Best Mid-Range Full Frame Mirrorless: Canon R6, Sony a7 III, Nikon Z6 II, Panasonic S5 

True that it is important but that's also not straightforward nor does it change much IMO. For video, Panasonic offers a lot: pretty much all lenses are parfocal and have minimum focus breathing. Sony has the most right now but you could adapt pretty much anything on Z mount. On Z and RF mount you have native glass and a TON of (very affordable, especially used) SLR glass that can be adapted very well. Whatever gaps there still are today in the various mounts, they are quickly filling up and by end of next year, there really won't be an objective "decisive factor" in lens selection beyond subjective personal needs/preferences. Personally, I really find it very interesting what Canon has been doing: f2 standard zoom, super compact 70-200s, an 85 f2 "macro"... lots of interesting stuff. Not enough to make me switch but fun to watch.

This is one major reason why the Z mount is failing to sell well: They're adapter doesn't work properly, so one's existing F-mount glass is barely usable. Sony got a great native lens selection and Canon's adapter is a seamless interface for legacy glass.

@@youknowwho9247 the adapter works great! What are you talking about?!

AF-D lenses

@@PrinzMegahertz I have a supertele af-d adapted on m43 for wildlife and I did not buy Z for this reason. What’s the point if I cannot autofocus? It could have been a selling point. I also have a native m43 tele but it would have been nice to use that af-d on a Z7.

No one understands American camera bloggers it's weird, blowhard narcissism.

It is impossible to understand!

Why compare? Just enjoy what you enjoy.

Because you need to have an open mouth in the thumbnails, that's what Google's algorithm likes to push.

RU-vid is free; enjoy them all! Chris and Jordan are my favorite camera RU-vidrs, but they're mostly gear reviews and don't bring in the audience with instructional content.

I agree. A good comparison with the A7 III is the EOS R, and the comparison with the canon r6 is he a7rIV, which is technically a pro level camera, but it’s the same price.

Depends on how long you have followed photography. Considering the 6D and D600 were introduced at 2,000 and were considered entry level the original 5D was considered mid-range

The new sony a7IV will be at the same price to the R6. These cameras are like high-midrange Lumix s5 is like entry-midrange in photo and pro in video

I agree.. For the midrange they should put EOS R not R6. That price alone its almost high end. And with the current price, Lumix S5 its surprisingly in 2nd place

Dawg I got my s5 for 1350$ we aight.

I think Canon is a really bad buy for video shooters, unless they intend to scale up towards the C70 with their RF lenses. Although heat issues can be bypassed with an external recorder, that sets the price of the R6 at effectively over $3,500? I would rather buy an A7iii or S5 today than the R6. Can't trust them anymore after engineering it to overheat. Also, RF lenses cost way too much and I'm not paying more than $1.2k for a 24-70 zoom.

Panasonic cleans the floor in terms of full video it's not even funny but their AF system demands a focus pullman, otherwise for casual video it's the Sony or the Canon. Nikon i don't think has much competition for stills now that the banding issue has been resolved, their ISO performance is behind Sony in terms of noise but in practice the Sony cameras clean a bit too much information in the RAW files and the shadows get crazy. But i think all these cameras have become too clinical in their image quality.

I'd still go with Nikon system. The new S lenses are really good in terms of value and performance with that bigger opening lens mount. Don't need the heavy 1.2 lenses or even 1.4 lenses. Even the 24-70 f/4 S is so sharp I don't miss the f/2.8. To me best balance in price and small form factor. I can bring my full frame camera everywhere in a small bag (Peak Design Sling 5L) and not lug around my bigger DSLRs.

@@R2X2Z I absolutely love the 24-70 f4. Fantastic lens for travel, hiking etc. Great build quality and the collapsing design don’t bother me. There’s such a disconnect with some reviewers trashing it.. like Ken Wheeler.

Sony's incredible AF (especially on newer cameras) makes them a good video option for a lot of people. Panasonic has better video image quality in many ways but none of that matters if your clips aren't in focus. Combine with that the many affordable 3rd party E Mount lenses that use native Sony protocols (because Sony actually licenses them!) and the Sony ecosystem is a great choice. Definitely the best bang for the buck right now IMO.

Yes

The S5 is so appealing to a video oriented hybrid shooter like me, but honestly... The lens options are horrible. Only 1 native prime available (I'm not paying $2k for a lame 50mm prime). I know there's more coming out, but it's been 2-3 years and the L-mount is still like a desert. Canon made like 16 lenses? in 2 years?? And Sigma glass apparently doesn't have full autofocus capabilities yet cos Panasonic refuses to open up their autofocus protocol to Sigma.

@@professionalpotato4764 not completely true. I own an S1 with 4 sigma lenses (14-24, 100-400, 35 1.2, and 24-70) all focus the same as my Panasonic lenses and have the same functionality. These are all DG DN lenses which are designed for mirrorless though. Their other older art lenses were all designed for SLR’s and still have full functionality but don’t focus as fast. They are basically the EF lens with the MC adapter permanently attached to them. Has nothing to do with Panasonic releasing protocols to sigma.

@@dansomerville Sigma shouldn‘t be reliant on Panasonic for the protocols anyways. They are both part of the the L-mount alliance, so Sigma should have full access to the technology

@@romanpul I agree, I never said they did.

The a7 IV should bring them up to speed.

People have been shooting sports and wildlife since the manual focus film days, they just utilised techniques and anticipation to get the shots. The cameras are all so good now it doesn't make any difference. Im a Nikon Z shooter but they should have given the Sony a few more marks for the ecosystem imo. Especially the third party options.

Some people get too stuck in the gear horserace, with Canon and Nikon now maturing into the mirror less landscape we are gonna see a lot more leapfrogging between the brands. RU-vidrs (not DPReview) driving clicks for $ make things worse with GAS but we as photographers/consumers don’t need to play into it. I own the Z6II and love it but all these cameras are capable of stunning results. Use case > hype.

@@AlanHoey86 that’s why it’s always wise to buy into a system for the lenses.

@@ghas4151 yeah, I totally agree. As an enthusiast, I am really satisfied with sigma 14-24-70.... tamron 70-180 and the sony 85mm f1.8. Not the top, but way more than enough for my talent/time I have to exercise my hobby.

Amazing feel, imagine if they produce a next-level pro version of that wiith super good autofocus for photography and video... booom..!!

@@magnuseriksson8081 They Will, not "imagine if..." I would say "Imagine when"

Keep in mind that Sony was years ahead when they introduced mirrorless cameras. Canon is catching up to them and so as Nikon (meh)

@@Kenkichi24 most important word here is "was". They are pretty much on par right now, if not ahead in certain aspects... Sony had its chance and used it well, from now on it's going to be a lot tougher...

@@Ashmodai I totally agree. I'm still shocked that the new Sony A1 doesnt have an articulate screen just like Sony A7S III.

Technically not, mid range used to be 2000 dollars, now they are pushing almost 3k dollars, how is that good for users?????

I've said it before and I repeat: give Nikon a real chance, they've been in the business for just over 100 years, their glass was developed by a Zeiss Engineer ('borrowed from Zeiss') and they have shown an acceptable improvement in only 2 years. How long did it take to Sony to make a decent mirrorless? Don't discount the future firmware updates from Nikon, that, with a dual processor, we'll be up for some surprises... Have faith Captain!

The Z lenses would deserve more than just a mention, they are phenomenal!

@@gabrielh7718 they should be with such a flange distance and a 55 mm diameter! Way better than Sony!

@@enricomarconi1767 The fact that Nikon responded to criticisms so fast and stuck dual processors, and dual memory cards, and massively improved the focus, as well as making the buttons for video better than the other cameras, as well as having 10 bit RAW HDMI video out (I'm not sure if they call do this?) seems like they are trying really hard, and aren't trying to be greedy and withhold technology. It's clear that they are willing to do whatever it takes. Putting in two processors was probably the fastest, easiest solution, to improve their camera, and their free firmware updates for existing models, shows a lot of respect for their customers. Oh, and their image and video quality is as good as it gets, with the best colors and contrast... They just need to make a new camera with a side articulating screen, or a factory hot shoe screen. The lack of a sideways screen is the only reason I'm having trouble ordering a Z6ii. But I really want Nikon to have my money.

I’ve had TWO Nikon D780s break on me this year… Not a z6ii, but I’m switching to something else.

Are you happy with the s1R? I’m very close to jumping into a new system and getting the S5

@@didriketholm6852 Is great. If the size doesn't bother you and you don't need the best AF-C, it's a top camera. Probably wouldn't have paid MSRP but they got some great promotions going on so it was a affordable way to get into high MP FF. Lens selection is decent with Sigma offering good stuff and Panasonic also starting to build great and affordable lenses like the 85mm 1.8 (their 50mm 1.4 for example is a bit expensive for my taste). All in all a really good system, nothing to complain that I didn't know beforehand (like size and AF-C)

I have this camera too, fantastic.. I use it in conjunction with lecia’s. Love sharing the lenses across l mount bodies.

Yeah once you compare the expensive Z and RF glass to the Tamron and Sigma stuff they end up in a vastly different price class.

Sony is miles ahead here with lots of great value tamron and samyang options.

@@HappyHubris Once you take into account that the Sony was an Apsc lens mount that Sony is using to try to put FF lens and sensor, while those bodies will be forgotten and replaced by multiple times during the next 5-10 years the lens won't. In the last 70-200 test just 1 week ago on Dpreview there was one clear candidate that stood out as the worst and it was the Sony 70-200 lens. Another thing to take into count is the real Fstop which should be the Tstop, the Nikon 1.8 primes are only .2 Tstop less than the Sigma 1.4 lens, for example.

The 20-60mm kit lens from Panasonic looks very interesting to me. Together with the F1.8 primes it actually can be an FF-system that is portable enough for my needs.

@@danielvilliers612 T-stop is a measure of light transmission. F stop is a measure of lens opening to iris ratio. Very different measurements. 1 is a scientific measurement, the other is a mathematical calculation. T stops only matters to videographers and filmmakers who need to match exposure between lenses and cameras. The f-stop is the actual thing that regulates your depth of field so that's more important for photographers, since it's all about the look in a slice of time. The difference in T-stop doesn't magically make the Nikon f/1.8 primes operate at f/1.6 or f/1.5. Images will be brighter, but that's about it. Exposure can always be adjusted in post for photos (anything within 2 stops over/under is easily recoverable these days), but it's harder to match footage from multiple lenses down to the T. (pun intended)

I will take one too!

in the tech world 2 years is not even that old these guys are funny 😅

Keep in mind that since the A7III came out, 2 generations of Canon and Nikon cameras have come out. Not 1 but 2!

@@SunnySoCal well to be fair excluding lens selection all the other cameras in the video do beat out a7iii. The only thing going for it is the autofocus and it's more "affordable" because its older

I just bought a 2017 body (A7RIII). Sony's new autofocus is amazing, but there's something to be said for "good enough with a veey detailed sensor."

@@siming_photo3983 Lowlight performance and dynamic range of the Sony is better than the Canon. So I believe that it should be ahead of it in the Image quality section. Still a very good performance for a 3 years old camera.

Don't forget the lens options. The ecosystem is very important given the fact that all of these cameras are really capable.

Good choice, it's a very nice camera

@@evgenykyselgov9533 I was a little disappointed in the Z6, not willing to buy one, however I may get the 6II... no more outrageous xqd cards!! I just hope Tamron comes out with their Z mounts, that would be a game changer!! 🤞🤞

​@@coltoncyr2283 It depends of your needs. I never though I'd buy even more expensive SD card not to mention XQD however as I consider making more videos I said to myself "fuck it" and bought 265 GB CFexpress and it's fucking mind blowing! Better be as future proof as possible. The speeds are ridiculous, almost no chance of malfunction and life time warranty. SD will be in the past very soon, hah

@@coltoncyr2283 You can use Tamron F mount lenses via FTZ, that is almost free in kits now. www.tamron.eu/service/compatibility-nikon-z-and-canon-eos-r/

@@dicekolev5360 my local Photo shop has a deal $2050 for body ftz and 128gb cf card.. I'm fighting in my mind to bite the bullet, I'm just an enthusiast so that's a good chunk of money, 🤔 but I've been saving for a while, sold my old lenses and I have $1000 in cash right now. Just have to convince the wife haha

much faster than Sony did huh?

Thanks, that's good to know!

Is S5 autofocus something I will struggle with if I take photos through the display (live view) or are the limitations only there when you shoot video? Asking because I'm a dSLR user and I remember whenever I switched to Liveview the lens focus would go crazy

@@glacialimpala lumix AF it just ugly, not because LV or else. This change in s5ii which now have phase detect autofocus

As a stills shooter, I find the S5 AF more than adequate for most shooting. Only tracking quickly moving subjects is a bit of an issue. It's not a sports camera, but for still or slower-moving subjects it's great. It's not fair to say the S5 has bad AF. Even for video shooting it's better than some. For stills, it's very, very good. Read plenty of reviews.

@@skfineshriber So unless someone was to shoot fast moving stuff it would literally not be noticable that AF could be better? Thank you, that means a lot to me. I shoot landscape, portraits and sky objects, so that should be a non issue...

With that perspective, it sure is. And considering the lens lineup, it's more than competitive still.

If you want to decide based on price you should put the A7RII on the list as well which is rediculously cheap for what it is

@@chillipompom5263 True, that opens the floodgates beyond the scope of this video as there's a crazy amount of value to be had in the used market.

here in germany the Z6 II is just 100 euro more expensive

@@chillipompom5263 Not worth getting imo. The autofocus is too poor, probably even worse than Panasonic. Sony only got good with autofocus from their gen3 models.

You're both right, in different ways.

I really wanted to buy the XT-4 but it was even more expensive than the Z6II. As much as I love Fuji the Z6II seems like the better choice bc of full frame sensor and functions

Trust me sony is way better with all of the lenses and just everything

Is it a paid upgrade? Is there a crop?

@@AbhishekJoshi it's free and it has 1.5x crop.

@@StefanPacMan Thank you. I am really confused between the S5 and Z6 II :/

No... the R6 is more advanced, the AF is the second generation and they use Digic X processor same as used in 1DX line and also r5

I have recently got an amazing deal with gx80 as micro 4/3 feature packed camera (aps-c with similar features cost 2x more) and I am really curious about your experience owning both m4/3 and FF. I feel like my m4/3 is good enough for 90% of my needs but the Internet with all those trends makes me think twice about getting a larger sensor system in the future. So could you tell more or less how do you use your cameras and if m4/3 is good enough for your needs or that FF camera made a huge difference in your photography. I know it's all about photos and not gear, but still curious to know what you think :D

Decision between what ?

Nikon Z6ii & Sony A7III... after all Sony A7iii seems to have aged finally but shall awaite final review from Chris 👍

@DedSec a7s3 has 12 ;-)

@M Tech too high? There were so many deals on a7III yesterday on black friday, it's crazy. At least in Europe. You could get a7III with a battery grip for 1400 Euro, or in combo with the Tamron 28-75 f2.8 for 1930 Euro. That's entry level full frame, or, to be honest, more like top level of APSC price range. Crazy good prices, something you will not see for Z6II, S5, or R6 anytime soon.

@M Tech I've just written, that Z5 is pricier in EU. Sony really doesn't have a very budget FF, that's true. But what the competition has, i would not buy that either...

Yes. I want to upgrade for either the x-t4, the s5 or the r6

This is fully reasonable, but in the long run, this is not "good enough" for Nikon. If only guys which already have Nikon F lenses buy Nikon Z, then the Pentax effect kicks in: The user community is aging, because no new system camera users find their way to Nikon, only previous Nikon DSLR owners stay with Nikon. In the long run, this means, the market share is declining, and that kicks off a vicious circle (market share declines > even less chances for 3rd party lens support > even less new users decide to go for Nikon > market share declines further > even less chances for 3rd party lens support > etc ... > ends up like Pentax )

The switch to mirrorless is a good opportunity to shake that up. I'm going from nikon to sony since I'll need new lenses anyway

well actually you can :D

You think they will make a GH6? It would be amazing if they made a more megapixel micro four thirds camera

And the Z6 II is only $2699

That last paragraph: facts!

@@lilnape2604 The big difference is that investing in Sony is investing in an outdated mount that was designed for apsc from the start. The last Dpreview 70-200 2.8 test was testimony of the that. The Sony was a stand out in this test. And not about being good, but the contrary. When you see the difference between Z lens and F mount Nikon lens, you can clearly see the advantage of what a bigger lens mount brings.

@@danielvilliers612 ehhh that Sony 70-200 is quite old. The Sony mount hasn’t stopped sigma/tamrom from releasing spectacular lenses and Sony’s recent 135, 20 and 12-24 are both as good as anything out. I say that with having no investment in Sony. I have a Z6ii.

Where tha a7iv at

Sony colors NEVER look good. They can never crush it. It's only fanboys who keep talking about it. It's Canon, Nikon, or Panasonic.

I'm honestly considering between the S1 and A7iii. I'm a video oriented hybrid shooter, so the Panasonic naturally appeals greatly. However the lens options are severely limited right now. Do you think a 24-105 f/4 is enough for most general paid jobs? Or should I get the body alone with a Sigma 24-70? The only reason I would be considering the A7iii in 2020 is I know that the A7iv will come with 10 bit, and good autofocus (which I do need for photos). And hopefully I can build a decent lens kit by the time the A7iv is released. What's your take? S1+ 24-105? Or A7iii with Sigma 24-70? That's pretty much all I can afford right now. I shoot stuff for fitness, interviews, events etc.

@@professionalpotato4764 I use the S1 and have the 24-105 and so far it hasn't let me down. With the new update coming sometimes next year, the video recording options will be waaaay above the A7III. Wonder if they will update the S1h as well since they would be pretty close to each other then

@@luisneumannp2748 That's really good to know. Yeah, the Panasonic videos are a complete different game compared to the A7iii. I really hope the new primes come out soon.

@@professionalpotato4764 I use the 24-105 primarily for my event work and it has worked very well for me especially with the incredible IBIS and viewfinder. Would push to 12800 iso and it would still work well. I do a lot of interviews/events, so the 10-bit recording with no time limit was one of the main reasons I bought into the system. No other camera in this price range has that feature. Excited for the cheap primes as well, but for now the 24-105 and 50mm 1.4 suit me well. I really would not buy into the A7III at this point do to the viewfinder and record limitations. I don't find the the AF limiting for photos, but that is primarily because I do not do sports or fast action. If you do often take photos with fast movement I would not recommend the system at this time.