Canon
EOS R5 2020
Best for Professional hybrid shooters, portrait & wildlife
£2449
new today at Wex Photo Video
Decision tools · Compare
EOS R5 vs A1
Quick take: The A1 has the highest resolution at 50MP; the EOS R5 is the most affordable.
16 specs side by side·15 genres scored·UK prices from Wex Photo Video and Clifton Cameras
How to read this page. Highlighted cells win that row on the spec alone. Genre scores are the engine's base scores (enthusiast, photo and video); Camera Match re-weights them for your level and priorities. Price buttons are affiliate links; the price you pay is the same.
Sony
A1 2021
Best for Professional sport, wildlife, portrait & hybrid shooting
£4199
new today at Wex Photo Video
Price buttons are affiliate links — GearFrame may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never affects a score. Learn more
Verdictwhich should you buy?
EOS R5 — Professional Hybrid Shooters, Portrait & Wildlife: A landmark camera — 8K video and 45MP in one body set the standard for what mirrorless could be.
A1 — Professional Sport, Wildlife, Portrait & Hybrid Shooting: 50MP, 30fps, 8K — the Sony A1 is the most complete professional camera ever made.
Who should buy what
EOS R5 (2020)
is the right camera for you if…
- Professional photographers who need both resolution and video in one body
- Wildlife and sports photographers who want top AF with 20fps burst
- Hybrid shooters who need 8K or 4K/120p alongside high-resolution stills
- R5 Mark II buyers on a budget — the R5 still delivers exceptional results
A1 (2021)
is the right camera for you if…
- Professional photographers who need resolution and speed without compromise
- Sports and wildlife photographers demanding the absolute fastest Sony
- Studio and fashion photographers who also shoot sport or events
- A9 III or A7R V owners who want a single body that does everything
Full specificationsthe better value in each row is highlighted
| Specification | EOS R5Canon · 2020 | A1Sony · 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,449Best | £4,199 |
| Sensor | 45MP Full-Frame CMOS | 50.1MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Exmor RS |
| Resolution | 45.0MP | 50.1MPBest |
| Video | 8K RAW/30p, 4K/120p, 1080p/120p | 8K/30p, 4K/120p, 1080p/240p |
| Autofocus | Dual Pixel CMOS AF II — 1053 AF zones, subject/animal detection | Real-time Tracking, AI subject recognition — 759 phase-detect points |
| Stabilisation | IBIS — up to 8 stops combined with IS lenses | IBIS — up to 5.5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 12fps mechanical, 20fps electronic | 30fps electronic with full AF/AEBest |
| Battery Life | ~320 shots (CIPA) | ~430 shots (CIPA)Best |
| Weight | 650g (body only)Best | 737g (with battery and card) |
| Dimensions | 138.5 × 97.5 × 88mm | 128.9 × 96.9 × 80.8mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | EVF, 5.76M dots, 0.76× magnification | EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification, 240fps |
| Screen | 3.15" fully articulating touchscreen | 3.0" fully tilting touchscreen |
| Mount | Canon RF mount | Sony FE mount (full-frame E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | CFexpress Type B + SD UHS-II | Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HDMI | USB-C, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet, HDMI |
Wins the row — price, resolution, burst, battery, weight and sealing are compared; text specs aren't ranked.
How they score by genreengine base scores out of 10
Genre
EOS R5
A1
Portrait
8.2/10
8.2/10
Street
6.2/10
6.1/10
Travel
6.1/10
6.0/10
Wedding & Events
7.6/10
7.9/10
Vlogging & Video
5.8/10
—
Filmmaking
7.2/10
7.8/10
Documentary
7.3/10
7.6/10
Sports & Action
7.5/10
8.8/10
Landscape
7.5/10
7.6/10
Wildlife
7.8/10
8.7/10
Casual
5.0/10
4.8/10
Food
7.8/10
7.4/10
Macro
7.6/10
7.3/10
Architecture
8.0/10
7.9/10
Astrophotography
6.0/10
6.8/10
Scores come from the same engine as Camera Match: verified specifications weighted by what each genre needs, with documented adjustments. The product page and this table show the enthusiast base score. See how scores are calculated →
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