Sony a900 vs Canon EOS M5

This is a full comparison between the cameras Sony a900 and Canon EOS M5. We compare them by looking at the categories you see below.

Manufacturing

Sony a900 is manufacturered by Sony but Canon EOS M5 is from Canon. Both Sony and Canon are well known brands though.

Sony a900 were released 2008 and Canon EOS M5 was released 2016. That is a 8 years difference. In tech, this period can be of interest since technology is always improving, etc.

Camera Released
Sony a900 2008
Canon EOS M5 2016

Type of camera

Sony a900 is a DSLR camera while Canon EOS M5 is a Mirrorless camera. More information about their differences will come soon.

Sensors / crop factor

These cameras have different sensors. Sony a900 has a "Sony Full Frame"-sensor while Canon EOS M5 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 a900 50 mm
Full-frame sensor
No crop factor/focal length multiplier
Canon EOS M5 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 a900 has a 25 MP (Megapixels) resolution while Canon EOS M5 has 24 MP. If we break down this in more detail this is the data behind the numbers:

Camera Megapixels
Sony a900 25 MP
24385536 pixels
6048 x 4032
Canon EOS M5 24 MP
24000000 pixels
6000 x 4000

Sony a900 has a 2 % larger resolution than Canon EOS M5. 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

Canon EOS M5 has a larger ISO-range than Sony a900. Canon EOS M5 has an ISO range that stretches from 100 to 25600 while Sony a900 has 100 to 1600.

Camera ISO Range
Sony a900 100-1600
Canon EOS M5 100-25600

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 M5 belongs to the Canon EOS M-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 M

Here is a complete overview of which lenses work with each camera:
Lens compatibility chart for Sony a900
Lens compatibility chart for Canon EOS M5

Pictures per second

Depending on what you are shooting the FPS, or frames/pictures per second, can definitely be of interest. Sony a900 can shoot up to 5 pictures per seconds and Canon EOS M5 can shoot up to 9 pictures per seconds.

Camera FPS (Frames per second)
Sony a900 5
Canon EOS M5 9

Ability to record movies

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

It is only one of these two cameras that support recording movies and movie clips and that is Canon EOS M5. Sadly, the Sony a900 does not support this.

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 a900 weighs 895 gr (equal to 1.97 lb) which is 110% heavier than Canon EOS M5 and its 427 gr (or 0.94 lb).

Camera Weight
Sony a900 895 gr
1.97 lb
Canon EOS M5 427 gr
0.94 lb

Sony a900 vs Canon EOS M5 Specs

Below you will find the complete and detailed technical specs for both Sony a900 and Canon EOS M5, 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 a900
Canon EOS M5
Name Sony a900 Canon EOS M5
Manufacturer Sony Canon
Release Date and Price
Sony a900
Canon EOS M5
Release Year 2008 2016
Release Date 2008-09-09 2016-09-15
MSRP 2999 USD 979 USD
Buy it today
Camera Type
Sony a900
Canon EOS M5
Camera Type DSLR Mirrorless
Sensor
Sony a900
Canon EOS M5
Sensor Size Full Frame (approx 36 x 24 mm) APS-C (approx 22.3 x 14.9 mm)
Sensor Type CMOS CMOS
Resolution 6048 x 4032 pixels 6000 x 4000 pixels
Megapixels 25 MP 24 MP
Image Processor Bionz DIGIC 7
Image
Sony a900
Canon EOS M5
ISO Range 100 - 1600 100 - 25600
White Balance Presets 7 6
Custom White Balance Yes Yes
Image Stabilization Yes
(Sensor-Shift)
No
(5-axis for video only)
Image Stabilization CIPA Rating 0 stops 0 stops
Uncompressed format RAW RAW
Optics & Focus
Sony a900
Canon EOS M5
Autofocus Motor Yes Yes
Autofocus Phase Detect
Multi Area
Center
Selective Single Point
Single
Continuous
Contract Detect (sensor)
Phase Detect
Multi Area
Center
Selective Single Point
Tracking
Single
Continuous
Touch
Face Detection
LiveView
Focus Points 9 49
Lens Mount Sony A

See Compatible Lenses
Canon EF-M

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 a900
Canon EOS M5
Articulated LCD Fixed Tilting
Screen size 3” 3.2”
Screen dots 921600 1620000
Touch screen No Yes
Screen type TFT Xtra Fine color LCD TFT LCD
Live view No Yes
Viewfinder Type Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder Coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.74x 0.62x
Viewfinder Resolution N/A 2360000
Photography features
Sony a900
Canon EOS M5
Frames per second 5 fps 9 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 5 meters
External Flash Yes Yes
Self-Timer Yes Yes
Time-lapse No No
Metering modes Multi
Center Weighted
Spot
Multi
Center Weighted
Spot
Partial
Exposure Compensation +/- 3 (at 1/3 EV steps) +/- 3 (at 1/3 EV steps)
Videography features
Sony a900
Canon EOS M5
Video recording No Yes
Video format N/A MPEG4
H.264
Video resolution N/A 1280 x 720
1920 x 1080
Built-in Microphone No Yes
Built-in Speakers No Yes
Storage
Sony a900
Canon EOS M5
Memory Card Compact Flash
Memory Stick Pro Duo
SD/SDHC
Connectivity
Sony a900
Canon EOS M5
HDMI Output Yes Yes
Microphone Port No Yes
Headphone Port No No
Wireless No Yes
Built-in (802.11/b/g/n with Bluetooth and NFC)
Remote Control Yes (Wired or Wireless (Optional)) Yes (Wired, wireless, or smartphone)
GPS No No
Body & Dimensions
Sony a900
Canon EOS M5
Enviromentally sealed Yes No
Battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery Details Lithium-Ion NP-FM500H rechargeable battery & charger
LP-E17 lithium-ion battery & charger
Battery Life (CIPA) 880 shots 295 shots
Width 156 mm 116 mm
Height 117 mm 89 mm
Depth 82 mm 61 mm
Weight 895 gram 427 gram