Day Two with the Sony A7RII…so far. WOW!
Yesterday I posted my very 1st views and thoughts on the new powerhouse Sony A7RII camera. After shooting with it all day today for the past 6 hours I have more images and thoughts and they are all GOOD.
I am currently on a bus with 30-40 other journalists and Sony as we had to Mt. Hood for more shooting (in snow) with the A7RII. Since we have a 2 hour drive I decided to use my iPhone 6 as a hotspot and update you guys on how it went this morning with the camera.
One test I wanted to try was to shoot the Voigtlander 15 4.5 VIII on the A7rII as I was hearing rumblings about how the new sensor design fixes most of the issues with wide-angle Leica M glass. I have the 15 III on me, so more Leica tests will happen next week when I am home but for now, the 15 is looking AWESOME on the A7RII.
click image for larger…
As I walked around the Japanese Garden this morning with the A7RII, 15 III, Batis 85 and Sony/Zeiss 35 1.4 and 24-70 I was BLOWN AWAY at the camera. This is without a doubt, the BEST A7 camera EVER made. In fact, since I am in the honeymoon phase, I feel it is one of the best, if not the best camera I have ever used. SO many reasons why. Will I feel like this in 2 weeks? I think so, but who knows. I am just so excited by what this camera is giving me I look at it sitting here next to me and say “I WILL NEVER NEED MORE THAN THIS”.
I mean, I just want an A7RII and some AMAZING glass to go with it, and there is TONS of glass you can shoot on the A7RII. Thousands of lenses from all manufacturers can be mounted with the right adapters and with the new sensor design, man… this is one powerful tool.
Even with its 42 MP the camera is responsive, quick and never feels sluggish. Manual focus is a breeze with the large clear EVF and low light is so much better than I thought it would be, I mean..it seems to be better than my A7II at high ISO, nearing the A7S (but not quite).
THIS CAMERA excels with out of camera quality. These are all from camera JPEGS, look at the color, the depth and the incredible medium format like IQ…click them for larger!
It has been a lackluster year for cameras so far. I mean, we have had some amazing cameras come out..the Leica Q…a few others..but THIS is a game changer and when something like the A7RII comes along, it excites me and that excitement translates to these pages and the words I write.
I have shot with everything over the years and believe me when I say, so far, from two days with this A7RII, it is a special camera that has capabilities that far exceed my skill set. The video capabilities alone are incredible. The sensor is outstanding. They did their homework and listened to A7 users, and then they delivered this. THANK YOU SONY!
1st shot below was with the 35 1.4 Zeiss at 1.4. THIS is my fave 35 1.4 ever.
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Here is a shot with the Canon 50 1.2 EF lens at 1.2. What is really incredible? Myself and all here agree, this lens focuses faster on the A7RII than it does on the Canon 5D series. Faster and more accurate. I borrowed this lens from someone here and now will go buy one as it is amazing on the camera. click it, and yes, this is an OOC JPEG.
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What I have been enjoying most is the rich color, deep IQ and lovely transitions. This sensor is just “WOW”.
So here I am still on the bus and with my laptop battery draining and my hotspot racking up data feeds I will close this out now with a couple more images from today. Tomorrow I will post more from this evening and tomorrow as we have so many events planned to use these cameras. I will also have a look at the RX10II as that is also sitting in my bag beside me.
Believe the hype my friends, the A7RII is a take no prisoners camera and I see nothing out there that can do all it does, how it does it and do so with amazing and fun usability.
You can order the A7RII below from my recommended and trusted Sony dealers:
Sorry other question,the AF assist in Nissin i40 works well on sony a7rii ? I read did not work with your A7R, thanks again
Hi Steve, I have a problem with the focus, the lens 24-70 f4 I can not take good pictures 50% of the photos have front focus, change lens with the seller but the problem persists, I read the upgrade v3 .0 coming overcome this problem but it is not, you know something about this problem, thank you !!
the “staff only” photo kinda intrigues me, Love the feel, whet lens did you use Steve ?
Thank you
That is with the gorgeous Zeiss 85 Batis. Amazing lens!
Thank you Steve !!
It shows !!
Hi Steve,
I want to start out by saying thanks for the excellent reviews you’ve provided us over the years. Great work man! I really appreciate your recent Leica reviews on the ILCE cameras – I’ve used what you shared to pick out a few of the Leicas I’m interested in. (avoiding the wider lenses for now)
I do want to mention that my experiences with the older MD/MC mount Minolta Rokkor lenses have been incredible. If a person can get used to manually focusing these lenses, which were built for such a thing, there is a wealth of outstanding lenses to be had for not much money. Shared via Petapixel recently, I wrote an article regarding the Minolta MC Rokkor-PG 58mm f/1.2 and the amazing character it lends to images. I spent all of 2015 buying and using many of the old Rokkors on my Sony A7, A7R, and A7RII. While I do throw a Leica or Olympus Zuiko in the mix from time to time, I’ve found that the Rokkors are generally the best-performing. If you’re interested in seeing what sort of quality can be had with these lenses, have a look here: http://www.outfor30.com Not trying to plug my own stuff here but an image says a lot more than any words I might offer in a comment.
Cheers,
Tom Leonard
Hmm those jpegs still don’t even compare to Otus + D810
Am I the only one who had this light leaking and lens flare problems on all three A7x bodies, A7/A7R/A7RII?
Did you guys experience the light leaking/lens flare issues on the new A7RII?
I just shot A7RII with FE 55 with lens hood on. Still had the same light leaking/flare issue as the old A7R/A7 model. I thought SONY fixed this since A7II already. it seems it still exists.
see the image here:
I posted them on SONY website here.
http://community.sony.com/t5/Alpha-NEX-Cameras/Sony-A7RII-still-have-light-leaking-problem/m-p/517626
also on flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/100260745@N06/20202227170
https://www.flickr.com/photos/100260745@N06/20434684852
I have shot 500 images with the RII and various lenses. No issues. I know of 20 others who did as well. No issues. May be your lens.
I tested two different FE55 lens, and one FE35 on three different bodies (A7/A7R/A7RII). they all had the same flare issues. if I change to APS-C mode, the flare reduced. I also tested some canon lens with metabone. no flare issues at all on 5D3, but it had same issues on all A7x bodies.
Do you think if this is a lens issue or more likely the camera body?
Never ever have I seen this issue nor can I replicate it on ANY of the A7 series bodies I have used. Id just exchange the body if I had that issue.
other folks also had same “Sony A7II flare / sensor reflection issues”, see more details on dpreview:
http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/55939232
I just put the same FE 55 on my A6000, no flare issue from any angle. but one A7x, when the light source is close to the frame, the flare issue happens.
No clue, never saw it personally but I would still suggest a different lens to rule it out. Just because it is a non issue on the 6000 doesn’t mean it is not the lens. But never saw it with the A7. A7R, A7s, A7II and A7RII. I have over 80k shots on my A7s and its still plugging along just fine. Hope you get it figured out! Let me know how it goes.
Jeez, I don’t know if some of you are trolling or just plain rude…Mr. Huff here has taken time out to show examples and write about how he is really digging the camera and some of you have to have idiotic replies saying you don’t like the color, too saturated, not saturated enough, etc.
Give the man some props for showing us examples so “you” can “decide” if you want to plop $3200 on a camera cause someone else already did and is sharing his findings with us.
This isn’t some crazy review, he’s excited and wants to share what he’s been doing with the camera so far. My god, he’s only had it for 2 days and you expect someone to know the ins and outs of all the camera menus and technical aspects.
Some of you seem to just gripe, battery doesn’t last long enough, it doesn’t make me coffee, it can’t save my marriage. This is a $3200 camera, if you want more you have to pay more! $3200 for a camera with all these amazing specs is cheap.
Give Steve your props and take a chill pill and look at all the amazing technology that is coming faster then we can blink nowadays.
2 shots are truly outstanding, fantastic colour, detail and 3D amazing JPeg’s
I just read most of the comments and I didn’t see anything so far about this: How is the roll-off into clip? Take a sunset with hot clouds…is it smooth or as with most cameras, a hard garish nuclear yellow band around the clipped areas (major exception the Arri Alexa)?
do you remember what lens you used on the “Staff only” photo?
That explains the A7 I saw on someone around the food carts on Wednesday… 🙂
That was without doubt the most uninformative review of a camera I’ve ever read. And do you have shout quite so much?
As I said, if you would have read, this is NOT A REVIEW! My review will take 2-3 weeks, and I will not have the camera until next week again for long term use. THIS, AS STATED, IS MY 1st LOOK. NOT A REVIEW. So please read before you make comments like this.
You know what Henry? You’re pretty much a rude asshole. If you don’t want to read something, here’s an idea: click away. The internet’s a big place.
Just received my camera from B&H only had a few minutes to try some images but wholeheartedly concur with your exuberant review of the A7Rll . The camera is producing files that are so amazing that it’s hard to put it into words. I think for the first time 35mm full frame sensor has matched 2 1/4 film, almost 4 x 5. Never seen anything like it , I’ve been shooting with the A7R, D800E . Somebody else said that once they saw the files from this camera they wanted to go out and shoot everything over again which I happily agree with. Thanks for all your efforts and time.
Thanks Steve for your hard work. When shooting jpegs I have never used vivid. Based on your photos I will start using it now. Sold my A7II and will get the A7RII tomorrow. Again thanks.
When reviewing any mirrorless camera why isn’t the extremely poor battery life mentioned? If camera makers would be willing to slightly enlarge the camera to accomodate a larger battery to get at least 700 shots per charge I might be interested but for now I consider poor battery life a major problem as I enjoy using the viewfinder to view and compose. I am a retired electronic circuit designer so I understand that the nature of mirrorless is battery draining but the usual answer I get when complaining is to just carry more batteries. From my point of view, present mirrorless is just poor technology. The full frame mirrorless cameras are about as large and heavy as DSLR’s.
I did mention it my A7II review, and when I review this camera I will do the same. My A7II gets me 250-350 shots, the A7RII managed 400 shots on one battery for me. I have 4 A7 style batteries, two generic, two sony. The generics cost me $6 and work great. They are small, so easy to carry 2. The A7RII battery lasted me three days of shooting in Portland. I switched on NIGHT 3, so not bad at all.
My appologies. I appreciate your response.
Len…get a grip.. 🙂
I own the A7S, A7R and A7 II and do agree battery life is not a good as with my Canon cameras; however, I don’t know if I’d call it “extremely poor battery life”. I can easily get ~300 shots from a battery on any of the A7 series cameras, and batteries are relatively inexpensive and light weight. I also understand I can run the A7R II from a USB power source (as well as my current 110 volt to Sony power adapters).
Battery life certainly would not be a deterrent to me purchasing the A7R II !
Len, yes, they are ABOUT as big and heavy as the SMALLEST crop-frame DSLR while having a full-frame sensor and now IBIS. Sure I wish there was a FE Sony the size and shape of the NEX-7 or A6000 and, yes, I agree the A7R2 is putting on too much weight but lets keep it all in perspective.
very nice pictures, but if you would have used the A7, the first one, the differences would be minor. To small for me. we see only very small steps of improvement, and yes it is a great camera, but on the print, I woul dnot see a difference in my photos, exept in very rare situations. So i will not buy it …. now. maybe used in 1 or two years
The differences between the A7 and A7RII is HUGE – totally different cameras from build quality, sensor, shutter, AF speed, CAF speed, responsiveness, resolution (which I have not even shown yet), color performance, AWB performance, quieter shutter, quality of mount, and on and on and on. IQ is indeed better but the user experience is MUCH better.
but you can’t see the user experience in the photos, that is the important point here.
same as the sensor, your photos are great, but would be similar with the old sensor. all cameras today are delivery such a wonderful IQ that it is in my eyes impossible to see a difference in the final picture
That is because you have not seen full resolution files yet, or prints or anything but reside JPEGS. The user experience is the most important part of a camera and it trumps everything else. If you do not enjoy using it, you will hate it. With this camera Sony greatly enhanced the user experience with faster AF, faster C AF, better low light, 5 Axis, on and on and on… There is a dramatic difference in IQ from color, AWB to details and even richness. As good as it gets in todays 35mm full frame world IMO (and many others).
Thank You for sharing your thoughts with us. I bought the camera I need a very small flash for it and I don’t like big flashguns. Can you recommend a very small and quality flash for this camera. Many thanks
I do not use flash and haven’t in 20 years, so I am not the one to ask.
Do you take pictures at night or portraits indoors? if you are out with your family for dinner etc. how do you take quality photos without high noise. I actually hate the big bulky flash on my camera and wouldn’t use it much other then on a family night out. I would hate to invest money on a flash if I can still take good quality photos without it. Please advice further.
Many Thanks.
Hi, I would check out the Nissin i40. This is the flash I use for the A7 series cameras. It is small, quick and easy to change the settings with dials, and very importantly, has a swivel head which you can use to bounce or change the direction of the light.
Many thanks Hien. I did check on that. It is a nice one. However I am not sure if I need a flash or not. I do take photos at nigh on summer holiday times but would I need a flash with this camera? I just don’t want to invest £169 if I don’t actually need it. Any thoughts? I would rather put the mone towards Zeiss 25mm.
Thank You
Mehmet,
You’re asking someone who shoots with added light (via reflector, flash, or strobe) almost 100% of the time. Does the camera have the capability to give a good photo with ambient light? Undoubtedly yes, in 80% of the cases you’d probably shoot. But adding light can take your images to the next level, in my opinion. See my website for my work.
Best,
Hien
Many thanks Hien. What’s your website address?
It’s http://hienhnguyen-photographer.com/
Thanks Steve for the post.
Very interesting informations.
Will you try also Contax G Biogon lenses in the coming weeks?
Probably not as I do not own any and have no way to get them.
Hey Steve,
Long-time reader, but first post. Thank you so much for all of your reviews. I will buying either the A7 II or A7r II to replace my Canon gear soon.
So I am with Schezzer on the idea of an A7 II/A7r II comparison.
I keep hearing a lot about how fast the AF is with the A7r II and how it has improved greatly with 3rd party lenses (and you have confirmed it).
I would love to know if it’s even faster (in both situations) than the A7 II? If it is, could you ask your Sony contacts if the A7 II could expect a firmware update to improve AF speed? You would think it would be possible since the both have the BIONZ X.
Thanks Again!
Really appreciate this deep look at the a7rll. Would like you to compare with the a7ll for those of us sorting out which to buy. Also your impressions of the 24-70 f4 lens
Hi Steve, I know you generally shoot stationary subjects, but was curious to see if you’d be testing out the continuous AF and subject tracking and if there was any improvement over the previous A7 cams?
All will be in my full review, thanks!
Steve, you hit Portland on a perfect day, better than the 110 in Phoenix! Enjoy Mt Hood today. Curious how the Loxia lenses will fair on the A7RII? I have the lenses, waiting for the second round of A7RII shipment in a couple of weeks. Look forward to your continued testing on this incredible camera! BTW, if you have time, do yourself a favor and go to the gorge and hit Oneonta Creek! You can thank me later 🙂
Hi Steve, have you had any issues with the sharpness of the 5X manual focus magnification compared to the A7ii on the A7rii? as described here http://diglloyd.com/blog/2015/20150804_0752-SonyA7R_II-readers.html
I already commented on this 4 times, and no, I have not. Nothing I noticed or gave me trouble and I have been manually focusing all day 🙂
Steve, the big question for me is the Sony A7RII worth the extra $1,500 or so it costs over the A7II?
Ummm, yes. It’s incredible but wait a week or two and you will see many reviews saying the same. This could be an end game camera for me. I just can not imagine anything in 35mm being better. I say this with 100% clarity and after three solid full days of use. ONLY improvements? They could use a bigger battery, but this seems better than my A7II by a tad.
Steve, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the Sony/Zeiss FE 24-70 f4 since you’ve not reviewed it in the past. I rented it once, and thought it was far better than what reviewers were writing on the Web. Thanks!
I like it but would not buy it for myself. The size is nice, weight is light, but I am just a prime guy. I used the 24-70 a lot and feel it is a fantastic lens. No issues, no problems, no softness. Just solid performance.
Loving the reviews Steve. Very useful seeing this camera reviewed from a stills perspective rather than video. Was pretty sure that this was going to be my next camera and you’ve pushed me closer to making the change. I just need to make sure that the Metabones works perfectly with all my L glass.
Hi Steve, Really love your reviews! How good would this be with a M 50mm 0.95 Noctilux?! I bet it would blow your mind even more!! Ha Ha
Well, it would be better than a Leica M. The Noct is magical, but for me, these days, just priced way too high for what it is.
Wow I got all excited when I read about the 50L focusing faster and more accurately than on 5D bodies!!! I get so many focusing errors with my 5DI & 6D yet I never quite wrapped my head around spending the money on a ‘newer’ 5D because of stupid old sensor tech and retarded focusing on a flappy mirror. It doesn’t seem like much but how accurate is paperthin DOF when focused on anything else than the sensor!? Anyways, thanks for this review! Really hyped! I still have a few reservations though like fast manual focusing point selection without a touch screen and low battery life… oh and I really liked Canon’s newer 600EX-RTs 🙁 It’s not a perfect world lmao.
Tell me if that 24-70 is a great lens, comparable to the Nikon or Canon and yes I know it is F4. But quality and all.
Thanks for your site.
With the new improvement to AF concerning A-mounts, why aren’t people considering the 24-70 f2.8? That’s what I would get. Do you have any reasons the native EF 24-70 at f4 would be better Steve?
Battery life is pathetic, only one card slot.
If Sony had addressed those two glaring issues they’d have won over a much larger professional following.
It seems they’re aiming the A series at the consumer market which is fine, just seems like an easy fix though.
I just killed battery #1 after three days of shooting. Now on Battery two. It is doing better than my A7II for some reason, but all I need is two batteries (I have several) and I am set. Not sure how many shots but I would guess 300-400 per battery.
not sure how experienced you are, but I’ve been around long enough to have shot thousands rolls of film. And I can tell you, changing a roll of film after 36 shots (at the beach… in the snow…) is much more of a drag than popping in a new battery after 300 shots. These batteries are cheap and small, I use 4 of them which lasts 2-3 days.
Completely agree with you Patrick, however, Clarice has a point because compared to the competition (right now) the a7 series does have very poor battery life.
Easy fix though (as everyone has pointed out)…buy more batteries and/or get a 2-slot battery grip! I don’t know many professionals (in my circle) that do NOT use a battery grip. Sure it still doesn’t compare to the competition, and I wish Sony could do something about that, but a battery grip would probably get you through.
Two batteries will get you around 700-800 shots. My spares cost me a few dollars each (amazon) and work great.
Hii Steve,
I’m enjoying your writeups and images! Is there any way you could post slightly larger files, either here or in a flickr file? I’d love to see the images match my retina display.
Have fun on your trip!
Sure, in my review in 2-3 weeks. 🙂
Steve,
I have a Sony A7S for general purpose photography. I was wondering if the high ISO capability on the A7R II is “good enough” to replace they A7S with the A7R II? I generally like to carry 2 of the exact same cameras mounted with lenses that will practically never come off (in this case they would be the 35 mm and 85 mm). Would you recommend carrying 2 A7R II or 1 A7S and 1 A7R II? One extra consideration I have is that I also shoot fashion and beauty and generally like as much resolution as possible (my primary gear for this are Nikon D810 cameras). I think the A7R II can be an excellent substitute for the D810 when I need to carry a lighter kit. If the high ISO capability on the A7R II is “good enough”, I would prefer to have 2 of those than to keep the A7S around.
Thanks,
Hien
Will test this in a week so we shall see!
Hi Steve.
When you are doing your final review, can you do a comparison between the 35 1.4 shot at f2 against the RX1r ( If you still have it) ?
Somehow I think that images shot at f2 on the RX1r, the dof and bokeh looks like if if it was shot on a lower aperture. ( I know this should not be possible) 🙂
Thank you.
Best regards
Dan
35 f/2 on RX1 will have the same DOF as a 35 f/2 on the A7IIR. To get shallow DOF on a 35mm f/2 you should be closer to your subject.
Steve,
Great Post. Have you tried any Leica lenses yet?
The M mount 15 4.5 so far but will try more in a week or so.
My question, would prefer to keep the A7RII or the Leica Q ?
There is no contest. The A7RII is in another league.
How about wide angel, and landscape ? I mean wiiide angel, 14-16mm. Witch lenses, and how about corners? How about lossy RAW file? 13 bit?
Hopefully you tackle the video issues… only sony lenses offer auto focus in video (4k) whereas other lenses, adapter etc, manual focus only. Hoping this is untrue and a speedbooster and canon lenses or even other mounted non sony lenses work with auto focus in video mode.
HI Steve please test video
Also many thanks from my part for those daily and fast updates on your experiences, Steve. It’s very interesting, even for me, owning the camera now for some six days. So far I’m experiencing exactly the same feelings as you. It’s almost unbelievable not having any real remarks on this camera. (Maybe one: I prefer a “mode wheel” without lock. But I concider that nit-picking.)
Oh yeah, in RAW I see a clear increase of IQ compared to the A7R – so far – all being early days and honeymooning, as you put it so nicely.
Looking good if you ask me! I’m using an A7 now but I have to say, this tempts me. Then again, maybe I can get an A7s on sale, used fro’ cheap! The use Full Frame market is going to be REAL interesting if Sony can keep churning out these hits!
A7 is still DAMN nice a7r, a7s…Rx1, Rx1r…PSHEW!
If the next M makes another huge jump in quality would you consider going back to it or do you think Sony A7 will be your goto camera for the foreseeable future?
rumour has it Leica are possibly announcing a new camera in September/October. FF interchangeable lenses with AF and obviously ability to take Leica M lenses. No idea how thus might all pan out but assume it be using adaptors etc…….ISO to get close to A7s….
Have any one try the camera at sunset or night, I have one for a party at sunset and photos looks sharp at the camera but when you see after in the Lightroom or photoshop its look unsharp
Hi Steve, thanks for the review. I’ve been a fan of your site since I got the A7S after your glowing review. I have to argue one point that the A7 series needs a fully articulating touchscreen.
I currently own an A7S and am planning on buying the A7RII, but there are so many times that I WISH I could tap focus (especially when using a tripod). If I’m looking at a landscape or a group using the screen, I should be able to touch the screen and focus right where I touch. The first iPhone could do this in 2007. All of the Olympus and Panasonics have can do this. Sony’s own A5000 can do this. It’s ridiculous that Sony doesn’t have a fully articulating touchscreen when the technology is there.
I know you have some clout with Sony so I beg of you, can you please start pushing them to add a touchscreen to the A7 series? I think then – then it could completely annihilate the DSLR competition.
Curious if there is any improvement in camera turn on time. Is it about the same as A7II or better? Also how do the dials feel compared to A7II? Thanks!
Everything feels great – solid, sturdy and on a high level. Fit and finish is superb. Start up time seems better but I will compare in my review to be sure.
Steve. Do you have any feedback on the EVF for manual focus? Some are saying it is vastly inferior to the original A7R.
I have not had any issues but will do a comparison next week and see what the differences are. I manually focused just fine, with ease but if the EVF is inferior I will let you all know once I get back home to do comparisons (and get the camera again..will be a week or so without it)
???? I own both. And I believe the A7RII EVF to be better. There are a lot of wild stories going on. I guess some diehard Canikon adepts feel the need to spit at whatever possible aspect of Sony. Fact is: Sony changes photography at this moment, as they did in the past with so many other things in different branches. I think of digital audio recording for one. It’s a gigantic company, that acquires lots of knowhow and even tradition (through Konica/Minolta for instance and with a close co-operation with Zeiss). And it has one general attitude: dare to change! Of course they have made mistakes, as does everybody and every company, but the way they come with solutions now for virtually all remarks on former A7 models is remarkable.
BTW, why would they put an inferior EVF in the next generation and make it €1500 more expensive… I don’t think they are stupid. Or does anybody think that there’s nobody within the Sony company that can see the difference between a good and a less good EVF… Rumors. Ballyhoo.
Dirk- i understand you are passionate about your equipment, but blind support for a company/brand weakens your arguments. Sony is making very good camera equipment and you should enjoy it and support it, but attacking people who have genuine concerns/questions about the product makes your objectivity seem suspect.
Thanks for your concern, David. Am I blind? I doubt it, because I absolutely have some remarks on the camera. 1) I don’t like the lock on the mode dial. 2) I found the front and real dials on the A7R to be more comfortabel. 3) I don’t love it to be yet bigger and heavier. It’s gradually loosing part of the advantage of a compact camera. Really, I hate that. 4) I had hoped it to be some 10 to 15% less expensive. Compared to Canikon, it’s worth this price, But personally, I believe the price difference with the A7R to be too big. But all the rest is sublime. Regarding ergonomics, the placing of the C3 button, right under my thumb is great for immediate focus magnifying. And also the placing of C1 and C2 is great for fast controll of the most important parameters. And then, ALL buttons are programmable! Isn’t that great?! Not to mention all those great features and the state-of-the-art sensor. I truly find it a matter of nit-picking to come up with minor remarks and try to make them sound as if they were a big deal. I gladly take the inconveniances that I mentioned for granted, since this is such a superb camera, and there will always be remarks to make at whatever future product.
I still think Sony is a great company, that has a tradition to make bold moves. As I mentioned earlier. And sometimes they make mistakes, as (in all my blindness) I mentioned as well in my earlier comment. Or maybe you didn’t see that?…
Dirk i feel that your enthusiasm for Sony products sometimes takes away from the value of your insights from using them. I didn’t mean it to attack you, and I apologize for wording this so poorly. I think you add a lot of value to the discussion and should have kept my opinion to myself.
Don’t worry, David, I always had a smile on my face while reading and writing this. And I know I’m very enthousiastic about Sony (and Zeiss BTW – seeing them in a partnership is the best thing what could happen IMO). And I don’t mind showing my enthousiasm. Everybody knows that I’m an enthusiast, not a professional photography journalist. I surely don’t wanna pretend to be the latter, but instead the more the first.
Hello Steve, great images … very interested on the fact you have such a great experience with the canon 50mm 1.2 (what adapter are you using? metabones? if so what version. thanks
I borrowed the lens and adapter and all I know is it was a metabones.
You will need the metabones EF to Emount adapter with version 4 software which was upgraded specifically to use with the A7R2 and Canon glass.
Welcome to Portland! Love the photo of the bottle with the Canon lens, it looks positively ghostly. Since you got two batteries I wonder if you’ve noticed if the A7RII uses battery faster than the A7II?
Hi,
Just wondering if Sony will ever give the A7RII real uncompressed RAW 14 bit files?
I am thinking of replacing my wonderful D810 as I can use my Leica M & R lenses on it.
How many stops of DR do you think it has?
Are any special methods of sensor cleaning needed to swab a movable sensor without hurting it ?
This is without a doubt the future of photography
This is a DR beast and will show this in my review. Uncompressed RAW is silly. Bloats the files and in reality, for 99.9999% of users will never ever make a difference.
Nobody wants uncompressed RAW files. Many would however be happy if Sony offered lossless compressed 14 bit RAW files as an alternative to the 11+7 bit lossy compression they use today.
I have a question or two on this topic. Under what situations does it matter that the RAW is lossy compressed? Can the camera export an uncompressed RAW file?
It is said that the compression will cause posterization at high contrast edges. An example is shown here: http://www.rawdigger.com/howtouse/sony-craw-arw2-posterization-detection I doubt that I would see it in real life pictures, but it seems that it’s there.
You would never see that in prints or in any resized web images ever. This is a problem for those who do not like photography but rather pixel peeping.
Since 50 years, I have valued the finest details in pictures a lot. But I agree with Steve. After clicking on your link, IMO this is beyond photography. This is not about what a picture can say, but only about how it is done, to a completely irrelevant level. Of course you are very welcome to differ from opinion.
I’ve never said I’d disagree, I rather said that I doubt it’s visible in real life pictures. Actually, I think the pictures Steve is posting here do answer this question nicely. My post was meant to just answer the question about the effect of the compression, which comes up regularly. The linked site shows the effect, so everybody can pixel peep through Steves pictures and then decide for himself whether it does matter or not. I can imagine that somebody who is seriously into astrophotography might bother, but I don’t know.
That tree shot is gnarly.
do you remember what lens you used on the “Staff only” photo?
is it possible to use nikon lenses on the a7rii ? and a7ii ?
Yes it is. I use the Novoflex adapter. This is without data transmission though. But I hear there would be an adapter coming up that does transmit the data.
thanks !!!
Yes, especially there are rumors of new Chinese adapter with electronic connections
Looks great! Too great… Only a 6-7 months with with my a7 mark 2 and now camera envy again. I very much like the saturated look– color reproduction looks awesome for OOC with so many variable between the web site, the interweb weird stuff with color, contrast and everyone’s individual monitor… the fact that the images are vibrant, 3d and engaging is awesomeness
Hi Steve,
Can you please confirm the issue regarding poor EVF quality for manual focusing? I read on diglloyd, some users there reported poor 5.0x magnification, although the 12.5x is better.
Thanks
There is also the issue of pixelated EVF. It still has the low MP but they are now magnified more so you get to look at those pixels all the time. It seems NEX7/6 EVF and old A7 EVF was better.
How would you compare image quality of the Q to the A7RII? Will you be doing any “Crazy Comparisons?” These are always fun and interesting.
Well….
I loved the Q and I adore the A7RII. If I were to lay my money down right now it would be for the A7RII hands down, its a game changer camera and I do not think there ever has been a game changer camera. This is it.
The one question I had just to verify is what adapter you used to get faster af on the a7rii with a canon lens then on t”a canon body? I’m guessing the speedbooster or the photodiox pro? I am a canon user and I want to step over to the a7rii but need to take over my canon glass.
Cheers, love your write ups thus far.
It was a Metabones adapter, I borrowed the lens and adapter. All I know? I am going to buy this lens and adapter for my A7RII. Was awesome to see it work as it should as Canon bodies hold this lens back which is so weird to say, but true. Not just me saying this, all here who saw it 1st hand say the same.
Just curious why you would bother spending $1500 on a 50 1.2L and another $400 on a Metabones adapter when you could use the much smaller 50 Summilux that you already own???
AF?
As stated, it is fast, maybe a tad faster than the A7II and A7s, but will go over this in my review in 2-3 weeks.
Steve, is there any camera or lens that you DON’T think is great??
YES. tons of them which is why you do not see me review all cameras. I use and try all, but only write about the ones I like, which I have said for years. Was not a fan of the Samsung NX1 which I had for weeks, Most modern Fuji’s, and loads of others. If I do not review it, you know why. THIS camera is a game changing camera, amazing piece of tech. This camera will convert loads of people. Mark my words.
Jordan,iIs only logical as technology improves and keep upgrading.
As always, a great review Steve. I ordered mine thru your “link” last June, 17. Is being shipped now.
+1
I have heard from one early user that the magnifying focus feature is very inferior to the original A7r. It was said that some of the settings in the magnifying were unusable, and that the magnified image was hard to see. Can you confirm this?
Worked great for me, and I had no issues focusing the Loxia or Voigtlanders or 35 1.4 in manual mode. I will compare the EVF in my review to the other A7 EVF’s to see what is up with that.
No clue what you are doing but anything below 12.5 magnification is so badly compressed that it is unusable. 12.5 is barely usable. No clue why Sony was so dumb and changed that from the original R. 36 to 42 mp doesn’t add much strain on the cpu.
Other good thing, no visible color shift for wide Leica M lenses anymore, though it still smears considerably outside the center of the picture.
Tried all Leica lenses, including all the Lux’. 28/1.4 works well enough actually, though I have only the the stainless steel version yet from the 100 years set, so the production version might work better. Very encouraging.
And here I am always using 5x magnification to focus manual lenses. 12.5x magnifies too much to focus on moving objects. Damn Sony, I thought A7RII was the one.
Dear Steve, thanks for these first impressions. Allow me to ask two questions:
– Is the EVF resolution in magnification mode degraded in comparison to other A7 cameras? Reports pop up that focusing with manual focus lenses got much worse in comparison due to some compression issues with the EVF.
– Did Sony improve on colors? I find your samples a bit saturated but still less ‘radioactive’ (especially the greens are better) than with former models.
Thanks for your work! Seems to be quite a step forward with the A7RII.
These colors are a result as OOC JPEGS shot in VIVID mode. Nothing more or less. Colors from Sony are never radioactive as it is the person shooting and processing that creates the colors. They can be muted, natural or bold, depending on your tastes.
The Sony A7 series cameras have all their own color signature to say the least. I dont want to repeat that they are not the best nor the the most natural looking because i think my post willl again be deleted. I dont judge from your Images here but from own experience which made me sell my A7r long time ago. And no, you cant make your images look anything you want in post, so it would be really good news if Sony would have improved on that.
Well, I will do a side by side in about a week so we shall see.
Thanks for the comments, I look forward and comparative photos with Leica lenses a7s
Hi Steve what adapter did you use on the canon 50 1.2 EF lens? Great updates too!!!!
Wow. Really great photo IQ. I want it! Thanks for reviewing.
Thanks for a 1st review…
Thanks for making the effort to get comments and A7Rii images out to us while you are on the move. Images look very good. Amazon says Friday for mine.
I guess this is popular now, but the colors are way too saturated.
Resolution is great, though.
A7ii has a creative style called Neutral (which I use instead of Standard) which is much less saturated. The A7Rii is probably the same. I would guess Steve is shooting Standard or perhaps even Vivid.
VIVID for these..
Too saturated? By what standard?
You know people have opinions based the visuals they see?
For my eyes it is same thing, very high contrast, saturation looks likeclipping going on some channels and something that just doesn’t look good.
This of course right now on uncalibrated display and NON-CALIBRATED ROOM (biggest mistake anyone has is they don’t have color calibrated room) but at the moment yet far more closer to correct colors than most displays offers even when calibrated.
I just look those samples and it is like saturation was boosted 50% with some odd filtering.
Everyone to their own taste! I like color and these images just turn my crank…
bwa
That’s a strange reply, Fri13. First you say the colors are too saturated as if that’s an absolute and not an opinion. Then you say your viewing setup isn’t calibrated, but somehow you know it’s closer to correct colors than most displays. Are you even aware that you refuted your own assertion?
As bwana says, everyone to their own taste. I have a calibrated monitor and I think the colors are great.
You will note the pix were shot with Creative Style: Vivid; which I often use to pop an image’s color. And I also calibrate my dual monitors setup with a Spyder tool.
Why fight over this? The colors are eye-popping vivd, no discussion about this, and Steve said, the camera was set to VIVID. I personally will also set to NEUTRAL (as I have on my A7ii) and increase saturation or vividness in post as required.
The pics are great Steve! Very exciting!
Are you Guus not shooting RAW? These are JPGs from the first moment. You need to wait a bit for comments like this, IMO.
Needs to be “Are you guys…”. I hate these automatic spelling corrections!
I shot everything RAW and JPEG, my review will be with RAW files. The JPEGS here were all shot in VIVID mode so of course the colors will be poppy, which is what I wanted.
As I do, Steve. I use JPG only to make a fast selection in Preview. And I understand that now, in the situation that you have to work in, you can’t work with RAW yet, having no time for post processing. That’s why I don’t wanna comment on the saturation at this point. BTW I find too saturated a lesser problem than having not enough saturation.
These really do look great. Keep ’em coming, Steve!
Steve, thank you for the prompt posts and sample images. I was wondering if you had a chance to test any A lenses on the A7rii? The Sony 135mm 1.8 Zeiss Lens in particular which is one of my favorites for head shots.
I do not use A lenses nor do I own any. Much too large with adapter for these cameras IMO. I predict these A lenses will be converted over to FE soon. Maybe. Just a guess. But no, I do not have access to A lenses. Sorry.
Hi Steve, thanks a lot for all your review. I am thinking of getting a USED A7R with 24-70/4. Is there a big different between the A7R and the A7Rii, ignore the fact of IBIS and those function that I don’t even use. I shoot mostly with available day light and multi speed light at night. Thanks again
Yes, the A7RII is SO MUCH better than the original. Not even close. Af speed is around 50% faster, ISO performance is much better, body is built better/solid, EVF is better, the whole camera is better and the sensor is amazing, best sensor tech around today for full frame IMO, no contest.
Thanks Steve for your quick response. I currently have the D610, D800 and mainly shoot wedding (paid assignment). Just bought myself an E-M5 mark ii for some candid photos and travel purpose. I was also look into those Sony FF. Would it be a day and night different between those Sony A7ii and E-M5 mark ii in term of IQ??? I can see that A7ii (or A7R) don’t have much native glass.
Paul, I am a long time owner of 135 1.8, I used it on A57, then on A99, and now I am using it on A7m2. As you know, it is an outstanding lens. However on A7m2 with LAEA4 adapter, I had this strange problem: out-of-focus issues. Even I carefully micro adjusted the focus, the lens with LAEA4 tends to miss the focus. For example, if I do the micro adjust with the chart 5mt away, it is OK to shoot subjects from 4 to 7 meters and if I try to shoot something which is 15 meters away, 50% of the photos I take are out of focus. If I do the adjustment with the chart placed 10 meters away, then closer shots have the same issue. I did some google and noticed there are other people having this issue with the inconsistent focusing of LAEA4 adapter. Therefore I decided to switch to LAEA3 and continue shooting with manual focus.
I am enjoying your posts about the A7Rii and look forward to the next day, and the next, etc. Thanks for taking the time.