Preorders:
Sony Alpha a7II (Body Only) for $1,698 at Amazon (Click here), BHphoto (Click here), Adorama (Click here), SonyStore (Click here).
Sony Alpha a7II with FE 28-70mm OSS Lens for $1,998 at Amazon (Click here), BHphoto (Click here), Adorama (Click here), SonyStore (Click here).
Sony 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G SSM II Lens for $1,148 at BHphoto (Click here).
Note on Preorders: Available in Japan only via Amazon Japan.
The full english A7M2 page is now online at Sony.net (Click here). It includes many new image samples here: Sony.net/Products/di/en-gb/products/v6cd/samplephotos.html?contentsTop=1.
In super short the A7m2 has 30% faster autofocusing (over A7), robust mount (yeah!), 4,5 stops stabilization, optimized layout (shutter button and grip replaced/redesigned) and XAVC-S recording.
And those are all the key features of the new A7m2:
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Some nice news about cameras before my birthday… Hehe.
Thanks SAR.
Hopefully it’s not going to be any different on terms of price than the current a7 price. Any news on newer lenses? And is the sensor the same, just lightly upgraded or equipped with new sophisticated tech?
Hybrid On Sensor AF, Hybrid Image Stabilisation, short flange distance. They’ve done it! A camera that works with all lenses!
I still want a native 85mm or 90mm 1.4/1.8/2.0 lens though 😀
Get a Nikon 85mm f2 AiS or a Canon 85mm FD f1.2L. The first is great, the second is to die for.
Of course, for size, nothing tops the 90mm f2.8 Tele-Elmarit. Tiny (39mm front objective), light (aluminum mount) and incredibly sharp wide open. With IBIS and great ISO, you’ll shoot it at the aperture you’d need to stop down for portraits, anyway. My 1.2L is useless as a portrait lens because unless the subject full faces you, you can’t come close to getting both eyes in focus below f4
I hope for the same IS system in the A7000 …
(As it makes more sense for me than full frame ^^.)
Other important points (according the A7ii):
Moire, aliasing, low light performance, full sensor scaling (video wise), rolling shutter performance and electronic shutter mode (for stills).
Does that mean there won’t be a firmware update for A7?
it seems like it. sony wants everbody dump their last year’s purchase and jump on this $1300 deal. As if money grows on trees.
everybody but customers wants this 🙂 even customers wants it and do it when they have the money 🙂
you mean firmware?
i mean > new camera each year.
a7, a7s, a7r, a7II, where are natives lens?
16-35, 28-75, 24-70, 70-200, 35/2.8, 55/1.8, and 35/1.4, 28/2+converters, 24-240, 90/2.8macro, portrait prime in 2015…
i want compact FF 30-90/4 without stabillization 🙂
What a relief! New 5-axis feature will be implemented in future cameras. Today is good day 🙂
Am I mistaken, or is the specification list virtually unchanged from the basic A7?
Certainly, there is sensor stabilsing (nice, but not vital) and they look like they’ve improved the ergonomics, but other than that it’s the same camera isn’t it?
IBIS and XAVC-S are major when you think of video making.
If you think of only stills and your technique is great hand-held (which many do not have)
then you may consider this a minor improvement besides the AF.
That’s true, but is the AF different?
2nd Gen or so I understand. Whether it will be THAT much better or not, I don’t know. You just need to wait and see.
Yes and no. The changes (IBIS, grip, mount and body material) are significant enough even for a harsh critic.
They did good! 🙂
No. Among other differences it has the fast focus from the A6000 and superior image processing.
What does superior image processing really mean? Until we see what it really does, we can’t quote that as a worthwhile difference. Sony probable babbled the same words from the NEX 5n to the 5R when they are essentially the same IQ wise.
Also better start-up time…
That’s nice! Not sure I’ll shell out to get it, but good for new owners, certainly.
Agreed. Don’t see an upgrade for me yet. Love my A7r. Albeit paid more than I should
This an upgrade for the A7, not the A7r 😉
If you read through the Japanese release specs it appear the it is a new sensor as well as updated image processing, upgraded AF, upgraded Motion specs, upgraded EVF and back screen….basically every part of the camera has had an upgrade. Which is pretty amazing considering the time….they must be employing santa’s elves…
My RX1 is jealous of two things now:
1) IBIS
2) XAVC-S
Waiting for that 35mm 1.4 FE to see whether I’d like to dump the RX1s in favour of this or a7r-II in the future.
Well the 35mm 1.4 probably won’t be that small if size matters in first place.
Size matters, definitively, but AF speed can matter too.
I don’t need the smallest possible, but I like to have near best technical performance and hence I’ve kept the RX1s even when the A7 and A7r were announced. There is simply nothing that can go against the RX1 lens this weight class south of Sigma’s 1.4 ART lens.
If the 35mm 1.4 FE is 95% as good as the RX1 Sonnar, I am sold for upping 50% more mp on an a7r or maybe the faster AF and IBIS of this A7II.
If this thing is truly $1300 in US no point buying any fuji x-1 etc or entry level FF from Nikon or Canon.
Where do we get the quote in USD?
I think Admin is making that number out of thin air.
The price relationship between JP and US is not that great, but US is still higher price than Japan, not lower. This is true for every piece of gear I considered buying. This was true for one of my RX1s that I bought in JP. US is usually some 8-15% higher in Sony land.
EUR…however…25-30%
You might be right 🙂
actually, when 100yen was equal to 1$ the japanese price figure equal (divide by 100 of course) the US price. The euro price figure is lower than the US’one since the Alpha 7 serie (2300$ /2100€ for an Alpha7r at launch) but the difference doesn’t compensate the 30% gape between € and yen/$.
The US price should be under 1900$ (direct translation from 190000yen) around 1500/1700$ like the Alpha7 at launch.
I should have said “price difference” not “price relationship”.
Currency exchange doesn’t change the fact that Japan is cheapest for buying gear followed by US.
What I think Tom Jones (man with the voice?) was referring to is not the conversion rate, but US pricing.
Also, when you buy in the US, allegedly, you have not paid VAT just yet because VAT/TAX is different between states.
When you buy in EU, VAT ranges from 19-20% so “allegedly” the mark up has gone there…
Yeah I saw on Facebook Colby Brown saying MSRP is $1300 US. If true amazing. If not a bit sigh of relief for used market
Who’s Colby Brown?
The guy who first reviewed the 16-35 lens here. And has some different relationship with Sony.
ok
A sony’s artisan photographer
cool, thanks.
I get that, but I was in Japan in April and back then the currency exchange was equal which allow a direct comparison in the price figure between US/Japan: they were the same.
But you’re right the actual best place to buy photo gears is Japan for the price (gear devaluate very quickly so you can find discounted cam easily: RX1r for 1500€ brand new) and because you find shop with very specialized items in stock almost everywhere.
The big minus is that UI are in japanese only.
Can you remedy the UI issue with a firmware from another country?
I don’t know but I guess they prevent such a simple solution. Dig on the internet to find the answer.
The only reason I ever considered an olympus is gone 🙂 Olympus better have a GH4 up their sleeve. Can’t wait for A7s II. Awesome.
A real weather sealed?
Most likely similar or better than A7
And what about rumored autofocus with manual lenses via sensor shift?
Good news but no gps no 4k
We have to wait and expect more from A7r2 and A9 just not to spend money and regret the move some weeks later
And what’s more they think to release new sensor in 2015 !!!
I am disappointed that they did not improve battery life. This IBIS also use extra power?
No, it uses power from cosmic rays.
smartass. so how come sony is claiming same battery life as A7?
Battery consumption for VR id imagine is not so much unless you are Michael J Fox.
What is wrong with Michael J Fox?
hes lacking in body VR
Not funny. He has early-onset Parkinson’s disease, and has invested and raised millions to support research into treatments and cures.
Hi admin. Do you know whether it will have the same shutter as the a7(r) or if will have the quieter shutter (including the electronic silent shutter mode) of the a7s?
Anders
^^I want to know this too!
I’m a bit shocked still by this camera. I take my hat off to Sony and their engineers. This is just the camera they needed to make and looks like a fantastic update.
Sony also needs to make collapsible telezooms like Panny 35-100
Sony marketing suxs though. They should’ve made a big noise all around the world all at the same time. Or may be Canon has a mirrorless surprize(using sony sensor) for us this week and Sony is just trying to come out first?
You mean the Canon EOS-M replacement that was such a great hit worldwide 1st time round?
Hey speculating at this point but if Canon comes up with a FF mirrorless that can take EF mount lenses, fast focus and all the goodies that comes with cutting edge Sony Sensor, wouldn’t that put Canon back to the game?
The EOS M mount is purposely hobbled to save their more expensive DSLR range as far as I understand. What happened to Canon eh?? They used to lead the world in sensor tech!
Hence they fired their CEO when d800 was released. They may want to catch up and that is a good thing for us consumers.
nikon d810?
d800 when the MP and DR war has begun.
If Nikon’s aim is to catch up rather then to lead, they are finished as a company. Side by side My A7S vs a Nikon D810 looks like iPod VS 80s walkman. Wanna go wireless on that D810? Get the WT5A add on for $550. They are still living in the 90s with that pricing.
Why, what’s wrong with Canon now? Any secret news? The pictures taken with Canons look as good as ever.
I actually have friends over at Canon HQ – alas no secret news I can pass on.
Do you think the IBIS will be usable with legacy glass? Like on Olympus models, where you can set the FL?
If it works with my beercan that might just persuade me to upgrade my a7
I doubt I will buy one, as the improvements are too marginal for my needs, but that is not to say they aren’t improvements. Indeed, I think this makes a fantastic camera just superb!
There will be a few Nikon and Canon executives burying their heads in their hands this morning…LOL
Agreed. Sony is on the right track. One thing they should also pay attention to is customer service like Fuji. Support previous gen products to have a loyal following. If you stay loyal, customers will do too.
.. meanwhile at canon & nikon …
Has A7II uncompressed RAW and quiter shutter????
14 bit RAW support….quiet shutter, no.
2.5 fps is kinda terrible though, and 5fps isn’t really brilliant. the D610 can also be bought for a much cheaper prices and there are more lenses available
Sure…but does the D610 and a combo lens save you a bit of weight? does it have XAVC-S? or IBIS? Can you mount the FE 55mm baby Otus? or focus peaking? or front curtain electronic shutter?
Maybe you just need the fps…in that case go Samsung.
Starting to look more like a Olympus OMD EM1 – and thats no bad thing!
As long as it only looks like it, no, it’s not a bad thing.
axsis stabilisation is great.
But. Why didn’t they add a felxible Display like the A77. If they mount a Display flex display like the A77,… have. I will move to E Mount System.
I use the A77II and i love the Display. For me as a Landscape Photographer it is a very nice feature and i use it very often if i take photos in a deep posion. Special if i use the cam for photos in upright format, the flexible display is so good!
Wait for the A7R2!
I agree. I use the articulating screen feature a lot on my A77 and A99. I don’t understand why they’re not implementing that feature on the A7 models.
Come on sony no 4k? no 120+ fps?
Next year!
when sony will release an A7sII with 12mp sensor with amazing low light performance?
“Robust Lens Mount”
are they trying to say something…..
You nailed it there.. We all should get a free or subsidized metal mount upgrade.
Another question, how long before the other models (A7r and A7s) get this makeover? You’ve got to hand it to Sony, they sure know how to tempt a man and torture us with possibilities!
IBIS that works with A-mount, a robust lens mount, moving the shutter button…it’s like they have listened to forum comments and that is very interesting.
I am not sure I understood something well from the description on the english site – the IBIS will work only with E-lenses and A-mount mounted via the Sony adapter? The info say that the camera is compatible with wide range of thirst party lenses, bu the automatic optimization (IBIS) is only described for A- and E-mount lenses! Any clarification on this?
Ibis will probably need to be manually activated for other branded lenses because the camera won’t be able to detect the focal length, and calibrate the IBIS for the focal length.
IBIS will work on legacy lenses too, but you have to enter FL yourself as the lens does not communicate it to the camera. This will work for primes without problem, for zoom lenses it will be a lot harder… (and don’t forget to set the right FL or your pictures can show some quality loss over not using IBIS…
interesting stuff – wont stop me from using my a7 though…
improved weather sealing over a7r a7s a7?
This camera has some impressive features…particularly those related to A mount compatability.
I am waiting for the new high end model but certainly hope these features are included in that.
This probably does indicate the imminent demise of A mount but at least there is finally some effort to include us in the transition.
I still have some questions about compatability but expect they will be answered soon.
What questions about compatibility do you have?
Automatic optimization of A mount lenses is the feature that caught my attention.
I could be mistaken but I think this means the camera will eccept the parameters of either A or E mount lenses and adapt accordingly..if so a simple adapter will work and the laea4 will not be necessary.
Perhaps in futur . Models or with firmware updates this feature can be expanded to include automatic optimization to Canikon parameters.
Another feature seems to be…again not sure….that both ibis and oss will automatically work together for optimum stabilization.
This combination of features…if this interpretation is correct…will add a lot of cross system compatability and make E mount substantially more usefull than it currently is.
Again I hope this is just the first use of this technology and that it is continued and expanded in future high end models.
A-mount lenses will not focus quickly without LA-EA4. LA-EA3 is contrast detect only and focus is very slow.
Sony will never support Canikon communication protocols to enable AF or other features. It’s not hard to figure out why.
To address your 2 statements
Thom Hogan recently answered a question I posed to him about compatability..
He agreed with your assertion that it WILL NOT happen but also indicated..with specific information to support his view…that this is a deliberate choice to optimize systems differrently..voltages, speeds etc…for the sole and deliberate purpose of making the systems proprietary.
Ther is nothing inherrent in the focusing systems themselves that makes compatabity not doable.
If this optimization claim allows the camera to optimize to the characteristics of differrent lense…which Sony can easily do if they choose to and may have done for this camera…then the laea4 will not be required since the camera can automatically optimize to th lens parameters.
That exact technology would easily allow…if they choose to..the camera to optimize to differrent parameters for Canikon lenses.
The advantage to Sony of enabling this compatability would be huge..especially if they want to take market share away from Canikon..
It would understandably not be in Canikons best interests to cooperate…but it would certainly be in Sony’s best interest to do so.
“…that this is a deliberate choice to optimize systems differrently..voltages, speeds etc…for the sole and deliberate purpose of making the systems proprietary.”
Of course, isn’t that obvious?
I know you think that Sony making a camera fully compatible with Canikon lenses is some kind of holy grail, but it would NOT be in Sony’s best interest to do so. Sony’s best interest is to increase market share and profit by selling its own camera bodies and lenses. Canikon compatibility will not happen, regardless of whether or not it is technically possible.
Barry the A-mount lens refreshes and A77II firmware show that A-mount isn’t in imminent demise.
If Sony plans to totally switch to E mount…as most people believe…this will include them in the transition.
If Sony plans to continue A mount this will provide a necessary safety net so A mount users can feel more secure that thier equipment will not become obsolete.
Either way these features are very very necessary for Sony to have available.
“Compatibility with wide range of mountable lenses” – I was just wondering why there are so many lenses in the picture. Of course Sony included all the E, A, F, FE, EF, FD, OM, M… on the earth.
IBIS could be compatible with 3rd party lens
http://av.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/20141120_676968.html
nice finding. Others photos are also interesting especially the one comparing MkI an II n size. Thank for the link
That is really nice, thanks!
Stabilized EVF view with non OS lenses, nice.
Looks like the front panel is now magnesium too (as it is on A7R, A7S but not the A7).
sony know how to get the money out of us! Just selling my A7R after buying the A7S, if the A7SII comes out I would certainly upgrade!
IBIS demo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5pAf8OIpY4
will the IBIS work with legacy lenses , like CV, Leica, Samyang etc ….?
First non Sony person to review it will tell us that. This week for sure..
See the photo post by Byron below.
Oh no, did you notice how closely packed the focus points are to the center? Looks like awful coverage, maybe even worse than the a99. Not good.
The old and the new..
http://av.watch.impress.co.jp/img/avw/docs/676/968/sony06.jpg
Not sure if I like the black hot shoe mount. Once used it shows wear and degrade the resale value a bit..
a little wider both the grip and the whole body
The grip shape and the position of the shutter button looks much better than the old A7.
witch one is the new?
Nice one, I’m in.
S-LOG2 and XAVC-S. From a video standpoint, the only things that differentiates this from the a7s is the external 4K and superb low light. If this is a new 24mp sensor from Sony, and not the same one from the awful (video-wise) VG900, A99, and a7, this could be one of the best bang for buck HD images you can get. I know Andrea said that this isn’t a new sensor, but if the auto focus is supposedly better, couldn’t that mean this is a newer sensor?
Not really, the algorithms have been updated.
I was thinking that too, that it’s just software improving the auto focus. It would be so disappointing though to waist such a plethora of features on a camera that has the same aliasing and artifacting as the older ones.
Dosen’t the A7(II) sensor suffer from a lot of moire and aliasing in video ?
Full pixel readout will make the A7s video much sharper than the A7 or A7ii.
Who here doesn’t expect an A7r II, and an A7s II to be released as well? It’s a redesigned body and has IBIS. I expect the mark 1 series of A7 to be on its way out/replaced.
I believe the approaching A7s price drop was mentioned on this page yesterday.
Ah what the h ell. Bye bye A-Mount!
Oh and by the way, nobody mentioned the price but Amazon.co.jp shows 184,560 yen for the body which is 1550$ or 1250 EUR.
In real life it will be $1600 US plus tax and 1600 EUR including VAT?
See my posts below. Closer to 1.800 EUR
The original A7 is listed there for +/- $1,000 (converted to dollars) and this new body over $1,500. That’s a 50% increase. Not sure what this means for eventual MSRP in the States…
is that XACV S format comes with 120fps 720p by default? I see the specification of A7II did not mentioned across many sites. but the A7S’s XACV S have it …
So if the a7II get update with S-log 2, a7s seems doesn’t worth to buy tho
A7s video will still look better because the video signal comes from a full-pixel readout of the sensor.
And The High Iso performance.
Anyone know if this has a silent mode like the a7s?
No. Higher pixel count won’t allow full electronic shutter.
Canon 5d3 doesn’t have full silent mode BUT its quiet mode is pretty darn close to silent.
So many questions! So, are we going to see an a7rm2 as well? Is the battery life improved?
Battery life will be worse with added stabilization.
Is there a strategy behind Sony? First they introduce e-mount as new and compentent APS-C mirrorless concept. Then they went full frame and everybody is asking: Was this the intention? Now they introduce in-body stabilisation, but they already have lenses with OSS – wouldn’t these lenses not be smaller, lighter, optically better, cheaper without OSS? Had Sony to rush to the market and some things were not ready yet? Don’t get me wrong: I like IBIS and if Sony has dealt with some other issues (raw compression, shutter vibration), I’m in. But what Sony is doing seems not that thought-out sometimes …
yes. more tactical than strategical
“Robust lens mount…”
LOL. First the A7S and now this. Sony just officially shat on us for thinking we could mount heavy lenses on our first-gen A7 cameras with “those feeble plastic mounts”.
How heavy are your lenses? I shot for days in the northern Israel dust with a Nikkor 70-210mm f4/f5.6 AF lens in a heavy brass mount with NO problems. A 72mm front element Canon FD 85mm f1.2L.
Anything heavier (like my 80-200 f2.8 Nikkor has its own tripod mount ring) has worked fine, too.
As for “feeble plastic mounts” – the ones on my Nikon D7000 and D300 are the same metal-on-plastic type mounts as on the Sony – maybe a bit less metal on the Nikons.
At an Ohio U/Bowling Green football game, I turned my back on the field after the ref blew a play dead, and got hit by a pair of linemen who took their conflict off the field and atop me. My D300 and 80-200 were trapped between me and 500 lbs of angry humanity.
The mount on the 80-200 was damaged, and cost me $300 to replace, The metal-plastic D300 mount was just fine.
Stop worrying about your A7 lens mount.
Unless I’ve missed it, I see absolutely no mention of dust/moisture sealing.
You missed it. Specifically mentions “improved” weather resistance
Good to know.
I don’t have the time and energy to find out wich LENSES are wether sealed. Can someone help? And also, are the lens adapters (a-mount) weather sealed? If I understand correctly, the weather sealing of the body does not help you in the rain if the lens is non-weather sealed.
Supposedly the entire FE system, bodies and native lenses, are supposed to be weather resistant. Whether that includes the adapter, I don’t know, but logically the more seals you have, the more chances for leakage.
I just remembered that dyxum exists 🙂 According to dyxum only Zeiss 35mm f2.8 and 55mm f1.8 and 16-35mm f4 lenses are weather sealed.
It seems like the E-mount system is not yet ready for my needs. But it is almost there now with the ibis (I have shaky hands). I take photos of animals, land scapes and also on the street in all kinds of lighting conditions. I could live with the 55mm and 16-35mm most of the time but I really want long range zoom as well (and fish eye). I know that with adapter I could use basically any lens on the market but I don’t trust those adapters to be weather sealed bacause sony site does not say they are (maybe I’m blind :)).
Anyway. Maybe I just wait for the curved sensor system to come out (because better lighter smaller lenses) and carry the weight of my A77m2 like a man 😀
Not to beat a dead horse, but I sure wish Sony would get on to announcing the future of A-mount bodies, so people like me, who are on the fence, can decide.
The Sony 28-70mm F/3.5-5.6 OSS Lens is also weather sealed. The adapters are not weather sealed.
Frankly, I would not trust any part of a zoom lens except the front element to be weather sealed, even if claimed as such – not just Sony, ***ANY*** zoom claiming weather sealing. Most have moving elements that create negative and positive pressures within the lens. I carry some inexpensive weather “hoods” that cover all but the lens snout (including my hands), with a hole for the EVF. We need to be real about electronic cameras – the surface mount devices on the boards are SO tiny, and the power levels so low, it’s folly to shoot any interchangeable lens camera in wet conditions.
I look forward to buying an A7m2 and a 16-35mm zoom. That, with my A7 and 28-70mm, will enable me to shoot in crappy conditions without changing lenses. I did two days in the Turkish desert with my pair of D7000s, one with an 18-200 zoom, and one with an 11-16mm zoom. No lens changing needed.
they just announced a bunch of new A-mount glass! new A mount camera is sure to come now IMHO!
It’s soul-searching time for A-mount users. We’re in existential crisis! Any new A-mount body better be announced quick, and it better be f-ing incredible. As for the new lenses, that’s good news, but not great. They’re just tweaks on existing designs.
I don’t care what anyone else says, or any nitpicking – what Sony just did with the A7ii is AWESOME.
I mean it seems fantastic. Yes, I really want one. But shouldn’t we just wait a few more months for something else amazing to come out from Sony? Aren’t they about to revolutionize the sensor market or something?
So there is no built-in GPS? 🙁
GPS is not necessary because we always have phone.
Waiting on soiny a9….
last features missing in order to make the sony a 9 a true flagship and the final punch to dsay goodbye to canikon dslrs:
36 mpx at least
no aa/olpf
fully articulating screen
double sd slot uhs II
gps built in
4k built in /internal recording
fully silent shutter as the a7s has
evf size magnification /manual focusing feature split screen as the fuji xt1
handy small pop up flash
af focus assist lamp
1/8000 mechanical shgutter speed with option to enable an electronical shutter getting up to 1/32000
5 axis ibis like the sony a7 II alreeady has on board….
full lossy raw compression (options like canikon have)
ev going to -3ev like the nikon d750
16 bit tiff file option
price doesnt matter if all features are included 😉
You missed one important feature
the touchscrenn like the omd em1 has…
in order to beat canikon compeltleyl they need better flahses/flash system and more native lenses as well as a cheap 1.8 plastical series like the nikkor 1.8 prime series….
Sonys 50mm is also pretty cheap. With pretty good Performance.
But not for full frame! so…. it doesn’t count…
Canon’s response is that Canon immediately decided to release eos 7D mark 3 in 2025.