Say Hello to Sony’s New and Improved Low-Light Monster!

Sony a7SII (Available Now!) is the sixth camera the rapidly growing Sony a7 Series line-up that was first announced with a7/a7R just two years ago. That’s about a decade of cameras for the other guysâ€¦

Improving upon the original a7S, which was designed for 4K video, but quickly earned a following from still photographers and photojournalists for its incredible high ISO capabilities, Sony a7SII maintains the same ISO range 100-102,400 (expanded to 50-409,600) but improves noise reduction by about a stop while improving dynamic range.

The combination of low noise at extremely high ISOs, great dynamic range to hold detail in both deep shadows and brightest highlights and 5-Axis Image Stabilization makes this an ideal camera for photojournalists working in difficult lighting conditions.

Sony a7SII includes a few totally new features many users asked for.

Sony a7SII adds Uncompressed RAW

Yup, you asked for it and Sony added an Uncompressed RAW as a menu option on a7SII

Menu > Camera Settings > RAW File Type > Uncompressed

• Sony a7SII Compressed RAW are approximately 12.65 Mb

• Sony a7SII Uncompressed RAW vary from 23.75-24.3 Mb



(View Larger)

If you find compressed RAWs too small and uncompressed RAWs too big, you can run uncompressed RAWs through Adobe DNG Converter 9.2:

• Sony a7SII DNG are approximately 14.3 Mb (No Preview)

• Sony a7SII DNG are approximately 14.4 Mb (Medium Preview)

• Sony a7SII DNG are approximately 17.3 Mb (Fullsize Preview)

Sony a7SII adds S-Log 3 Picture Profile

In addition to S-Log 2 from the previous generation, Sony a7SII adds S-Log 3 Picture Profile found on high-end Sony cinema cameras:

Menu > Camera Settings > Picture Profiles > PP8

169-point Contrast AF

Sony a7SII Contrast AF has been improved from 25 to 169 point Contrast AF by segmenting the central contrast AF points into smaller sectors for smoother and more accurate contrast AF than a7S when shooting video. For those shooting stills this is still noticeably slower than a7II and a7RII.

There are also a bunch of new settings from a7II and a7RII that are new for a7S users Including:

Auto ISO Minimum Shutter Speed

Select Fast or Faster auto setting for 1 or 2 stops faster than normal defaults or Slow or Slower auto setting for 1 or 2 stops slower than normal defaults. Or choose the exact shutter speed you wish to set as your default no matter the lens by selecting any full shutter speed between 1/8000th to 30 Seconds. This is particularly when shooting action if you wish to select a minimum shutter speed like 1/500 – no matter what lens you’ve selected.

5-Axis Image Stabilization.

Last year, Sony a7II became the first fullframe mirrorless camera with 5-Axis Image Stabilization, so it should not come as a surprise that Sony a7SII adds this to provide image stabilization for any lens you can mount on a7SII.

More Bracketing modes and Self-Timer with Bracket

Sony a7SII adds more bracketing modes than first generation cameras along with the option to select self-timer release of 2-, 5- or 10-seconds when shooting in bracketed exposures.

Embed your Copyright

As with a7RII, you can embed copyright information in the EXIF data.

Menu > Setup > Copyright info

More Custom Key and Function Menu Options

As with a7RII, you can program the Custom Buttons (C1-C4) for more options than previous models like a7S â€“ including Movie Record and Silent Shutter.

Sony a7SII RAW Support

For these tests I shot RAW and processed in Lightroom CC 2015.2. Sony a7SII RAW files are also supported in Lightroom 6.2.1, Photoshop 2015.01 and Adobe DNG Converter 9.2.

I had a chance to put a production camera to the test for a couple days and here’s what I found.

The thing that I like best is how the combination of low noise at extremely high ISOs and great dynamic range allows you to hold detail in both deep shadows and brightest highlights at night allowing me to capture detail that I couldn’t see with eyes and see that in real time through the EVF and LCD.



Sony a7SII | Sony FE 35mm F1.4 ZA | 1/15 Sec Handheld | F4 | ISO 25,600 | (VIEW LARGER)



Sony a7SII | Sony FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS | 1/40 Sec Handheld | F5.6 | ISO 12,800 | (VIEW LARGER)



Sony a7SII | Sony FE 35mm F1.4 ZA | 1/125 Sec Handheld | F5.6 | ISO 3200 | (VIEW LARGER)



Sony a7SII | Sony FE 35mm F1.4 ZA | 1/10 Sec Handheld | F5.6 | ISO 1600 | (VIEW LARGER)



Sony a7SII | Sony FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS at 20mm | 1/20 Sec Handheld | F8 | ISO 1600 | (VIEW LARGER)



Sony a7SII | Sony FE 55mm F1.8 ZA | 1/100 Sec Handheld | F4 | ISO 800 | (VIEW LARGER)



Sony a7SII | Sony FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS at 35mm | 1/50 Sec Handheld | F4 | ISO 400 | (VIEW LARGER)



Sony a7SII | Sony FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS at 25mm | 1/8 Sec Handheld | F5.6 | ISO 3200 | (VIEW LARGER)



Sony a7SII | Sony FE 35mm F1.4 ZA | 1/25 Sec Handheld | F5.6 | ISO 1600 | (VIEW LARGER)



Sony a7SII | Sony FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS | 1/60 Sec Handheld | F4.5 | ISO 3200 | (VIEW LARGER)



Sony a7SII | Sony FE 35mm F1.4 ZA | 1/15 Sec Handheld | F4 | ISO 6400 | (VIEW LARGER)



Sony a7SII | Sony FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS at 33mm | 1/25 Sec Handheld | F4 | ISO 4000 | (VIEW LARGER)



Sony a7SII | Sony FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS at 35mm | 1/8 Sec Handheld | F4 | ISO 6400 | (VIEW LARGER)



Sony a7SII | Sony FE 35mm F1.4 ZAÂ | 1/100 Sec Handheld | F2.2 | ISO 4000 | (VIEW LARGER)



Happy Birthday to Sony Alpha Samurai Mark Weir!!!

Sony a7SII | Sony FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS | 1/60 Sec Handheld | F4.5 | ISO 25,600 | (VIEW LARGER)

Equipment List:

• Sony a7SII Camera (Order from B&H)

• Sony FE 16-35mm f/4 ZA OSS Lens (Order from B&H)

• Sony FE 35mm F1.4 ZA Lens (Order from B&H)

• Sony FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Lens (Order from B&H)

• Sony FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS Lens (Order from B&H)

• Sony 64GB UHS-I SDXC Memory Cards (Class 10/U3) (Order from B&H)

ORDER YOURS NOW

For more tips and tricks about getting the most out of your Sony a7 series camera, check out my new book ‘Sony a7-Series: From Snapshots to Great Shots’.

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