Sony Alpha a7R II Review
Full Frame Mirrorless Digital Camera
- BIONZ X Image Processor
- 3.0" 1,228.8k-Dot Tilting LCD Monitor
- 0.5" 2.36M-Dot XGA OLED Tru-Finder EVF
- Durable Reduced-Vibration Shutter Design
- 5-Axis SteadyShot INSIDE Stabilization
- Built-In Wi-Fi Connectivity with NFC
- ISO 102,400 and Silent Shutter Mode
- 399 Phase-Detect AF Points & 5 fps Burst
- 42MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS Sensor
- Internal UHD 4K Video & S-Log2 Gamma
Introduction
In this article, we delve into a detailed analysis of 14,220 user reviews from various languages worldwide to examine the Sony Alpha a7R II. This analysis is performed by the RR artificial intelligence and updated daily with newly submitted reviews. The RR AI utilizes a complex algorithm to first scrutinize user reviews for credibility, filtering out unreliable ones. It then proceeds to dissect and evaluate the valuable insights within these reviews, providing users with ratings regarding the features of this product. Based on these assessments, users can make informed decisions about whether this product is suitable for them or not.
Ratings Based on Features
These results are a summary of user reviews of the Sony Alpha a7R II. For example, 96% of 993 users who have commented on the Picture quality of the Sony Alpha a7R II have given positive feedback.
Highlighted Customer Reviews
Showing 1 to 20 of 517 Reviews
FOR VIDEOGRAPHERS
Sony Alpha a7R II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body Professional Kit
Reviewed by BL on B&H Photo Video
I ended up returning the camera. The image was great, the lowlight performance was great, the in-camera stabilization was great, and so were the rest of the features. But the camera has one huge flaw that is a deal breaker for me, it overheats. I am a narrative filmmaker but right now, I make a living via corporate videos for Fortune 500 companies. These types of videos usually consist of 25 minute to 2 hour interviews plus b-roll. The a7RII has a major overheating issue if you film at 4K for more than 15 minutes. The camera will become unusable, it will shut down, and it will delete whatever file you were recording when it shutdown. It takes about a half hour for it to cool down and turn back on. I did some pretty extensive testing of this right when I received the camera. I was hoping that shooting in bursts of 3-5 minutes instead of 15 straight would help but it only last about an extra 10 minutes. I tested it in an air conditioned room and it last the full 30 minute clip limit but by the end of the recording, the camera was hot to touch and usually when filming interviews, the room can get a little warmer due to the hot lights. I tested it outside in the shade and it lasted about 12 minutes, and I tested it outside in the sun. I couldn't have walked away from the camera for more than 5 minutes but when I returned, it had already shutdown. This camera has a great set of features that all work extremely well but the overheating issue trumps them all. Unless you are in a temperature controlled room or you give the camera breaks based on how hot the area your filming in is (which may be a huge amount if you're filming outside on a mildly hot day), this camera really isn't for videographers. If this overheating issue were to happen in front of a client, it would be catastrophic. Note for photography: Autofocus with Canon lenses is ok. Definitely not great or even good. I've heard a lot of people say it's just as fast as Canon cameras. Sometimes it is close, but rarely. It's extremely inconsistent. It can't focus in dark areas at all. In my bedroom with the light on, it couldn't find focus, even on high contrast subjects. Also, it has to be near in focus to actually be able to grab focus. If the subject is completely out of focus, the camera will either search back and forth, passing the subject, and never find focus or it will get near focus and start searching back the other way without ever even passing the actual focus point. Definitely a step up considering you couldn't do it at all before but not even close to good enough to use on professional shoots. ... More
Incredible Landscape Camera
Sony Alpha a7R II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body Professional Kit
Reviewed by Erik Page on B&H Photo Video
I bought this to replace my aging Canon and could not be happier with the camera. The amount of detail and dynamic range that this camera can capture is absolutely insane. I've found myself shooting scenes in only one frame that previously would have required using GNDs and/or exposure blends to properly expose. I've also done a couple portrait shoots using primarily a legacy 85mm f/1.5 and am astounded by how easy manual focus is with the A7RII. My keeper rate using this lens wide open on my Canon was likely around 10%, but is easily higher than 75% with the Sony thanks to focus peaking and focus magnification. To address some of the common qualms with this camera: -Would I prefer the option to capture lossless RAW files? Absolutely. Have I noticed any compression artifacts or posterization? Not at all. -I shoot video quite frequently, but rarely if ever shoot clips longer than 10 minutes. Thus far, it doesn't appear that overheating will be an issue for me. Based on what I've heard, it's probably not great for shooting interviews in warmer environments, but if you're shooting rock climbing videos in the mountains of Colorado like I am, you won't have any issues. Additionally, the 1080P from this camera is wonderful and doesn't cause any overheating. -I've shot a number of long exposures and have noticed a few hot pixels, but I've always been a proponent of using dark frames (either in camera or manually via Photoshop), which entirely take care of the issue. Perhaps if this wasn't already part of my workflow I would be more concerned about it. Even without any dark frames or in camera LENR, it blows my old EOS 7D out of the water. The bottom line is that this camera suits my purposes perfectly. That may not be the case for everyone, but if your style of photography is similar to mine, I can promise you that this camera will not disappoint. ... More
An Excellent Tool
Sony Alpha a7R II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body Professional Kit
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
This is my first review for B&H. I normally do not spend the time to review gear for people I do not know. But this camera deserves some discussion. I'm a professional photojournalist, documentary photographer, and filmmaker. I use my gear hard and do not baby it. I consider cameras and equipment as tools, and am not a fan of any particular brand, just tools that accomplish the job that you need, to make great pictures and tell great stories. I have been shooting digital on Canon 5dmkiii's since 2012. I love them, they are very ergonomic, make great files, print well, adjust well in LR or PS, are customizable, and Canon L primes are great lenses. But sometimes carrying two big bodies around is too much. Depending on where I am working I carry 1 with a 50, 35, or 24 on it, and one with a 70-200 on it. If I'm working indoors I put the 50 on one, and the 24 on the other. I liked how the Mark III would put up with a lot of abuse, especially in conflict zones like Aleppo, where you are crawling through rubble, running, etc. Those bodies and lenses never let me down, never failed, never stopped working, even when I dropped them or slammed them into walls. Canon has a great system overall, as well, between the bodies, lenses, and their off camera ETTL flash system. It all just works, and works well. But if you need to be a bit more discreet, the DSLR's don't cut it. Everyone knows you are shooting, you're holding a big black camera up in their face. It takes a while for some people to get used to this. Some don't get used to it. And in very quiet settings (say shooting a mental health practicianer work with a sensitive patient, the 'silent' mode on the MKiii isn't really silent. So began my quest to find a smaller, lighter, more quiet camera to replace one of my mark iii bodies. I rented a leica m240. While I liked the files, the camera was too fidlly for me, plus I didn't want to spend the dough it would take to buy that. And ergonomically it just didn't work for me. Next I tried the Fuji X-Pro 1. I really liked how it handled, it was quiet, and had great prime lenses. But I never really dug the files it produced. I'm used to shooting full frame so it just didn't seem right to have a 35 on the body and get 50mm pictures. The depth of field just is different on an APS C sensor, and the files just didn't have the same pro feel as those from the Mark iii's. I ended up selling it. I'd still recommend the camera to people, it's a good camera at a great price. Just not right for me. Then a colleague turned me on to the A7S. He'd stopped using his Mark III altogether and was only shooting the A7S with a voiglander 35 1.4 rangefinder lens. I really liked how his pictures looked, and the low light capability is obviously outstanding. But when I played with it the files weren't right for me, I don't always need more than 12MP, but sometimes I like having it. It doesn't feel right to shoot with less now. Then I Tried the A7II. Decent camera. But terrible shutter lag, not very good low light performance, and no silent mode. Just not a sharp performer in my book. So I bit the bullet, traded in one MKiii and got the A7Rii. First off, it fixed all the problems with the A7ii. Most important to me, it offers a true silent mode, far less shutter lag (though not as good as on the Mark III), and excellent files, with decent low light performance. The camera is Sharp with all of the lenses I have used on it (Voigtlander 35 1.4, Sony 35 2.8, Sony 55 1.8, and my canon primes with the metabones adaptor). The files are beautiful, and the camera performs well. Here's a quick list of the pros: 1. Silent Mode 2. Good build quality, feels like it can take some abuse 3. smaller and less obtrusive than a DSLR 4. decent, but not great Low light performance 5. Excellent autofocus (though not quite on par with DSLRs) 6. Good placement of Exposure compensation wheel for Aperature Priority shooting 7. Good EVF and Monitor. 8. Sharp!!!! With the sony/Zeiss lenses this is the sharpest camera I have ever seen outside of medium format. I like the anti-alias cancellation, but you do have to beware moire. There are some real Cons to the camera though 1. Ergonomically just not as good as a well built DSLR, fiddly to get to some controls 2. Even though you can assign ISO to a custom button, and swap the aperature and shutter wheels in manual, it doesn't have the natural feel of either the Fuji cameras or the Mark III. It IS better than the original A7, A7S, and A7r, and better than a leica 3. Really bad menu system. What the hell were they thinking?!?!? You have to learn to how set up and use the custom function buttons 4. Only 1 card slot!?!!?! This alone puts this camera into the 'not fully pro' category. It just feels insane to shoot onto just one card. This means I have to swap cards out much more often and back them up quickly. Just not a pro level camera without this. 5. Battery life is horrible. To shoot a full day I have to carry a total of six batteries. On my mark iii I could get through a day possibly with only 1 battery. 6. Very limited prime lens selection. The Sony 55 1.8 and the 35 28 are good lenses, and autofocus works very well on them. But the 35 1.4 is huge and defeats the purpose of having this camera. The zooms are not worth looking at in my opinion because they only go to F4. I don't use zooms much anyway, so no big loss. 7. yes, you can adapt other lenses to the body, and with MF lenses this works well. But the canon primes adapted with a metabones just do not autofocus. It's not even worth trying. YOu have to use them in manual mode. 8. The files look good, but there is just something about them that is not quite as good looking to my eye as those from the Mark iii. I have not sent them for retouching yet, or done a lot of retouching on my own to see how they really hold up. I suspect they will be fine. 9. Much more susceptible to color fringing than I expected, but not a deal breaker by any means. So overall I think this is an excellent little camera, and I am happy to keep it, and keep getting better using it. But the slighly lower start-up time, review time, slight shutter lag, and single card slot put this in the 'not quite professional caliber gear' section of my bag. I still prefer using my Mark iii for a lot of things. But when you need a small, light, handy, sharp camera with good autofocus and the ability to use any MF lens, I do not think you can beat the A7Rii. I would highly recommend it. *** NOTE I DO shoot video too, but I use an FS700 for that. I can't stand shooting video on DSLRs. BUT, I could see using this little camera as Camera C since it shoots in SLOG2 at 24/50 at 1080. A bummer it won't record Pro-Res in Camera in HD. I have no use for 4k at the moment, but I like that it will record it on card. I have not tested the HDMI out on it. ... More
A Video Producers Review:
Sony Alpha a7R II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body Professional Kit
Reviewed by IanM on B&H Photo Video
First of all, yes this camera overheats after about 17 minutes recording internal @ 4k 100mpbs and there isn't a solid workaround other than cool rooms and extending the LCD screen out from the camera. HOWEVER, here are a few work arounds I have that has made this camera a solid workhorse for myself. 1) 4K @ 100mbps is a demanding bitrate. You'd be surprised if your computer can play it back in VLC or Quicktime and Premiere just chugs without it being converted to ProRes. That said, 4K @ 60mpbs still looks fantastic and will get rid of overheating issues right there. For landscape and areas that require the highest detail reproduction, shoot bursts of 100mps...for long interviews, shoot 60mbps. You'll skip the overheating and save yourself a pain in butt in post. 2) If you want those long takes...buy an external recorder. I shoot backups of important interviews regardless of what camera I own. I own a PIX-E5 4k external recorder which is way more solid and priced right compared to the Atomos Shogun. I record 4K ProRes 422 on the PIX-E5 and 4k 60mps internal as a backup. As I'm typing this, my A7rII has been recording for 40 min as a test and has yet to overheat. 3) Full-Frame video on this camera is awful. It's noisy on the same level as the original A7, it had a considerable amount of rolling shutter and aliasing. Super 35/ APS-C however is incredible. Less rolling shutter and ISO limits similar to the A7s. You can shoot up to 25,000 ISO quite clean. That said, 1080p at both Full Frame and APS-C is also very noisy. The most ideal settings to get the best out of this camera is Super 35/Aps-c @ 4k 100mbps or 60mbps and avoiding 1080p all together in this camera. Throw a metabones speedbooster on this camera and you're definitely hitting A7s low light territory. 4) Learn how to use S-Log. The base ISO for S-Log is 800ISO compared to 3200ISO on the A7s which means less ND is required outside (if any) and less noise from my observations. This camera like many isn't perfect. However I think a lot of people are jumping the gun on the overheating issues since they are pushing it took the absolute limit without trying any other options. For such a great camera with features that will keep it powerful yet super portable, I'm willing to compromise in some areas. I'm digging the A7rII. ... More
Make the switch, I did
Sony Alpha a7R II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body Professional Kit
Reviewed by Al the Dentist on B&H Photo Video
A little bit of background: I am an amateur photographer who likes expensive toys. Previously shot with a Canon 1d IV with 3 L lenses: 16-35 ii, 50 1.2, and 70-200 is ii.Wife bought me a 5D mark III for Christmas - WRONG. Upgrade coming 2016 so I went to B&H to return it. After I did, I figure I'd buy a 24-70ii or something, when I happened to see the Sony booth. Went over and spoke with Mike(?) about all the hype Sony mirrorless was receiving these days...Needless to say, went home and read just about every blog/youtube video I could about the camera - its pros, its cons and more specifically, its limititations with canon lenses.I like to jump into things so I purchased from B&H the camera, with $$off the battery grip, the metabones IV adapter, and a 64gb SD card. Next day shipping so I started shooting with it New Years Eve! Downloaded latest firmware for the metabones IV, charged batteries, and slapped on to test all three of my canon lenses. My observations:1. Esthetic of the camera - putting it together with the battery grip, it looks great. It's certainly thinner and slightly shorter than the Mark IV body I was coming from. Well built and solid. The grip does several things: 1. adds to esthetics, 2. gives me vertical control, and 3. improves battery life (x2)!! 2. Speaking of battery life, it is short. But with the battery grip, it automatically switches from battery 1 to 2 when the battery dies. I love the fact that I can charge the battery using a portable power bank (my free 3600mah pack from Costco is in essence 2.5 sony batteries!!). The downside is that you can only charge batteries individually, not inside the vertical grip - perhaps firmware would help this. If i remember correctly, 15 minutes on the power pack gave me an additional 25-30% battery life!3. Menu is not as confusing as people would suggest. Its a new toy - so play with it. read the instructions. customization of the buttons makes this thing function and feel more like my Mark IV.4. Screen and electronic view finder is beautiful. Technology is here - adjust shutter/aperture/iso and see REAL time what exposure would look like. Canon and Nikon need to get their act together!!!5. AUTOFOCUS - here's where I read a million different opinions online. Northrup and Lanier are two of the guys I watched. Watch Lanier's videos as he has used canon lenses, specifically the 50mm 1.2 and 70-200 is i (not the ii as I have!!). My experiences, with all 3 lenses, have been amazing!! TACK sharp images! I'm getting the full width of 16-35 ii vs crop sensor on Mark IV. The 50 1.2 is NOTORIOUS for front/back focusing...not with the SONY!! This is my ultimate test! I get MORE keepers (i'd say 8/10 v my mark IV's 1/10 which i did the microadjustment). The 70-200 is ii is a dream! SHARP imagees with all the canon glass because of the GLASS! These are unbelievable lenses and the Sony allows me to use them. Autofocus also works great on moving subjects - my 8mos old was bouncing up and down on the bouncer, unpredictably, and i got great FOCUSED shots of him using all 3 lenses. FOUR things to note: 1) MUST USE PHASE DETECTION...CONTRAST DOES NOT WORK WITH ADAPTER! I accidently switched it and couldn't figure out why lens were always hunting and never finding focus! 2) the end points do not work as well as the center and its immediate surrounding - this is no biggie to me as i am usually using center point or bit off. 3) eye detection doesnt work, but face detection does and it really works. 4) focus speed may be a hair slower, but I honestly cannot notice the difference with Mark IV. And 5 fps with a 42mp sensor is nothing to laugh at! Sports? WHy not?The image stabilization works great and I shot great photos at 1/6s HaNDHELD!6. Image processing - why shoot at compressed raw? Why cripple the camera image out of the gate! Uncompressed RAW is at 84mb or so per file...huge. My 64gb card will hold 650 or so uncompressed Raw and small Jpeg images.You need Lightroom cc or PHotoshop cc (lightroom 6 as well has update) to process Sony raw (awr or something like that). The sony converter didn't work well on my 2013 imacUsing Photoshop Raw, there is a TON of data in the image...actually makes my computer lag by 1/2 s when zooming in/on of image. This camera certainly isn't noise king, but cleans up very well. Need to test out DR more but I'm MUCH HAPPIER with overall image color, sharpenss, etc than with my Mark IV. 7. Technology - one of the best features of the camera is built-in wifi..download sony app and conect directly to camera to pull jpeg images directly to your phone, or use your phone as remote shutter with live view on your phone! Canon/nikon would be charging you an extra $$or so for a remote shutter! Works greatIF YOU GOT THIS FAR ON THIS REVIEW, THE BOTTOM LINE IS BUY THIS CAMERA. MAKE THE SWITCH. I LIKE HOW MY CANON LENSES WORK ON THIS BEAST. THEY'RE SHARP, FAST, AND THE OVERALL PICTURE IS AMAZING WITH TONS OF SIZE/DATA!!Note: you're 600-exrt flash will work only in manual. if you have the canon transmitter, forget it. my next purchase would be a flash... ... More
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Not Ready for Primetime
Sony Alpha a7R II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body Professional Kit
Reviewed by TheEdge on B&H Photo Video
I really want to love this camera. I would love to dump my Canon and Nikon bodies BUT.... Spec wise it's a beast and when it nails a shot the results are incredible, however it has been very unreliable. I got it the day before a trip to AZ and New Mexico and shot it side by side with my 645z and D810 in the Grand Canyon and White Sands. Since I had no Sony lenses at the time I bought the Metabones adapter and used my Canon 24mm f/1.4 II. It's almost hard to tell the difference in the processed shots between the 3 bodies taken under perfect conditions (a lot of light). It does not keep up with the 645z in high contrast scenes but I didn't really expect it to. Where I expected it to shine is in low light scenarios and ironically auto focusing in low light is not as good as Nikon or Canon bodies. When you are able to get focus in low light the results are amazing. Most of the time you will miss your shot before you get focus. Even with spot focus many times I will get focus confirmation with beep and the focus area is completely out of focus. I put the lens and adapter on the body before I left on the trip and never took it off so I was surprised to see the amount of dust in my shots when I returned. This thing is a dust MAGNET. It's been cleaned several times and I am very careful when changing lenses. Many times during the trip the screen would black out or the camera would freeze. I wasn't sure if this was because of the adapter or not so recently I purchased the Sony 35 1.4 and still have the same problem. Battery life is terrible. Buy many batteries and get the grip. I love that the body is small but you lose any size advantage with the grip and a real lens. I'm not much of a video guy but the the 4k out is incredible. I have not experienced overheating. I would imagine the batteries would drop dead before that happened :( I use this body for events and landscape and portraits when I am not using the 645z. Since it has let me down for events I only use it as a backup now to the D810(portraits/landscape) and 1Dx(sports/low light). The ability to shoot handheld at very low shutter speeds is a huge bonus. It's a great street camera (if you can get it to focus correctly). I tried to take images of deer in my yard and having to wait for the screen to clear after every shot caused me to miss shots that are easy to get with the D810 or 1Dx. I am hoping that firmware updates can fix some of these issues. ... More
Beautiful images, if you could use more than 20 minutes.
Sony Alpha a7R II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body Professional Kit
Reviewed by Adam on B&H Photo Video
This arrived this morning. I have been playing with it for about 7 hours now. The images and 4k video are phenomenal. However, using this solely in my AC controlled basement that is about 65f, the longest video file I have been able to get out of the camera in either 4k modes is 18:37 before the camera overheats and turns off. I am very afraid to bring it to my outdoor summer weddings this weekend. I have let it cool down for over 30 minutes a few times, and still cannot get anything of length to record. Pretty depressing considering the hype and anticipation I had for this camera to arrive. When it works, it is beautiful, even in low light considering the 42.4MP sensor. I did some short tests alongside my a7s, and I don't think I would be afraid to use this in a dark dance hall. Hopefully there is somehow a fix or workaround for this? Not sure if I would recommend this yet. I will get some real world use out of it this weekend. ... More
This has evolved into my go to camera
Sony Alpha a7R II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body Professional Kit
Reviewed by Kamikaze on B&H Photo Video
I normally don't write reviews, but I've seen so many negative reviews on this camera that I wanted to try to write a review that puts everything in perspective. First of all, I don't think the RII is a perfect camera, but I have found that the more I use it and learn about it, the more I have grown to love it. Here are the reasons why. I think the RII represents a good value. When you consider that the Mk III is rated at 150,000 cycles and the Sony at 500,000, the cost per actuation is less than half that of the Canon. I also like that the RII can focus a Canon lens almost as good (if not as good) as a Canon body. I heard one reviewer state that the number one reason he wouldn't use the Sony as a wedding camera is the large file size which made me wonder what the ideal file size is for him. I like having 42 megapixels of detail. With the cost of storage getting lower and lower, I don't see what the problem is. A few people have stated that the deal breaker was that Sony doesn't have any fast zooms. I used to kind of feel the same until I used my Canon 70-200 2.8 L lens to shoot a college volleyball game. Using a Metabones Mk IV adapter, I did as well with the Sony body as the Canon. One thing I found useful is to learn about all of the functions that the camera has in its software. I have found the face registration feature and the face detect options to be extremely useful. I struggled with focusing for a while because I was trying to use the Sony like it was a Canon when focusing. Once I learned how to use the camera the way it was designed, things have gone much better. I would suggest that if you want to learn about this camera, seek your knowledge from someone who makes their living using it rather than someone who is a Canon or Nikon user giving his expert opinion. So does all of this make me not like my Canon? Not at all. I still love my Mk III, and if I can afford to keep it, I will. However, when I am going to do a shoot, it is very hard to pass on the 42 megapixels, easier focusing, and smaller size of the RII. Plus, I shoot a lot of video as well. The Sony, in my opinion, is a lot easier camera to shoot video with than the Canon. My lack of skill with the Canon is the problem more than anything, but for me, the Sony has so many features regarding video that make it easier. I hear a lot of criticism regarding the overheating. I haven't experienced it yet, but I always wonder why someone wanting to shoot 30 minutes of continuous video would purchase the R anyway. It's Sony's photography camera. It was never designed to be a video camera. When I am shooting interviews or documentaries requiring long takes, I will always use my fs700 which is better suited for that type of shooting. I feel like the truth of the matter is that it is pretty hard to purchase a bad camera in this day and age. I don't like bashing any camera or brand because they all seem to have advantages and disadvantages. I love my Canon gear, but for me, the Sony just seems to suit my needs better. I haven't mentioned Nikon or Panasonic at all, but I like them as well. I tried the GH4 and loved it, but returned it because my Canon lenses aren't as useful on the MFT platform and I didn't want to forfeit my Canon lenses. No bad there. Sony just seems to work for me at this point in time. Who's to say what is going to happen in 5 years? I have included two photos. One was taken with the RII using the metabones adapter with the Canon 70-200 (2.8, 1/1000, 3200 ISO) and the other I shot using the face/eye recognition feature. I shot 473 shots of her and didnt' have one out of focus photo. ... More
Excellent Cameras, but with a few issues
Sony Alpha a7R II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body Professional Kit
Reviewed by Bob on B&H Photo Video
I preciously had 2 A7r cameras and have had 2 of the A7rM2 cameras for a couple of weeks. In most respects it is a superb camera and a joy to use. I have 4 Sony FE lenses and 30 Canon lenses from 8 to 800 mm, a metabones IV and a Vitronics adapters. Most Canon lenses work pretty well autofocusing with the 399 phase detect AF points. Some lenses struggle a little, and some stuggle a lot. I have found that a quick manual focus to get close will often wake up the AF system and then it works well. I used the EF 11-24, EF 70-200II, EF 24-70II, and EF 100-400II on a recent trip and these lenses worked extremely well with fast and sharp AF. Some of the longer glass works pretty well. Images are generally great, but I have a five complaints/observations. First the lack of real 14 bit raw is a big deal and Sony needs to get this fixed if they intend to play with the big boys I have seen banding is several cases. Second, there is a bit more noise than I had hopped for, and in long exposures like Milky Way shots you are plagued with many hot spots or you turn on Long Exposure noise reduction which softens the image... Sony fix this issue, it is a big deal. Third is the overheating of the sensor in Video recording... This is unacceptable for a camera billed as a pro model and prices like one. I have tested both cameras in a 72 deg F room and each ran for the full 30 minutes, but in 2 out of 4 instances they shut down after 8 minutes during the second recording session. The lack of weather sealing is also a problem if you pretend to have Pro grade cameras, and last the manuals suck and the lack of real meaningful technical information is an embarassment and causes me to have to spend hours searching the web for missing information. This is also a big deal. I am a Sony FanBoy, but as a certified Professional I find these 5 issues to be unacceptable for serious pros. Otherwise I find the cameras live up to all the hype in a good way. ... More
Exceeds all expectations by light years
Sony Alpha a7R II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body Professional Kit
Reviewed by Jon on B&H Photo Video
Not sure if this review is useful at this late stage in the camera's production, after so much has been said about it; but here it is. Maybe this will be relevant to you exactly because you're wondering if this is still a worthwhile or relevant camera for professional use. To answer that: Oh my goodness, yes it is. And at this price it's an insane - almost incomprehensible - value. I'll elaborate. I've been shooting w/ Canon system (1D- and 5D- series) for almost 15 years. In the last few years I've grown frustrated with Canon and have started casting my eye elsewhere. I need a camera that provides top-quality stills while also being reasonably capable at video up to 4K; and I wanted one that would offer a significant performance improvement with regard to low-light / high ISO and dynamic range. I am - or was - totally invested in the Canon system, financially and psychologically. I was very concerned about a whole bunch of things about the A7Rii and the Sony platform, but I saw the image quality coming out of it and decided to go for it when the price dropped (incidentally, IQ is the same reason I chose Canon as my system way back when, even though I'd been shooting with Nikon DSLRs and liked using them better). As I started familiarizing myself with this camera, my fears and worries quickly vanished and were replaced with excitement and elation. This thing is unreal. Image quality is on a whole new level. The sensor seems to be essentially ISO invariant, and it's changing the way I shoot, in the best possible way. The ergonomics and UI (menus and etc.) on the A7Rii have a bad rep and I was worried I'd be frustrated. I've been pleasantly surprised. The design and layout is quite logical to me. I love the way the camera feels in my big hands, they cradle it just right. All the controls are easy and intuitive to access even with the camera at eye level. Everything is customizable, it's easy to do, and the result is a shooting experience that I love. I was *extremely* worried I'd hate the EVF, being a huge addict of optical viewfinders-- as it turns out, I absolutely LOVE it. It's big, bright, detailed, focusing is a dream... it actually reminds me of the viewfinders on old film SLRs, how weird is that? And in fact: this is the most high-tech-stuffed, gizmo-thingy camera I have ever used and yet it reminds me more of shooting film than any camera I've used since, well, film. And that includes the results: the images almost have a medium format look to them, in a way; noise doesn't appear much until you go to really high ISOs (I always have shot RAW, but with this one I've shot JPEGs in S-log at ISO 3200 that have ZERO noise even after grading, cannot get my head around it) but when it does become visible, it has an almost filmic grainy look to it. Beautiful! On the downside (and I'm struggling to find them here), the battery life is truly appalling and there's no sync port for strobes (I'd missed that when I bought it, so that provided a real What the...?! moment in the studio). It's also pretty slow coming from the Canon system but I'm actually finding this to be an asset or anyway not a problem; I'm not a machine-gunner anyway (I even shoot skateboarding with single-shot and manual focus 90% of the time), and because it writes a bit slowly this thing has stopped me completely from chimping, another subtle but real bonus. I'm not even sure a faster, beefier camera is even desirable to me at this point. All that said, I've shot with so many cameras over the years, from half-frame 35mm all the way up to 4x5 view cameras, and most of what's in between including a variety of Phase backs. I've liked many of them and loved a few (Nikon FM2n, Mamiya 645AF, Canon 5Di, Fuji X100t, Sinar 4x5); but I think this may just be my favorite camera ever. It truly is, and has, something special. It has mojo, in spades. It inspires me in a way that gear rarely does (I'm not a gear junky, I honestly don't care about that stuff). I had hoped this camera would be acceptable to me and get the job done. I was willing to be satisfied with that. I did not expect to fall in love. ... More
Great sensor, but has other problems
Sony Alpha a7R II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body Professional Kit
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
I'm a professional photographer that has used Canon gear for years. Sony has created a great sensor with excellent dynamic range and low-light performance, maybe the best out there. However, there are problems that make this camera irritating. Battery life is abysmal. I did a three-night backpack and had to carry six batteries and just made it through the trip. The electronic viewfinder eats batteries, so that means I'm constantly turning the camera off and on to save juice. My experience so far has been in temperate weather. I expect the batteries will do even worse in winter weather.As people have said, the EVF is impressive with all the info it gives you and its high resolution. However, it is not as good as an optical viewfinder. It's not as sharp and it is difficult to use with a polarizer. With subtle polarizing effects, such as reducing glare off leaves, it's difficult to see the effect. Howwever, the EVF does allow the camera to be smaller and lighter, a definite plus.I set the camera for back-button autofocus, something I always did with my Canon cameras. I then turned off the autofocus with the shutter button. I typically am set up on a tripod shooting landscape or architectural scenes. Once I compose the scene, set exposure, and set the focus I take several frames of the scene to guarantee that at least one will be good. However, with this camera using their Sony/Zeiss lens, even though the autofocus is turned off with the shutter button, pushing the shutter button often triggers the AF anyway (probably 50% of the time--it's erratic). This throws the scene out of focus. To avoid this problem I have to refocus for every single shot. This burns batteries and wastes time when the light is changing rapidly or a client is standing over my shoulder. It's a big enough problem that I'm considering sending it to Sony for warranty work.Another irritation is the haphazard way the menus are thrown together. While you can program some commonly used functions into the function button, others you can't. You can waste quite a bit of time looking for a certain menu choice.Other minor problems: The small size is mostly good, but makes it very difficult to use with gloves. The back Sony lens cap is, oddly enough, sometimes hard to get on the lens, but then tends to fall off easily.I did buy the dedicated Sony/Zeiss 24-70mm zoom. The lens works well and is sharp, but has absolutely no focus marks at all. Unlike with my Canon lenses, I can't give it a quick look to see if the lens is focused at the proper distance.I am using several Canon L-series lenses with a Metabones adaptor. Usually the adaptor works, but sometimes it doesn't make good electrical contact and will not function properly. I then have to detach the lens and reattach it. That can be frustrating and will slow you down.I have another serious glitch in that the camera refuses to write to my SD cards in 4K video. It says I don't have the right kind of card, even though I paid for the right kind of fast cards (Lexar and Hoodman) that will write at 150MBS and are advertised as suitable for 4K. Probably another warranty glitch.Despite multiple tries, I have been unable to download Sony's intervalometer to the camera.To summarize, awesome sensor in a smaller, lighter body, but there are glitches and frustrations. I think Sony built a great sensor and sort of threw the rest of the camera around it without enough thought and quality control. The inadequate battery, the AF problem, and the inability to use 4K are significant problems. The AF and 4K problems are probably fixable, but means hassle on my part and time without the camera. These problems are not acceptable on a camera body aimed at professionals that costs $. The sensor is this camera's saving grace. Otherwise I'd be back with Canon in no time. ... More
Locked shutter, bummed photographer
Sony Alpha a7R II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body Professional Kit
Reviewed by Jesse on B&H Photo Video
Currently my camera is at PCVR (Sony's 3rd party servicing center). I purchased my camera 1/16 and received it 1/21. I took it out around town that first weekend and loved how it performed. I took a lot a night shots and was happy with the results. I used it once more that week for daytime street photography. On 1/31 when I powered on I got the following error: Camera Error. Turn Camera off then on. What?Ok...turning off and turning on. Same error. Repeat several times. Same error. After a Google search I came across others with a stuck shutter. I removed my lens and saw that my shutter was stuck.Sony support tried to troubleshoot (Have you tried turning it off and on again?). He eventually said I would have to call a different support line that would handle my situation because it would need to be sent in and he couldn't help with that. Phone support gave me instructions on how to send it in. I was surprised that no temporary replacement/rental was offered. They didn't pay for the shipping. I paid $ to ship it from CA to PCVR in CT. It's been there for over 2 weeks and the trip I'm going on (which is the reason I upgraded my camera) is next week.I don't know how widespread this issue is, but I'm adding mine to the pile. I'm an early adopter of technology so I have a high tolerance for design and manufacturing errors. For a camera that is priced at a professional point (and a mark 2), however, I honestly expected a bit more in terms of quality and service. If Sony (PCVR, rather) fixes the shutter and I never have that problem again, we'll be square. However, they really need to fix their support. Spending so much on a camera should offer peace of mind in the expectation that a long-term customer/business relationship is being established. If I can trust that I'll be taken care of, I'll put up with issues, but as of now, Sony doesn't have my trust. I'll update this once I get my camera back and/or if the issue reoccurs...and/or I leave Sony for good. ... More
Terrific camera
Sony Alpha a7R II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body Professional Kit
Reviewed by Gauss on B&H Photo Video
I've had the a7rII for a month and, though I haven't used it intensively on a project, I have tried a lot of things with it. I'm interested mainly in video but also in stills. I bought an a7II in the spring and returned it because it lacked sharpness in the video image and produced severe Moir artifacts. The a7rII is much better in these respects. The 1080p video is very sharp. There is some Moir at full-frame 1080p but very little at the Super35 crop, certainly not more than I see with my Sony FS700, which also has a Super35-sized sensor. (By the way, Super35 doesn't seem to be a precise standard since, using the same prime lens, the a7rII produces a distinctly larger frame in Super35 mode than the FS700.) In other words, the Moir artifacts in the Super35 mode at 1080p are acceptable. I do understand why some Moir artifacts are inevitable in video and why it's unreasonable to expect that they can be eliminated completely. After all, we see them with our (analogue) eyes sometimes when we're looking through a window screen, etc. And they're more noticeable when we move our heads or our cameras. I can't evaluate the aliasing in 4k because I don't have a 4k computer monitor or a 4k external video monitor. If I record 4k clips on the a7rII and play them back using Quicktime Player or VLC or Premiere, I see unacceptable levels of Moir. The same is true if I transcode them to 1080p in Premiere and play them either in Premiere or Avid Media Composer. But I believe that what I'm seeing are artifacts produced by playing a 4k signal back on 2k display devices. If there is nothing problematical in the subject or if the camera doesn't move, I see no Moir. And I see none in Sony's beautiful online 4k demo video. I've followed the complaints about overheating. Not surprisingly I haven't experienced this in what I think of as normal shooting. But I did a test in my studio, where the temperature is about 70 degrees Fahrenheit. I moved the viewing screen away from the body of the camera as many people have suggested and made a 30-minute shot (the maximum length) at 1080 30p XAVC-S 50M with the Super35 crop. There was no problem and at the end no part of the camera was even warm to the touch. I repeated the test at 4k 30p XAVC-S 100M and the camera again recorded the full 30 minutes (actually 29:51) with no problem, though at the end parts of the camera as well as the battery were a bit warm to the touch. They were certainly not hot. The recorded files had no defect as far as I could see. I realize that the results might be different outdoors at 97 degrees, but there I'm unlikely to do, say, an interview. In any case, in interview situations, other compromises will be necessary, especially with audio. The camera, like all in its category, is lacking XLR inputs, which makes it a bit risky to run long audio cables and which might lead to the decision to use a separate audio recorder. Personally, these complications would probably lead me to use my FS700 in such situations. Overall, I love this camera. Maybe more experience will make me unhappy with this or that. But the video it produces is very beautiful, in every way the equal of my FS700. So are the still images. It may be that one day I will use it with a zoom lens (I could put my FS700 kit lens on it, but this lens isn't all that wonderful), but for now I prefer the image quality and compactness of my old Leica and Nikon lenses. This means that I have nothing to say about the automatic focus and exposure functions that are so important to many users. I also love the camera's compactness, which makes it ideal for travel, its balance, the way the video button can now be reassigned, and many, many other things, including the zebra stripes, the exposure meter, the histogram display. I wish that I could see the whole frame in the viewfinder when I wear my glasses (as I have to) but this is also the case with other DSLRs. Maybe it's not possible optically to solve this problem. I do wish that Sony hadn't added the button in the middle of the mode wheel: it's a solution without a problem. I wish that the camera had two stages of expanded focus in the video mode as do Sony's video cameras. The short battery life doesn't bother me at all. I just bought a couple of extra batteries. It's very important for me that the camera is mirrorless and that it has in-body stabilization. I never bought a mirrored DSLR because I didn't think I could take the camera off the tripod and hold it steady without bracing it against my face. I didn't think I could focus it well without the viewfinder either. I've waited for a good mirrorless camera which would allow the use of prime lenses and make possible very good handheld footage without embedding the camera in a big body harness and rails and external viewfinders, which together would make the machine bigger that existing video cameras. The a7rII is a terrific camera. It does everything I need now and many things I don't need yet. ... More
Landscape Photographers Should Take Note
Sony Alpha a7R II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body Professional Kit
Reviewed by John on B&H Photo Video
As a long time B&H customer I feel compelled to share my experience with this camera given the number of reviews I have read that assisted me with purchase decisions. First, I'm a lifelong Canon body photographer with emphasis in landscape photography. I'm heavily invested with Canon glass and have becoming increasing frustrated with the lack of dynamic range offered in Canon bodies as Nikon and now Sony have far surpassed Canon's present sensor technology. In lieu of purchasing this camera outright, I decided to rent it and try it out over an extended weekend photographing fall foliage in the mountains. I rented a Metabones adapter so I could use all my Canon glass with this camera. It did not take me long to learn the basic operation and controls of the camera, my main comment on the controls is that coming from Canon bodies I found the a7R II body to be a bit small for my hands. It was not in my comfort zone where buttons fell within the normal reach of my fingers; I felt like was maintaining more of a claw grip to reach things. The flip to this is that with the small size comes small weight. It was effortless to carry this on my shoulder with Canon's EF 16-35 f4 IS lens attached. Beware that battery life is short so you'll need to plan on a spare battery or two for an all day outing. The electronic level is beautiful and I found myself using the tilt LCD screen more than the viewfinder when composing my shots. The electronic viewfinder although good, was still a bit grainy for my liking when compared to the optical ones found on a traditional DSLR. The coolest feature was the live view Histogram which allowed me to tweak the exposure before the shot - I used this constantly and was able to nail many shots on the first try. Speaking of the histogram; the dynamic range on the a7R II is incredible. Whereas with Canon I was always trying to strike a compromise between crushing the darks and blowing out the whites or resorting to HDR the a7R II gave me so much more flexibility. When I opened up the pictures in ACR to review I could not believe the latitude available to me to make adjustments without losing either shadow or highlight detail. Using Canon lenses with an adapter is does throw in some bugs, at times the Camera would just show f/0 and I would have to cycle the power off and on, but most of the time the autofocus would work fine. For those using manual focus I did try the zebra focus option, and found it worked well in some cases but not well in others. For Canon guys if you are seeking an alternative and don't want to sell off all your glass this is a serious option to consider. ... More
Great sensor, but other major problems
Sony Alpha a7R II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body Professional Kit
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
I've used this camera heavily professionally for 7 months now. I love the sensor with its great low-light capabilities and high dynamic range. The second benefit is the small body size. I hike and backpack a lot which the small size helps. However, there are significant negatives. I don't do long video clips so can't attest to the overheating problem. However, the short battery life is very bothersome. I have six batteries and am always recharging them. I carried all of them and needed all of them on a recent 3-day backpack, which to some degree negates the camera's small size advantage. I come from professional Canon equipment, so bought the Metabones adaptor to use my Canon lenses. Because of the adaptor, frequently the autofocus hunts and seeks before finally locking in, sometimes after some manual assistance. Also, sometimes the camera just won't recognize that a lens is attached, so I have to take the lens off and reinstall it. Sometimes I'll have to do it several times in a row before it will finally work, which means that you sometimes lose an image because of the delay or are embarrassed in front of a client on a job (a recent occurrence during a simple winery shoot). I do have the Sony/Zeiss dedicated 24-70 lens, and it, of course, doesn't have the Metabones problem. Overall, though, the professional Sony lens selection is very skimpy. Even if I spent the money to get all Sony lenses, I'd still be needing some of my Canon lenses, like my tilt-shifts. The camera menu was thrown together haphazardly with no logic, making the it difficult to find the command you need until you've used the camera for some time. The function menu and customizable buttons help with this some, but, oddly, some of the functions that I use frequently, like Format, Cleaning Mode, and A/F w/Shutter, cannot be put into the function menu. That means I have to wade through the menu every time to find those functions. Sony makes a purchasable intervalometer download available, but even after fooling with the site for hours, I have been unable to download it. I stick with the camera because of the fine sensor. Otherwise I would say that the camera is not really ready for professional use. If Canon ever comes out with a camera with an equivalent sensor, I'll be back with Canon in a second. ... More
Changing of the guard...Nikon and Canon can fight for 2nd
Sony Alpha a7R II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body Professional Kit
Reviewed by Rob972 on B&H Photo Video
There are always going to be niche applications but as far as general purpose full frame photography, this is the new king. Regardless of which features that Nikon or Canon trickles out by end of year, they will not catch this one for camera of the year. I take about 10k photos per year and this is my 5th Alpha series camera (A700, A900, RX100, RX100iii) Focus speed and accuracy with native and non-native (A-mount) lenses is very fast and accurate. You can view and use each of the 399 phase detection AF points even with non-native lenses. Focus tracking of moving subjects and facial recognition work very well. I set ISO auto, 6400 max with a minimum shutter of 1/125 and the images are better than ISO 800 with my other full frame camera. ISO 12,800 is actually usable! ISO 102,400 is not a gimmick it really works with good color saturation for the sensitivity but you will need to downsize the image and limit the print size. Until Sony makes this revolutionary sensor technology available to Nikon or such, they will have a big advantage for some time in low light scenarios. The smaller body does not allow space for the buttons on larger DLSR platforms but their layout and ability to customize each button and the 2 wheels and dial make it easy to configure for just about any purpose. The dedicated exposure compensation dial that can select -3 to +3 at 1/3 stop is VERY useful. I would like to see better WiFi features as Olympus has done which would be useful in a studio environment but for now the Android application is limited to moving photos to the phone. I am not deducting from the score because it is not a must have feature and Sony does have a PC application to do this using the USB interface. The full frame 5-axis image stabilization is good for over 4 stops and something Canon and Nikon should have long ago implemented on their APS-C cameras like Samsung, Olympus, etc. It works great with 3rd party glass and keeps the cost and weight of lenses down which is important! Focus peaking makes shooting a breeze with specialty lenses such as the Russian made Zenitar fish eye and I use it with other lenses to get a feel for the depth of field in addition to auto-focus. Canon users can jump ship now; the lenses work great with the Metabones adapter providing fast autofocus, Nikon users will have an auto-focus adapter soon. As for the negative reviews, one is a Canon nut who failed to mention the many positives that outweigh the few negatives that are having many Canon users move to this camera in large numbers from what I have read in the forums. As for the video overheating issues, it is avoided by moving the display out a bit to allow the body to cool better or better yet, you might consider choosing a more specialized platform with better battery capacity if you are shooting for an hour or more constant video at 4k. Note to Sony A-mount camera owners: you need only the LA-E3 lens adapter if your lens is motorized like the Zeiss and Sony G series. Just look for the motor drive slot in the lens and if it is missing, then you are SSM focused and the LA-E3 adapter is optimal and $100 cheaper. The LA-E3 will also work with motorized lenses without autofocus but it is easy to use the focus peak feature to use old glass unless you are shooting fast moving subjects. The LA-E4 adapter will work with old non-motorized glass using built-in phase detection autofocus which is fast but lacks the coverage of the native 399 points on the sensor so the LA-E4 is not optimal if you have an SSM lens. A-mount lenses that work great with the LA-E3 include the Zeiss 24-70mm F2.8 and the Sony G 70-400mm. Native lenses (E-mount) that I have so far are the 24-240mm zoom and the 55mm F1.8 prime. Both are excellent for the money and will be reviewed soon. Next purchase is going to be the 90mm macro. I might add some photos to this review soon, this is my first camera review on B&H. ... More
Best camera I've owned in 30 years of shooting.
Sony Alpha a7R II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body Professional Kit
Reviewed by Jason on B&H Photo Video
My first SLR was the Canon AE-1 Program. You can do the math but that means I've been shooing right around 30 years. In that time I've owned in the neighborhood of 30 SLR or now mirror-less cameras spanning 4 major brands including; Canon, Minolta, Nikon and of course Sony. I have never been happier with a camera purchase, ever. This camera does everything well and most things as near to flawlessly as you could hope for. I have two small gripes and the rest is all praise. I would love to have 2 card slots even if it means a small increase in body size. Secondly, even the fastest SD cards are too slow. They should have moved to UHS-2 for such huge file sizes. Here is a list of some positives that don't get mentioned in most reviews; 1) A very nice surprise that I've not seen mentioned in a single review. They added a pass-through on the USB charging. In previous models once you started charging the camera via the mini USB port the camera was no longer functional. With the R2 you maintain the ability to change settings and even shoot pictures while the camera is plugged in. A very nice and unexpected surprise. 2) You can set shutter speed priority in auto ISO mode. In previous models whenever you went into auto ISO mode the camera would almost invariably shoot at 1/60th shutter speed in lower light conditions. With the R2 you can put the camera in Aperture Priority mode, set it to Auto ISO but set the camera to maintain a higher priority for faster shutter speeds. The settings include; slower, slow, standard, fast and faster. Another unexpected improvement that I've already put to good use. 3) I feel that with every new release Sony lets us assign more settings to the customization buttons. Early models left me wondering why they limited the options so much for the customization buttons. Now I can honestly say with the R2 that they finally reached a point where just about every setting can be assigned to a C button. 4) Now this really is a minor detail but I like that Sony finally put a black finish on the hotshoe. Just looks nicer than the silver finish of all previous multi interface cameras. 5) I've found the Auto WB to be more reliable than either the 7S or the original 7R in the exact same shooting conditions. 6) The lens mount is nice and snug. The original 7R as well as the 7 had a plastic component to the lens mount. The 7S solved this problem and like the 7S the mount on the R2 is very solid. 7) First Sony in a long time to ship with a decent startup time. Almost all previous models needed a firmware update, or two, before they had acceptable start up times. The R2 solved this. Still a bit slow after a battery change but great otherwise. 8) Last but not least. For focus magnify and zoom in for reviewing images the camera recalls where the focus point of the image or scene is so when you zoom in it magnifies to that location. In the past we would have to zoom directly to the center of the image or scene and the use the direction pad (usually several clicks) to get to the portion of the sense or image we actually wanted to be magnified. Now recall puts you right where you want to be. So brilliant and unexpected but it makes you wonder why they didn't think of earlier. ... More
Fabulous Camera, But Not For Beginners
Sony Alpha a7R II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body Professional Kit
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
The A7RII is small gem of a camera. Equipped with the Zeiss 55 f1.8 and 35 f2.8, it provides resolution and color clarity that blow away my 5DIII. With the new Sigma converter recommended by B&H, it also mounts my Cannon 135mm f2.0 with full auto focus/auto exposure and in camera image stabilization (the focal length of the Cannon needs to be manually set). The A7RII takes some getting used to and initial set up. Immediately on purchase, using the menu button, change the hopeless area focus default to center auto focus or flexible spot auto focus (menu/camera/ option 3/toggle down to focus area). Used that way, auto focus is tack sharp. As to exposure, I like the area exposure setting with the lock exposure lever (on back of camera) pulled down (only need to do it once). That locks exposure on the focused subject every time you focus. Exposure override is easy when needed, a dial on top of the camera no menus. After initial set up when shooting, you vary the f stop simply by looking in the view finder and turning the front wheel. To vary the white balance, press C-1 (top of camera), look through viewfinder, and turn the front wheel. Similarly there is a no-menu system to change ASA while keep your eye looking through the finder (click on the right side of the back wheel hint it says ISO) and turn the front dial while continuing to look through the viewfinder. Low light performance using the Zeiss lens is superb little or no grain and extraordinary resolution from ASA 1,000 to ASA 1,600 with only minimal loss of resolution to ASA 2,500. I give the camera four stars instead of five only because this is not a camera for beginners and its movie capability (I don't do movies) may, according to comments, not be as robust as some of the heavyweight competition. But if you are taking travel photographs, landscapes, street scenes, available light portraits, photo journalism, or fine art photographs, this small camera with its Zeiss lens is magnificent. ... More
Great - but not up to expectations !
Sony Alpha a7R II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body Professional Kit
Reviewed by Glenn on B&H Photo Video
I am a Sony A7R user with a good set of FE glass as well as still holding on to my Canon favorites and using the Metabones adapter. While this camera has slightly higher resolution than the A7R and doesn't have the Shutter Shock issue (which did affect me) - there are still some major issues that were not addressed which leave me wondering if I upgraded too soon. For one, I am definitely seeing more compression artifacts in my Raws than I saw in the A7R - this weekend I will be shooting the A7R and A7RII side by side to see if I can understand this better. The Auto Eye sensor is still too sensitive so if I pull the camera to close to my body the rear display cuts off. There are definitely long exposure noise issues (apparently from heat) that didn't appear on the A7R. The focusing with my Canon lenses is still problematic - if improved over the A7R. The promised 4K in camera is not useful for any extended shooting because of heat issues. I am definitely considering returning this camera until Sony addresses some of these issues. ... More
Great camera. Has limitations.
Sony Alpha a7R II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body Professional Kit
Reviewed by A.G. on B&H Photo Video
I have been a Nikon guy for many years, but the gear has been hard on my back and thought it would be great to have something small, but still packs a punch. My other camera is a Nikon D800, I have the Holy Trinity of lenses and several primes for specific situations. For the Sony I purchased 2 primes, the Zeiss 55/f1.8 and Zeiss 35/f2.8. So the good, the image quality blows me away. The quality of a portrait shot with that camera and the 55mm is exceptional. I would say it looks better than my Nikon 85/f1.8 which is one of my favorite lenses. Also, the Eye-AF works as advertised. They really have come up with some magic algorithms that accurately track the eye rather than hitting the nose. I get far more keeps with sharp eyes than with my Nikon. The small size of the camera is great as well. I spent most of an afternoon having it on my shoulder and didn't notice and can fit it into a tiny camera bag, making it look like I am carrying some cheap point and shoot. The bad: The camera layout just doesn't work well for fast action or change. I think part of the issue is that they have crammed so much into a small space and are limited to what they can do. Yes, almost every key is customize-able and they have 4 memory banks as well (which you need due to the chaotic nature of their menu system), but too many things require going into a menu and looking at your screen. With the Nikon, everything important is well placed and you have a large joystick to work with. With Sony, you have a tiny joystick that is cramped and you have to customize the joystick button to be Single AF select-able, which you have to click every time you want to move the focus point after you took a picture. Also, my Nikon is a tank. It feels indestructible. Thus, if you need to work quickly, you just can't do that with the Sony. Great for landscape and controlled environments, not so great for fast change. The batteries last for 3 hours with barely any photos shot. That LCD, Steadyshot, and EVF eats them alive. I carried 3 in my pocket. The lens selection is very limited for Zooms. It tells you something that Sony only has F/4 zooms. Nice for casual, bright days, not so nice for lower-light, more complex situations. Thus, I am keeping it. It's a very nice camera, but just can't replace my Nikon. I think for walk-around, landscape, video, studio, its great. There are times I can't lug around the backpack and the monster. The Sony will let me take great images in a tiny package, and as long as you know what you are getting its a great camera. ... More
