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EOS R5vs A6500

GearFrame · Updated March 2026

Canon EOS R5 Canon EOS R5 (2020) Starting from £2499 new Best for Professional hybrid shooters, portrait & wildlife View EOS R5
VS
Sony A6500 Sony A6500 (2016) Starting from £649 new Best for Travel, street & versatile everyday photography View A6500

GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?

Professional Hybrid Shooters, Portrait & Wildlife — EOS R5 (2020): A landmark camera — 8K video and 45MP in one body set the standard for what mirrorless could be.

Travel, Street & Versatile Everyday Photography — A6500 (2016): The first Sony APS-C with IBIS — the A6500 added in-body stabilisation, touch AF, and a far deeper buffer to the A6300's already strong formula.

↓ Full specifications below

EOS R5 (2020)

  • 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

A6500 (2016)

  • Travel photographers who want IBIS in a compact weather-sealed E-mount body
  • A6300 owners who need the stabilisation or touch AF the A6300 lacked
  • Street and documentary photographers who want a capable compact with weather sealing
  • Sony E-mount shooters looking for a capable used body at an accessible price

Quick take: The eos r5 has the highest resolution at 45mp; the a6500 is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.

Full specifications

Specification EOS R5 (2020)A6500 (2016)
Price £2,499 £649
Sensor 45MP Full-Frame CMOS 24.2MP APS-C Exmor CMOS
Resolution 45.0MP 24.2MP
Video 8K RAW/30p, 4K/120p, 1080p/120p 4K/30p (full pixel readout), 1080p/120p
Autofocus Dual Pixel CMOS AF II — 1053 AF zones, subject/animal detection 425 phase-detect + 169 contrast-detect AF points, face/eye detection
Stabilisation IBIS — up to 8 stops combined with IS lenses IBIS — 5-axis, up to 5 stops (first Sony APS-C with IBIS)
Burst Rate 12fps mechanical, 20fps electronic 11fps
Battery Life ~320 shots (CIPA) ~310 shots (CIPA)
Weight 650g (with battery) 453g (with battery and card)
Dimensions 138.5 × 97.5 × 88mm 120.0 × 66.9 × 53.3mm
Weather Sealed Yes Yes
Viewfinder EVF, 5.76M dots, 0.76× magnification EVF, OLED 2.36M dots, 0.70× magnification
Screen 3.15" fully articulating touchscreen 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen
Mount Canon RF mount Sony E-mount
Memory Cards CFexpress Type B + SD UHS-II Single SD UHS-I slot
Connectivity USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HDMI USB, Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth
Genre EOS R5A6500
Portrait
9.0
9.0
Wildlife
9.0
7.0
Vlogging & Video
9.0
7.0
Sports
9.0
Landscape
9.0
Wedding
9.0
Travel
9.0
Street
9.0
Sports & Action
7.0

GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →

⚡ Compare specs side by side EOS R5 prices → A6500 prices →

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