Canon EOS 70D vs Sony Alpha 7R

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Canon EOS 70D and the Sony Alpha 7R, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Canon EOS 70D was introduced in October 2013 and Sony Alpha 7R was introduced in February 2014. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon EOS 70D over Sony Alpha 7R.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Sony Alpha 7R over Canon EOS 70D.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Canon EOS 70D and Sony Alpha 7R have 3.0" screens with 1,040k dot and 1,230k dot resolutions respectively. Canon EOS 70D has a Fully Articulated screen which makes it selfie and vlogger friendly and generally very useful for video shooting. Sony Alpha 7R has a Tilting screen which makes it very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting. Canon EOS 70D also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Viewfinder

Canon EOS 70D has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinderSony Alpha 7R has a built-in Electronic viewfinder with 2,359k dot resolution. Canon EOS 70D has 98% coverage with 0.95x (0.59x 35mm equivalent) magnification and Sony Alpha 7R has 100% coverage with 0.71x magnification.

Canon EOS 70D features a 20.2 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 22.5 x 15 mm and a total area of 337.5 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 12,800 and expands to 100 - 25,600 in boosted mode. Sony Alpha 7R features a 36 megapixel Full Frame CMOS sensor with dimensions of 35.9 x 24 mm and a total area of 576 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 25,600.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Canon EOS 70D is equipped with DIGIC 5+ processor and can take pictures up to 5472 x 3648 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3468x2432, 2736x1824, 1920x1280, 720x480, 4864x3648, 3248x2432, 2432x1824, 1696x1280, 640x480,5472x3072, 3468x2048, 2736x1536, 1920x1080, 720x408, 3648x3648, 2432x2432, 1824x1824, 1280x1280, 480x480 with 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios. Sony Alpha 7R is equipped with BIONZ X processor and can take pictures up to 7360 x 4912 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 7360 x 4144, 4800 x 3200, 4800 x 2704, 3680 x 2072, 2400 x 1600 with 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Canon EOS 70D has Canon EF/EF-S lens mount and Sony Alpha 7R has Sony E lens mount. Due to APS-C sensor in Canon EOS 70D its crop factor is equal to 1.6x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.6. Due to Full Frame sensor in Sony Alpha 7R its crop factor is equal to 1x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length.

No Low-Pass Filter on Sony Alpha 7R

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Sony Alpha 7R. This results in a slightly sharper image but may also introduce moiré patterns and aliasing artifacts when photographing subjects with fine, repetitive patterns or details.

No Image Stabilization

The cameras do not have image stabilization. On Canon EOS 70D it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Sony Alpha 7R nothing can be done. On Sony Alpha 7R it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Canon EOS 70D nothing can be done.

Built-in Wi-Fi

Cameras have built-in Wi-Fi which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

NFC on Sony Alpha 7R

Sony Alpha 7R has Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which simplifies the process of pairing it with other NFC-enabled devices like smartphones or tablets. It allows to quickly transfer photos and videos or remotely control the camera from compatible device. NFC can also be used for authentication and security purposes. It can verify your identity before accessing certain features or transferring sensitive data. It can be used with NFC-enabled accessories as well, such as lenses, flashes and GPS devices.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. Canon EOS 70D has a Mini HDMI and Sony Alpha 7R has a Micro HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Canon EOS 70D comes with LP-E6 battery pack with battery life of 920 shots and Sony Alpha 7R comes with NP-FW50 battery pack with battery life of 340 shots.

External Storage Slots

Canon EOS 70D has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slot. Sony Alpha 7R has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo card slot.

Shutter

Sony Alpha 7R has Electronically controlled Vertical-traverse Focal-plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Canon EOS 70D, and up to 1/8000 sec on Sony Alpha 7R. Canon EOS 70D can shoot continuously up to 7.0 fps. Sony Alpha 7R can shoot continuously up to 4.0 fps.

Focusing

Canon EOS 70D has Dual Pixel CMOS AF system with 19 (19 cross-type) focusing points and Sony Alpha 7R has 25 focusing points. Canon EOS 70D has detection range from -0.5 to +18 EV.

Flash

Canon EOS 70D has a built-in flash with maximum range of 12.00 m and also accepts external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe. Sony Alpha 7R has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/250 sec on Canon EOS 70D and 1/160 sec on Sony Alpha 7R.

Canon EOS 70D body has dimensions of 139 x 104 x 79 mm (5.47 x 4.11 x 3.09") and Sony Alpha 7R body has dimensions of 127 x 94 x 48 mm (5 x 3.7 x 1.89"). Canon EOS 70D weighs 755 g (1.66 lb / 26.63 oz) and Sony Alpha 7R weighs 465 g (1.03 lb / 16.40 oz).

Canon EOS 70D

Sony Alpha 7R

139 mm

104 mm

127 mm

94 mm

104 mm

94 mm

79 mm

48 mm