B (142)

Better PhotograPhy march 2015

32

WEighTagE oF

ParamETErs

Features

Performance

Build Quality

ergonomics

Warranty &

support

15%

20% 45%

15%

5%

test

HOW WE TEST

Product Categorisation
We fi rst segregate products
into categories for the purpose
of equitability in testing.
The DSLR is divided into
entry-level, semi-professional
and professional categories.
For compacts, we distinguish
between advanced and basic
compact cameras. Similarly, we
also test consumer and pro
lenses, fl ashguns, printers, and
other photographic accessories
and gear.

The Process
We primarily test for features,
performance, build, ergonomics,
warranty and support. While this
remains constant, the weightage
we give to these parameter
differs from category to
category, because different
types of consumers have diverse
expectations from products.

Final ratings
Under each main parameter,
we list out hundreds of individual
variables (for eg. colour accuracy
for individual colours in different
lighting, individual features,
dynamic range, center-to-edge
defi nition, light falloff, etc) against
which we either give points
or simply mark ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
Thus, we arrive at a score for
that parameter, and then, the fi nal
score, denoted as a percentage.
Additionally, based on the current
pricing of a product, a star
rating for ‘Value for Money’ is
considered. Value for Money does
not affect the fi nal percentage,
because prices for products
change constantly.

our seals of approval
Any product that scores 80%
or higher in individual tests gets
‘BP Recommended’—a seal
of approval from our team.
In comparison tests, we also tag
products as ‘BP Best Performer’
and ‘BP Best Value for Money’.

BP Excellence awards
At the end of the calendar year,
the highest rated products in
each category automatically
win the Better Photography
Excellence Award. This is
Better Photography’s recognition
of the very best products
launched in the course of the
year, and the companies that
made them.

Better PhotograPhy

testtesttesttesttest

GearGuide

While the Sony Alpha A7M2 looks like a good update, Aditya Nair wonders

where the camera fi ts, in Sony’s E-mount lineup.

Sony’s New Alpha Dog?

W

atching Sony attack the

professional and serious

enthusiast camera segments

has been nothing short of

incredible. Imagine the

dominant camera manufacturers, Canon

and Nikon, as a massive boulders for a

second... instead of attacking them head

on, like giant corporations often do, Sony

choose to be water, seeping into the cracks

and crevices left in between the established

camera segments.

As a result, Sony has pulled off quite

the coup d’etat by launching innovative

products in segments that didn’t exist—

DSLTs and the use of translucent mirrors,

APS-C sensors into the small NEX

cameras, a pocketable 1-inch sensor

camera with a fi xed, fast zoom lens like the

RX100 series. Finally, of course, the crown

jewel, a full frame sensor in the small form

factor of the A7 series. With all of this

promise and hype in mind, I began to test

the second generation Sony Alpha A7.

Features

The A7M2 packs a 24MP sensor just like

its predecessor but improves the overall

handling of the camera and the AF system.

The most signifi cant new feature, though,

is the addition of 5-axis in-body image

stabilisation, similar to the kind seen in the

Olympus OMD E-M5. This makes it the

fi rst full frame camera to have this feature.

With in-built IS, most lenses attached

to the camera are stabilised. The 5-axis

stabilisation helps correct for shake across

X, Y, Yaw, Pitch and Roll. The company

claims that the IS function is good for up to

4.5 stops. In day-to-day use, I think that it

Sony Alpha A7M

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