Black_amp_amp_White_Photography_-_January_2016_

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B+W

RATINGS

OVERALL

HANDLING 97%

PERFORMANCE 98%

SPECIFICATION 98%

VALUE FOR MONEY 96%

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

The Sony A7R II has the world’s first 35mm, full-frame,

back illuminated sensor. Combined with the Bionz

processor, 42Mp and no low pass filter, it provides amazing

picture quality with medium format type resolution.

In addition, IBIS, 4K video to internal card, silent

shooting, ISO 102400 and a host of other features in a small,

light body that’s easy to carry all day, make Sony’s A7R II

quite simply one of the best hybrid cameras you can buy.

VERDICT

Sensor 42.4Mp full-frame 35mm BSI CMOS sensor

Lens mount Sony E

Processor Bionz X

Shutter speeds 30 to 1/8000sec

ISO 50 to 102400

LCD 3in tilting with 1.23 million dots

Card format SD, SDHC, SDXC, memory stick

Power NP-FW50 battery

Size 127 x 96 x 60mm

Weight 625g

97.25%

LIKES

5-axis IBIS

42Mp resolution

Superb 4K video to card

with S-Log2

Electronic First Shutter Option

and silent shooting

Two batteries and wall

charger supplied

Adaptability offered

by lens mount

DISLIKES

Slow motion HD limited to

720p (needs firmware update)

T

he electronic OLED

viewfinder of the

A7R II is one of the best,

with 100% coverage,

2,359,296 dots, Zeiss coating

and the world’s highest claimed

viewfinder magnification of 0.78x.

It provides a big, punchy picture

with good shadow and highlight

detail. All the information and

compositional overlays are

there, such as zebras, grids,

exposure, focus points, focus

zoom, histogram – just about all

you could possibly need to see,

without ever having to take the

camera away from your eye.

The A7R II also has the

fantastic 5-axis IBIS (in-body

image stabilisation) of the

A7 II, which provides a claimed

camera shake compensation

equivalent to using a 4.5-stop

fit to the camera is an advantage

that becomes very obvious as

light levels fall and shutter speeds

increase. It means you can shoot

at lower sensitivities for longer.

Video in the A7R II is a step

up from the A7 II, with 4K

recording in XAVC S5 format for

breathtaking detail in either full-

frame or cropped, Super 35mm

format, which can be made

direct to the card in camera, or

via a clean HDMI output.

One of the few downsides

to the original A7R was the

very noisy shutter. This has

been effectively addressed in

the new model with a totally

redesigned unit that cuts

mechanical front/rear curtain

vibration by a claimed 50%,

while the electronic front curtain

can also be used for even less

vibration. In addition, a new

silent mode has been added

which will be welcomed by

event photographers.

The new A7R II also has

Wi-Fi and NFC (near field

communication) and can access

Sony’s PlayMemories Camera

Apps, which add further creative

capabilities to the camera, such

as time-lapse photography.

faster shutter speed with any

lens you fit to the camera. It is

extremely effective and works

very well for handheld video too.

Being able to shoot stabilised

stills or video with any lens you

GREY HERON REFLECTION

The 5-axis IBIS (in-body image stabilisation)

has done a good job of preventing shake when

using a long telephoto zoom at what would

normally be an unfeasibly slow shutter speed.

Sony A7R II with Tamron 150-600mm lens at 600m, via

Nikon/NEX adaptor, 1/160sec at f/8, ISO 800

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