Updated (August, 2012): Compare the Canon EOS 5D Mark III vs Sony SLT-A99

vs
Sony SLT-A99

81

Sony SLT-A99
Tie
     
 

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Startup delay
 Almost no delay when powering up
400 ms startup delay
Sensor size
 Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
 

Reasons to buy the Sony SLT-A99

Overall image quality
 Great image quality
89.0
Color depth
 Great color depth
25 bits
Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
14 EV
Screen resolution
 High resolution screen
1,229k dots
 
Differences | Recommendations | Cast your vote | Similarities | Competitors | Appearance | Discussion

differences

Advantages of the Canon 5D Mark II

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Viewfinder Has an optical viewfinder Pentaprism vs Digital
Help
 Optical viewfinders save battery life and are more detailed
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO 1,815 ISO vs 1,555 ISO
Help
 The 5D Mark II has a slight edge (0.2 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Lens availability More lenses available 156 lenses vs 123 lenses
Help
 Around 30% more lenses available
Startup delay Less startup delay 400 ms vs 700 ms
Help
 More than 40% less delay when turning on
Battery life Longer battery life 850 shots vs 500 shots
Help
 70% more shots per battery charge
Thickness Thinner 3" vs 3.1"
Help
 Almost the same
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Learn more about
the Canon 5D Mark II

Advantages of the Sony SLT-A99

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Autofocus Video autofocus Phase detection vs None
Help
 Automatically focuses shooting video
Overall image quality Better image quality 89.0 vs 79.0
Help
 More than 10% better image quality
Dynamic range More dynamic range 14 EV vs 11.9 EV
Help
 2.1 f-stops more dynamic range
Image stabilization Image stabilization Sensor shift vs None
Help
 Helps eliminate blur caused by small camera movements
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen 1,229k dots vs 920k dots
Help
 More than 30% higher resolution screen
HDR Has in-camera HDR Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple exposures to capture high dynamic range
Panorama Can create panoramas in-camera Yes vs No
Help
 Stitches together multiple photos for a wide perspective
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen Yes vs No
Help
 Flip-out screens can be helpful when composing tricky shots or taking movies
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 25,600 ISO vs 6,400 ISO
Help
 The SLT-A99's maximum light sensitivity is 2 f-stops better
Color depth Better color depth 25 bits vs 23.7 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1.3 more bits of color
GPS Has a GPS Yes vs No
Help
 Automatically geotags your photos when traveling
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 127 ms vs 206 ms
Help
 Around 40% less delay when taking photos
Cross type focus points More cross-type focus points 11 vs 1
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 6 fps vs 3.9 fps
Help
 More than 50% faster continuous shooting
True resolution Higher true resolution 24 MP vs 21 MP
Help
 Capture more than 10% more detail in your photos
Storage slots Has more storage slots 2 vs 1
Help
 More slots allows storing more images without switching memory cards
Focus points More focus points 19 vs 9
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Viewfinder coverage Better viewfinder coverage 100% vs 98%
Help
 Almost the same
Weight Slightly lighter 812 g vs 850 g
Help
 Almost the same
Sony SLT-A99 Learn more about
the Sony SLT-A99
vs

recommendations

Which camera do we recommend? Relative to the best recent pro DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Canon EOS 5D Mark II 82
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        81 Sony SLT-A99 Sony SLT-A99
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              similarities

              Compared to recent DSLRs

              Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
              Viewfinder size Above average viewfinder size Help
              0.71x
              Sensor size Large sensors Help
              5D Mark II:Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
              SLT-A99:Full frame 35.8x24.0mm
              Weather sealed Weather sealed Help
              Shoot in extreme weather
              Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
              1/8000 of a second
              Built-in flash No built-in flash Help
              Professional
              Built-in focus motor No focus motor Help
              Won't autofocus with all lenses
              Focus points Few focus points Help
              5D Mark II:9
              SLT-A99:19

              Compared to recent pro DSLRs

              Common Strengths Common Weaknesses

              Snapsort is not aware of any interesting strengths shared by these two products.
              Battery life Few shots per battery charge Help
              5D Mark II:850 shots
              SLT-A99:500 shots
              Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
              5D Mark II:3.9 fps
              SLT-A99:6 fps
              Screen size Very small screens Help
              3.0"
              Low light performance Above average noise at high ISO Help
              5D Mark II:1,815 ISO
              SLT-A99:1,555 ISO

              dxomark

              DXOMark

              competitors

              Shared Competitors

              Advantages

              Disadvantages
              Canon EOS 6D

              Canon EOS 6D

              Pro DSLR

              $1,899 body only

              $2,299 - $2,499 with 24-105mm lens
              Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
              Light sensitivity (boost) Slightly higher boost light sensitivity
              Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
              Shutter lag Has much more shutter lag
              Compare the EOS 6D vs the EOS 5D Mark II
              Compare the EOS 6D vs the SLT-A99
              Canon EOS 5D Mark III

              Canon EOS 5D Mark III

              Pro DSLR

              $3,399 body only

              $3,990 - $3,999 with 24-105mm lens
              Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
              Screen size Has a significantly larger screen
              Weight Is slightly heavier
              Dynamic range Has slightly narrower dynamic range
              Compare the EOS 5D Mark III vs the EOS 5D Mark II
              Compare the EOS 5D Mark III vs the SLT-A99
              Canon EOS 7D

              Canon EOS 7D

              Pro DSLR

              $969 - $1,299 body only

              $1,284 - $1,299 with 18-135mm lens
              Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
              Lens availability Slightly more lenses available
              Sensor size Has a much smaller sensor
              True resolution Takes slightly lower resolution photos
              Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 5D Mark II
              Compare the EOS 7D vs the SLT-A99
              Canon EOS 70D

              Canon EOS 70D

              Pro DSLR

              $1,049 - $1,150 body only

              $200 - $1,249 with 18-55mm lens
              Touch screen Has a touch screen
              Shutter lag Has slightly less shutter lag
              Thickness Is thicker
              Sensor size Has a significantly smaller sensor
              Compare the EOS 70D vs the EOS 5D Mark II
              Compare the EOS 70D vs the SLT-A99
              Nikon D7100

              Nikon D7100

              Entry-level DSLR

              $1,097 - $1,147 body only

              $1,394 - $1,397 with 18-140mm lens
              Screen size Has a significantly larger screen
              Lens availability Significantly more lenses available
              Sensor size Has a significantly smaller sensor
              Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
              Compare the D7100 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
              Compare the D7100 vs the SLT-A99
              Nikon D700

              Nikon D700

              Pro DSLR

              $3,395 body only
              Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
              Focus points Has significantly more focus points
              Weight Is slightly heavier
              Viewfinder coverage Significantly less viewfinder coverage
              Compare the D700 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
              Compare the D700 vs the SLT-A99
              Nikon D610

              Nikon D610

              Pro DSLR

              $1,897 body only

              $2,397 - $2,440 with 24-85mm lens
              Low light performance Is significantly less noisy at high ISO
              Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
              Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
              Thickness Is thicker
              Compare the D610 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
              Compare the D610 vs the SLT-A99

              Canon EOS 5D Mark II Competitors

              Advantages

              Disadvantages
              Canon EOS 60D

              Canon EOS 60D

              Pro DSLR

              $699 - $871 body only

              $450 - $1,182 with 18-135mm lens
              Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen
              Screen resolution Higher resolution screen
              Low light performance More noise at high ISO
              Overall image quality Significantly worse image quality
              Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 5D Mark II

              Sony SLT-A99 Competitors

              Advantages

              Disadvantages
              Sony A7R

              Sony A7R

              Mirrorless interchangeable-lens
              Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO
              True resolution Much higher true resolution
              Autofocus Slower autofocus
              Lens availability Much fewer lenses available
              Compare the A7R vs the SLT-A99
              Sony SLT A77 II

              Sony SLT A77 II

              Pro DSLR

              $1,098 body only

              $1,698 with 16-50mm lens
              3D Takes 3D photos
              Focus points Many more focus points
              Low light performance More noise at high ISO
              Overall image quality Worse image quality
              Compare the SLT A77 II vs the SLT-A99

              appearance

              Canon EOS 5D Mark II Sony SLT-A99
              Canon EOS 5D Mark II Sony SLT-A99
              Canon EOS 5D Mark II Sony SLT-A99

              discussion

              Canon EOS 5D Mark II
              EOS 5D Mark II
              Canon

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              Sony SLT-A99
              SLT-A99
              Sony

              Report a correction

              Showing 4 comments

              Ronny (6:16 PM, January 02, 2014)
              bullshit comparison,,, 5d mark ii shud be compare with Sony A77... A99 is better then canon 5d ii n iii...
               
              Guest (1:10 AM, June 19, 2013)
              really?? are you giving them a tie? why? Don't you see that the a99 is a
              much better camera than the 5d mark ii?. I think you are taking that
              conclusion based on the price only, because the a99 has a much better dynamic range, higher true resolution, a better color depth, a larger viewfinder (who cares if it's digital, it is very sharp though), a much better hybrid autofocus system, has more storage slots, shoots faster,
              has GPS, etc... the 5d is better than the a99 only in low light
              performance, but for 0.2 f-stops?? c'mon!!! and who cares if canon
              already has much more lenses available, you are not gonna buy more than 5
              lenses anyway. I believe there's something wrong with this review, I
              used to trust a lot in this page, but until now I don't rely on you any
              longer. there must be somthing wrong with this page and DxO.
               
              Guest (1:08 AM, June 19, 2013)
              really?? are you giving them a tie? why?, don't you see that the a99 is a much better camera than the 5d mark ii. I think you are taking that conclusion based on the price only, because the a99 has much better dynamic range, higher true resolution, a better color depth, a larger viewfinder (who cares if it's digital, it is very sharp though), a much better hybrid autofocus system, has more storage slots, shoots faster, has GPS, etc... the 5d is better than the a99 only in low light performance, but for 0.2 f-stops?? c'mon!!! and who cares if canon already has much more lenses available, you are not gonna buy more than 5 lenses anyway. I believe there's something wrong with this review, I used to trust a lot in this page, but until now I don't rely on you any longer. there must be somthing wrong with this page and DxO.
               
              jerry lambert (4:50 PM, May 07, 2013)
              with all you get with the sony over the canon id go with the sony.