Sony A7S II Review

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Basic Specifications
Full model name:	Sony Alpha ILCE-A7S II
Resolution:	12.20 Megapixels
Sensor size:	35mm (35.6mm x 23.8mm)
Kit Lens:	n/a
Viewfinder:	EVF / LCD
Native ISO:	100 - 102,400
Extended ISO:	50 - 409,600
Shutter:	1/8000 - 30 sec
Dimensions:	5.0 x 3.8 x 2.4 in. (127 x 96 x 60 mm)
Weight:	22.1 oz (627 g) includes batteries
Availability:	10/2015
Manufacturer:	Sony
Full specs:	Sony A7S II specifications

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Body Only

A7S II Deals

12.20 Megapixels	Sony E	35mm size sensor

A7S II Summary

The Sony A7S II takes the A7S to the next level. The redesigned camera body, improved autofocus, and bevy of new features make the A7S II a very capable full-frame mirrorless camera no matter the lighting conditions. With its 12.2-megapixel full-frame sensor and native ISO range of 100-102,400, the A7S II is designed to provide excellent performance across a huge range of ISO speeds. Utilizing Sony's 5-axis image stabilization to provide up to 4.5 stops of vibration reduction, the A7S II is poised to provide great images in low light. This impressive camera delivers high-quality results no matter the situation.

Pros

Comfortable and surprisingly compact camera body; Improved low light performance; Built-in image stabilization; Wide range of usable ISOs; More sophisticated autofocus performance; Excellent video capabilities.

Cons

Relatively low resolution; Mediocre continuous shooting performance; No built-in flash; No losslessly compressed RAW option.

Price and availability

Available since October 2015, the Sony A7S II retails for just under $3,000 USD.

Imaging Resource rating

5.0 out of 5.0

Sony A7S II Review

by William Brawley, Jeremy Gray, and Zig Weidelich
Overview originally posted: 09/11/2015

Updates:
10/14/2015: Gallery Images added
10/20/2015: First Shots posted
11/23/2015: Performance test results posted
12/11/2015: Field Test posted
02/29/2016: Image Quality Comparison, Print Quality Analysis and Review Conclusion posted

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Special update: The Sony A7S II was named Best Low Light Camera in our 2015 Camera of the Year awards!
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After the "Mark II" refreshes of the venerable Sony A7 and A7R cameras earlier this year, the Sony A7S remained the last of the three still in its first generation stage. So, it's no surprise that Sony has come along to bring this large-pixeled, ultra-high ISO shooting camera up to speed with a "Mark II" refresh of its own.

Sporting the familiar, updated A7-series body design, the new Sony A7S II looks practically identical to the A7R II, aside from the model-specific branding. In one minor detail, unlike the A7 II, the A7S II shares the locking mode dial that was introduced with the A7R II. The Sony A7S II also features the much-welcomed ergonomic refreshes that were debuted on the earlier A7 II, including the repositioned front control dial and shutter-release button as well as re-contoured handgrip and all-around beefier, stronger magnesium alloy body and lens mount.

The big changes, however, are all under the hood. Though the Sony A7S II maintains the same unique, large-pixel 12.2-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor as its predecessor, the sensor has been incorporated into Sony's impressive 5-axis Image Stabilization system as in the other Mark II models, which works for both stills and video. With its SteadyShot INSIDE system providing up to 4.5 stops of correction combined with the camera's impressive ISO range up to an expanded ISO 409,600 equivalent (like the predecessor), the Sony A7S II makes easy work of capturing images and video in extremely low-light situations. Furthermore, the BIONZ X image processor features tweaked processing algorithms, with a particular focus on the mid to high ISO sensitivity range, for improved image quality and detail for both still images and video.

Seeing as the Sony A7S model was heavily emphasized not only as a stills camera, but also as a professional video powerhouse, it's also no surprise that the video features of the A7S II get improved as well. The original A7S was the first of the Sony A7 family to feature 4K Ultra HD video capture capabilities, however, it came with a large caveat: you needed an external HDMI capture/recorder device since the camera was incapable of recording 4K video internally to the memory card. The A7R II changed this, being the first full-frame Sony A7-series model to provide internal 4K recording, and the new Sony A7S II now supports this capability as well. This should certainly make A7S video shooters very pleased, as it undoubtedly simplifies the video workflow considerably and makes on-the-go shooting of 4K UHD video with this model much easier. It should be noted that despite its video-centric focus, the A7S II does not support Cinema 4K (4096 x 2160) video resolution.

Like the A7R II, the new A7S II's 4K Ultra HD video recording uses full pixel readout of the large full-frame sensor without pixel binning for reduced moiré and aliasing artifacts. Also like the A7R II, the Sony A7S II allows for simultaneous clean HDMI output up to a 4K 4:2:2 signal, while still recording up to 4K XAVC S video internally (though Sony does specify that the rear LCD display will go blank while streaming a 4K signal). The camera also comes with a nifty HDMI cable lock protector to help prevent the cable from coming loose.

Other video improvements includes new, additional cinema-oriented Picture Profiles called S-Gammt3.Cine/S-Log3 and S-Gamut3/S-Log3. Using these S-Log3 and S-Log2 profiles, the A7S II is said to provide up to 14 stops of dynamic range with 1300% wider dynamic range than a non-Picture Profile video for improved color grading and smoother gradations between highlights and shadows. The S-Log3 gamma profile is said to improve tonal gradation between shadow areas up to the mid-tone, or around 18% gray. The special S-Gamut3.Cine conforms to the wider color gamut of the DCI-P3 color space for use with digital cinema work or other professional video applications where 100% accurate color is necessary.

The A7S II also provides a new Gamma Display Assist function, which provides a more natural, stronger contrast appearance on the camera's LCD screen while still capturing video with S-Log2 or S-Log3 flatter image profiles. (Gamma Display Assist is not available via HDMI out to external displays, however.) The camera also features an improved, more adjustable zebra function when shooting in these flatter gamma picture profiles.

In addition to 4K video capture at 30p or 24p at up to 100Mbps bit rate, the A7S II also has Full HD recording up to 60p at 50Mbps in XAVC S mode, as well as a 1080/120p frame rate at both 100Mbps and 60Mbps for improved slow-motion effects. Full HD video capture also uses the full width of the full-frame image sensor without line skipping or pixel binning, like the A7R II, for highly-detailed high-def video. The camera can also record some in-camera High Frame Rate video, though not nearly as slow as the nifty HFR modes in the new RX100 IV and RX10 II. Nevertheless, capturing at 120fps , the A7S II can record a 4x or 5x Full HD slow motion video -- a first for a full-frame sensor camera -- with the final output frame rate of 30p or 24p, respectively.

Autofocus performance is also said to have been improved on A7S II, for both stills and video. The camera now has 169 total AF points -- up from just 25 points -- for better accuracy and precision as well as being twice as fast for video recording according to Sony. Unlike the A7 II and A7R II, the A7S II's AF system remains contrast-detect only rather than a hybrid AF system. Sony states that given the low noise capabilities of the sensor, the A7S II maintains the same -4EV autofocusing functionality of its predecessor.

The A7S II also features additional autofocus modes, including Enhanced Eye AF, even in continuous AF mode that will track a moving subjects eye through the frame. The camera also gains Expand Flexible Spot AF point mode, which provides "helper" AF points should the subject move out from behind the primary AF point.

Like the A7R II, the electronic viewfinder sees a refresh to Sony's 2,359K-dot XGA OLED Tru-Finder with 0.78x magnification (up from 0.71x in the original). The EVF has been completely revamped with a new four-lens construction, including double-sided aspherical elements and Zeiss T* coating to insure crisp image resolution and minimal surface reflection, respectively.

Build-wise, the Sony A7S II features the same magnesium alloy construction as its sibling "Mark II" A7-series cameras. As with other A7-series Mark II cameras, Sony states the A7S II is sealed for dust and moisture resistance, though it's not waterproof or splashproof. There are seals around the buttons and dials, and the "double-layered structure interlocking panels" as part of the mag-alloy body construction help provide the environmental sealing capabilities.

The shutter mechanism, as with the A7R II, has been built to withstand over 500,000 actuations. The shutter's braking system is said to reduce shutter vibrations from the mechanical front and rear curtains by about a 50% compared to the original A7S. For further vibration reduction, the A7S II features an electronic front curtain. However, for complete vibration-free shooting, a Silent Shooting mode offers completely silent operation with an all-electronic shutter. The Silent Shooting mode can also be used with the 5fps Speed Priority Continuous burst shooting mode, which can be particularly helpful when photographing sound-sensitive subjects like wildlife.

Speaking of burst shooting, the Sony A7S II is certainly not designed as speed-demon for sports and action photography. With Speed Priority Continuous mode -- where AF is fixed at the first frame -- the A7S II cranks out images at 5 frames per second, though with standard Continuous Shooting mode, the burst rate drops to just 2.5fps.

Finally, like the previous model and other A7-series cameras, the Sony A7S II includes built-in Wi-Fi and NFC connectivity for remote control capabilities and easy sharing. The camera also supports Sony's PlayMemories line of installable camera apps, which lets users add additional camera functionality via downloadable apps for things like time lapse and special effects.

The Sony A7S II started shipping in October 2015, and is sold body-only -- just like the predecessor -- for an estimated retail price of US$3,000.

Sony A7S II Field Test

Big improvements make their way to Sony's low-light champ

by Jeremy Gray | 12/11/2015

Introduction
The Sony Alpha 7S II is Sony's new update to the original mirrorless interchangeable lens Alpha 7S camera that was released in April 2014. Although the A7S II features the same 12.2-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor as the original, there are numerous upgrades, such as the addition of internal 4K recording, a 5-axis image stabilization system, and tweaks to the camera body itself. If you're looking for a camera that can capture excellent images in any lighting situation, the A7S II is for you.

Packing a lot of features into a small space
Despite having a full-frame sensor, the A7S II is a small camera body; it weighs only 22.1 ounces (627 grams) with the battery and has dimensions of 4.7 x 2.7 x 1.5 inches (119 x 69 x 38 millimeters). Compared to other full-frame cameras I've used, the A7S II is definitely the smallest and lightest. In fact, it's even smaller than a number of cameras I've used with smaller sensors.

Read our Sony A7S II Field Test

Sony A7S II Image Quality Comparison

Putting the A7S II head-to-head against the competition

by Zig Weidelich | 02/29/2016

Since the Sony A7S II has a relatively low-resolution sensor by today's standards, we've decided to do something different this time around for our image quality comparison page. First, we'll do our standard in-camera JPEG comparisons to its predecessor, the A7S, to see what, if anything, has changed. But instead of comparing to much higher resolution full-frame cameras at 100%, we'll compare them all normalized to the A7S II's 12-megapixel image size. However, because we needed to resample the higher-resolution images anyway, we've decided to compare raw files processed via Adobe Camera Raw with no noise reduction or sharpening applied. This should give a more accurate representation of how the various sensors compare in terms of noise and detail when normalized to the same size. But remember, you can still always go to our world-renowned Comparometer to compare our standard Sony A7S II JPEGs to any camera we've ever tested across all ISOs.

See the Sony A7S II Image Quality Comparison

Sony A7S II Print Quality

How high of an ISO yields a usable print?

by William Brawley | 02/29/2016

Print quality and image quality are similar but not identical, because what you see on a print isn't always the same as what you see on the screen. Our print quality analysis answers the important question: "Just how big can I print my photos at higher ISOs?"

The Sony A7S II, as with its predecessor, manages a fantastic performance in the print department. Though it only features a relatively low-resolution 12-megapixel full-frame sensor, the Sony A7S II still manages some rather large prints, especially at the lower ISOs, though we do push the resolving power of the sensor. Raising the ISO sensitivity to levels where other cameras struggle for sizable prints, the A7S II manages a healthy print size all the way up at ISO 12,800. However, what's truly eye opening is the fact that you can get an acceptable print all the way up to ISO 102,400! We've yet to come across another camera that can pull this off.

Read on for more about about the Sony A7S II Print Quality

Sony A7S II Conclusion

Upgrades and refinements to an already excellent camera

by Jeremy Gray | 02/29/2016

Following up on their impressive low-light camera, the A7S, Sony has made an incremental, yet impressive, upgrade with the new Sony A7S II. While the sensor remains unchanged, Sony has reworked the image processing engine to provide even better high ISO performance. Considering how impressive the original A7S was at high ISOs this is quite a feat. Furthermore, the camera underwent a face-lift like its Mark II sibling with improved controls and ergonomics, as well as gaining Sony's impressive 5-axis image stabilization technology.

Relatively compact camera body doesn't skimp on controls
Featuring a refined design, which saw the front control dial and shutter release button repositioned into more user-friendly position like the other A7-series "Mark II" revisions, the A7S II is a well-built and solid-feeling camera. The front grip, while not massive, is big enough to provide ample grip. The body and lens mount have both been strengthened compared to the original A7S as well.

Read our Sony A7S II Conclusion

In the Box

The Sony A7S II body-only retail box (as reviewed) contains the following items:

Sony ILCE-7SM2 Camera Body
NP-FW50 Lithium-Ion Rechargeable Battery (1020mAh)
BC-VW1 Battery Charger
AC-UUD11 AC Adapter
Shoulder Strap
Body Cap
Multi-Interface Shoe Cover
Eyepiece Cup
Cable Protector
Micro-USB Cable

Recommended Accessories

Large capacity SDHC/SDXC memory card. (SDXC U3 memory card required for 100Mbps XAVC S video format.)
High Quality Lenses
Sony VGC2EM Vertical Battery Grip (~US$350)
Sony HVL-F20M External Flash (~US$150)
Small/Medium Carrying Bag