25.2.2015

Impressions of the A7II camera compared to my trusty A850 which I’ve had five years and the A77 after taking 5,000 shots. I take mostly landscape shots, but think it would be OK for wildlife.Size - its a lot smaller and lighter than the a850Shutter - I love it and the 5fps, I think its pretty quite, especially compared to the A850Steady Shot - Amazing, can get away with silly slow shutter speedsCustom buttons - Love the way you can customise the camera and to be able to make a button to turn steady shot on/off unlike having to go into the menus on the A77Back screen - Amazing detail, best I’ve seen yetFocusing - I’m only using the LA-EA4 adapter as I don’t have any FE lenses, but its really fast,step up from the A850.Quality of images - At low ISO’s amazing detail and great dynamic range.Exposure Comp Dial - Like having a dial close to hand to change the setting.Mode Dial - Nice feel to the dial, firm clicksFocus magnifier - Love this feature, great for getting critical focusBattery life - I don’t think its that bad. I’ve got 5 batteries, nice and small and don’t take a lot of space up. Also I purchased 2 external chargers which makes life easier for charging them, but been able to charge your camera using USB is a great feature.WiFi - Nice and simple to set upLens mount - Been able to use virtually any lens on your camera and has steady shot is amazing, the quality of images I get from my 16-35mm F2.8/28-75 F2.8/70-300G are amazing using the LA-EA4 and focus faster than my A850.Buttons - Some of the buttons are just too small, don’t protrude enough, especially the AF/MF one which I use a lot, but I’ve now made Custom 1 AF/MF.Viewfinder - Although a step up from the A77 its doesn’t seem to have a great dynamic range and you can miss items in shadows that you can easily spot with the A850.Front/Rear Dials - One of my least favourite parts of the camera, they just don’t protrude enough and don’t have a definite click (like the A850).Doors for remote/mic - The Mic/headphone door is a pain to open, too close to the strap lug, luckily I don’t need access to this one. The HDMI/remote one is easier, but very flimsy. The A850 is in a different league with its doors, easy to open with gloves on which I’ve found not possible with the A7II. Also the door for the memory card is too easy to knock open.Noise - High ISO is great in good light and have a film grain texture. But I do a lot of long exposure night shots of the stars/aurora, images and my A7II produces a lot of hot pixels. Anything over 30 secs will create white/red hot spots in the dark areas with my A7II.Record button - Not an easy button to access.Eye cup - Not a fan of the eye cup, already coming off.On the whole I think the A7II is a great camera with excellent features and can produce some amazing results, in the right conditions. But for me let down slightly by the viewfinder (for the shadows), doors (difficult to open/flimsy), front/rear control dials (don’t protrude enough/definite click) and high ISO performance with long exposures.

6.8.2018

I purchased this camera in June 2018, as an addition to my Sony a6300 and Canon DSLR that i use for my semi pro photography work. The build quality is amazing, image quality fantastic and the IBIS (In Built Image Stabilising) is great. I can use this camera with my Canon lenses and have image stabilising on the lenses, that Canon only do on the lens itself. I bought mine with the 28-70 FE Sony lens and they are an awesome combo. It works well with the Sigma MC11 Canon EF lens adapter also so i can switch between Sony or Canon lenses with no issues and they all perform well. Yes that includes the auto focus as well. I find that the AF performs just as well on the A7M2 as my Canon with the Canon 50mm 1.4 lens and Sigma adapter.Eye AF which is available only on the Sony lenses at present, is amazing. It has about a 90% hit rate for me. The battery life is pretty good and better than the a6300 in fact. The video quality although only full HD, at 60fps is great also. Using the optical stabilisation and IBIS together means you get to shoot both video and stills with well controlled camera shake. Not gimbal like control, but very good. I shoot weddings, fashion, corporate portraits and events. The A7M2 covers them all with ease. Ok, so it doesn't have the AF system of the A7M3, but then my Canon (or any Canon DSLR for that matter) doesn't have the AF system of the A7M2, and as I've been a Canon user for around 12 years now, I know the system pretty well. The only gripe I have with the Sony, as with any CSC mirrorless camera, when you press the shutter, it doesn't always fire instantly. There will be an ever so slight (a fraction of a second) delay before it fires. With my Canon DSLR when I'm shooting a wedding, if i see that facial expression i want to catch, i just press the shutter button and it fires instantly. To get round this issue with the A7M2 i switch to burst mode, where it will fire at 5 fps, which is plenty fast enough for most situations at a wedding. If i want faster than that i switch out to the a6300 with it's 11fps shooting (and quieter shutter mechanism, or the option of 3 fps silent shutter).For me the Canon and my Sonys compliment each other and they are my perfect system. (the a6300 is mainly for action and video). Lastly, the A7M2 has great low light performance and shooting at ISO 6400 is very good for noise control, so I don't worry about the ISO when I'm shooting in low light and fast moving subjects (think Bride and Groom 1st dance where you don't want to spoil the intimate moment with strobe lighting in their faces). Ultimately, you have to find the kit that works for you and then concentrate on squeezing the most from it. Once Sony get their CSC cameras shooting with virtually NO shutter lag like a DSLR, That could be the clincher for me to switch out to all Sony. Any one who is still reading this review, I hope it helps you. All the best and thank you Sony for what you do and the fact that you listen and respond to your customers.

18.1.2015

I've only recently jumped to Sony from Panasonic (Nikon before that) and only had my A7 for a few months before the A7 II was released but I'd already fallen for the A7 so I took the plunge. In all honesty I didn't have any issues with the build and setup of the original A7 but the A7 II really is a much more DSLR feel without the DSLR size and weight. Sony are clearly listening to their customers with small but much appreciated cosmetic changes. The BIG thing for me though is that headline 5-axis in body stabilisation but the new grip and shutter placement are welcome improvements.I got my camera the day I was flying out on a holiday to Disney World in Florida so I knew I'd get the chance to

13.4.2015

Had the camera about a month now and I am very pleased with it. I am a Sony fan though. I had my first Minolta in 1979 and have followed the Brand through Sony with HX 20, HX50, A100, A550, A55, A77, Nex-F3, Nex 6, A6000 and now the A7 II. It does everything i wanted and more, easy menu system, more buttons to set up as you like, and easy to change those for specific days shoot. I have used the lens with a La-ea4 adaptor to allow me to use all my old Minolta A mount lenses, but i did have a problem finding a suitable MD mount adaptor, this was due to the weatherproofing making the mount tight, still, after the third try (they are cheep) i managed to find a good one. Great results from this camera,

14.1.2020

I have not had the camera very long so any evaluation I now make is provisional as I have not had the chance to test it fully.In general it is a nice camera to handle and the menus and functions quite simple to use.However. I have one concern with the display modes:- Currently I have selected it to be on live view screen as opposed to viewfinder. It is easy to set it to one or the other. The problem is that if you don't pre-select one of these the camera makes up it's own mind which to use and randomly turns off the led screen rendering it blank with no ability to show your subject or to preview photos or display menus.

14.11.2015

No other manufacturer offers a camera with full frame DSLR spec but with traditional yet modern looks, the practicality of a 35mm film camera weight and size. Build quality is high and the menu system ergonomics is very usable and similar to the competition. Price is quite high for a comparable DSLR but then there isn't the equivalent competition for a full frame mirror-less digital camera. Picture quality is amazingly sharp especially if matched with a fast fixed prime lens, which a few more options appear to be turning up in the FE format. If I'm critical, the only week link is the short battery life, both when being used and when not.

29.6.2015

I bought the ILCE7M2 a few weeks back to replace an ageing NEX6 and I have to say, the jump in quality from APS-C to FF has been quite marked.Shooting with mostly Canon FD glass that I've owned since new, I've been surprised at just how good the IBIS actually is. What's more, I'm able to use these excellent FF lenses on a FF sensor so am really able to squeeze every bit of quality out of them.The build quality is excellent and in general it just feels solid to shoot with.My first paid shoot with it was on Saturday in East London and i managed 380 shots on a battery with around 25% charge left so I'm quite happy with power usage - in the days of film,

3.11.2019

I've had the camera for a couple of months now and am thoroughly enjoying it. It handles beautifully, with all the most needed things in just the right place and offers great customization with more than enough options/buttons. Image quality is superb, especially in RAW, and I imagine it will be the only camera I will need from now on. I spend a lot of time hill walking and whilst it is heavier than my previous compact, it doesn't have the bulk of a DSLR; build quality nonetheless feels reassuringly solid. I bought a spare battery at the same time as the camera but haven't needed to use it yet. I can't comment on other lenses,

7.11.2015

I had the Nikon D800 with 24-120 f4 VR lens - a beautiful camera in every sense BUT very heavy, I wanted something that would be on par with the Nikon and looked at all the Sony A cameras and compared every detail you could imagine and decided on the A7ll over the ARll (mainly because of the price) but this camera lives up to all expectations, it is a very easy camera to navigate and easy to handle. This full frame camera is as good as if not better than the D800 - I compared like for like photos and found the sony A7mkll much sharper, it is a good all rounder, I wanted a camera I could you in low light, zoom, cropped photos, sharp images, IS, and this lives up to all those specified.

2.9.2015

Having had Sony Nex cameras from the very first Nex 5 through to 5N, Nex 7, a6000 etc this felt the natural step up. What a belter! This is almost the perfect camera. Cant wait to see how they improve this line in the coming 5 years but the future is looking bright! Needs better lenses with less requirement for software correction and better choice of focal lengths. Where's the 18-105mm Sony?! Where's a decent 16-55 range?! Where's a 70-400?! If you're gonna make a cracking camera you have to support it with cracking lenses not just assume we all want to adapt to other manufacturers lenses. Needs sorting before the opportunity is wastedShame the Canikon world can't see a way to compete and

28.6.2015

I bought the a7II a couple of weeks ago and its a joy to use. Steadyshot works well and compliments in lens SS and adds SS to lens that don't have it including legacy lenses. The addition of the SS system, new shutter button placement, additional CF button and larger grip a great improvement over previous model. Only slight disappointment is that it doesn't have an increased pixel count given the new a7r ii is said to be 40+ pixels so its a shame the a7ii didn't get the upgrade to the 36 pixel sensor from the a7r. That aside, this full frame camera is great for everyday use and when teamed with the great lens, particularly the Zeiss optics, provides stunning images at a good price point.

9.1.2019

I had been considering a new camera for several months after being with Canon for decades. After several chats with other street photographers and the odd camera shop visit and hearing that Sony were "slaying" it I finally took the plunge. It was only after my purchase did the "battery" issue (number of images per battery) rear its head, according to the manual 350/battery! I just hadn't considered that in this day and age this would be an issue and I guess my inexperience with a digital viewfinder showed, it certainly wasn't mentioned at sale. I was sick to the stomach, thinking I had made a huge mistake!Anyway, back to that hat; after pretty much closing everything down on the camera that I deemed unnecessary,

7.5.2019

I bought the A7RII as an an upgrade from the excellent Sony A7, which bought in 2014. I was so pleased with the A7, and the A7RII, being no longer the latest model, was at a price I could justify. It's a phenomenally capable piece of kit.I was an industrial photographer for more than 25 years and used to use medium format cameras - 6x7 and 6x4.5 formats. Everything was for publication. If the A7RII had been around when I was a working photographer I would have bought it immediately and abandoned my other equipment - the image quality is so very good and it's such a versatile camera. It excels at practically everything except perhaps at the highest level professional fast-moving sports photography.I

30.8.2016

Being an existing Canon SLR user, with Canon/Sigma lenses, it was a big decision to move to a totally new system. I was originally looking to upgrade my Canon body, but after picking up a Sony A7ii, I knew what I really needed.On first impression, the A7ii is small, you could argue too small (when comparing it to a full-frame 5D MK3 or similar), but you quickly realise it's perfect (and in fact traditional SLRs are too big).It fits perfectly in my hand, it's solid and very well built, and has incredible image quality. I've been using this camera with the Zeiss 55mm 1.8. It's stunning, and really shows off the quality of this camera.It's the best decision I made, and I have zero regrets.

24.2.2015

The camera is larger, though less of an increase in size and weight than I had expected.Ergonomically the design is excellent. It is easy to hold and operate and despite my large hands I can reliably rotate dials, push buttons and rock rockers.The instruction book is poor unless you are already an expert in the camera. It takes some patience and research to find out how to make some of the functions operate.If you are happy to use the limited range of Sony lenses for the camera, you can achieve marvellous results. The full frame E-mount does mean, however, that third party lenses almost all have some other fitting eg A-mount, which requires an adapter and appears to be very expensive for what it is.Overall,

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