Canon vs Sony camera: tested at Diergaarde Blijdorp zoo

In this blogpost, I will show you how the new Canon EOS M50 camera compared to my Sony DSC-RX100M3 camera. While I mainly filmed in 4K at the Diergaarde Blijdorp zoo with the Canon camera, I asked someone else who came along to use my Sony camera (the compact camera that I normally use for on the road aka my blogger selfie/vlog camera) to take pictures and film things too. This way, I could compare the two cameras by looking at the pictures and videos afterwards.

You might wonder why I would compare two cameras with very different prices and specs. But I was offered the opportunity to test the Canon EOS M50 camera and to buy it at a discounted price afterwards. I was really enthusiastic about it, as I use my DSLR too little because of how heavy it is and my compact camera isn't powerful enough sometimes.



Underneath, you can find a compilation video of all the pictures and video clips that was taken with the Sony DSC-RX100M3 camera at the Diergaarde Blijdorp zoo. Some video clips might look similar if you watched the 4K videos that I posted before (good for comparision), but don't worry, there is still plenty of fresh content in there to keep this long video interesting.

What do I think?

I am not a camera expert, so I won't go into the details and just share a bit about how suitable the two cameras are for blogging.

I really like the Sony camera, as it is very small and lightweight. You can also immediately take the picture that you want within seconds. You just need to press the on/off button, the lens will automatically come out, and it's ready to use. With the Canon camera, I needed to take the lens cap off, push and hold the lens switch and manually rotate the lens out, before I can do anything. It takes some time to do that. However, it is possible to leave the lens rotated out, while the camera is off, so that you can take the next shot immediately, and the smaller retracted lens made it less bulky and easier to carry in my normal handbag (as in: not needing a special camera bag). But I like the screen of the Sony camera more, as you can move it above the camera (you can check how you look like in the picture or video by looking above the lens instead of at the far side). It is a small detail, but important if you regularly take selfies and film yourself by yourself.

Comparing the pictures and video clips was unfair, as the pictures are 20.1 MP vs 24.1 MP and one was filmed with Full HD and one with 4K. I could very clearly see the difference by the vibrance of the colors, the stability during filming, and the many details in the pictures and video clips. The Canon camera is hands down the winner here.

I have taken quite a long time to figure out if I wanted to keep it and ultimately, I decided to not send it back and buy it. Compared to my Canon DSLR camera (with a good macro and zoom lens), the Canon EOS M50 with the 15-45 mm lens isn't perfect, but I liked the quality of the pictures and videos so much that I think it is worth the investment.

As a side note, I have to add that I was not the one who continuously used flash on the animals (I actually never used flash in the zoo, although some people seemed to look at me and think to themselves that it is the Chinese again, who don't follow the rules).

Personal story 

I was actually shocked by the realization of how weird a zoo is (I was already against the circus for training animals tricks in harsh ways, but the zoo was still like a sweet childhood memory) and how strange it makes us humans behave. As any other kid, I loved animals and I really enjoyed the school trips to the petting zoo (until a crazy guy ruined that for me) and the Diergaarde Blijdorp zoo. My parents never took us anywhere, so I cherished every moment of it. I remember myself acting like an abnoxious and spoiled brat once, when my mom volunteered to be a group leader during one of the school trips to Diergaarde Blijdorp zoo, when there wasn't enough people to chaperone. I told my mom to just give us the answers to the school assignment that we were supposed to do and let us use the precious time to visit the animals that we were truly interested in. I asked the group members which animals they wanted to see and we fairly divided the time. It could have worked if I wasn't bullied by all the girls in the class, who rather wanted to use this opportunity to ruin my life by not letting me see the animals that I wanted by keep running around - knowing that I am responsible enough to not let them get raped or kidnapped, as at that age I already know how horrible it is, so I had to closely follow them for their safety -  and by convincing all the group members to just abandon the group, so that they can blame me and my mom for not doing our jobs. Halfway, I just gave up trying. They were having a blast trying to think of plans to not let me follow them and I rather wanted to spend the little time that I had left to see the animals that I wanted. I remember being super impatient and cranky, when I couldn't see any animal at all for a long time. Either the animals were hidden in the bushes or removed from the stables. I yelled at one of the animal carers that I wanted to see something, can't they just bring an animal out for me to see and pet? I didn't care, even dead animals who were preserved, was fine. Now that I am an adult, I realise how weird that is. I wanted someone to take an animal, who is trying to live a somewhat normal life (if that is even possible in captivity and far away from where they are supposed to be), out for my amusement. They are not pets or toys. I was shocked, when I saw kids using their hands to get the attention of animals by loudly tapping at the glass walls and fences. I could tell that the animals were scared. The rhinos and the elephants were also acting weird, as they kept walking in small circles. To me, either they are stressed out by the small space that they have to walk in or they were trained to do so, as animals who are not moving are boring for the visitors (although I am no expert on animal behavior). I also saw a lot of food on the floor, so that the animals are lured to a certain spot, where people can see them clearly, while they eat. Basically, the whole feeding thing is wrong, as you are telling animals to unlearn their natural behavior. It may seem okay, as we also do the same thing with cats and dogs, but I don't think you can or should domesticate every animal. At one hand, I think it would be too horrible to do something like actually put a donkey in a lion cage, so that the lions can hunt, but on the other hand, some lions were really out of shape. I cannot deny the fact that it is important for children to have ways to get close to animals, so that they can learn about them and understand how important it is to protect them. Seeing them in pictures and watching them on a screen is just not the same as being near them, seeing them as breathing and living creatures. But I wish it could be done in a different way. I do have to add that I like the Amazonica glass dome inside the Diergaarde Blijdorp zoo, where butterflies can freely fly around, and we are just simply passing by and not interupting their lives. It is possible to change things and slowly transition to more animal friendly ways to watch and learn about animals.