Sony A7R II Hands-On Review Part 2 by TheCameraStoreTV.

Jordan and Chris posted their second part of the Sony A7rII review. And that’s the only review where I do agree to 100% to everything they say positive and negative about the camera. The A7rII is definitely a great camera but it has some inconsistencies and quirks that still will make Canon/Nikon PRO’s not jump over to the Sony system. I do hope Sony listen to those two guys to fix all these annoying limitations for their next generation A7 and the first generation A9 cameras!

A7rII store list:
In USA: at Amazon, BHphoto, AdoramaSonyStore US, FocusCamera, Uniquephoto.
In Europe at Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Wex UK and ParkCameras.
In Asia at Digitalrev, CameraPro.

A7RII vs a99 real life comparison by Jack Devant.

Bildschirmfoto 2015-09-29 um 08.35.34

We really need a new A-mount camera and Jack Devant explained on SonyAlphaForum why the A7rII is “not there” with the A99:

I shot with borrowed a7r2 whole day, ca 1400 frames. My main camera is a99 for last 2.5 years (i got two bodies), shooting them in average 70 000 shots per year. Now I used LA-EA3 and my a-mount lenses, 24-70 mm ZA, 70-200 G2 and 300 mm f2.8 G. All of my work was in-doors and stage photography. So, here are my quick observations.

Pros

  • IQ is absolutely superior to a99. Biggest difference in low light, for example at ISO 6400. Subjectively 2 stops at least.
  • new focusing system works pretty well. Very low rate of out-of focus shots, most are tack sharp.
  • despite of rumors, 300mm f2.8 G focuses fast and accurately
  • EV compensation control is great! Tactile and accessible. Much better that a99 button plus wheel combination.
  • Live highlight zebra is very useful in combination with fast EV compensation

Cons

  • Body size is ridiculously small. My fingers got heavy toll, operating such a small body with bigger lens. Not comfortable at all. Shutter button still in unnatural location.
  • back-plane buttons (review, function, etc) small, hard to find without looking to camera.
  • Battery life is super short. Almost unusably short. Thats because body is small and battery is sooo tiiinyy. Exactly the same battery what is found in my a5100.
  • Shutter lag. I shoot ballet and timing is essential. There is definitely something wrong with that. Missed 5x more jumps and fast moving positions etc what usually with my a99. I used front e-shuter mode.
  • Image review slow. Usually I switch auto-review off, because I have effects-on on the EVF. Still, during the shoot I tried to check photos, abt 50% times, camera was busy, writing files, not able to preview, This was really slowing my work down. Magnification is also painfully slow.
  • a7r2 + la-ea3 does not support my favourite 50 mm prime, Sigma 50 mm f1.4 Art.
  • new focus area modes like expand flexible spot not available, using a-mount lenses
  • can’t move flexible AF spot around during the shoot
  • charger is slow and flimsy. Dual-battery charger with quick-charge capabilities with this camera is needed.

Conclusion
a7-family body is not there in usability and UX scale. Most of the technology is sorted out ina7r2, sensor is superior, but body too small. Waiting for a9 or a99II. If Sony builds mirror-less a99II, I would consider it.

A7rII store list:
In USA: at Amazon, BHphoto, AdoramaSonyStore US, FocusCamera, Uniquephoto.
In Europe at Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Wex UK and ParkCameras.
In Asia at Digitalrev, CameraPro.

Sony A7rII: Commlite vs Fotodiox adapter autofocus test.


Sony A7RII. Autofocus Test 2. Fotodiox Pro & Sigma 35 1,4 Art
from PDR Photoblog – P De Rubertis on Vimeo.

Metabones adapter are very good and also expensive. So if you are on budget this test is for you: Pdrphoto posted an interesting Commlite vs Fotodiox adapter autofocus comparison on SonyAlphaForum. What adapter works best on the new Sony A7rII?

eBay links to the adapters:
[shoplink 40921 ebay]Commlite E-mount (Click here)[/shoplink].
[shoplink 40922 ebay]Fotodiox E-mount (Click here)[/shoplink].


Sony A7RII Autofocus Test 3 – Commlite & Canon 24-70 & Sigma 35 1,4 Art
from PDR Photoblog – P De Rubertis on Vimeo.

New A7rII reviews (Dave Dugdale, long zoom with LL and Canon 5ds battle).

On top you can watch the A7rII review video from Dave Dugdale. He is a known GH4 user and loves the A7rII features (with a few missing exceptions).

Photographyblog posted the full A7rIi review and concludes:

The Sony A7R II certainly succeeds in its attempt to turn the heads of DSLR owners. It won’t satisfy the needs of professional sports shooters, the menu system isn’t as refined as the competition, and some people will still put their trust (however blindly) in a more conventional DSLR, but the A7R II is a undoubtedly a break-through camera for Sony, both in terms of the promises that it makes, and the realisation of those promises…

Luminous Landscape tells you what long lens suits best for the A7rII.

Bildschirmfoto 2015-09-28 um 19.34.06

The French site Focus Numerique compared the A7rII against the Canon 5DsR. And the A7rII is the winner with the Canon 5Dsr beating the A7rII only when it comes to sports photography.

Alexandre:I shot beautiful pictures in Thailand with my new Sony A7RII and 3 different lenses, you can share if you like them: http://traveljournalist.com/sony-a7rii-thailand-stars-models-landscapes-beach-resorts-skyscrapers/

A7r2 – A7r – D810 – 5Ds – 5Dm3  Sharpness / dynamic range / noise comparison by Tweakers.net
Sharpness – http://tweakers.net/reviews/4150/6/zin-en-onzin-van-veel-megapixels-vergelijking-scherpte.html
Noise – http://tweakers.net/reviews/4150/8/zin-en-onzin-van-veel-megapixels-vergelijking-ruis.html
DR – http://tweakers.net/reviews/4150/7/zin-en-onzin-van-veel-megapixels-vergelijking-dynamisch-bereik.html

A7rII store list:
In USA: at Amazon, BHphoto, AdoramaSonyStore US, FocusCamera, Uniquephoto.
In Europe at Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Wex UK and ParkCameras.
In Asia at Digitalrev, CameraPro.

New Rokinon 50mm f/1.2 and 21mm f/1.4 E-mount lenses on preorder at Amazon. First image samples on the NEX-3.

Bildschirmfoto 2015-09-29 um 18.29.25

The very ncie new Rokinon APS-C E-mount lenses can now be preordered at Amazon US too: 50mm f/1.2 lens (Click here) and 21mm f/1.4 lens (Click here). Be sure to choose the Sount mount version when you preorder.

Lenswork (Click here) posted the very first two image samples show with the brand new Rokinon 50mm f/1.2 E-mount lens on the NEX-3.

Full preorder links:
Rokinon 21mm f/1.4 Lens for APS-C E-mount (Black) at Amazon, BHphoto and Adorama.
Rokinon 21mm f/1.4 Lens for APS-C E-mount (Silver) at Amazon, BHphoto and Adorama.
Rokinon 50mm f/1.2 Lens for APS-C E-mount (Black) at Amazon, BHphoto and Adorama.
Rokinon 50mm f/1.2 Lens for APS-C E-mount (Silver) at Amazon, BHphoto and Adorama.

Bildschirmfoto 2015-09-21 um 07.43.36

Ken Rockwell A7rII review: Says it’s great for hobbyist and bad for photographers.

A7rII_Gariz_alcantara
A7rII Alcantara case in [shoplink 38168 ebay]Red (Click here)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 38169 ebay]Black (Click here)[/shoplink].

Ken Rockwell posted his full A7rII review and I didn’t expect anything else than a highly polarizing review.
In Short he says the A7rII is a great camera but not as good as same priced DSLR. The only area where the A7rII beats them is in ” classical concert photography” because of its silent shutter…LOL :)

He made a very clear statement about why this camera will be loved by hobbyist and not by photographers:

A photo hobbyist is someone who loves talking about pixels, software, apps, bit depths and especially loves playing with a zillion different brands of lenses on adapters. That’s why hobbyists and gizmo fans love this camera so much.

Hobbyists are completely different from photographers, photographic artists or pro shooters. The problem with the A7R II for use by a photographic artist like myself is that while A7R II images look great, its colors never look as great in real-world shots as I get directly from my Canons and Nikons. Most people are hobbyists and won’t notice the subtle things I do, and therefore I certainly recommend the A7R II, but for serious work, the Sony isn’t there yet.

As I said, he is very black and white in his judgements. And it really depends a lot on Ken’s personal tastes if he likes a camera or not. So take it easy when commenting this :)

A7rII store list:
In USA: at Amazon, BHphoto, AdoramaSonyStore US, FocusCamera, Uniquephoto.
In Europe at Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Wex UK and ParkCameras.
In Asia at Digitalrev, CameraPro.

Sony a7R II Real World Review by Tony Northup

Tony Northup posted that real world review of the A7rII. You will hear the usual pros and cons list and let’s hope Sony will take note of them to make a nice larger A9 body :)

And here are some new A7rII tests:
Sony A7R II Field Test Part I by Imaging Resource.
First Look at Ron Mart Blog.

Hans:have tried the 500mm/8 not so expensive Vivitar mirror lens with IBIS on the A7R MarkII. Was surprised about the good results. Like to have a look? Here is the link: www.flickr.com/photos/autorenphotographie/albums/72157656831778163
Kind regards/Mit freundlichem Gruss

Chuck: “I’ve been shooting football games recently with the A7RII and will be posting more videos soon – I just put up a quick one featuring a few shots with the A77II and the A7RII: https://youtu.be/R7eWiJcj9Fc

Jeff: Sony A7Rii & Lee Big Stopper: There are few places I return to more than once. Fossil Cove is enchanting. It helps me feel alive and each time I leave, the light has run out before I have finished shooting. Each corner you turn, or ledge you climb there is another angle – a different perspective with its own unique beauty: http://www.sonyalphaforum.com/topic/1880-return-to-fossil-cove/

Ed:A nice article on A7RII being used in a hot steel mill for some video pickup shots. http://frugalproducer.com/2015/09/18/will-a7rii-overheat-shooting-4k-in-a-steel-mill/

Andreas:I was shooting a U2 show with a a7r2 and 70-400g2, worked out great. see the pictures on flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/pixiepeeper/albums/72157658642200749
one made it to the flickr explore section which doesnt happen to me very often:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/pixiepeeper/21503533038/in/album-72157658642200749/

A7rII store list:
In USA: at Amazon, BHphoto, AdoramaSonyStore US, FocusCamera, Uniquephoto.
In Europe at Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Wex UK and ParkCameras.
In Asia at Digitalrev, CameraPro.