Sony a9 vs Canon EOS R8

This is a full comparison between the cameras Sony a9 and Canon EOS R8. We compare them by looking at the categories you see below.

Sony a9

Canon EOS R8

Manufacturing

Sony a9 is manufacturered by Sony but Canon EOS R8 is from Canon. Both Sony and Canon are well known brands though.

Sony a9 were released 2017 and Canon EOS R8 was released 2023. That is a 6 years difference. In tech, this period can be of interest since technology is always improving, etc.

Camera	Released
Sony a9	2017
Canon EOS R8	2023

Type of camera

Both these cameras are Mirrorless cameras. No difference there.

Sensors / crop factor

Even though the camera sensors might be called differently they are both considered Full frame which means that the focal length of the lenses is not affected. There is no crop factor on any of these cameras and sensors.

Camera	Focal length, 50mm f/1.8 **
Sony a9	50 mm Full-frame sensor No crop factor/focal length multiplier
Canon EOS R8	50 mm Full-frame sensor No crop factor/focal length multiplier

** 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

Both these cameras have the exact same resolution. Sony a9 has a 24 MP (Megapixels) resolution while Canon EOS R8 has 24 MP. If we break down this in more detail this is the data behind the numbers:

Camera	Megapixels
Sony a9	24 MP 24000000 pixels 6000 x 4000
Canon EOS R8	24 MP 24000000 pixels 6000 x 4000

ISO range

Canon EOS R8 has a larger ISO-range than Sony a9. Canon EOS R8 has an ISO range that stretches from 100 to 102400 while Sony a9 has 100 to 51200.

Camera	ISO Range
Sony a9	100-51200
Canon EOS R8	100-102400

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 R8 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 a9
Lens compatibility chart for Canon EOS R8

Pictures per second

Depending on what you are shooting the FPS, or frames/pictures per second, can definitely be of interest. Sony a9 can shoot up to 20 pictures per seconds and Canon EOS R8 can shoot up to 6 pictures per seconds.

Camera	FPS (Frames per second)
Sony a9	20
Canon EOS R8	6

Ability to record movies

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

In this case, both Sony a9 and Canon EOS R8 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 a9 weighs 673 gr (equal to 1.48 lb) which is 46% heavier than Canon EOS R8 and its 461 gr (or 1.02 lb).

Camera	Weight
Sony a9	673 gr 1.48 lb
Canon EOS R8	461 gr 1.02 lb