8K Shootout: Sony a1 vs Canon R5

There aren’t many 8k cameras on the market at this time, but two of the most interesting are probably the Sony a1 vs Canon R5.

Sony a1 and Canon R5 record 8k internally
Canon EOS R5 has a few options for 8k recording that allows you to pick an aspect ratio or ALL-I, IPB, or IPB lite compressed
- 8K-D adds 8k RAW, 8k RAW lite, and 24p
- ALL-I is h.265 10-bit 4:2:2
- IPB is h.264 10-bit 4:2:2
- IPB lite is h.264 10-bit 4:2:0
Sony a1 has fewer options for shooting 8k being limited to 24/30p at a 400-200 MB 10-bit 4:2:0
The Canon EOS R5 overheats quickly so comparing how much footage a camera can capture over 2 hours
Canon R5 shot for 22 min, 6 min, 4.5 min, 11 min, 5 min, and 5.5 min before the 2 hours were over or 49 minutes of 8k recording over 2hours without andy battery changes with overheating 6 times
Sony a1 recorded for 52min before running out of space then he formated the card and recorded for 30 minutes before the camera needed a battery and then recorded for 22 more minutes before running out of space and needing a format, which was finally followed by 52 minutes of recording for a total of 117 minutes of recording time over 2 hours with no over heating
From here there are lots of samples showing off rolling shutter, low light, autofocus performance, and more
If you’re taking 8k video with only quality in mind the Canon R5 is the way to go, but you can’t trust it to shoot for more than 20 minutes at a time
If you need to record 8k video uninterrupted the Sony a1 is the only option, but it would be nice if it recorded 8k 10-bit 4:2:2 internalally

Sony A1: B&H Photo / Amazon / Moment / Adorama

Canon R5: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama