Canon R50 V vs Sony a6700 vs Fuji X-M5: Night Only Test

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I’ve been itching to get some night shots lately—and not just with one camera, but with three totally different brands. There’s something about low light that really reveals what a camera is made of. So I grabbed the Canon R50 V, the Sony a6700, and the Fujifilm X-M5, and took them all out for a spin after dark.

Each of these cameras claims to be solid in low light… but when you put them side by side, the truth starts to show.

Also here you can find the FREE PROJECT FILES for both cameras so you can dive in and explore for yourself. If you're still on the fence after you read this blog, you can take my free "Which Camera Should I Buy?" quiz 

First Impressions

Let’s start with Camera A. Right away, this one looked the muddiest. Shadows were noisy, skin tones were dull, and both the blacks and highlights lost detail. Definitely the weakest performer in this first test.

Camera B was a step up. The contrast looked better, edges were sharper, and it handled highlights more gracefully. Some noise was still there in the darker areas, but the image just felt more balanced overall.

Camera C? Cleanest shot of the three. Shadow detail held up, skin tones looked more natural, and the whole image was sharper. This one stood out immediately.

ISO 4000 Test

Then I pushed all three cameras into an even darker setup—pitch black night with just a bit of light in the distance. ISO was set to 4000 on all of them.

And here’s the interesting part: all three cameras got a lot closer in quality. Camera A didn’t show as much noise this time (mostly because there weren’t midtones to reveal it), but Camera B looked the best—sharp, clean, crisp. Camera C lagged behind here. It had detail in the bright areas, but still lacked clarity overall.

ISO 5000 & Color Tint Shift

In another setup, I bumped ISO up to 5000. Camera A started to fall apart. The image looked muddy—like something out of a five-year-old smartphone. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if a Pixel 9 Pro’s Night Sight outperformed it.

Camera B shifted color slightly, getting more saturated, while Camera C stayed the most balanced. If I had to shoot a wedding in this light? I’d choose Camera C. It had the cleanest results and the most accurate colors, and I think that comes down to its auto white balance sensor doing a great job in tricky lighting. 

(It's very noisy due to the dancing in the video)

No Sponsors, Just Real Tests

This isn’t a sponsored post. None of these brands are paying me. I just wanted to test these out for myself—and for you. If you want to support the channel, you can use the affiliate links I’ve added. Also, I’ve included free project files so you can download the footage from all three cameras and test them in your own editing software.

Camera A - Canon R50 V 

Camera B - Sony a6700 

Camera C - Fuji X-M5 

Digging Into the Sensors

Now, if you guessed Camera A was the Canon, Camera B the Sony a6700, and Camera C the Fuji X-M5—you were right.

Canon’s sensor is technically the smallest at 22.3 x 14.9 mm. Sony sits in the middle at 23.3 x 15.5 mm. And Fuji takes the lead with the largest APS-C sensor of the three: 23.5 x 15.6 mm.

Does that slight size difference make a big impact in low light? In some cases—absolutely.

Take a look at this shot: I was using kit lenses across the board, but Canon’s image had more noise, color shift, and a noticeable red cast. Sony had more realistic color and less noise. Fuji handled the scene the best, especially at higher ISOs.

Highlight Recovery & Shadow Detail

But things flip when we expose for highlights. In those cases—like a lake shot with distant lights—the Canon actually held its own. Sony still edged it out, but it wasn’t as dramatic. Fuji, on the other hand, tended to crush shadows and blow out highlights in those scenarios.

Sensor size wasn’t the only factor—software and processing clearly played a huge role. 

Noise, Stabilization & White Balance

Zooming into the shadows at ISO 5000 told the rest of the story. The Canon R50 V showed the most noise by far. Sony and Fuji seemed to apply some in-camera denoising, even in standard color profiles.

For stabilization, Sony crushed it. I turned on active electronic stabilization for all three. Canon’s enhanced mode struggled with handheld walking shots. Fuji was better, but autofocus pumping held it back. Sony was the most stable and had the least jitter.

White balance? Again, Sony was the most accurate out of the three, giving the most natural color in auto mode.

Final Thoughts

After spending some real time with these three cameras under nothing but night skies, I have to say—it’s closer than I thought.

The Sony a6700 was the most consistent across different lighting conditions. The Fuji X-M5 held strong in high ISO situations thanks to its slightly larger sensor and solid color science. And while the Canon R50 V struggled the most—especially in midtone-heavy scenes—it still managed to impress in some highlight-priority setups.

Low light doesn’t lie. It pulls back the curtain on how each camera really performs—sensor, software, and color science all working together (or not). Hope this gave you some clarity if you’re trying to decide between these three. 

See you next time on The Film Alliance.