# Very impressed by Sony A7 II



## The_Traveler

The ergonomics work great for me, focus is fast enough for street shooting.
and I think I will go with the Zeiss 24-70 f4 for my basic lens.
Most important for me, it fits my hands better and there are two rear thumb wheels for adjusting EC and A.
Images look great.
Just need to look at it again to answer some questions and I'll probably push the button.


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## snerd

Heard nothing but good things about it. Except the weight. Do you notice it?


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## snerd

I guess I should qualify that........... I think it's about 1/2 pound heavier than its predecessor.


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## The_Traveler

Didn't notice that it seemed heavy.
I tried some shots with it and the 24-70 and it was very maneuverable.

(Additionally I am an incredibly muscular beast.  )


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## snerd

Every forum and website I visit, Sony always shows up as the newest and most advanced available.


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## dxqcanada

I think this is what some in this Forum would call "The Dark Side".


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## The_Traveler

My friend sent me a couple of full frame tiffs and the quality of the image was glorious.
He is taking that and a regular A7 (as backup) to Laos in February with me.


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## BGeise

dxqcanada said:


> I think this is what some in this Forum would call "The Dark Side".


Yes let the darkness ravage your mind with mind boggling image quality


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## bribrius

The_Traveler said:


> *The ergonomics work great for me, focus is fast enough for street shooting.*
> and I think I will go with the Zeiss 24-70 f4 for my basic lens.
> Most important for me,* it fits my hands better and there are two rear thumb wheels for adjusting EC and A*.
> Images look great.
> Just need to look at it again to answer some questions and I'll probably push the button.


bingo.

i screwed up buying my 7100 in a way, i looked at my purpose for the camera without contemplating how it felt in my hands and how much i actually LIKED it. It was like buying a practical necessity not a WANT.
Not to say i regret the purchase, but for now on i am buying what I LIKE that feels good and RIGHT to me not off just specs and use.

photography is a personal thing and having a camera that doesn't "fit " right really kills that.  If this camera FITS you , then hell yeah go for it as the right fit will only improve your experience AND effect your photos and creativity.


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## gsgary

I'm very impressed with the original A7, the new one does not give me anything extra I need


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## sashbar

Yes, Sony sometimes prefer style to function, but this camera is surprisingly good ergonomically.  I felt great in my hands.


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## gsgary

I don't think the shape is any different to the original maybe bigger for the IS ?


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## The_Traveler

I don't know how the dials on the original A7 top deck were arranged but the totally crucial point for me with the A& II was the thumb wheels for both EC and aperture both usable.
On my OMD I actually need to 'hold' the dial to change the aperture - and that is a real negative.
Shooting in rapidly changing light means EC management.


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## gsgary

The_Traveler said:


> I don't know how the dials on the original A7 top deck were arranged but the totally crucial point for me with the A& II was the thumb wheels for both EC and aperture both usable.
> On my OMD I actually need to 'hold' the dial to change the aperture - and that is a real negative.
> Shooting in rapidly changing light means EC management.


Easy on the A7 can be moved with just the edge of your thumb


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## gsgary

On and off in different position and c2 on top instead of back and hand grip looks bigger


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## The_Traveler

And just bought mine with 24-70, extra battery and charger.
Delivery tomorrow


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## gsgary

Don't tell Goodguy


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## nickzou

Went to the Sony store the other day because their 4k display caught my eye (very cool, but not enough that I have to have 4k right now) and I wanted to try out some PS4 games and possible the Z3 Compact, found that they had an A7 II, hands on model, which I was quite surprised about. I've never seen a D800 or a 5D mkIII, on display like that. So I had to try it. Man, that thing feels like it is from the future. I mean, I didn't get to test it all that much because no one was moving particularly fast in the story and Sony stores are super well lit, but from what I could tell, it is a hell of a camera.


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## Jay Vee

My a7 I picked up used has served me well these past few months. I haven't held the mk2 but I already know it'll be way better with the different grip and new shutter button location. Your finger definitely falls more naturally on the new location. People who held both say the extra weight isn't very negligible but it does feel more solid in your hands.

I'm using mine with the la-ea4 with some of the minolta lenses with great results. This should hold me well until the system matures some more so that there are more FE lenses on the second hand market to make the prices easier to swallow.


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## JustJazzie

The_Traveler said:


> And just bought mine with 24-70, extra battery and charger.
> Delivery tomorrow


Congratulations! Just in time to get to know it before your trip!


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## The_Traveler

nickzou said:


> Man, that thing feels like it is from the future.



My friend has one and I used it just for a few exposures and it felt perfect.



Jay Vee said:


> I haven't held the mk2 but I already know it'll be way better with the different grip and new shutter button location. Your finger definitely falls more naturally on the new location.



Most of my shots are with the 24-70 and so I'll be content with that for a while. I saw a couple of raw files from that and just thought they were wonderful. The Sony sensor handles color and dynamic range very well. The grip was perfect for my hands. 



JustJazzie said:


> The_Traveler said:
> 
> 
> 
> And just bought mine with 24-70, extra battery and charger.
> Delivery tomorrow
> 
> 
> 
> Congratulations! Just in time to get to know it before your trip!
Click to expand...

Absolutely. My travel partner has an A7R and an A7II so I don't have to worry about extra body or charger.

I'm not certain how he'll respond to the trip which is much more arduous than Myanmar.
This link is to a video of one bus route we may take if time works out





Note that the bus is being pulled uphill by the passengers to get some leeway in the mud.
Note also that this bus is equipped with a tow rope for exactly this purpose.
(we won't be in rainy season the chances of this are smaller)


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## sashbar

Are you taking both your cameras with you to Laos? What is your set going to be?


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## The_Traveler

Sony a7 and zeiss 24-70
Omd5 pana 35-100, Oly 45, 20 mm 1.7
Friend is taking A7r and A7s with 24-70 and 50


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## The_Traveler

It is stunning how close in size the A7 with 24-70 is to the OMD with 12-35.
Body marginally bigger, lens bulkier - weight obviously greater but not uncomfortable.

I want to get Friedman's book on the A series but I'm concerned that the button arrangements are different.

Can anyone with an A7 verify for me the arrangement differences between a7 and A7 II?

Lew


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## bribrius

I bet we are in for a lot of photos to see when you get back. sounds great for you too lew!  One question on the bus rope photo. Is that your photo?  How come you are taking photos of it instead of helping pull the bus?


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## dxqcanada

nickzou said:


> Man, that thing feels like it is from the future.



The Sony A7 series, to me, feels like something from the past ... this is the way the old SLR bodies were designed like.


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## sashbar

dxqcanada said:


> nickzou said:
> 
> 
> 
> Man, that thing feels like it is from the future.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Sony A7 series, to me, feels like something from the past ... this is the way the old SLR bodies were designed like.
Click to expand...


Not to my eye. Yes it is small, but it's design is unashamedly modern. I have not seen a single film era SLR that looks even remotely like it. But I am not an expert in vintage gear.


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## gsgary

dxqcanada said:


> nickzou said:
> 
> 
> 
> Man, that thing feels like it is from the future.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Sony A7 series, to me, feels like something from the past ... this is the way the old SLR bodies were designed like.
Click to expand...

The main reason I bought it and the adaptability


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## nickzou

sashbar said:


> dxqcanada said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> nickzou said:
> 
> 
> 
> Man, that thing feels like it is from the future.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Sony A7 series, to me, feels like something from the past ... this is the way the old SLR bodies were designed like.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Not to my eye. Yes it is small, but it's design is unashamedly modern. I have not seen a single film era SLR that looks even remotely like it. But I am not an expert in vintage gear.
Click to expand...


In my mind, Sony is the only company making a concerted effort to define what modern and future cameras are supposed or should look like. Where Olympus and Fuji and even Panasonic are making homages to vintage cameras right now (and not that I'm complaining), Sony seems to be looking in the opposite direction.  When I saw the NEX-7, with it's dual hind dials and no markings, signifying its ability for those controls to be anything to any user, I really felt Sony was onto something. It seems to me, the A7 only continues in that trajectory. Plus, the camera's horizon level thing looks like it is straight out of a futuristic flight sim.


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## PropilotBW

The_Traveler said:


> Sony a7 and zeiss 24-70
> Omd5 pana 35-100, Oly 45, 20 mm 1.7
> Friend is taking A7r and A7s with 24-70 and 50




So, a little off post, but you still like your E-M5?  You just didn't like the feel of the E-M1?


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## The_Traveler

Yes, I like the M5 very much but the ergonomics of changing aperture and focal point in a big hurry didn't work for me.
I have some minor loss of mobility in my right thumb joint from surgery years ago and perhaps my problem with the ergonomics is due to that.
Be that as it may, the dial placement on the A7 where both ec and aperture are changed by thumbwheels works better for me.

The M5 and lenses are slightly smaller and I will keep them in my bag to use the 70-200 and 90 mm equivalents. That is a perfect second body that can function almost as well if needed.

TBH, it is difficult for me to think of a reason that someone coming into photography now would used the conventional dslr except for price point. The E-M1 and 2 or 3 good lenses will be close to 3500.


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## PropilotBW

The_Traveler said:


> Yes, I like the M5 very much but the ergonomics of changing aperture and focal point in a big hurry didn't work for me.
> I have some minor loss of mobility in my right thumb joint from surgery years ago and perhaps my problem with the ergonomics is due to that.
> Be that as it may, the dial placement on the A7 where both ec and aperture are changed by thumbwheels works better for me.
> 
> The M5 and lenses are slightly smaller and I will keep them in my bag to use the 70-200 and 90 mm equivalents. That is a perfect second body that can function almost as well if needed.
> 
> TBH, it is difficult for me to think of a reason that someone coming into photography now would used the conventional dslr except for price point. The E-M1 and 2 or 3 good lenses will be close to 3500.



Thanks for the response.  I just sold my Nikon D5100 over the weekend.  I am now camera-less with Nikon lenses that will be sold soon too.  I am switching to mirrorless for size and portability.  I am not in a hurry to buy a new camera.  I want to wait until a newer model OM-D comes out.  I almost pulled the trigger on the E-M10 this past weekend at the $699 price point with 2 kit lenses but glad I didn't.  Although it would have been a great deal, I didn't want to rush into buying a new camera.  I want to make sure it's the right choice, since I don't flip equipment very often.  
I was just surprised to see you got rid of the E-M1 since you were praising it's qualities not too long ago.


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## The_Traveler

I had rented the E-M1 and enjoyed using it but the improvement over the OMD 5 was small and not worth trading in the OMD and paying the difference.
Except for the occasional lens, I am set for a while now, I think.


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## cooltouch

I'm curious -- did you try the A7 II out for its frame rate on a continuous setting?  I tried out an A7 at a local camera shop a few months ago and was put off by its quite slow frame rate, but even worse was the way it blacked out the viewfinder between frames. That made it unusable for some types of photography I do -- motorsports, mostly.  I was also not terribly impressed with the resolution of the viewfinder. I guess I'm just too used to optical. I kept trying to get it to focus on various subjects, thinking it wasn't getting the focus right, when it finally dawned on me that what I was seeing was the resolution limits of the viewfinder and that the image itself would most likely be quite sharp (no card in the camera so I couldn't tell for sure).

I really wanted an FF camera, but I also really wanted a mirrorless that I could use my legacy lenses with, so I ended up buying a NEX 7. I guess if I need that FF look I can alway give the Lens Turbo or Metabones a try.  I have been quite happy with my NEX, btw. It does a great job with the old lenses, but it has taken some getting used to. Really like that 10fps frame rate, though.

Anyway, my impression of the A7 (and A7r as a result, since it suffers from the same flaws) was that it is not quite there yet for a useful all-around camera. Great for certain things: portraits, landscapes. But not for action photography. I reasoned that Sony would be hard at work improving this shortcoming in their top-of-the-line FF mirrorless cameras. Perhaps the A7 II is a positive step in this direction?


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## The_Traveler

cooltouch said:


> I'm curious -- did you try the A7 II out for its frame rate on a continuous setting?  I tried out an A7 at a local camera shop a few months ago and was put off by its quite slow frame rate, but even worse was the way it blacked out the viewfinder between frames. That made it unusable for some types of photography I do -- motorsports, mostly.  I was also not terribly impressed with the resolution of the viewfinder. I guess I'm just too used to optical. I kept trying to get it to focus on various subjects, thinking it wasn't getting the focus right, when it finally dawned on me that what I was seeing was the resolution limits of the viewfinder and that the image itself would most likely be quite sharp (no card in the camera so I couldn't tell for sure).
> 
> Anyway, my impression of the A7 (and A7r as a result, since it suffers from the same flaws) was that it is not quite there yet for a useful all-around camera. Great for certain things: portraits, landscapes. But not for action photography. I reasoned that Sony would be hard at work improving this shortcoming in their top-of-the-line FF mirrorless cameras. Perhaps the A7 II is a positive step in this direction?



The things that are important for you are relatively unimportant for me since I'm not an 'all around' kind of photographer
I shoot mostly street, and travel when I can, so an enormous high frame rate isn't important for me. 
The EVF resolution is 1024x768 which is adequate for me; I don't spend a huge amount of time looking through the VF.  I frame and press the button.


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## Jay Vee

cooltouch said:


> I'm curious -- did you try the A7 II out for its frame rate on a continuous setting?  I tried out an A7 at a local camera shop a few months ago and was put off by its quite slow frame rate, but even worse was the way it blacked out the viewfinder between frames. That made it unusable for some types of photography I do -- motorsports, mostly.  I was also not terribly impressed with the resolution of the viewfinder. I guess I'm just too used to optical. I kept trying to get it to focus on various subjects, thinking it wasn't getting the focus right, when it finally dawned on me that what I was seeing was the resolution limits of the viewfinder and that the image itself would most likely be quite sharp (no card in the camera so I couldn't tell for sure).
> 
> I really wanted an FF camera, but I also really wanted a mirrorless that I could use my legacy lenses with, so I ended up buying a NEX 7. I guess if I need that FF look I can alway give the Lens Turbo or Metabones a try.  I have been quite happy with my NEX, btw. It does a great job with the old lenses, but it has taken some getting used to. Really like that 10fps frame rate, though.
> 
> Anyway, my impression of the A7 (and A7r as a result, since it suffers from the same flaws) was that it is not quite there yet for a useful all-around camera. Great for certain things: portraits, landscapes. But not for action photography. I reasoned that Sony would be hard at work improving this shortcoming in their top-of-the-line FF mirrorless cameras. Perhaps the A7 II is a positive step in this direction?



I don't have the a7ii but on my a7 the fps is about 4-5 fps with AF-S and drive mode on continuous with speed priority. It's slower with AF-C with maybe 2-3 fps. This may have been improved in the mk2 though but not sure. To reduce the blackout I have it set to no review but there is still a split second of it. Not an issue to me but can be for continous fast action photography. Here's a youtube video of someone using the a7ii for shooting basketball. It looks like it did ok but the small pictures makes it hard to tell how good the focus is.






I see the OVF vs EFS as a personal preference. If you're coming from a OVF you may not like EVFs that much but many people who switched say they've gotten use to the tradeoffs after awhile. I came from cameras with no VF at all so I've gotten use to the EVF very quickly and can't live without it now. I use my NEX-5r that doesn't have one as backup and out of habit I still constantly bring it up to my eye.

While the NEX7 is still a very capable camera I can't help but think the current a6000 would be the better camera for your type of photography. The AF speed and AF tracking is on a whole'nother level. Almost dslr-like. Couple that with 11fps and you have a great action camera.


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## sashbar

PropilotBW said:


> Thanks for the response.  I just sold my Nikon D5100 over the weekend.  I am now camera-less with Nikon lenses that will be sold soon too.  I am switching to mirrorless for size and portability.  I am not in a hurry to buy a new camera.  I want to wait until a newer model OM-D comes out.  I almost pulled the trigger on the E-M10 this past weekend at the $699 price point with 2 kit lenses but glad I didn't.  Although it would have been a great deal, I didn't want to rush into buying a new camera.  I want to make sure it's the right choice, since I don't flip equipment very often.
> I was just surprised to see you got rid of the E-M1 since you were praising it's qualities not too long ago.



Look at FUJI X as well. I also had D5100 and while I really like this baby Nikon ( still have it and the lenses),  FUJI X system that I switched to is so superior, it is not even funny. Especially the lenses. It is more compact and what is important , with 4/3 you are switching to an arguably more limiting sensor, whereas with FUJII X-Trans you are upgrading in this department as well. You keep your familiar DoF and get better low light performance, better JPEGS, better white balance etc etc - and all of that in a smaller lense/body. But that of course depends on how compact do you want your system to be. If size really matters, then difference in size between smthng like XT-1 and D5100 will be probably not big enough.

PS Sorry for high jacking the thread, I just realised it is about A7, not about selecting a mirrorless


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## gsgary

I had a play with my friends A7 mk2 last night and prefer the feel of my A7 I dont like the position of the shutter button on the new A7


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## greybeard

bribrius said:


> The_Traveler said:
> 
> 
> 
> *The ergonomics work great for me, focus is fast enough for street shooting.*
> and I think I will go with the Zeiss 24-70 f4 for my basic lens.
> Most important for me,* it fits my hands better and there are two rear thumb wheels for adjusting EC and A*.
> Images look great.
> Just need to look at it again to answer some questions and I'll probably push the button.
> 
> 
> 
> bingo.
> 
> i screwed up buying my 7100 in a way, i looked at my purpose for the camera without contemplating how it felt in my hands and how much i actually LIKED it. It was like buying a practical necessity not a WANT.
> Not to say i regret the purchase, but for now on i am buying what I LIKE that feels good and RIGHT to me not off just specs and use.
> 
> photography is a personal thing and having a camera that doesn't "fit " right really kills that.  If this camera FITS you , then hell yeah go for it as the right fit will only improve your experience AND effect your photos and creativity.
Click to expand...

Cameras are in many ways are like a musical instrument.  If it feels awkward it will slow you down, lessen enjoyment, and hamper the performance.


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