Sony a1 vs Canon EOS R50

This is a full comparison between the cameras Sony a1 and Canon EOS R50. We compare them by looking at the categories you see below.

Manufacturing

Sony a1 is manufacturered by Sony but Canon EOS R50 is from Canon. Both Sony and Canon are well known brands though.

Sony a1 were released 2021 and Canon EOS R50 was released 2023. That is a 2 years difference. In tech, this period can be of interest since technology is always improving, etc.

Camera Released
Sony a1 2021
Canon EOS R50 2023

Type of camera

Both these cameras are Mirrorless cameras. No difference there.

Sensors / crop factor

These cameras have different sensors. Sony a1 has a "Sony Full Frame"-sensor while Canon EOS R50 has a "Canon APS-C"-sensor, and their difference in sensors will also affect the crop factor and experience focal length. See the table below.

Camera Focal length, 50mm f/1.8 **
Sony a1 50 mm
Full-frame sensor
No crop factor/focal length multiplier
Canon EOS R50 80 mm
Canon APS-C sensor
Crop factor/focal length multiplier by * 1.6

** Experienced focal length when using a lens such as a common "50mm f/1.8"

Learn more about crop factor and focal length multiplier here:
Camera selection can affect the focal length (Sony)
Camera selection can affect the focal length (Canon)

Resolution

Sony a1 has a 50 MP (Megapixels) resolution while Canon EOS R50 has 24 MP. If we break down this in more detail this is the data behind the numbers:

Camera Megapixels
Sony a1 50 MP
49766400 pixels
8640 x 5760
Canon EOS R50 24 MP
24000000 pixels
6000 x 4000

Sony a1 has a 107 % larger resolution than Canon EOS R50. This could give you more details in the picture but also a possibility to crop more in the pictures, afterward while editing the pictures, if needed that is.

ISO range

Both of these cameras offer the exact same ISO range. They both have 100 to 32000.

Camera ISO Range
Sony a1 100-32000
Canon EOS R50 100-32000

Autofocus and lens compatibility

Both of these cameras have a built-in autofocus motor. Some lenses, that support autofocus, do not have an autofocus motor of their own but this won't cause any problems with these two cameras.

Worth mentioning is that Canon EOS R50 belongs to the Canon EOS R-system and needs an adapter to work with Canons EF, EF-S, MP-E, and TS-E lenses. You can read more about this adapter here:
Canon Lens Mount Adapter EF-EOS R

Here is a complete overview of which lenses work with each camera:
Lens compatibility chart for Sony a1
Lens compatibility chart for Canon EOS R50

Pictures per second

Depending on what you are shooting the FPS, or frames/pictures per second, can definitely be of interest. Sony a1 can shoot up to 30 pictures per seconds and Canon EOS R50 can shoot up to 12 pictures per seconds.

Camera FPS (Frames per second)
Sony a1 30
Canon EOS R50 12

Ability to record movies

It is becoming more and more popular to record movies with digital cameras.

In this case, both Sony a1 and Canon EOS R50 can shoot movies.

Weight

The weight of the camera can be an extremely important factor, especially if the camera is about to be used, or carried around, for several hours at a time.

Sony a1 weighs 737 gr (equal to 1.62 lb) which is 97% heavier than Canon EOS R50 and its 375 gr (or 0.83 lb).

Camera Weight
Sony a1 737 gr
1.62 lb
Canon EOS R50 375 gr
0.83 lb

Sony a1 vs Canon EOS R50 Specs

Below you will find the complete and detailed technical specs for both Sony a1 and Canon EOS R50, next to each other. Each category of data is a link to an article covering the subject, giving you a deeper understanding so you can better understand the strengths and weaknesses of the two camera models.

Product
Sony a1
Canon EOS R50
Name Sony a1 Canon EOS R50
Manufacturer Sony Canon
Release Date and Price
Sony a1
Canon EOS R50
Release Year 2021 2023
Release Date 2021-01-26 2023-02-08
MSRP 6499 USD 679 USD
Buy it today
Camera Type
Sony a1
Canon EOS R50
Camera Type Mirrorless Mirrorless
Sensor
Sony a1
Canon EOS R50
Sensor Size Full Frame (approx 36 x 24 mm) APS-C (approx 22.3 x 14.9 mm)
Sensor Type Stacked CMOS CMOS
Resolution 8640 x 5760 pixels 6000 x 4000 pixels
Megapixels 50 MP 24 MP
Image Processor Dual Bionz XR DIGIC 7
Image
Sony a1
Canon EOS R50
ISO Range 100 - 32000 100 - 32000
White Balance Presets 7 6
Custom White Balance Yes Yes
Image Stabilization Yes
(Sensor-shift)
No
Image Stabilization CIPA Rating 0 stops 0 stops
Uncompressed format RAW RAW
Optics & Focus
Sony a1
Canon EOS R50
Autofocus Motor Yes Yes
Autofocus Contract Detect (sensor)
Phase Detect
Multi Area
Center
Selective Single Point
Tracking
Single
Continuous
Touch
Face Detection
LiveView
Phase Detect
Multi Area
Center
Selective Single Point
Tracking
Single
Continuous
Touch
Face Detection
LiveView
Focus Points 759 651
Lens Mount Sony E

See Compatible Lenses
Canon RF

See Compatible Lenses
Focal Length Multiplier Full frame
No multiplier
Example:
24 mm remains 24 mm
50 mm remains 50 mm
100 mm remains 100 mm
200 mm remains 200 mm
APS-C Sensor
1.6x multiplier
Example:
24 mm becomes 38 mm
50 mm becomes 80 mm
100 mm becomes 160 mm
200 mm becomes 320 mm
Screen & Viewfinder
Sony a1
Canon EOS R50
Articulated LCD Tilting Fully articulated
Screen size 3” 3”
Screen dots 1440000 N/A
Touch screen Yes Yes
Screen type TFT LCD N/A
Live view Yes Yes
Viewfinder Type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder Coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.9× 0.59×
Viewfinder Resolution 9437184 2360000
Photography features
Sony a1
Canon EOS R50
Frames per second 30 fps 12 fps
Minimum Shutter Speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum Shutter Speed 1/8000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Built-in Flash No Yes
Built-in Flash Range N/A N/A
External Flash Yes Yes
Self-Timer Yes Yes
Time-lapse No Yes
Metering modes Multi
Center Weighted
Highlight Weighted
Spot
Average
Multi
Center Weighted
Spot
Partial
Exposure Compensation +/- 5 (at 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV steps) +/- 3 (at 1/3 EV steps)
Videography features
Sony a1
Canon EOS R50
Video recording Yes Yes
Video format H.264
H.265
XF-AVC
XAVC-S
XAVC-HS
H.264
H.265
Video resolution 1920 x 1080
3840 x 2160
7680 x 4320
1920 x 1080
3840 x 2160
Built-in Microphone Yes Yes
Built-in Speakers Yes Yes
Storage
Sony a1
Canon EOS R50
Memory Card Compact Flash Express
SD/SDHC
SD/SDHC
Connectivity
Sony a1
Canon EOS R50
HDMI Output Yes Yes
Microphone Port Yes Yes
Headphone Port Yes No
Wireless Yes
Built-In 802.11ac (Dual Band)
Yes
Built-in (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth)
Remote Control Yes (via Bluetooth or tethered PC) Yes
GPS No No
Body & Dimensions
Sony a1
Canon EOS R50
Enviromentally sealed Yes No
Battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery Details NP-FZ100 lithium-ion battery & charger
Canon LP-E17 Battery Pack
Battery Life (CIPA) 530 shots N/A
Width 129 mm 116 mm
Height 97 mm 86 mm
Depth 81 mm 69 mm
Weight 737 gram 375 gram