Sony Positions Announcement of New Camera to Better Compete With Canon

The Sony a7S III and the Canon EOS R5.

Neither camera is available, or even fully launched. But the Canon EOS R5’s 8K video has been the talk of the summer, leading photographers to ask:

How will Sony respond?

The a7S II is a video-centric stills camera that’s starting to show its age; it’s well in need of an update and, had Canon stayed quiet, we would have seen just that: a capable A7S II successor, released without excessive fanfare and prolonged waiting.

But with the suggestion of an 8K camera, Canon has raised the stakes. The ball is in Sony’s court, and it’s clear that Sony wants to make the most of it.

Now, the date of Canon’s EOS R5/R6 announcement has only just been confirmed as July 9th.

Which is why we are seeing a carefully-planned launch date of late July for the a7S II successor, despite Sony’s general preparedness for a launch (Sony is currently debuting the a7S II for the media and retailers, which suggests that the cameras could technically be announced at any time).

In fact, as Sony Alpha Rumors points out, the a7S III has been registered for nearly two months, yet Sony has made no attempt to push it out into the open.

Apparently, Sony wishes to avoid any overlap with Canon, hence the later date for the a7S III. What’s curious, however, is that Sony wishes to announce their camera after Canon’s, given that the EOS R5 will surely maintain significant attention several weeks after the launch.

In fact, it’s enough to make you wonder whether Sony has a trick or two up their sleeve; for instance, is it possible that the a7S II successor might also offer 8K video? Or high-end autofocus? Or some other feature that makes it an appealing alternative to the EOS R5?

It’s impossible to know for sure, though Sony Alpha Rumors suggests that we may see some A7S III spec leaks in the weeks leading up to the launch (so keep an eye out for that!).

Bottom line:

July is shaping up to be an exciting month. And for those hybrid shooters out there, you’ll soon have two top-notch cameras to choose from!

Now over to you re the Sony announcement:

What do you think about Sony positioning the launch after Canon? And how do you think the A7S II successor will compare to the EOS R5? Share your thoughts in the comments!