In the Field: Canon EOS R6 vs Sony A7C for Low-light Photography

Which is better for low-light photography, the Canon EOS R6 or the Sony A7C? Photographer Gess Puglielli had been shooting with a full-frame DSLR, the Canon EOS 6D, but wanted to try out two full-frame mirrorless cameras instead. In this review, Gess Puglielli compares the Sony A7C and the Canon EOS R6 with a selection of FE and RF lenses, and evaluates how each camera performs in low lighting conditions. Let's hear from Gess.

I have been considering switching to a mirrorless camera for a while now. I’m a proud owner of a Canon EOS 6D, a sturdy, reliable full-frame DSLR that offers excellent picture quality. I don’t have a specific genre of photography, but I would say that travel, wildlife and landscapes are definitely on top of my list, although I have more recently started playing with some street and conceptual photography.

The first thing I bag when I’m getting ready for my next trip, alongside my 6D, is the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS II USM telephoto zoom and the standard EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS II USM. That’s all I need—and that isn’t lightweight stuff! It’s heavy, bulky metal. The telephoto zoom, plus the camera’s weight itself, caused my left shoulder an injury last time I went for a wildlife photography shooting day. 

What took me so long before starting to investigate whether I should replace a full-frame DSLR with a full-frame mirrorless camera? Well, for starters, I wasn’t sure they could offer me the same picture quality or range of zoom lenses, especially considering wildlife photography. If the whole point of switching to a mirrorless is for me to reduce the overall weight and bulk of my camera gear, without missing out on quality and range, then I would have to make sure that not only the camera is lighter, but also the lenses that come with it.

The last couple of weeks, I have been able to access the Sony A7C and the Canon EOS R6 to assess whether a switch would fulfil what I’m looking for. Initially, I decided to try them with like-for-like photos. But, as I had different types of lenses attached to them, I just tried them separately and used them like I would normally use my Canon EOS 6D. Here is what I found out.

First of all, why did I choose the R6 and the A7C in particular? The first one would be an obvious choice for me, as a long-time Canon user. The latter is because Sony is indeed a leader in the market of mirrorless, and this model in particular offers a full-frame sensor in an extremely thin body.

Both cameras have quite a lot of common strengths, but still differ on some main specifications—the price being one of them.

During my test weeks, I attended a couple of photography workshops, so I had the chance to try and see which camera would fulfil my needs best. Which one made my life easier considering I hadn’t had the time to properly learn their menus? Which one proved to be more intuitive, while offering a great picture quality and supporting me with the settings I needed? Which one produced a result I was satisfied with? I always shoot in manual mode, as I love having full control of how I want my photo to look without spending too much time on post-production. So, an intuitive menu is pivotal, especially when you haven’t got much time to get the perfect shot. And this, in nature and wildlife, happens very often. 

Here are some photos I took during the workshop on darkness in photography. The brief included low exposure, moody shots, weird points of view, quirky and concealment. Most of these shots are in black-and-white, as it aligns with the brief.

I shot these with the Sony A7C and the Sony Carl Zeiss 24-70mm f/4 ZA OSS lens . I really enjoyed using this lens as it’s very light and offers great picture quality with crisp results even when purposely underexposed. The camera is extremely easy-to-handle, light and the menu is relatively easy, although I find the R6 menu slightly more user-friendly.

On the other hand, the Canon R6 is less comfortable to handle as it is a bit bulkier and slightly heavier. But the performance of the camera, with the Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM attached to it, is simply sublime, especially for street photography.

When used in low light and with high ISO, both cameras perform well, although the Sony offers crispier results at high ISO. Here are some shots taken in the evening low lights of North Laine in Brighton and the seafront in Hove.

In addition to their standard lenses, I wanted to try both cameras with super zoom lenses to assess their wildlife and landscape capabilities. I have to admit that the Canon RF 600mm f/11 IS STM stole my heart with its extremely light body and spectacular sharp, shake-free results. This is the telephoto lens that has been missing on the market for a while—performant, lightweight and relatively inexpensive for a 600mm. Here is a shot I took from Hove of Worthing. Considering we are talking about ten miles, this shot proves the incredible capabilities of this lens.

As for the A7C’s performance with telephoto lenses, I tested it with the Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS. The results are equally impressive, however it’s 500g [17.6oz] heavier and three times as expensive.

So, after two weeks and several experiments, did I reach my final verdict? Which one is going to replace my beloved 6D? If I had to choose based on the camera body, the Sony A7C would be the winner for me. It’s impressive how they managed to squeeze a full-frame camera in such a thin, lightweight body. It’s a stunning 55mm vs the 88mm of the R6, and weighs 509g versus 690g. The Sony also has a higher resolution photo capacity—24.2 megapixels vs 20.1—as well as a longer-lasting battery, better high ISO performance and, last but not least, is much cheaper than the R6.  On the other hand, the Canon R6 offers a more varied range of telephoto lenses that are also lighter, have more focus points, higher max ISO, double card storage, more user-friendly menu, faster continuous shooting, among other features.

It really boils down to what matters the most for a photographer. If cost-effectiveness was the main driving factor, and street photography was my only genre, I would pick the Sony over the Canon. While one of the main reasons I’m looking at a mirrorless is weight, and as much as the A7C is lighter than the R6, in the end—when used with the FE 100-400 telephoto zoom—it is much heavier than the R6 attached to the lighter RF 600mm. I’m still not completely sure which one I’m going to choose. Although, if I had to pick on the spot, I’d probably go for the Canon R6.

Read our Canon EOS R6 review for music photography, our Sony A7CR review and more camera gear guides on the MPB content hub.