Description
The Sony Alpha a7 II is an image-stabilized full frame mirrorless camera, the fourth release in Sony's a7 lineup and the follow up the original a7. It uses the same 24-megapixel sensor as its predecessor, and the same Bionz X processor as the rest of the a7 series. Improvements come in the form of 5-axis sensor-based image stabilization, improved AF performance and some overall design tweaks. The controls are laid out in similar fashion to the a7, though the grip, command dials and shutter have been completely redesigned.
The body of the a7 II is physically larger, and about 25% heavier than the original a7-series cameras. It is also now comprised entirely of magnesium alloy like the a7S; the original a7 and a7R featured a frontplate made out of a composite material.
The A7 II uses the same hybrid AF system as the A7 with 117 phase-detect and 25 contrast points. Sony claims AF has been improved about 30% over its predecessor thanks to algorithm tweaks, and tracking has been improved 1.5x.
Sony a7 II key features
24.3MP Full Frame CMOS sensor
5-axis sensor-based image stabilization
Improved hybrid AF system with 25 contrast-detect and 117 phase-detect points
E-mount with support for FE, E, and A-mount lenses (with adapter)
Bionz X image processor
3-inch tilting LCD with 1.23 million dots (640x480, RGBW)
2.36M dot OLED viewfinder
1080 footage at up to 50Mbps (XAVC S)
Wi-Fi with NFC capability and downloadable apps
Like the a7S, the a7 II has the ability to record in the XAVC S codec, which offers a 50MBps bit rate at 1080/60p (as well as 1080/30p and 1080/24p). Recording in AVCHD and MP4 also remain an option.
The a7 II retains the 3" tilting LCD of its predecessor, but with an increase in resolution. It offers 1.23 millions dots in a 3:2 aspect ratio, and can be tilted upward 107 degrees and downward 41 degrees. The electronic viewfinder also remains unchanged, and uses 2.3 million dots for 100% accuracy and . 71x magnification. It is extremely bright and detailed.