Telephoto Zoom |
9 (7 Full Frame) |
50 (50 Full Frame) |
| Telephoto Prime |
18 (14 Full Frame) |
43 (43 Full Frame) |
| SuperZoom |
8 (1 Full Frame) |
9 (9 Full Frame) |
| Wideangle Fisheye Prime |
2 (0 Full Frame) |
3 (3 Full Frame) |
| Macro Prime |
8 (7 Full Frame) |
24 (24 Full Frame) |
| Perspective Control Prime |
2 (2 Full Frame) |
16 (16 Full Frame) |
| Telephoto Mirror Prime |
n/a |
n/a |
| TOTAL |
128 (81 Full Frame) |
250 (250 Full Frame) |
Now let's compare some sample lenses from each mount with typical Focal ranges for Sony A7S and Canon 5D to see how these lenses compares:
Fast Standard Zoom Lenses
Fast Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Fast Normal Prime Equivalent Lenses
Fast Wideangle Zoom Equivalent Lenses
24-105mm f4 Equivalent Lenses
Super-Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
In this section, we rank and compare Sony A7S and Canon 5D for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.
Sony A7S for Portrait Photography
Canon 5D for Portrait Photography
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 13.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Sony A7S for Street Photography
Canon 5D for Street Photography
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
No Image Stabilization
No Live-view
Large Body
Read the details
Sony A7S for Sports Photography
Canon 5D for Sports Photography
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
25 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
Good Battery Life: 800 shots
Good Low Light ISO
No Image Stabilization
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
9 Focus Points
Read the details
Sony A7S for Daily Photography
Canon 5D for Daily Photography
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
489g
Body Thickness 48mm
Read the details
Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
895g
Body Thickness 75mm
Read the details
Sony A7S for Landscape Photography
Canon 5D for Landscape Photography
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Read the details
Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Average Resolution Sensor: 13.0MP
No Live-view
Read the details
You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Sony A7S and Canon 5D, below you can find their scores in five different aspects.
Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.
Here is a summary of how Sony A7S and Canon 5D scores compare:
Sony A7S
Ranked
#39 out of 86 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked
#71 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Canon 5D
Ranked
#60 out of 94 in Mid-size SLR cameras
Ranked
#460 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Sony A7S is the clear winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Canon 5D in all criteria. It has better general image quality, more features, more compact body and offers more value for the money
| General |
Sony Alpha A7S |
Canon EOS 5D |
| Brand |
Sony |
Canon |
| Announced |
2014-04-06 |
2005-11-12 |
| Body Type |
SLR-style mirrorless |
Mid-size SLR |
Sensor |
|
|
| Type |
CMOS |
CMOS |
| Size |
Full frame |
Full frame |
| Dimensions |
35.8 x 23.9 mm |
36 x 24 mm |
| Area |
855.62mm2 |
864.00mm2 |
| Megapixels |
12 megapixels |
13 megapixels |
| Max Resolution |
4240 x 2832 |
4368 x 2912 |
| Max Native Light sensitivity |
409,600 ISO |
3,200 ISO |
| Min Native Light sensitivity |
100 ISO |
100 ISO |
| RAW Support |
|
|
Autofocus |
|
|
| AF Touch |
|
|
| AF Continuous |
|
|
| AF Single |
|
|
| AF Tracking |
|
|
| AF Selective |
|
|
| AF Center |
|
|
| AF Multi Area |
|
|
| AF Live View |
|
|
| AF Face Detection |
|
|
| AF Contrast Detection |
|
|
| AF Phase Detection |
|
|
| Number of Focus Points |
25 |
9 |
Lens |
|
|
| Manual Focus |
|
|
| Lens Mount |
Sony E |
Canon EF |
| Number of Available Lenses |
128 |
250 |
Screen |
|
|
| Type |
Tilting |
Fixed type |
| Size |
3 |
2.5" |
| Resolution |
1,230k dots |
230k dots |
| Touch Screen |
|
|
Viewfinder |
|
|
| Viewfinder |
Electronic |
Optical (pentaprism) |
| Viewfinder Resolution |
2,359k dots |
no electronic viewfinder |
| Viewfinder Coverage |
100% |
96% |
| Viewfinder Magnification |
0.71x |
0.71x |
Photography Features |
|
|
| Max Mechanical Shutter |
1/8000s |
1/8000s |
| Shutter Priority |
|
|
| Aperture Priority |
|
|
| Manual Exposure Mode |
|
|
| Custom White Balance |
|
|
| Image Stabilization |
No |
No |
| Built-in Flash |
|
|
| Max Flash Sync |
n/a |
1/200s |
| External Flash |
|
|
| Continuous Shooting |
5.0 fps |
3.0 fps |
| Multi-Segment |
|
|
| Average |
|
|
| Spot |
|
|
| Partial |
|
|
| AF-Area |
|
|
| Center Weighted |
|
|
| AE Bracketing |
|
|
| WB Bracketing |
|
|
Video Features |
|
|
| Max Video Resolution |
3840 x 2160 |
None |
| Video Formats |
MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC |
n/a |
| Microphone Port |
|
|
| Headphone Port |
|
|
Connectivity |
|
|
| Wireless Connectivity |
Built-In |
None |
| HDMI |
|
|
Physical |
|
|
| Environmental Sealing |
|
|
| Weight |
489g |
895g |
| Dimensions |
127 x 94 x 48mm |
152 x 113 x 75mm |
| Battery Life |
360 shots |
800 shots |
Other Features |
|
|
| Timelapse Recording |
With Downloadable App |
|
| GPS |
None |
None |
DxO Sensor Scores |
|
|
| DxO Overall Score |
87 |
71 |
| DxO Color Depth |
23.9 |
22.9 |
| DxO Dynamic Range |
13.2 |
11.1 |
| DxO Low Light ISO |
3702 |
1368 |
|
Report a correction |
Report a correction |