DXOMark has released their review of the Canon EOS R image sensor. I've never really put much stock in the testing at DXOMark, but there are a lot of people that do. The EOS R, which has a nearly identical image sensor, but different DIGIC version (DIGIC 8 vs DIGIC 6+) to the EOS 5D Mark IV actually scored 2 points lower at 89. The EOS 5D Mark IV scored a 91.
From DXOMark:
Although we’ve not directly compared the two Canon 30MP full-frame CMOS sensors side-by-side in this review, it’s not surprising that the results for the EOS R are very close to that of the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. Both appear to use a similar sensor, with some of the differences likely attributable to the increased number of AF points available in the EOS R.
While not possessing the low noise levels of the Nikon Z 6 and Sony A7 III, which have slightly lower pixel density and BSI architecture in their favor, the EOS R’s sensor is one of Canon’s best. It comes very close to the one used in the pro-level EOS 1Dx Mark II, particularly in its low light, high ISO capabilities.
With a low noise floor, the dynamic range of the Canon 30MP sensor greatly improves over its predecessors. The EOS R is much more capable of handling high-contrast scenes, thus allowing a photographer faced with protecting highlights at capture to lift shadows in post-processing without incurring some of the noise penalties. Read the full review
The review is mostly positive for the image sensor in the EOS R, and after using the EOS R for some time, I've found no issues with the quality of the image sensor. I'm one of those crazy people that doesn't care about dynamic range though, which can bring about some fun conversations at parties.
I nearly spit my coffee out.
LOL
Personally, I have enjoyed the EOS R immensely.
"Sports (low-light ISO) ...
The difference in signal-to-noise ratios is more noticeable at low ISOs, though, and the values are so close at higher ISOs that it’s unlikely you’d be able to distinguish among them, at least for out-of-camera JPEGs. However, in testing for our low-light ISO score (see here for the protocol), both the Nikon Z 6 and Sony A7 III still have a noise advantage of 0.25 EV and 0.44 EV, respectively, which could prove beneficial when adjusting exposure levels post-capture."
HAHAHAHAHA nice one!!
Anyways, I'm enjoying the eos R since a couple a weeks and, after work since 2015 with 5Dmk3/6D/6Dmk2, this is a pure joy of sensor :love:
May be lacks behind the competitors in a few things, but it's a wonderful camera. Normally dont need to push to 3 EV or more and, in this case, the eos R works well, up to pro standards, at least for me.
EDIT: By the way, I purchase the eos R + 35 RF after sell my sigma 35 1.4 ART. I regret nothing. May be you lose some bokeh, but IQ, weight, size, close (and funny) focus distance, IS and control ring count a lot more over 2/3 stops of light. It have no problems to focus in lowlight.
Im not for a minute assuming that the Nikon or Sony don't have better sensors (the Nikon housing a Sony sensor) but I would struggle to believe the EOS R would be inferior to the 5D MKIV given the next gen processor etc.
I always take DXO results with a grain of salt but i imagine the R sensor to have a bit more noise because of the always-on sensor which runs hotter, compared to the 5D4. But this is only my guess.
This is where the difference between theory and practice comes into play. In my lab, I would run hundreds of tests over time. I’d send out for Match prints. The ink spill just didn’t allow those dark details to show. In addition, there’s the problem with double absorption. That is, the light gets absorbed going into the print, and again coming out. Hold a print up to the light, and you’ll see detail in dark areas you can’t see by reflected light. There nothing that can be done about that.
So while your camera can have a max density of 3.5, maybe higher, the print can’t go beyond 2.5, or so, on a good day! Matte may be just 2.0.
So while I’d like to see another stop of density range for the reason that was already brought up - bringing up vignetting and shadows, since I rarely need that, it’s not the biggest issue.
It’s also why pros continue to favor Canon over Nikon and, particularly, Sony. There are too many other advantages in lenses in the Canon system, and service, to care about a bit more shadow detail, or higher resolution, particularly as resolution is almost immediately dropped to under 20MP for actual editing and publishing.
The R's processor is having to do a lot more than the 5D4 is and the battery isn't able to supply as much juice to the processor to begin with. That's one of the few areas where SLRs are still well ahead of mirrorless and will continue to be so for the next couple of generations. There's less demand on the processor and battery in an SLR so you can beef up the power going to the AF drive, clock up the processor, etc. The larger SLR bodies also typically feature bigger heatsinks, which further help how much the processor and battery can push out. On a mirrorless body the processor never gets a rest, heatsinks are typically smaller, and the battery is being drained constantly.
So it's not only unsurprising but completely normal that the same—or even fractionally newer—tech in a mirrorless body would perform a little worse than the SLR equivalent.
Also bear in mind that the DIGIC 8 is not outright better than the DIGIC 6+ found in the 5D4. As a general rule the '+' DIGIC processors are the equivalent of 'two and a half' generations ahead of the plain-numbered ones. Don't forget that the 5D4 has a second DIGIC 6 processor, too, to help share the load.
Note the 1DX2 uses two DIGIC 6+ processors and can do 4K60 with a 1.3x crop, while the 5D4 with a single DIGIC 6+ and one DIGIC 6 does 4K30 with a 1.74x crop and the R—with a single DIGIC 8—does 4K30 with a fractionally tighter 1.75x crop. Hence why the 1DX2 likely isn't going to be replaced until the DIGIC 8+ is ready; the DIGIC 8 isn't quite enough to replace the DIGIC 6+ yet.
It's a similar difference to regular PC CPUs, where something like a brand new 8th generation i3-8300 is worse than a discontinued 6th generation i7-6700K. Just because a processor is newer does not mean it's better.
Still, the silver lining here for me is that this means they’re close to EOS R support for DxO PhotoLab, which is my RAW converter of choice. I actually went to RAW+JPG for my first outing with the EOS R, since DxO support for .CR3 isn’t slated until April.