SAR reader John Wilhelm sent me this picture he posted on facebook happily sleeping with his new Sony A7rII toy! While the picture is certainly nicely photoshopped I am pretty sure some of the new A7rII owners will keep the camera close to their bed the first night 🙂
SAR reader Le Butler posted his Sony A7rII first impressions on SonyAlphaForum:
If I sound critical is this brief description it’s because $3k cameras are not allowed to make excuses 🙂-It’s massive, I really don’t like how big these cameras have become. I knew the weight had gone up hugely too and expected that to make it feel like a dense, top quality item. It doesn’t – it merely feels just like any other good DSLR.-Packaging/presentation is standard fare, no more premium than any of their other cameras.-Included: 2 batteries, USB cable, strap, nicely compact 11W USB charger.-It accepted my non-Sony battery and happily charged from all my USB battery packs as well as an iPhone wall charger while in use.-Viewfinder: nicer than I expected though flicker is very noticable, resolution adequate but pixels visible-Speed of operation: Responsive, some extra (but still not all) functions can be used while it’s still writing to card-Software: Many small improvements, eg more customisation, can add copyright, zooms into AF area chosen instead of the centre every time, AutoISO limits-Shutter: I’m going to love silent shutter and might leave it that way perminantly: I couldn’t make any rolling shutter-like artefacts appear when I tried-Buffer: A sometimes-limiting 21 shots (RAW+JPG), and only 44 shots/min thereafter using a 280MB/sec card. RAWs are 43.5MB each.Overall – When you say “Oh my God” loudly after viewing the very first shot, you know you have something special…makes me want to go reshoot everything I’ve had success with before and more 😀
Wayne Goodman posted four new A7rII test videos:
Sony A7Rii / A7R ii with a Canon EF adapter
A7Rii with the Leica M Mount Adapter
Sony A7Rii : A7R ii full review of the Menu System
Unboxing the new Sony A7Rii / A7R ii
Sony A7Rii / A7R ii with a Canon EF adapter
A7Rii with the Leica M Mount Adapter
Sony A7Rii : A7R ii full review of the Menu System
Unboxing the new Sony A7Rii / A7R ii
Feel free to share your images and impressions on our SonyAlphaForum too!
62 Responses
It’s a little larger than I thought it would be.
Yeah, that’s what she said.
Mirrorless are getting bigger and bigger, probably a good time to switch back to a DSLR.
If size is the only thing that matters, you wouldn’t be switching back to a DSLR; the A7rII is still smaller than all of them. In addition, if size is your only reason to choose mirrorless, it’s probably not for you. There are many, many other advantages.
I think you’re missing the joke…
Duuuuuude…………. You left me speechless.
A6000 still keep the same form factor with lots of features, nobody force you to upgrade to the best and heaviest one, it’s just another choice.
i went mirrorless because its mirrorless regardless of the size, i dare not entertain a slapping mirror and seeing the world via a optical view finder, its days are numbered…but regardless of those with a lack of vision here we go, its still alot smaller and yet despite the fact Sony is the only company squeezing a FF into such a small body is frankly… amazing …
It’s all relative. Tell me again, does that A7RII offer two card slots. You know, worth it’s weight in gold for paid work. By the way, slapping mirror is a misnomer.
no, my A77II has only a single slot to… my A99 dose however and ive never used it. I should use it no doubt, but just never bothered despite all the works i do… A Dual slot is a want, for me image quality and 3rd part lens sharing is i quote a “NEED”, no need to sell my L glass no more.
Exactly! No need to sell your L glass anymore. That’s a problem though for Sony. Why would any Canon shooter actually invest “into” the system. They can wait it out for the inevitable Canon response and take advantage of that Sony engineering. I still want my dual card slots though.
I am a canon user that invested into both sony lines.. semi compact with EVF a good enough reason to move over. Ive been waiting for canon to deliver in terms of what i require, need or want, unfortunately there NOT very innovative and quite the drag in terms of sensor design. The other way of seeing this whole buying into a system….eg surf gumtree pick ANY lens, buy a cheap adapter and its yours. With my canon, ill need to buy canon mount for my canon. For my Sony E mount, ill slap on anything and it will work. I think we have gotten use to the idea, but click it back 8 years ago and the though of sharing lenses on one body wasnt even a consideration. hail the future is here, a super high res semi compact FF with no lens limitations and EVF, holy fook its just all to dreamy.
On the contrary, its not problem for Sony when its compatible with every other mount on the market, it makes it more desirable for those seeking EVF, DR or a compact form factor.. the moto should be “we make the bodies, let the rest make lenses” I was or kinda am a canon user that literally fell in love with EVF, so lone behold i purchased SLTs and E mounts. Whilst the A mount is restricted, my e mount allowed me to visit gumtree lens column with out the concerns of seeking only native, simply buy what ever lens and adapter and its yours. And regarding canon, nothing has really happened in all these years, just recaps on existing technologies. Just consider this, between 8-10 years ago the just considering a camera that can be adapted to any manufactures lenses onto a semi compact FF with EVF is simply astonishing, but it seems most common folk on sites like these only hone into the negative aspects, a bad case of first world problems.
Hmm…tou che. Well played, well played. Can’t argue with that.
Ha! Ha!! Wait might be l – o – n – g ….may be too L _ O _ N _ G
People, please, that was a JOKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just open your eyes and look at the picture. I didn’t mean it for real 🙂 Take it easy. I personally can’t wait to get my a7r2 from B&H, hopefully on 6th…
It’s massive… Sorry but to me that sounds like a massive exaggeration. We knew it was going to weigh around the same as the A7II, with IBIS involved. It’s only massive if you come frome APS-C mirrorless cameras (excl. Samsung NX1) or smaller.
Calling the camera massive was over the top and discredited the rest of the mini-review. I’m guessing that placing a lens on any camera body would be unacceptable and require a wheelbarrow to move and a crane to lift.. Sorry, also over the top.
Hilarious, and well done John Wilhelm!
I’ve been dreaming of owning one of those, but I don’t think I would go that far. I guess for some guys, that’s all they need in their bed.
Six months resale value will be a nightmare.
This is part of the problem professionals have with Sony. Nice that everyone is getting best tech in toy size cameras that are fun to adapt and sling around your neck. But meanwhile Sony pro Amount users are hung out to dry with dated tech inside best ergonomic bodies and stable native mount.
I’m glad you kids are having fun. Really. I know a lot of great photos will be shot with your Emount fancy. Would you mind sharing the best sensor with your professional counterparts who depend on larger Amount to feed family with?
Seriously, how do you think CaNikon pros would feel if their camera partner abandoned them and gave best tech to competition and enthusiasts? It’s a pretty crummy time to be an Amount professional. We sit back and watch Sony give best sensor to Nikon, and Emount, and Canon gets big kid resolution too. We’ve already had our flash system stolen away. And we never get the SSM updates to best primes we’ve asked years for… but do get gratuitous updates that no one asked for.
No, I’m sorry… adapting isn’t the answer for us. Myself and many others understand how unstable they are, losing connections, adding flex, crippling functionality (like no teleconverters), and less performance than native Amount. Big step down for us. A power down on multiple levels.
We don’t enjoy spending extra money on adapters and new batts/chargers, just to keep up with the competition that Sony provides for better than their own. It’s disingenuous to have a camera partner who always makes promises that are opposite from reality. It hurts us on many levels… including our loyalty. We feel abandoned, especially because we Amount users are the ones who made it profitable for Sony to purchase Minolta in the first place. They bought into a very loyal customer base who evangelized the product far greater than any one of the ridiculous ad campaigns that Sony has tortured us with over the years. So insulting.
If Emount ever grows up, and I’m sure it will to the degree that its initial design philosophy can allow it to, then let this present day stand in testament to the pro market that Sony promises to serve with that system. I fear history shall be repeated as soon as Sony senses any tremor in the force, and the pros she tempts to the dark side will be once again abandoned in favor of some new fancy got to have it temporary joy maker.
Meanwhile the working pro will be happily back to CaNikon, after a couple years of restructuring to new mirrorless platform designed to serve professionals from the beginning, and thereby service enthusiasts with a true system of spirited growth and support.
To all those who say… “Amount is dead… Mirrorless is the future”… Well, those concepts are not mutually exclusive. It is indeed possible for Amount Mirrorless to arise without abandoning the loyalists who depend on it. And besides, Emount owners… what’s it to you? Please stop hoping for my bread and butter system to be killed off. It makes no difference to you. It makes a huge difference to me. Can’t we all just get along?
I’m really disappointed that the packaging and presentation is only standard fare.
Anyone know if these new cameras (the mark ii versions) can yet adjust/change white balance DURING video recording? I have 3 Sony A7s cameras for event shooting and sadly that is one of my biggest pet peeves about the camera.
Wouldn’t you cause shakiness and audio clicking if you adjust the white balance while recording?
A little but it’s better than having color WAAAY out of balance at the end of an outdoor event that starts before sundown (blue) and ends in dark (orange) lighting. AWB is inconsistent across multiple cameras. Any idea if this is possible with the A7Rii?
You do 12 hour takes?
Nevermind. I’ll ask elsewhere. Evening weddings in SoCal often go from dusk to darkness where they’re then lit by incandescent orange bulbs which is entirely different color than dusk. I already met with Sony in a private meeting a few months ago about this and other issues with A7s. I didn’t expect changes in the A7Rii but figured I’d ask. Oh well. C ya.
Is that a Zeiss in your pants, or are you just happy to see me? #cameralove
Good Night Sony… where is the a7sII2 :-/
Canon release in December a Video camera with 4 Million clean ISO. Yes 4 Million ISO:
Read the press release here:
http://www.canon.de/about_us/press_centre/press_releases/consumer_news/camcorders/me20f_sh_colour_video.aspx
at 2.26 megapixels and $30 000 later… and the gore to say it has multiple uses..
Wait for final price, the 30000 are usury and utter disproportionate!
30 000, ok $20 000…. even $15000…. still in the arena of BS.. 😉 then suddenly a Sony a7sII comes along and edges itself closer to the canon but for fraction of the price and then u can buy 4, one for each pocket.
I still wait for the a7sII 🙂
I hope this ultra low light camera is for sony a incentive to make a a7sII with minimum ISO 819200!
the idea would be not to shoot at anyhing above 12800, for me anyways… if its clean upto that point it will be the holy grail..
Can’t tell if you’re joking or not? But yeah a 2MP camera that can only do 1080P and $30,000, woopie
Not all user need 4K! For me is HD enough 🙂
I think 4K and this ultra ISO is not possible in the next many years (possibly with the quantumfilm technology, but sony will release at first mobile phones with this technology 🙁 ….)
I hope this camera is for sony a incentive to make a a7sII with minimum ISO 819200! 🙂
It’s huge and $30,000 for the extra 3 1/4 stops.
Yes, but in all ISO’s is the picture essential cleaner than the a7s!
For over 10x the cost and none of the conveniences, it better be cleaner in all instances.
Its to ponder- for the user who need the maximum ISO in the world is this the unique product- its not for masses.
Clearly the price is significant to high!
Still can’t shoot through a lens cap. No Buy~!!!
What…???? My dream is burst 🙁
Athough this picture might seem humorous…it’s actually very serious. It’s obvious his wife left him after he bought it.
His chick is fat and flat. He needs a Batis type of a babe to lay with. You know, at least Batis got some nice smooth curves and you can see what she’s up to in the dark…
I don’t think that’s a chick he’s laying next too. That cameras got dude written all over it.
…not that there’s anything wrong with it
Giggity.
I’ve read a couple of guys reporting that the Fotodiox adapter is noticeably faster than the metabones and commlite adapters. As I have one…. I hope that it’s true.
About about the quality? Fotodiox made the “tough E mount”, and it had lots of problems, especially the first batch. Metabones looks more solid IMHO, and they continuously updating the firmware.
Just stating what I’ve seen out there. No part of that was debating which I thought was better or worse for what reasons.
It would be very interesting to see a comparison of all EF to E adapters, like tolerances, speed, reliability, etc…
agreed. I use primarily native glass, so $400 for a rarely used adapter didn’t make much sense to me. I haven’t had any of the above reported problems though. I’m sure they exist, but I think every 3rd party adapter on the market comes with it’s own set of problem.
Once the rental houses get them, i’m going to try one with my Canon glass and metabones. I really do not need super fast focus since I shoot Architectural. I’m buying a new body this year. It will either be the Sony or the Canon 5s (unless a new 1dx or 5div / 5Dx is released this year). I’ll probably buy a second body next year. Depends on what Canon announces in August. To be honest, I’m kind of wanting the Sony to work out. Especially since I have lots of Minolta glass to play around with.
I sold my old RX100 since I never used it except on vacation. The a7rii equipped with a sony/zeiss zoom would make a great travel camera as well. The last thing I want to do is take my Giant Canon outfit along on a trip.
This same picture would be awesome with an A900 and a giant 70-400 G II. I’m just saying. He could have a thought bubble that says, “Mmm, dual card slots.”
You have to admit, though, the dual card slot implementation in the A900 was a joke, as you had to switch to use one or the other, so it didn’t actually provide any backup, which is what dual card slots are useful for. I was very happy to see them change that in the A99.
Yeah, I want that a99. I missed a few deals for around 1100.00. That would be a better option than the a900 TBH.
A7RII is a pillow hogger!
Tell that to the fridge door~
Massive? Hmm… try using a non-Sony full frame camera and let us know how your opinion on size has changed.
CNN Breaking News: Sony’s latest A7RII mirrorless camera had causes many wife to sleep at sofas demanded by their husbands.
I think that A-mount will survive but it will not adapt the crazy release cycles of the e-mount system. If you take a look at the last 3 years you cannot deny that e-mount was kind of a bet from sony’s side that had to be heavily subsidized. A-mount has a user base and sony cannot afford to make losses with 2 systems.
I will go even further and say that the time of 3 FF e-mount bodies in one year is also over. And this implicates that the price for the A7rII won’t drop very fast. Sony has positioned itself in the market with e-mount and that will change their pricing.
This is nothing new~