In the last year and a half, I was looking for an upgrade to my old camera without any success. I own a Canon 6D (first generation) since 2015 or so. Despite the beating it took so far, it still works great. Unfortunately, it lacks in certain areas. The focus system is pretty poor (I miss a lot of shots due to it), and it's video is not that great (only 1080p and contrast based autofocus with not focus peaking option).
Based on what I feel it's missing and what I like about my camera, my criteria for the new camera are:
- full frame sensor
- phase detect auto focus
- 4K recording without cropping
Canon has all these technologies, but they never put it all together in a camera. Mainly because they have so many products lines and they want to protect them (read cinema cameras).
In the current DSLR line-up, the closest I get to meet my criteria is the 1DX Mark II. I say closest because it has 1.3x crop in 4k. Initially was released with a 1.7x crop, but Canon pulled it down to 1.3x with a firmware upgrade.
The new EOS R is also pretty close, with the same caveat. A 1.7x crop in 4k that's a defying common sense. I don't expect them to improve it via software upgrade. In my opinion EOS R it's the state of Canon (in)competency in the mirrorless word. Its ergonomics leave a lot to be desired, and the rest (image quality, eye detect auto-focus, 4k video) is years behind competition (mainly Sony).
The rumours are not giving me any hope either. 1DX Mark III is supposed to launch next year. At this point you need to have a tons of old EF lenses to buy something like this. If you don't own a lot of cool EF lenses you should stay away from this soon-to-be-outdated system. Everything is gonna be mirrorless in 5 years and you will basically throw money out of the window buying lenses that will be worth nothing in a few years.
The first pro mirrorless body from Canon is expected to launch in 2021. That's almost 2 years from now. If I add the time I've been waiting already to upgrade I get almost 4 years of waiting. That's too much. It's basically the lifetime of a camera in my opinion.
That's why I'm tempted to switch brands. Most probably to Sony. Most probably A7R IV. I will give myself a few more months to reflect on this. I will try to rent it first for a trip to try it out.
Will see...
One week later: I bought the A7R IV
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