Sony A850 has a
25.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz processor. On the other hand, Canon 5DS R has a
51.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Dual DIGIC 6 processor.
Canon 5DS R's sensor provides 26MP more than Sony A850'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.
One other difference between these two cameras that is worth mentioning is that Canon 5DS R's sensor doesn't have an 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 A850 and 5DS R sensor size comparison.
Sony A850 and Canon 5DS R 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. Sony A850 and Canon 5DS R sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that 5DS R has a better overall score of 86, 7 points higher compared to A850's score of 79.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Sony A850 |
79 |
23.8 bits |
12.2 Evs |
1415 ISO |
Canon 5DS R |
86 |
24.6 bits |
12.4 Evs |
2308 ISO |