Don Haines said:
Everyone has their opinion.....
Mine is that the autofocus system is the most important aspect of a modern DSLR, followed by the lenses.
Nobody cares what the colour depth or dynamic range is on an out of focus picture....
True. HOWEVER...very, very, very, very, VERY FEW cameras on the market are incapable of acquiring focus on a consistent basis. There are misses...but there are misses with Canon equipment as well. I miss far more than I would prefer to with my 5D III and BIF or moving wildlife shots. The problem was even more severe on the 7D. It's not a high percentage, but high enough that I miss many of the "perfect" shots because they are just enough out of focus that I cannot use them...at least, not for anything larger than about a 4x6 size in print or on screen.
I find arguments specifically like this, about AF, to be rather odd. It makes the insinuation that any brand other than Canon cannot acquire focus half the time, which is patently false. Brands have been leapfrogging each other for a few years now with AF capabilities and performance. For a while it was the Canon 1D IV which was nailing it, then the D3 and D4 came along and did slightly better, then the 1D X did slightly better again, then the 7D II got similar AF capabilities to the 1D X, then the Sony A6000 brought a professional grade AF system to an $800 pocket sized camera with 11fps, and the A7r II is capable of rather high performance AF with just about any lens that can be properly adapted to it. The 5D IV will undoubtedly get Canon's iTR technology and join the ranks of the 1D X and 7D II in the Canon world. The next Nikon body will undoubtedly get further improved AF technology...
We don't have an AF problem. It doesn't matter which brand you pick, the same general AF capabilities exist in all of them. They all work quite well, and every single brand, in every single model, is going to have it's misses. As a long time Canon user, I can attest to the fact that Canon is hardly "missfocus free" here. I can attest to that fact and also claim I've verified the issue with one of Canon's most expensive lenses as well, as I own the EF 600mm f/4 L II.
So...when everything else works out. When metering gets the exposure right. When AF locks the subject properly. The thing that actually determines your IQ is the sensor. Canon sensors are good. They aren't top of the line in the greater market, but they are good. For those who need more, don't think that Canon has something particularly special in the AF department. They have some GREAT technology there for sure, but it isn't particularly more advanced or cutting edge than their top two competitors. Their competitors also have some GREAT technology there. You can focus fine with any one of these brands...but you can get better IQ if you need it, under certain circumstances for certain kinds of photography, with the other two when you cannot with Canon.
The one area where Canon excels in particular is their customer service. It definitely seems better with Canon than Nikon. I haven't had to deal with Sony customer service, so I cannot comment on it, however in every other aspect, Sony's photography division seems to be very customer focused. I hope I don't have to figure out what their customer service is like, and that the products will just keep on working.
When it comes to lenses, Sony MTFs are comparable to Canon's in most cases. Especially the white lenses. I was just checking out Sony's 70-200 f/4, and it's very comparable to Canon's. It's as good as Canon's 70-200 f/2.8 L II even. The FE lens lineup is also expanding rapidly, with eight new lenses on the way. I still prefer Canon class, I like their use of Fluorite in the superteles, and I am intrigued by their DO lenses...but Sony lenses, at least the higher grade ones, are certainly no slouches either.