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Sony A7R III vs Canon 650D Comparison

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Sony A7R III

42 MP | Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) BSI-CMOS Sensor

Sony A7R III
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Canon 650D

18 MP | APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) CMOS Sensor

Canon 650D
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Sony A7R III vs Canon 650D Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Sony A7R III, which was introduced in October 2017 is a Pro Mirrorless camera with a 42.0MP Full frame sensor whereas Canon 650D, which was introduced in August 2012 is a Entry-Level DSLR camera with a 18.0MP APS-C sensor. As you can see, 650D is 5 years older than A7R III. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Despite some fundamental differences of these two body types, Mirrorless cameras are becoming serious alternatives to DSLR cameras thanks to their size/weight advantages and recent improvements in their focus speeds , which makes this comparison even more interesting.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Sony A7R III and Canon 650D before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Sony A7R III Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2017-10-25
  • 42MP - Full frame BSI-CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 100 - 32000 ( expands to 50-102400)
  • Sony E Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3 Tilting Screen
  • 3686k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 10.0 fps continuous shooting
  • 4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 657g. 127 x 96 x 74 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Sony Alpha 7R II Compare

Canon 650D Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2012-08-20
  • 18MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 12800 ( expands to 25600)
  • Canon EF/EF-S Mount
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder
  • 5 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 575g. 133 x 100 x 79 mm
  • Also known as EOS Rebel T4i / EOS Kiss X6i
  • Replaced Canon EOS 600D Compare

Sony A7R III was replaced by Sony Alpha A7R IV. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Alpha A7R IV vs Sony Alpha A7R III
Sony Alpha A7R IV vs Canon EOS 650D (EOS Rebel T4i / EOS Kiss X6i)

Canon 650D was replaced by Canon EOS 700D. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Canon EOS 700D vs Canon EOS 650D (EOS Rebel T4i / EOS Kiss X6i)
Canon EOS 700D vs Sony Alpha A7R III

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Sony A7R III and Canon 650D compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Sony Alpha A7R III over Canon EOS 650D
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs Eye-Fi Connected Better connectivity
Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Viewfinder Magnification
0.78x vs 0.53x Larger Viewfinder
Max Sensor Resolution
42 MP vs 18 MP 133% more pixels
Max ISO
32.000 vs 12.800 150% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
425 vs 9 416 more focus points
LCD Screen Resolution
1.440k dots vs 1.040k dots 38% higher resolution screen
Viewfinder Coverage
100% vs 95% More accurate viewfinder
Max Mech. Shutter
1/8000s vs 1/4000s faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting
10.0fps vs 5.0fps 5 fps faster
Battery Life
650 shots vs 440 shots 210 more frames with a single charge
Headphone Port
Yes vs No better video control
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs No shoot at tough conditions
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs No creative shooting
Color Depth
26.0 vs 21.7 higher color depth
Dynamic Range
14.7 vs 11.2 higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO
3523 vs 722 better High ISO performance
Sensor Pixel Area
20.43µm2 vs 18.54µm2 10% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution
3840 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080 Higher Resolution Video
AE Bracketing Range
±5 EV vs ±2 EV Wide Bracketing range is useful for HDR
Flash Sync Port
Yes vs No Connect off-camera flash
NFC Connection
Yes vs No Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Shutter Life Expectancy
500000 cycles vs 100000 cycles Longer use without changing the shutter mechanism
Bluetooth
Yes vs No Connect your camera to other devices via Blueetooth
Storage Slot
2 vs 1 Extra storage slot
Smartphone Remote
Yes vs No Remote control your camera with a smartphone
Autofocus at f/8 aperture
425 points vs none Autofocus with teleconverters
UHS Card Support
UHS-II vs none Read/Write in Ultra High Speeds
Animal Eye AF Tracking
Yes vs No Easily lock and track focus on animals
Anti Flicker
Yes vs No Reduced uneven color and exposure under flickering light
Eye Tracking Focus
Yes vs No Autofocus system locks on the eye and tracks the subject


Reasons to choose Canon EOS 650D over Sony Alpha A7R III
Built-in Flash
Yes vs No Useful in low-light
Weight
575 g vs 657 g 82 g lighter

Common Strengths of Sony Alpha A7R III and Canon EOS 650D
Adjustable LCD Screen
Tilting vs Fully Articulated Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
Touch Screen
Yes vs Yes Easy control of camera functions
Viewfinder
Yes (Electronic) vs Yes (Optical) Better framing and control
RAW Support
Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Max Resolution
42 MP vs 18 MP Bigger prints and more details
Microphone Port
Yes vs Yes High quality audio recording option
AE Bracketing
Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Common Weaknesses of Sony Alpha A7R III and Canon EOS 650D
Sony A7R III vs Canon 650D: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

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 A7R III and Canon 650D side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Sony A7R III has external dimensions of 127 x 96 x 74 mm (5 x 3.78 x 2.91″) and weighs 657 g (1.45 lb / 23.17 oz) (including batteries). Canon 650D has external dimensions of 133 x 100 x 79 mm (5.24 x 3.94 x 3.11″) and weighs 575 g (1.27 lb / 20.28 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sony A7R III and Canon 650D. Sony A7R III is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 6mm narrower, 4mm shorter and 5mm thinner than Canon 650D.

Sony A7R III vs Canon 650D Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Sony A7R III and Canon 650D Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Sony A7R III and Canon 650D.

Sony A7R III vs Canon 650D Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Sony A7R III and Canon 650D Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Sony A7R III and Canon 650D.
Sony A7R III vs Canon 650D Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Sony A7R III and Canon 650D Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Canon 650D is 82g lighter than the Sony A7R III but we don't think this will make a significant difference.

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 Sony A7R III has a Full frame sensor and Canon 650D has a smaller APS-C sensor, Canon 650D's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Sony A7R III lenses.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

A7R III
650D
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

A7R III
650D
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

With its weather sealed body, we believe that A7R III has a big advantage over 650D which doesn't provide any kind of environmental sealing.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Sony A7R III and Canon 650D's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.

Sony A7R III features a Tilting only screen which is mostly only good for shooting from waist or over the head levels. On the other hand, Canon 650D sports a Fully Articulated screen which is more flexible and useful especially for taking Selfie shots and video.
Sony A7R III vs Canon 650D: Sensor Comparison

Sony A7R III has a 42.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor. On the other hand, Canon 650D has a 18.0MP APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Digic 5 processor.

Sony A7R III's sensor provides 24MP more than Canon 650D'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 Sony A7R III'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 moire occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the A7R III and 650D sensor size comparison.

Sony A7R III vs Canon 650D Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7R III and Canon 650D Cameras


As seen above, Sony A7R III has a 2.6x Larger sensor area than Canon 650D. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

Both Sony A7R III and Canon 650D 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, A7R III has scored 100, 38 points higher than 650D.

Model Overall Color Depth Dynamic Range Low-light ISO
Sony A7R III 100 26.0 bits 14.7 Evs 3523 ISO
Canon 650D 62 21.7 bits 11.2 Evs 722 ISO
Sony A7R III vs Canon 650D Comparison of Available Lenses
Which camera has more lenses?

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 650D has an advantage over Sony A7R III There are 326 lenses for Canon 650D's Canon EF/EF-S mount, on the other hand there are only 128 lenses for Sony A7R III's Sony E lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Sony A7R III has a big advantage in this regard because it has a sensor based image stabilization (IS) which means that all the lenses mounted to this body will be stabilized. A7R III's built-in Image stabilization system is effective to compensate vibration up to 5.0-stops according to CIPA standards.
112 lenses for Canon EF/EF-S mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type # of Sony A7R III Lenses # of Canon 650D Lenses
Standard Zoom 12 (9 Full Frame) 40
Standard Prime 18 (9 Full Frame) 19
Wideangle Zoom 7 (6 Full Frame) 37
Wideangle Prime 42 (26 Full Frame) 49
Telephoto Zoom 9 (7 Full Frame) 58
Telephoto Prime 18 (14 Full Frame) 43
SuperZoom 8 (1 Full Frame) 28
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 2 (0 Full Frame) 7
Macro Prime 8 (7 Full Frame) 28
Perspective Control Prime 2 (2 Full Frame) 16
Telephoto Mirror Prime n/a 1
TOTAL 128 (81 Full Frame) 326


Now let's compare some sample lenses from each mount with typical Focal ranges for Sony A7R III and Canon 650D to see how these lenses compares:

Fast Standard Zoom Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM Lens Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM
24 - 70mm 886gr 1543gr 136mm Amazon B&H Photo
Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM Lens Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM
25.5 - 82.5mm 645gr 1220gr 111mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS Lens Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS
70 - 200mm 1480gr 2137gr 200mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM Lens Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM
75 - 225mm 1350gr 1925gr 198mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Normal Prime Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 50mm F1.4 Lens Sony FE 50mm F1.4
50mm 778gr 1435gr 108mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC HSM Lens Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC HSM
45mm 435gr 1010gr 63mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Wideangle Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM Lens Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM
16 - 35mm 680gr 1337gr 122mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sigma 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM Lens Sigma 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM
15 - 30mm 520gr 1095gr 88mm Amazon B&H Photo
24-105mm f4 Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS Lens Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS
24 - 105mm 663gr 1320gr 113mm Amazon B&H Photo
Canon 15-85mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens Canon 15-85mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM
22.5 - 127.5mm 575gr 1150gr 88mm Amazon B&H Photo
Super-Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS Lens Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS
100 - 400mm 1395gr 2052gr 205mm Amazon B&H Photo
Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM
100 - 400mm 1590gr 2165gr 193mm Amazon B&H Photo
What types of Photography are Sony A7R III and Canon 650D Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Sony A7R III and Canon 650D 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 A7R III for Portrait Photography

EXCELLENT

Canon 650D for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 42.0MP
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details
Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Sony A7R III for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Canon 650D for Street Photography

GOOD
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
Read the details
Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details

Sony A7R III for Sports Photography

GOOD

Canon 650D for Sports Photography

GOOD
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 10.0fps
Anti Flicker feature
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
425 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 650 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Read the details
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
9 Cross Type Focus sensors
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Read the details

Sony A7R III for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Canon 650D for Daily Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Anti Flicker feature
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
657g
Body Thickness 74mm
Read the details
Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Large Body
575g
Body Thickness 79mm
Read the details

Sony A7R III for Landscape Photography

GOOD

Canon 650D for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 42.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details
Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Live-view
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Sony A7R III vs Canon 650D: OUR DECISION

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 A7R III and Canon 650D, 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 A7R III and Canon 650D scores compare:

Sony A7R III
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #4 out of 86 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #4 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Canon 650D
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #28 out of 78 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #214 out of 1220 in all Cameras

Sony A7R III has a higher Overall Score than the Canon 650D and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Sony A7R III
Sony A7R III
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Canon 650D
Canon 650D
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Canon 650D vs Sony A7R III Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Sony Alpha A7R III Canon EOS 650D
Brand Sony Canon
Announced 2017-10-25 2012-08-20
Body Type SLR-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor
Type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Size Full frame APS-C
Dimensions 35.9 x 24 mm 22.3 x 14.9 mm
Area 861.60mm2 332.27mm2
Megapixels 42 megapixels 18 megapixels
Max Resolution 7952 x 5304 5184 x 3456
Max Native Light sensitivity 32,000 ISO 12,800 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity 102400 ISO 25600 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 100 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity 50 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 425 9
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Sony E Canon EF/EF-S
Number of Available Lenses 128 326
Screen
Type Tilting Fully Articulated
Size 3 3"
Resolution 1,440k dots 1,040k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder Resolution 3,686k dots no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage 100% 95%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.78x 0.53x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/8000s 1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization Sensor-shift No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range no built-in flash 13.00 m
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/200s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 10.0 fps 5.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 3840 x 2160 1920 x 1080
Video Formats MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S H.264, Motion JPEG
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 657g 575g
Dimensions 127 x 96 x 74mm 133 x 100 x 79mm
Battery Life 650 shots 440 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None Optional
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 100 62
DxO Color Depth 26.0 21.7
DxO Dynamic Range 14.7 11.2
DxO Low Light ISO 3523 722
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