EOS R5vs A6500
Canon
EOS R5 (2020)
Starting from £2499 new
Best for Professional hybrid shooters, portrait & wildlife
View EOS R5
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.
Who should buy what
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 |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS R5 | A6500 |
|---|---|---|
| Portrait | ||
| Wildlife | ||
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Sports | — | |
| Landscape | — | |
| Wedding | — | |
| Travel | — | |
| Street | — | |
| Sports & Action | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
More comparisons with EOS R5
Camera family history