As a Canon wedding shooter (5DSR, 5D3, 7D2) and now also a A7R2 owner, I want to say I completely agree with this entire video. The one thing that was mentioned but I don't think emphasized enough, was that with the recent MB software updates (still not perfect for sure), the 2 best features about this camera are IBIS for Canon lenses like the 85L & 135L where you can consistently get tack sharp images at 1/20th versus as was pointed out on your video crazy high SS required on the 5DSR when the lens does not have IS. The second amazing feature of this camera - and probably my favourite is Silent Mode - it is amazing from a wedding perspective - amazing. My wife is a well known wedding officiant here in Toronto and after I bought this camera, and with some recent obnoxiously loud 1Dx cameras in her couples faces during the ceremony machine gunning it, she has decided that she will not do any further wedding or allow the photog to use a 1Dx during the ceremony - or she will not do the wedding. Silent shooting + IBIS for fast primes (85L & 135L), never mind my 24-70 F2.8 II Canon which now lives on the camera has made me a believer. You are spot on on the Continuous Focus stuff and tracking - just doesn't work with the target moving at you from close distances - I actually think it is almost a battery thing that can't drive the focus motor motor fast enough. I have put my 5D3s / R and 7D2 away for anything personal now and use the Sony. 7D2 for sports and birding, 5DSR for flash bridal portrait stuff, 5D3 for main wedding camera body - but the A7R2 has joined the game for the quiet ceremony and non flash prime portraits.
If you're in Calgary and want some hands-on time to check out the A7R II, The Camera Store is having a launch event the evening of October 7. We'll have food, drinks and models! Email evelyn@thecamerastore.com to register.
I have Sony A7RII for a month! It is a fantastic camera. I work both - as a photographer and a film maker and this camera is just the best for both things at the same time. Must say didn't have ANY PROBLEMS with overheating! After 30mins non stop camera hardly gets warm. All of this is bullshit. Also its funny to see GH4 users spaming under every A7Rii video, cause they know that the GH4 that they have is now just a middle class camera with internal 4k.
+Extreme Remake Production Yeah, but IDK why are you (or the spammers) even mentioning / comparing GH4 with an A7RII when it's over double in price. That just makes no sense whatsoever to begin with, plus I don't think that Panasonic's intention was to make an above average camera out of it. :)
It's interesting that Kyle and so many other pros that I know are still really happy with their Canon 5DIII as their primary camera. 22 megapixels is plenty for their work, and they see no reason to either move up to the 5DSR or switch to another brand. I was reading between the lines a bit on Kyle, but his comments lead me to that conclusion. Stay with what you know, and especially something that you think is bulletproof for your client work.
+filmkid541 Exactly, Some ultra high res stuff I can shoot in panorama and easily get hundreds of megapixels. They key with photography business is now when sending estimates I include an option for "Ultra large format" and list the megapixels for that option verses "high resolution". Then charge more for the high res option where I would rent the 5DSR for. Everyone checks the DPI for the project they are doing (including billboards) and says "nope we don't need that, 20 megapixels is fine" and saves me time and them money. For now, the commercial market I'm surrounded in just doesn't care about ultra high res. I did the same thing moving from 12 megapixel images to 20, but the mark II and III were so good I couldn't not shoot on them.
I'm from five years in the future (no joke) and today I just bought a new Sony A7RII at half its original price. I'm selling my Canon bodies and keeping some lens!
Since I got to play a bit with the A7R II I would like to add 2 things1.I found in lower light it tends to hunt especially compared to my Nikon D7502.You guys recommended if you don't have lenses from previous system then you can go for the Sony A7R II, what I think you forgot to mention which is extremely important for many people is the lack of 24-70mm 2.8 and 70-200mm 2.8 Sony lenses.For me without these native lenses I will never jump ship to Sony.If Sony want to get Canon and Nikon shooters they need to make these very important lenses.Overall from the short time I used the A7R II I was very impressed with it but for me its still not good overall system to move too, maybe in few more years but not yet.Thank you for a good review.
I agree with everybody's opinion about using native glass for these comparisons. Part of our reasoning for using Canon glass and adapters was due to the duel between Kyle and myself. By using the exact same lenses we could eliminate that as a variance. However one could also argue that fighting each system against each other could be done with their own respective systems of glass. I will say however that Jordan and I tested the A7R mk2 afterwards with sony lenses and the hit rate is incredible. Using eye detect works flawlessly and although other cameras are quicker, the Sony would always hit on focus. So another point for Sony. Funny though but I actually have a soft spot for the 5DSR. I don't think it's high Megapixel count is that practical but the files are beautiful and it handles wonderfully as always. I really enjoyed the photos I got from it. Chris @ TCSTV
+chris Yeah, you tested afterwards with Sony lenses, but released this video where you test Sony Camera with Canon lenses and make statements about focus speed etc. Not very professional approach. Next time when you review Canon or Nikon camera, test how they focus with Sony A-mount and E-mount lenses? How about that?
+Practical Builds Your beliefs and reality does not meet. Sony A7RII price is under $3200 now. If you are not willing to buy Sony E-mount (FE) lenses - with which this camera is meant to be used - then you shouldn't buy this camera. Just stick with your inferior Nikon and enjoy your lenses.
You guys are the best camera reviewers on the Internet, and that’s why TheCameraStoreTV is the first channel I’ve ever subscribed to, but please leave the careless camera handling and bloopers to the DigitalRev guys.
i'm a working pro and we have included the sony A7R2 in our kit bag and we are finding that we are using the A7R2 more and more as we learn to work around its limitations specifically with AF... but overall the dynamic range.... its IQ.. ISO is just amazing..... something that our 5D3 cannot hope to match
Got this camera from the Camerastore and have to say I'm very happy with it . I have no problem with shifting from Canon to Sony back in March when I bought the A7s & A6000. Shooting both video and photo both are great. Agree menu is way too much but I guess it's not my biggest issue. I would say it's the power. They failed again on that part. Luckily I have like 15 batteries all compatible with all models.
In a period of two years 2013-2015 Sony introduced six full frame e-mount mirrorless cameras. Two generations of a7 cameras. Sony was very committed to the launch APS-C e-mount cameras during 2010-2012 with multiple models. Sony continued the same practice with the full frame e-mount cameras during 2013-2015. After the 2013 the introduction of new APS-C e-mount cameras was less frequent and after 2016 the introduction of new full frame e-mount camera was less frequent too. After 2016 Sony was committed to the introduction of a plethora of full frame e-mount lenses in order to compete with the amazing variety of full frame autofocus EF mount and F mount lenses.
+Fontsman Agreed, I would have preferred to see a comparison with both lenses than just the canon. I haven't see that yet in a review. +TheCameraStoreTV Did we see an Otus almost go in the water off the treepod?
Welcome back. Enjoying Chris and Jordan's works regardless of what they review. Always learning something new. While reviewing a $3000 camera like this, they don't trash out what commoners like me can afford! Especially Canadians, please don't forget patronizing the Camera Store! Started looking for Panasonic GM1 (or wait GM5's price goes down a bit more) just because Chris has it - gotta be fun to shoot with it! lol
I'd like to see all aspects of the a7rii's autofocus system tested, i.e., the facial recognition, facial registration, and eye focus. Those could all be great assets for an event photographer and actually make the a7rii's autofocus system a better choice in those environments. Just shooting it like a Canon gives one result, but how about exploring all the Sony's capabilities? Or, are you ignoring them because Canon doesn't have them, or you aren't yet comfortable enough with the Sony to try them out?
That's great Jordan. Also, it'd be nice to see a autofocus speed comparison with native glass, as well as the pdaf-enabled metabones adaptor/speedbooster for the canon lens. That way, we'll see what's really what, and also know how the nuanced features of the A7Rii work (some cars are dragsters, some are rally racers and we have to acknowledge the differences and strengths).
@TCSTVJordan @TCSTVChris Part 1 of the Sony A7R II was great. One thing no one really talks about is what's is the point having a smaller and lighter camera when you still have to strap huge heavy lenses on it. Especially a camera like this that really needs excellent glass to shine. It's less balanced and feels terrible in the hand when shooting for a full day. Until the lenses get smaller and more compact I don't see what the big deal is with mirrorless and particularly this camera.
Why would you guys even place that much time and energy on testing and talking about non-native lenses and then judge the camera based on how those lenses perform? You should be talking about how the camera performs with the best of its native lenses as the main focus, and then the non-native lenses should only be a secondary focus after the native lenses and not such a big part of the review. I think it's really unfair to judge this camera by how non-native lenses work with it. The ability to use non-native lenses is an extra-bonus/icing on the cake, and also, some of the more advanced features of the camera aren't even available with non-native lenses anyway (such as eye-AF, continuous AF during video recording).
+MrFed1994 The second AF test at 15:16 was using native glass, and the 5DSR still performed slightly better. We emphasized the adapted lenses because I heard from tons of photographers looking to grab an A7R II if the AF performance was really good with adapted lenses. I also felt there were a lack of tests of this in other video reviews. Chris and I talk more about AF performance with native glass in part 2. Stay tuned! Jordan @ TCSTV
Good perspective on this clip - I took it as for the majority of high end camera users who probably own good collections of Nikon / Canon lenses already and are not married the Sony brand but thinking of trying it out. Their complaints are often "Sony doesn't make good lenses" - then simply reviewing this camera with "bad" Sony lenses wouldn't be something they are looking for. $3000 camera, the top of Sony brand, can't be that bad regardless of what Sony lenses are used, I would think?
+Rob “Lunatique” Chang - Does it matter? This isn't Sony's sports camera - the R series is resolution based, S series is video and sensitivity based. Wait for a sports camera (a9) to come out.
Thank you for the review. Excellent as always. I wanted to note that when using the a7rII with the LA-EA3 adapter, only SSM ( and I believe SAM) lenses will auto-focus for stills. Any of the "old school" lenses that do not have the build in motor will require the LA-EA4 adapter. The same applies for auto-focus in video mode. I have not been able to to get auto-focus to work in video mode with the LA-EA3 adapter, but it works with the LA-EA4 using the same lens (significantly slower that native lenses though). Phase detection is the only focus method that works when using the LA-EA3 adpater for stills. I also own the A mount Tamron 90mm Macro and Sigma 85mm 1.4 which are both excellent lenses and focus perfectly using both adapters. (no face detection or eye detection). The cost and image quality of these two lenses with the A7RII far outweigh the enhanced auto-focus features that are available with native lenses. I was able to purchase both in excellent condition for the less that the cost of a new FE 70-200 f/4. Lastly, the non-oem battery grip that I purchased for the A7II fits the A7RII, but makes that camera go completely bananas.... As though I'm pushing a bunch of buttons at once. ( i know, I know... I need to stop being cheap and buy OEM) Thanks for reading
Thanks to you both for the vid, the number one most important one thing that you've missed especially for professionals is the 'usability' factor i.e. how would the camera perform in a real life day to day working situation, i.e. are the control dials spaced apart and easy to use, are the settings quick and easy to change and is it robust enough to last. Golden rule; hire a camera before you buy, it could save you a lot of money and disappointment.
The biggest drawback of the A7Rii is it's price, I'm surprised you guys didn't mention that. It's more expensive than a Nikon D810! I'm going to wait for the A7 mark 3, I don't need 42 MP but I do want 4K video and better autofocus. And please don't overprice that one too Sony!
+tvurk Sony stuff aren't overpriced TBH, if you think $3200 is too much for A7sii, you aren't the targeted audience anyway, since they aimed the A7ii series to be top of line models. You should be thinking of GH4 or refurbished 5D Mark IIIs.
Daniel Spaniel Yeah true. I don't think is overpriced though, maybe thats me,shelling out money that instant when 5D Mark II first came out. Also, it doesn't struggles to focus, it it just inferior to 5D systems, don't exaggerate it.
+sosoishero from the videos I've seen and other reviewers seems like the auto focus is actually pretty decent. with Sony native glass of course. DP review said it was keeping up with the Canon DSLR and even at times out preforming it.
Blackmagic1o0 TBH, even with Native lens, Sony is still slower, however, it is a big improvement over their stupid AF of previous generation, even my IPhone focuses faster than that LOL.
I have a Nikon D750 but I also want a sony a7R II. I want to have both a good DSLR camera and a good mirrorless one. I love photography and I do not want to limit myself. I love both types of cameras.
I used the Canon EOS 5DS in the studio for the first time yesterday for a product shoot and I'm finding the files have a lot more contrast over the EOS 5D Mark III. So much that the client even noticed.
Most honest conclusion for the comparison. I have both, and I am pretty disappointed in having the 7R2 for out of studio shooting. But perhaps it will work for travel. But I luckily got it for the hi res sensor and studio work. And that saves it. Otherwise, don't let the sensor fool you into thinking its a camera first, then all the cool features of an electronic device...because it is the opposite.
About the reduced resolution raw option you guys mentioned: Raw is the dump of data on sensor, a lower resolution raw means cropping. If there is a reduced size resolution, that means the "raw" has been calculated and processed, and that's not raw, since it has been interpreted. See Red Dragon 6k cameras as example, notice the resolution drop on the raw, it keeps the horizontal resolution but crops the extra vertical resolution, because field of view is so much more important, to reduce the resolution, the only way is to crop away lines and pixels! Also, Blackmagic 4.6k Camera raw, notice there is no UHD ,HD raw option? because Raw doesn't work that way! You may say the those are all video camera! It doesn't matter, RAW files work the same, only in video cameras, they are only continuous raw frames put into a container, if you pick out one of the frames, it will still work as a individual image
I did multiple test myself, as I thought I would be going for the A7Rii, I had the original A7R. I ended up going back to Canon. It is true that it has more dynamic range, however that was never really an issue because the only time I ran into that was Landscape, in which I do HDR anyway. The ergonomics are not as fast. I'm much faster with the Canon. The Canon image looks better to me, it seems to be way different in colors, no matter what you do with the RGB curves, it seems to have more shades of the colors as well. It seems to "pop" where the A7Rii looks very bland compared to it. I like prime lenses better and used them when I had the original A7R with Zeiss. But, Canon has the 24-70 2.8L. It has to be the sharpest zoom ever made, it feels like using primes from 24-70. It's very expensive but worth it. For example, put the Canon next to the Tamron 24-70 and it's way sharper, it's hard to tell the difference in that and a prime. But put the Tamron next to the Nikon 24-70, and the Tamron ends up being sharper. So with Nikon or Sony, I would go all primes except for 16-35 wide angle. This allows me to literally do everything with the 24-70 2.8L and 135 F/2L. The 135 for most portraits. Typically I don't use 16mm for landscapes. The DSLR focusing is still better, I still like an OVF too. I use a battery grip so of course it last forever. But, for video I'd choose Sony. I have a Sony camera now to shoot 4k video with. For photography I'm still with Canon and will be for the next generation as well.
Really? Well that's surprising because all I shoot is RAW. You think I did test via the .jpeg? Non existent? Go download an A7Rii image and a 5DSR image, mess with the RGB curves all you like, you cannot get it to pop like the 5DSR. The color tonality of the cameras are way different. As well as the color rendition which creates a different natural contrast. A Raw file doesn't change that. If it did, we could just shoot with any camera that has Raw and make it look like any other camera. But we can't. In the same way shooting Raw on the Canon doesn't give it the dynamic range of the Sony, shooting raw on the Sony doesn't give it the color rendition nor tonality of the Canon. Sony is rated last in that category. Canon is rated first. Nikon is second. Nikon has Sony sensors but for whatever reason they program them differently, as the tonality is a bit better on the Nikon. The only thing the Sony has going for it in image quality is dynamic range and higher ISO performance compared to the 5DSR.
+nagol5178 You think I didn't do test on 5DSR and A7II? It is scientifically wrong to have different color in the same picture in raw. Both are bayer sensors, which consist of Red Green Blue sensors stacked into one, Given that you have the same color balance, it should have identical results, the only difference is the noise floor AND the overflow/underflow of data which create noise or clipping. Sensor sees light in linear fashion, they either see more or see less, and different threshold to overflow/underflow, but the RGB levels will stay the same. If what you said is true, 2 cameras should yield different white balance value due to "different tonality" which contradicts the statement "sensors see light in linear", because different tonality means there are difference in RGB capturing, by that means those sensor aren't accurate, which I highly doubt that was the case. Your saying makes me wonder do you even understand raw. Raw are just pure data, how much Red Blue and Green light are being captured, they don't have color rendition, they require debayering to work. Color Rendition in RAW are determined by the software which debayers it, and not the camera itself. That's why shooting raw WILL nullify the problem. That's why hollywood choose to shoot raw, because it is that much easier to match colors, and why VFX work enjoys linear gamma, due to how light works. Also, the lenses have the most color rendition influence on digital cameras. Digital cameras are not "film", they won't have different color rendition. Watch DigitalRevTV and see how Kai response to "Color Rendition" where other said "Sony colors are crap!", this is what he replied: "That's why we shoot raw."
+nagol5178 I have to agree, it was way more difficult to try and get nice looking colours on the sony versus any Canon I've used shooting both in RAW. It could be that the raw software needs to catch up to dealing with these new extremely high dynamic range images, and sony's particular nuances.
***** I found out usually is the extremely huge dynamic range causes the so called color rendition problem, since in RGB world, R+G+B/3 makes out it's Luma value, when the camera has too much data to choose from, it is hard to get the color right, but that doesn't mean the color are not there. Users are not used to the high dynamic range of Sony Bodies. Kinda like how normal users cannot handle log files. You don't know how to handle log files, doesn't mean the color rendition of the camera is bad. Arri shoots log and it is flat as fuck, will you say it's image are crap because of that? You need to relearn how to handle curves for high dynamic range scenes. The problem is Canon does everthing for you in the camera that users usually don't need to fiddle. Sony on the other hand, gives you every single option and assumes you know what to do with it: "if you don't know what to do with it, too bad then." That is one of the reason why GH4 has no V-Log in the first place, they are afraid of users screwing up the log image, and thus "bad color rendition problem" spread across the internet. Also,I suspect you have a amateur problem. sRGB only supports up about 9 stops of Dynamic range, where Canon gives out 10-11 but Sony gives out 14. Squeezing in 10 DR to 9 DR of sRGB looks nicer right out of the box. Try that in AdobeRGB and tell me the difference. Learn the tools, before saying it is bad.
I tried the Sony for a couple of days. The tedious menu system, the size of the camera, the autofocus, even with native glass - the for me bad ergonomics and flimsy contacts - are all reasons that I will stay with my new Canon 5dsr and my old 5D3. Would I like the better dynamic range - sure - but good metering and knowing your craft will take you a long way. And Chris, bring an angle-finder with you next time you want to get down and low - its robust and much better than a tilt screen - especially in day light. As always your review was good - thanks
I had a feeling there was going to be a part 2. I was watching the clock on the video and was thinking there was no way he's going to squeeze in a review that quick right at the end. Great as always gentlemen. Looking forward to part 2.
Chris Niccolls is one handsome man, and I say that as a straight male. I hate my double chin when we shoot our videos and I don't see that at all on Chris' chiseled face.
there's a lot of professional photographers already shooting with the a7r ii it really depends on what time of jobs you do, if you shoot sports go canon/nikon everything else don't think twice
It's by far the best camera I've ever owned. It does amazingly well for studio and lifestyle style shoots. I use a battery grip when working. I have nothing negative to say...
Sold my Canon C100 and Sony A7S for a A7RII plus sold all my Canon glass - am now 100% Sony and loving it. Some expensive glass, but it doesn't disappoint!
I think the battery power is the killer for pros. But, you never mentioned overheating.Maybe in your video segment.Also, I don't remember you mentioning the highest, -useable- ISO.
I was thinking about making a switch from Canon to Sony but keeping all my glass so I can always come back to it if need be and I will not loose a load of money when selling them on... but what I did like is the end part where you go over the types of people who need something reliable at least I know with my Canon setup I know that I'll be able to get the shot and if something went wrong then I know how to work out another way of doing it, I need to know that a camera will be able to work to my high standards... So looks like I'll be buying the soon to be released Canon 5D Mark IV as Sony just isn't there yet... I did like the dynamic range of the camera but hey its nice but not a real need.
As a Nikon D810 and 16-35mm owner, shooting primarily landscape and now a lot of real estate, I'm really interested on what to do. The cost of the lens and filter system for a 14-24 is substantial. Moreover, I feel the Canon 17mm is better for architecture than both the 16-35 or 14-24, however losing 1 or 3mm on the wide end. Since most of my work is manual focus, the auto focus isn't a huge concern. Additionally I have MF Zeiss lenses that require live view for critical focusing on the D810 because the VF I don't personally find reliable enough. TCS, do you guys have any comments or suggestions for this situation?
Welcome back! Great review. I hope You'll bring in Kyle in future videos as well. I feel like I get to know the gear much better when you have these discussions. Also, at 10:30 the colors look like they have a slight green tint. It might just be my screen, but to me the colors looked more natural in the first part of the video.
at 14 min, youre shooting someone running at 1/100th? I wonder, could it be motion blur and not autofocus issue? Maybe the writing was missing a 0 and it should be 1/1000? Im just a little confused, thought you wanted minimum 1/500 for action photography?
im going to college for photojournalism i like shooting landscapes wildlife and street photography would you suggest the a7rII, 5dsr, 5d mark iv, or the d810
I agree with the others who have commented. Can you show the Sony with Sony glass ie 70-200 f4. You did use some glass and the focus was fine. Be good to see if the Sony has any issues with Sony glass. Mark
7:55 Why would you need a second card slot with two 64GB memory card, just go with the 128GB card which cost around $40+ but I agree with the small micro HDMI port, totally useless and may damage quick
+Max I hate using really large cards in case of a corruption. If I use 64GB and larger cards, I like to have a second slot recording a backup of all the files just in case. Personal preference, but having a 128GB card with a client's file on it scares the dickens out of me. Jordan @ TCSTV
TheCameraStoreTV Personal preference as you said, I got my 6D and I use 64GB card, and always carry a second 64GB card just in case, even though I will not full that card, but I like to have more space in case of shooting jpeg+raw and video...
Because a single card can fuck you up anytime. Having a backup is always a good idea. Why do you need several HDDs when you can buy 8 TB or higher? Same logic sir.
+Valère He means straight up Canon vs Sony lenses, no Zeiss lenses. Zeiss makes glass for Canon and Nikon too. It wouldn't even be a comparison but thats why Canon is a camera/image company and Sony is an electronics company.
+Michael Bell You can't get the Zeiss Batis on the Canon though, they're only available for the Sony, and the Zeiss glass available for Canon/Nikon is fully Manual, Batis are THE ONLY Full frame autofocus lenses by Zeiss and you can only get them on the Sony so that makes them native autofocus lenses for the a7rii ;)
+Valère Thats fine. Zeiss did just come out with the new Milvus line for Canon and Nikon if you like to manual focus. Ive shot L glass that easily rivals or outclasses any Zeiss lens. Cannon shooters don't NEED Zeiss glass.
Chris do we have any progress with EVF in A7RII? I'm still not thinking of buying mirrorless camera like this as a primary camera mostly because of EVF. I would like to know is EVF any better than previous models from Sony/Olympus/Panasonic/Fujifilm: 1. Lag - is it better with lag or not? Can you pass underground garage test of running between cars and columns and try not to hit anything while looking just through EVF :-) ? 2. Noise in very low light situation for manual focus with focus peaking is unacceptable on previous models. Is it better or not? 3. Colors are off even in a good light conditions, in low light EVF has a lot of color noise and should be turned to BW mode to help focus peaking. Are colors/color noise correction with EVF better or not?
Thanks guys! That Super35 crop mode looked insanely good. I can't wait for the video-centric part of the review, and I hope maybe some mention is given to where the pros and cons are comparing the a7Rii to the FS7 for low-end professional video production, even though they are apples and oranges. On that note Jordan, if you're ready to comment on this topic, do you think you'll be grabbing the a7Rii when you run out to film a project, or will it pretty much be the FS7 (or something else)? I put the most stock in looking at what piece of equipment a person actually grabs when he's going out to do a project as an indicator of what is truly good stuff.
"insanly good"? I don't feel it :) If you just do video than the FS7 is the much better but also more expensive choice (not really if you add an external recorder, a rig and ND filters to the A7rii). The FS7 has much better internal rec. (10bit 422 XAVC Intra 600Mb/s). It's even better than what the A7rii can output. FS7 has less rolling shutter. Slog.3 and Sgamut3.cine (better color). 4K DCI instead of UHD. Higher frame rates. The ability to record up to 12bit RAW via additional modules. Much more codecs available. Simultaneous recording. More professional connections such as XLR for audio. Better ergonomics. internal NDs. handy features such as internal LUT screening (much easier to shoot with Log) If you want a proper video camera with those features but are happy with the IQ you see in this video than the FS5 could be interesting to you. If you want FF or extreme low-light performance than the a7sii (or A7S with recorder) is the thing.
First off i agree with what many have said about testing with native glass. I understand the need to also compare cannon glass w/ an adapter but i think you should have also used a few more native lenses to get a better feel for the camera. The 24-70 f4 zeiss FE is widely considered to be disappointment since it's release. Try instead the 55, 28 or 16-35, all three are considered great lenses. For the native lens autofocus test, did you use or try any of the tracking modes (selectable object, or face recognition?) Was the camera on continuous auto focus? Finally I think everyone keeps making too much of a big deal over the battery. Yes they are small in power but they are also small in size and weight. Most people will only need 1 maybe 2 for a day. They take a few seconds to change out and are very easy to carry in a pocket. 200 shots is the lowest i've heard anyone people getting shots on these. I have found it's performance is much better and thats before shutting off features like wifi. I personally like the battery, id rather not have more weight in the camera body. For timelapses or long video i either plug in power to the USB or i use a dummy battery attached to an external battery or the sony AC adapter. In the mark 3 i also would very much like to see the aperture and speed dials go back to the beefier first gen. I also never had/heard people complaining about the mode dial switching and thus needing a lock, i find it annoying and want it to go away. A couple more custom buttons would be nice, maybe on the top left. 2nd SD card should happen but more important i think is getting UHS-2 cards possibly with updated processors to take advantage of the increased speed should be on the top of the list. That extra speed should help as the buffer takes awhile to upload & clear. Overall i love this camera and feel it's about 95% where i want it. I think once sony announces their next batch of lenses before the end of the year, several of the big gaps will get filled and for many the move over/jump in will be alot easier. One thing you got to give sony credit for, their recent lens releases have all been really high quality.
nice video, but why, when comparing cameras do you choose the cannon?, why not keep with mirror-less systems and compare it to the more comparable Fuji x t_1 or x t_10 which if you are looking at the Sony offering is the most logical choice as these are a cheaper alternative, albeit A.P.S.-C censored cameras but are just as feature packed , I think anyway. Wish you could do a video comparing these two cameras, their lenses/ accessories.
Comparison pictures to show the detail and specially the highlights compared to each other would have been helpful to see how much better you say it is.
Excellent review and I totally understand why you used Canon lenses for comparison's sake. However maybe later it would be nice to see this camera reviewed with some of the excellent Sony/Zeiss glass available to see how the camera truly performs and what you make of it.
Chris did you guys take your time trying different settings when shooting the runner with Canon 70-200 lens??? Because when I started with A7RII, I had gotten similar results, when I had my child run toward me. However, after practicing for couple days, I found that with right settings, which in my case were: Preview - Off, CAF, medium size small square, I was able to nail every shot in focus with 17-40L at F4 in a series. I think turning off preview was the key in my case. Just asking if you tried different settings.
AH!!!!! I'm in the market for a new camera. I'm currently a Canon shooter but you guys are making me question if getting another Canon is the right decision. That dynamic range....
Always laughable when people complain about a menu on a camera they just tried. Well yeah I tried a 70d the other day and the menu sucked. Is it really that bad... Unlikely, it's just a matter of getting used to things.
Sorry but I have the Sony and have just made the move from Canon but the AF on the Metabones is just too slow for continuous focus which is the reason I made the move. Now it means i have to buy native glass for the Sony. There is no choice. I really want the continuous AF for use on my Ronin M. I would go for the Canon 1DX2 but it has a crop factor of 1.4 and I need wide angle. If I buy a 11 to 22 for the Canon, I will have 15mm but it will be too heavy for the Ronin M I have been told.
i liked your review overall but I would have loved to see some side by side shots comparison of the two cameras. I was a bit annoyed that you didn't compare the "action" portion with the Sony FE 70-200mm F4 that lens have great af in my testing with the A7II you talked alot about how not good the af was with the metabones adapter. Well I think that is to be expected since its not a native solution. thanks.
Nikon lenses will be cheaper. I made the switch from nikon to sony a7rii. But id probably go back to nikon based on lenses if that's what is making up your mind.
Great vid!! But I got questions :) If the 50 mpx canon wasn't around, what would you have compared the Sony why and what do you believe the results would have been? To date, beyond that or cost, the main complaints have been power, lack of touch screen, 4K heat dissipation , 29 min video time out and the HDMI port... My personal issue lays with lens choice and selection. What would be the best bang for buck all round 2 or 3 lenses to think about for the Sony? PS when do you think Sony will lower their prices?
TCSTV is one of the best channels for camera reviews, however this was quite an underwhelming review, I was expecting to see this review done with the exciting new glass by Sony and Zeiss like the 35mmf1.4 Distagon, the 90mm Macro or the Zeiss Batis, I wanted to see the eye detection autofocus and the face detection autofocus, i wanted to see the slient shutter in action, but all I saw was the boring 24-70mmf4 and a canon lens that litterally crippled every amazing autofocus feature of this camera :((
I like the content, but your videos have a really weird color cast. Yellow to yellow-green. Also, did you guys use the new Metabones firmware? I hear that makes a big difference in the focusing for most lenses.
It would be interesting to see your comments added on reviews/test etc about the color rendering of each camera-camera maker and if there is a advantage to one versus the other especially when doing comparisons despite the availability and usage of RAW on still images and cameras of this level plus the usual comment saying that you can make them look the same - which in my opinion/experience is not entirely true and even if it where there are time savings choosing one over the other if it gives the base look one prefers out of the box. Each camera maker has it's specific color science and usually for portraits/skin tones Canon is the preferred one by apparently many - so i'd like to see what do you think about it having tested side by side two of the newest top cameras. On the video side I see color science for each camera a even more determining aspect to consider/compare and it would be interesting to know if one camera/maker is better suited for a specific type of production and/or which is more practical to grade because of less latitude for post having no internal raw recording on this type of cameras (to my knowledge) and even if it had the underlying storage requirements are not always a option for all uses and slog and the likes of flat/extended dinamic range camera profiles seem to be a useful option for storage constrained productions-usage.
I don't love the video's color grade in the outdoor shots - I feel like it's still just too flat of an image. I want deeper blacks, highlights a little punchier...just a little less DR all around in the final output image. I feel like the Sony captures so much that it's tempting to leave it all in there, but I'm watching and it just doesn't feel quite right. I AM very curious to hear more about the workflow though, as I have the RII but haven't made the jump to S-Log yet. Actually I've been using PP5, which is cine gamma but not S-Log, I believe? Great, soft image that doesn't need much of a grade. I still need to learn to use log.
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
I'm from 4 years in the future. Mirrorless did it!!!
😂😂😂
Lol
You are wrong AI did it😢
Indeed! It's fascinating watching these old reviews.
I am from 8 years in the future. I still own my A7RII.
As a Canon wedding shooter (5DSR, 5D3, 7D2) and now also a A7R2 owner, I want to say I completely agree with this entire video. The one thing that was mentioned but I don't think emphasized enough, was that with the recent MB software updates (still not perfect for sure), the 2 best features about this camera are IBIS for Canon lenses like the 85L & 135L where you can consistently get tack sharp images at 1/20th versus as was pointed out on your video crazy high SS required on the 5DSR when the lens does not have IS. The second amazing feature of this camera - and probably my favourite is Silent Mode - it is amazing from a wedding perspective - amazing. My wife is a well known wedding officiant here in Toronto and after I bought this camera, and with some recent obnoxiously loud 1Dx cameras in her couples faces during the ceremony machine gunning it, she has decided that she will not do any further wedding or allow the photog to use a 1Dx during the ceremony - or she will not do the wedding. Silent shooting + IBIS for fast primes (85L & 135L), never mind my 24-70 F2.8 II Canon which now lives on the camera has made me a believer. You are spot on on the Continuous Focus stuff and tracking - just doesn't work with the target moving at you from close distances - I actually think it is almost a battery thing that can't drive the focus motor motor fast enough. I have put my 5D3s / R and 7D2 away for anything personal now and use the Sony. 7D2 for sports and birding, 5DSR for flash bridal portrait stuff, 5D3 for main wedding camera body - but the A7R2 has joined the game for the quiet ceremony and non flash prime portraits.
If you're in Calgary and want some hands-on time to check out the A7R II, The Camera Store is having a launch event the evening of October 7. We'll have food, drinks and models! Email evelyn@thecamerastore.com to register.
Can you buy me a plane ticket?
+TheCameraStoreTV Just out of curiosity guys, how come you guys haven't reviewed the Sony A77 or A77 mark 2?
Hands down the best camera reviews on RUclips. 👍
Agreed
I have Sony A7RII for a month! It is a fantastic camera. I work both - as a photographer and a film maker and this camera is just the best for both things at the same time. Must say didn't have ANY PROBLEMS with overheating! After 30mins non stop camera hardly gets warm. All of this is bullshit.
Also its funny to see GH4 users spaming under every A7Rii video, cause they know that the GH4 that they have is now just a middle class camera with internal 4k.
+Extreme Remake Production At least the batteries last longer than 5 minutes :')
Erm... 40 minutes in 4K, 1 battery - 2 photoshoots- 4 hours. More than enough.
+Extreme Remake Production Yeah, but IDK why are you (or the spammers) even mentioning / comparing GH4 with an A7RII when it's over double in price. That just makes no sense whatsoever to begin with, plus I don't think that Panasonic's intention was to make an above average camera out of it. :)
+Extreme Remake Production I need more capacity than 40 minutes for what I do- glad you found the a7 batteries to be enough for your use! :)
+Mitch Lally so why the 5 minute crack?
It's interesting that Kyle and so many other pros that I know are still really happy with their Canon 5DIII as their primary camera. 22 megapixels is plenty for their work, and they see no reason to either move up to the 5DSR or switch to another brand. I was reading between the lines a bit on Kyle, but his comments lead me to that conclusion. Stay with what you know, and especially something that you think is bulletproof for your client work.
+filmkid541 Exactly, Some ultra high res stuff I can shoot in panorama and easily get hundreds of megapixels. They key with photography business is now when sending estimates I include an option for "Ultra large format" and list the megapixels for that option verses "high resolution". Then charge more for the high res option where I would rent the 5DSR for. Everyone checks the DPI for the project they are doing (including billboards) and says "nope we don't need that, 20 megapixels is fine" and saves me time and them money.
For now, the commercial market I'm surrounded in just doesn't care about ultra high res. I did the same thing moving from 12 megapixel images to 20, but the mark II and III were so good I couldn't not shoot on them.
5D mark III if you forget the size and weight is a bargain today.
I'm from five years in the future (no joke) and today I just bought a new Sony A7RII at half its original price. I'm selling my Canon bodies and keeping some lens!
I'll summarise - its main flaw is that is doesn't work with canon lenses as well as a Canon DSLR does with Canon lenses. Astonishing revelation.
Since I got to play a bit with the A7R II I would like to add 2 things1.I found in lower light it tends to hunt especially compared to my Nikon D7502.You guys recommended if you don't have lenses from previous system then you can go for the Sony A7R II, what I think you forgot to mention which is extremely important for many people is the lack of 24-70mm 2.8 and 70-200mm 2.8 Sony lenses.For me without these native lenses I will never jump ship to Sony.If Sony want to get Canon and Nikon shooters they need to make these very important lenses.Overall from the short time I used the A7R II I was very impressed with it but for me its still not good overall system to move too, maybe in few more years but not yet.Thank you for a good review.
I agree with everybody's opinion about using native glass for these comparisons. Part of our reasoning for using Canon glass and adapters was due to the duel between Kyle and myself. By using the exact same lenses we could eliminate that as a variance. However one could also argue that fighting each system against each other could be done with their own respective systems of glass. I will say however that Jordan and I tested the A7R mk2 afterwards with sony lenses and the hit rate is incredible. Using eye detect works flawlessly and although other cameras are quicker, the Sony would always hit on focus. So another point for Sony. Funny though but I actually have a soft spot for the 5DSR. I don't think it's high Megapixel count is that practical but the files are beautiful and it handles wonderfully as always. I really enjoyed the photos I got from it.
Chris @ TCSTV
+chris Yeah, you tested afterwards with Sony lenses, but released this video where you test Sony Camera with Canon lenses and make statements about focus speed etc. Not very professional approach. Next time when you review Canon or Nikon camera, test how they focus with Sony A-mount and E-mount lenses? How about that?
+Mika Leinonen We test native lenses at 15:13.
Jordan @ TCSTV
+TheCameraStoreTV There is no appeasing the Sony fanboys
+TheCameraStoreTV Blind to the pros and outraged at the cons - Every Sony review video I see nowadays.
+Practical Builds Your beliefs and reality does not meet. Sony A7RII price is under $3200 now.
If you are not willing to buy Sony E-mount (FE) lenses - with which this camera is meant to be used - then you shouldn't buy this camera. Just stick with your inferior Nikon and enjoy your lenses.
Great review, thought the stills from the Sony looked so much better compared to the canon.
I agree, he tried too hard to make Sony look bad... lol
You guys are the best camera reviewers on the Internet, and that’s why TheCameraStoreTV is the first channel I’ve ever subscribed to, but please leave the careless camera handling and bloopers to the DigitalRev guys.
i'm a working pro and we have included the sony A7R2 in our kit bag and we are finding that we are using the A7R2 more and more as we learn to work around its limitations specifically with AF... but overall the dynamic range.... its IQ.. ISO is just amazing..... something that our 5D3 cannot hope to match
Got this camera from the Camerastore and have to say I'm very happy with it . I have no problem with shifting from Canon to Sony back in March when I bought the A7s & A6000. Shooting both video and photo both are great. Agree menu is way too much but I guess it's not my biggest issue. I would say it's the power. They failed again on that part. Luckily I have like 15 batteries all compatible with all models.
+Aydin Odyakmaz Glad it's working well! 15 batteries should do it.
Jordan @ TCSTV
In a period of two years 2013-2015 Sony introduced six full frame e-mount mirrorless cameras. Two generations of a7 cameras. Sony was very committed to the launch APS-C e-mount cameras during 2010-2012 with multiple models. Sony continued the same practice with the full frame e-mount cameras during 2013-2015.
After the 2013 the introduction of new APS-C e-mount cameras was less frequent and after 2016 the introduction of new full frame e-mount camera was less frequent too. After 2016 Sony was committed to the introduction of a plethora of full frame e-mount lenses in order to compete with the amazing variety of full frame autofocus EF mount and F mount lenses.
Why nor use Sony's FE 70-200 F4 on the A7rII? OK it's not F2.8 but it would better show the focusing performance.
+Fontsman Agreed, I would have preferred to see a comparison with both lenses than just the canon. I haven't see that yet in a review.
+TheCameraStoreTV Did we see an Otus almost go in the water off the treepod?
+Fontsman this entire review is biased.
Welcome back. Enjoying Chris and Jordan's works regardless of what they review. Always learning something new. While reviewing a $3000 camera like this, they don't trash out what commoners like me can afford! Especially Canadians, please don't forget patronizing the Camera Store! Started looking for Panasonic GM1 (or wait GM5's price goes down a bit more) just because Chris has it - gotta be fun to shoot with it! lol
I'd like to see all aspects of the a7rii's autofocus system tested, i.e., the facial recognition, facial registration, and eye focus. Those could all be great assets for an event photographer and actually make the a7rii's autofocus system a better choice in those environments. Just shooting it like a Canon gives one result, but how about exploring all the Sony's capabilities? Or, are you ignoring them because Canon doesn't have them, or you aren't yet comfortable enough with the Sony to try them out?
+Rob Young Wait for part 2.
Jordan @ TCSTV
That's great Jordan. Also, it'd be nice to see a autofocus speed comparison with native glass, as well as the pdaf-enabled metabones adaptor/speedbooster for the canon lens. That way, we'll see what's really what, and also know how the nuanced features of the A7Rii work (some cars are dragsters, some are rally racers and we have to acknowledge the differences and strengths).
@TCSTVJordan @TCSTVChris Part 1 of the Sony A7R II was great. One thing no one really talks about is what's is the point having a smaller and lighter camera when you still have to strap huge heavy lenses on it. Especially a camera like this that really needs excellent glass to shine. It's less balanced and feels terrible in the hand when shooting for a full day. Until the lenses get smaller and more compact I don't see what the big deal is with mirrorless and particularly this camera.
The best review of #Sony A7RII camera in RUclips.
At 13:17 the best way to treat an "affordable" Zeiss lens.
Why would you guys even place that much time and energy on testing and talking about non-native lenses and then judge the camera based on how those lenses perform? You should be talking about how the camera performs with the best of its native lenses as the main focus, and then the non-native lenses should only be a secondary focus after the native lenses and not such a big part of the review. I think it's really unfair to judge this camera by how non-native lenses work with it. The ability to use non-native lenses is an extra-bonus/icing on the cake, and also, some of the more advanced features of the camera aren't even available with non-native lenses anyway (such as eye-AF, continuous AF during video recording).
+Rob “Lunatique” Chang what the... you go shoot a review mate.
+MrFed1994 The second AF test at 15:16 was using native glass, and the 5DSR still performed slightly better. We emphasized the adapted lenses because I heard from tons of photographers looking to grab an A7R II if the AF performance was really good with adapted lenses. I also felt there were a lack of tests of this in other video reviews. Chris and I talk more about AF performance with native glass in part 2. Stay tuned!
Jordan @ TCSTV
Good perspective on this clip - I took it as for the majority of high end camera users who probably own good collections of Nikon / Canon lenses already and are not married the Sony brand but thinking of trying it out. Their complaints are often "Sony doesn't make good lenses" - then simply reviewing this camera with "bad" Sony lenses wouldn't be something they are looking for. $3000 camera, the top of Sony brand, can't be that bad regardless of what Sony lenses are used, I would think?
+TheCameraStoreTV but only next week! :(
+Rob “Lunatique” Chang - Does it matter? This isn't Sony's sports camera - the R series is resolution based, S series is video and sensitivity based. Wait for a sports camera (a9) to come out.
Thank you for the review. Excellent as always. I wanted to note that when using the a7rII with the LA-EA3 adapter, only SSM ( and I believe SAM) lenses will auto-focus for stills. Any of the "old school" lenses that do not have the build in motor will require the LA-EA4 adapter. The same applies for auto-focus in video mode. I have not been able to to get auto-focus to work in video mode with the LA-EA3 adapter, but it works with the LA-EA4 using the same lens (significantly slower that native lenses though). Phase detection is the only focus method that works when using the LA-EA3 adpater for stills.
I also own the A mount Tamron 90mm Macro and Sigma 85mm 1.4 which are both excellent lenses and focus perfectly using both adapters. (no face detection or eye detection). The cost and image quality of these two lenses with the A7RII far outweigh the enhanced auto-focus features that are available with native lenses. I was able to purchase both in excellent condition for the less that the cost of a new FE 70-200 f/4.
Lastly, the non-oem battery grip that I purchased for the A7II fits the A7RII, but makes that camera go completely bananas.... As though I'm pushing a bunch of buttons at once. ( i know, I know... I need to stop being cheap and buy OEM)
Thanks for reading
My understanding on the high mounted ports is related to the IBIS system. That is what everyone was saying when the A7II came out.
Thank God you're back! And Aaah! The agony of waiting for the next video!
Thanks to you both for the vid, the number one most important one thing that you've missed especially for professionals is the 'usability' factor i.e. how would the camera perform in a real life day to day working situation, i.e. are the control dials spaced apart and easy to use, are the settings quick and easy to change and is it robust enough to last. Golden rule; hire a camera before you buy, it could save you a lot of money and disappointment.
The biggest drawback of the A7Rii is it's price, I'm surprised you guys didn't mention that. It's more expensive than a Nikon D810! I'm going to wait for the A7 mark 3, I don't need 42 MP but I do want 4K video and better autofocus. And please don't overprice that one too Sony!
+tvurk Sony stuff aren't overpriced TBH, if you think $3200 is too much for A7sii, you aren't the targeted audience anyway, since they aimed the A7ii series to be top of line models.
You should be thinking of GH4 or refurbished 5D Mark IIIs.
+tvurk I'm so jealous of nikons sexy traditional DSLR system with amazing sony sensors! I didn't look at a single price tag TBH :P
Daniel Spaniel
Yeah true. I don't think is overpriced though, maybe thats me,shelling out money that instant when 5D Mark II first came out.
Also, it doesn't struggles to focus, it it just inferior to 5D systems, don't exaggerate it.
+sosoishero from the videos I've seen and other reviewers seems like the auto focus is actually pretty decent. with Sony native glass of course. DP review said it was keeping up with the Canon DSLR and even at times out preforming it.
Blackmagic1o0
TBH, even with Native lens, Sony is still slower, however, it is a big improvement over their stupid AF of previous generation, even my IPhone focuses faster than that LOL.
2023 calling! It's finally in my price range! Stalking ebay for a great deal.
I have a Nikon D750 but I also want a sony a7R II. I want to have both a good DSLR camera and a good mirrorless one. I love photography and I do not want to limit myself. I love both types of cameras.
I used the Canon EOS 5DS in the studio for the first time yesterday for a product shoot and I'm finding the files have a lot more contrast over the EOS 5D Mark III. So much that the client even noticed.
Most honest conclusion for the comparison.
I have both, and I am pretty disappointed in having the 7R2 for out of studio shooting. But perhaps it will work for travel. But I luckily got it for the hi res sensor and studio work. And that saves it. Otherwise, don't let the sensor fool you into thinking its a camera first, then all the cool features of an electronic device...because it is the opposite.
About the reduced resolution raw option you guys mentioned:
Raw is the dump of data on sensor, a lower resolution raw means cropping. If there is a reduced size resolution, that means the "raw" has been calculated and processed, and that's not raw, since it has been interpreted.
See Red Dragon 6k cameras as example, notice the resolution drop on the raw, it keeps the horizontal resolution but crops the extra vertical resolution, because field of view is so much more important, to reduce the resolution, the only way is to crop away lines and pixels!
Also, Blackmagic 4.6k Camera raw, notice there is no UHD ,HD raw option? because Raw doesn't work that way!
You may say the those are all video camera! It doesn't matter, RAW files work the same, only in video cameras, they are only continuous raw frames put into a container, if you pick out one of the frames, it will still work as a individual image
I did multiple test myself, as I thought I would be going for the A7Rii, I had the original A7R. I ended up going back to Canon. It is true that it has more dynamic range, however that was never really an issue because the only time I ran into that was Landscape, in which I do HDR anyway. The ergonomics are not as fast. I'm much faster with the Canon. The Canon image looks better to me, it seems to be way different in colors, no matter what you do with the RGB curves, it seems to have more shades of the colors as well. It seems to "pop" where the A7Rii looks very bland compared to it. I like prime lenses better and used them when I had the original A7R with Zeiss. But, Canon has the 24-70 2.8L. It has to be the sharpest zoom ever made, it feels like using primes from 24-70. It's very expensive but worth it. For example, put the Canon next to the Tamron 24-70 and it's way sharper, it's hard to tell the difference in that and a prime. But put the Tamron next to the Nikon 24-70, and the Tamron ends up being sharper. So with Nikon or Sony, I would go all primes except for 16-35 wide angle. This allows me to literally do everything with the 24-70 2.8L and 135 F/2L. The 135 for most portraits. Typically I don't use 16mm for landscapes. The DSLR focusing is still better, I still like an OVF too. I use a battery grip so of course it last forever. But, for video I'd choose Sony. I have a Sony camera now to shoot 4k video with. For photography I'm still with Canon and will be for the next generation as well.
+nagol5178 That's why you shoot raw. Your issues are non-existance.
Really? Well that's surprising because all I shoot is RAW. You think I did test via the .jpeg? Non existent? Go download an A7Rii image and a 5DSR image, mess with the RGB curves all you like, you cannot get it to pop like the 5DSR. The color tonality of the cameras are way different. As well as the color rendition which creates a different natural contrast. A Raw file doesn't change that. If it did, we could just shoot with any camera that has Raw and make it look like any other camera. But we can't. In the same way shooting Raw on the Canon doesn't give it the dynamic range of the Sony, shooting raw on the Sony doesn't give it the color rendition nor tonality of the Canon. Sony is rated last in that category. Canon is rated first. Nikon is second. Nikon has Sony sensors but for whatever reason they program them differently, as the tonality is a bit better on the Nikon. The only thing the Sony has going for it in image quality is dynamic range and higher ISO performance compared to the 5DSR.
+nagol5178
You think I didn't do test on 5DSR and A7II? It is scientifically wrong to have different color in the same picture in raw. Both are bayer sensors, which consist of Red Green Blue sensors stacked into one, Given that you have the same color balance, it should have identical results, the only difference is the noise floor AND the overflow/underflow of data which create noise or clipping. Sensor sees light in linear fashion, they either see more or see less, and different threshold to overflow/underflow, but the RGB levels will stay the same. If what you said is true, 2 cameras should yield different white balance value due to "different tonality" which contradicts the statement "sensors see light in linear", because different tonality means there are difference in RGB capturing, by that means those sensor aren't accurate, which I highly doubt that was the case.
Your saying makes me wonder do you even understand raw. Raw are just pure data, how much Red Blue and Green light are being captured, they don't have color rendition, they require debayering to work. Color Rendition in RAW are determined by the software which debayers it, and not the camera itself. That's why shooting raw WILL nullify the problem. That's why hollywood choose to shoot raw, because it is that much easier to match colors, and why VFX work enjoys linear gamma, due to how light works. Also, the lenses have the most color rendition influence on digital cameras. Digital cameras are not "film", they won't have different color rendition.
Watch DigitalRevTV and see how Kai response to "Color Rendition" where other said "Sony colors are crap!", this is what he replied: "That's why we shoot raw."
+nagol5178 I have to agree, it was way more difficult to try and get nice looking colours on the sony versus any Canon I've used shooting both in RAW. It could be that the raw software needs to catch up to dealing with these new extremely high dynamic range images, and sony's particular nuances.
*****
I found out usually is the extremely huge dynamic range causes the so called color rendition problem, since in RGB world, R+G+B/3 makes out it's Luma value, when the camera has too much data to choose from, it is hard to get the color right, but that doesn't mean the color are not there. Users are not used to the high dynamic range of Sony Bodies. Kinda like how normal users cannot handle log files. You don't know how to handle log files, doesn't mean the color rendition of the camera is bad. Arri shoots log and it is flat as fuck, will you say it's image are crap because of that?
You need to relearn how to handle curves for high dynamic range scenes. The problem is Canon does everthing for you in the camera that users usually don't need to fiddle. Sony on the other hand, gives you every single option and assumes you know what to do with it: "if you don't know what to do with it, too bad then."
That is one of the reason why GH4 has no V-Log in the first place, they are afraid of users screwing up the log image, and thus "bad color rendition problem" spread across the internet.
Also,I suspect you have a amateur problem. sRGB only supports up about 9 stops of Dynamic range, where Canon gives out 10-11 but Sony gives out 14. Squeezing in 10 DR to 9 DR of sRGB looks nicer right out of the box. Try that in AdobeRGB and tell me the difference.
Learn the tools, before saying it is bad.
I also noticed that Kyle used AF S instead of AF C wide zone to give the Sony more tracking ability! Please correct me if I’m wrong.
How does it compares to Pentax K-1?
I tried the Sony for a couple of days. The tedious menu system, the size of the camera, the autofocus, even with native glass - the for me bad ergonomics and flimsy contacts - are all reasons that I will stay with my new Canon 5dsr and my old 5D3. Would I like the better dynamic range - sure - but good metering and knowing your craft will take you a long way. And Chris, bring an angle-finder with you next time you want to get down and low - its robust and much better than a tilt screen - especially in day light. As always your review was good - thanks
Best camera videos on the web - kudos to everyone involved and many thanks for the effort.
I had a feeling there was going to be a part 2. I was watching the clock on the video and was thinking there was no way he's going to squeeze in a review that quick right at the end. Great as always gentlemen. Looking forward to part 2.
I started with Nikon APS-C (D5000) i switched to Sony a6000 and for full frame i think i will go for Nikon once again.
I have the Sony A6000 with Zeiss glass and am happy with image quality and performance. Would this camera be a significant upgrade?
Thanks guys for a great review! Really looking forward for your 2nd part :) And yes, it's nice to have you back haha
Have you experience the overheating while shooting your videos in 4K?
Chris Niccolls is one handsome man, and I say that as a straight male. I hate my double chin when we shoot our videos and I don't see that at all on Chris' chiseled face.
there's a lot of professional photographers already shooting with the a7r ii it really depends on what time of jobs you do, if you shoot sports go canon/nikon everything else don't think twice
Here in LA many professionals choose Sony A7 cams, Samsung NX1 for photo and video, many use GH4 for video too
I'M INTERESTED IN THIS CAMERA BUT I WANT 42MP AND 4K BUT WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE MARK AND ALPHA?
It's by far the best camera I've ever owned. It does amazingly well for studio and lifestyle style shoots. I use a battery grip when working. I have nothing negative to say...
I do landscape, street and portrait shooting. I still use my A7R II with my old Canon EF glass, and I see no downsides.
Sold my Canon C100 and Sony A7S for a A7RII plus sold all my Canon glass - am now 100% Sony and loving it. Some expensive glass, but it doesn't disappoint!
I think the battery power is the killer for pros. But, you never mentioned overheating.Maybe in your video segment.Also, I don't remember you mentioning the highest, -useable- ISO.
Would a tilting evf help? 11:34
I was thinking about making a switch from Canon to Sony but keeping all my glass so I can always come back to it if need be and I will not loose a load of money when selling them on... but what I did like is the end part where you go over the types of people who need something reliable at least I know with my Canon setup I know that I'll be able to get the shot and if something went wrong then I know how to work out another way of doing it, I need to know that a camera will be able to work to my high standards... So looks like I'll be buying the soon to be released Canon 5D Mark IV as Sony just isn't there yet... I did like the dynamic range of the camera but hey its nice but not a real need.
As a Nikon D810 and 16-35mm owner, shooting primarily landscape and now a lot of real estate, I'm really interested on what to do. The cost of the lens and filter system for a 14-24 is substantial. Moreover, I feel the Canon 17mm is better for architecture than both the 16-35 or 14-24, however losing 1 or 3mm on the wide end.
Since most of my work is manual focus, the auto focus isn't a huge concern. Additionally I have MF Zeiss lenses that require live view for critical focusing on the D810 because the VF I don't personally find reliable enough.
TCS, do you guys have any comments or suggestions for this situation?
Welcome back! Great review. I hope You'll bring in Kyle in future videos as well. I feel like I get to know the gear much better when you have these discussions.
Also, at 10:30 the colors look like they have a slight green tint. It might just be my screen, but to me the colors looked more natural in the first part of the video.
If you would compare NX1 and A7RII continuous autofocus, which one is better?
at 14 min, youre shooting someone running at 1/100th? I wonder, could it be motion blur and not autofocus issue? Maybe the writing was missing a 0 and it should be 1/1000? Im just a little confused, thought you wanted minimum 1/500 for action photography?
im going to college for photojournalism i like shooting landscapes wildlife and street photography would you suggest the a7rII, 5dsr, 5d mark iv, or the d810
you don't need a7rii for college dude. this camera is mostly for professionals. I would just get the original a7.
I agree with the others who have commented. Can you show the Sony with Sony glass ie 70-200 f4. You did use some glass and the focus was fine. Be good to see if the Sony has any issues with Sony glass. Mark
What happened at 13:18?
7:55 Why would you need a second card slot with two 64GB memory card, just go with the 128GB card which cost around $40+ but I agree with the small micro HDMI port, totally useless and may damage quick
+Max I hate using really large cards in case of a corruption. If I use 64GB and larger cards, I like to have a second slot recording a backup of all the files just in case. Personal preference, but having a 128GB card with a client's file on it scares the dickens out of me.
Jordan @ TCSTV
TheCameraStoreTV Personal preference as you said, I got my 6D and I use 64GB card, and always carry a second 64GB card just in case, even though I will not full that card, but I like to have more space in case of shooting jpeg+raw and video...
Because a single card can fuck you up anytime. Having a backup is always a good idea. Why do you need several HDDs when you can buy 8 TB or higher? Same logic sir.
Please make a part 3 with native Sony lenses, and I mean no Batis or other Zeiss glas. (Cuz ye their AF tech sux)
+Gregor Mima Batis is native glass for Sony, in fact the only system Batis is available on is Sony E mount.
+Valère He means straight up Canon vs Sony lenses, no Zeiss lenses. Zeiss makes glass for Canon and Nikon too. It wouldn't even be a comparison but thats why Canon is a camera/image company and Sony is an electronics company.
+Michael Bell You can't get the Zeiss Batis on the Canon though, they're only available for the Sony, and the Zeiss glass available for Canon/Nikon is fully Manual, Batis are THE ONLY Full frame autofocus lenses by Zeiss and you can only get them on the Sony so that makes them native autofocus lenses for the a7rii ;)
+Valère Thats fine. Zeiss did just come out with the new Milvus line for Canon and Nikon if you like to manual focus. Ive shot L glass that easily rivals or outclasses any Zeiss lens. Cannon shooters don't NEED Zeiss glass.
+Michael Bell I'm sure they don't.
Chris do we have any progress with EVF in A7RII?
I'm still not thinking of buying mirrorless camera like this as a primary camera mostly because of EVF.
I would like to know is EVF any better than previous models from Sony/Olympus/Panasonic/Fujifilm:
1. Lag - is it better with lag or not? Can you pass underground garage test of running between cars and columns and try not to hit anything while looking just through EVF :-) ?
2. Noise in very low light situation for manual focus with focus peaking is unacceptable on previous models. Is it better or not?
3. Colors are off even in a good light conditions, in low light EVF has a lot of color noise and should be turned to BW mode to help focus peaking. Are colors/color noise correction with EVF better or not?
Thanks guys! That Super35 crop mode looked insanely good. I can't wait for the video-centric part of the review, and I hope maybe some mention is given to where the pros and cons are comparing the a7Rii to the FS7 for low-end professional video production, even though they are apples and oranges.
On that note Jordan, if you're ready to comment on this topic, do you think you'll be grabbing the a7Rii when you run out to film a project, or will it pretty much be the FS7 (or something else)? I put the most stock in looking at what piece of equipment a person actually grabs when he's going out to do a project as an indicator of what is truly good stuff.
"insanly good"? I don't feel it :)
If you just do video than the FS7 is the much better but also more expensive choice (not really if you add an external recorder, a rig and ND filters to the A7rii).
The FS7 has much better internal rec. (10bit 422 XAVC Intra 600Mb/s). It's even better than what the A7rii can output. FS7 has less rolling shutter. Slog.3 and Sgamut3.cine (better color). 4K DCI instead of UHD. Higher frame rates. The ability to record up to 12bit RAW via additional modules. Much more codecs available. Simultaneous recording. More professional connections such as XLR for audio. Better ergonomics. internal NDs. handy features such as internal LUT screening (much easier to shoot with Log)
If you want a proper video camera with those features but are happy with the IQ you see in this video than the FS5 could be interesting to you.
If you want FF or extreme low-light performance than the a7sii (or A7S with recorder) is the thing.
17:37 : is there any issue with dust on the Sony ?
First off i agree with what many have said about testing with native glass. I understand the need to also compare cannon glass w/ an adapter but i think you should have also used a few more native lenses to get a better feel for the camera.
The 24-70 f4 zeiss FE is widely considered to be disappointment since it's release. Try instead the 55, 28 or 16-35, all three are considered great lenses.
For the native lens autofocus test, did you use or try any of the tracking modes (selectable object, or face recognition?) Was the camera on continuous auto focus?
Finally I think everyone keeps making too much of a big deal over the battery. Yes they are small in power but they are also small in size and weight. Most people will only need 1 maybe 2 for a day. They take a few seconds to change out and are very easy to carry in a pocket. 200 shots is the lowest i've heard anyone people getting shots on these. I have found it's performance is much better and thats before shutting off features like wifi. I personally like the battery, id rather not have more weight in the camera body. For timelapses or long video i either plug in power to the USB or i use a dummy battery attached to an external battery or the sony AC adapter.
In the mark 3 i also would very much like to see the aperture and speed dials go back to the beefier first gen. I also never had/heard people complaining about the mode dial switching and thus needing a lock, i find it annoying and want it to go away. A couple more custom buttons would be nice, maybe on the top left. 2nd SD card should happen but more important i think is getting UHS-2 cards possibly with updated processors to take advantage of the increased speed should be on the top of the list. That extra speed should help as the buffer takes awhile to upload & clear.
Overall i love this camera and feel it's about 95% where i want it. I think once sony announces their next batch of lenses before the end of the year, several of the big gaps will get filled and for many the move over/jump in will be alot easier. One thing you got to give sony credit for, their recent lens releases have all been really high quality.
I love the long reviews of cameras📷. Well done Chris 👏.
Best a7r II video review yet!
Is this going to be released in 4k?
nice video, but why, when comparing cameras do you choose the cannon?, why not keep with mirror-less systems and compare it to the more comparable Fuji x t_1 or x t_10 which if you are looking at the Sony offering is the most logical choice as these are a cheaper alternative, albeit A.P.S.-C censored cameras but are just as feature packed , I think anyway. Wish you could do a video comparing these two cameras, their lenses/ accessories.
where was the shooting location? so beautiful out there.
Comparison pictures to show the detail and specially the highlights compared to each other would have been helpful to see how much better you say it is.
Excellent review and I totally understand why you used Canon lenses for comparison's sake. However maybe later it would be nice to see this camera reviewed with some of the excellent Sony/Zeiss glass available to see how the camera truly performs and what you make of it.
Chris did you guys take your time trying different settings when shooting the runner with Canon 70-200 lens??? Because when I started with A7RII, I had gotten similar results, when I had my child run toward me. However, after practicing for couple days, I found that with right settings, which in my case were: Preview - Off, CAF, medium size small square, I was able to nail every shot in focus with 17-40L at F4 in a series. I think turning off preview was the key in my case. Just asking if you tried different settings.
How's the focus speed and reliability compared to sony's own a99?!
AH!!!!! I'm in the market for a new camera. I'm currently a Canon shooter but you guys are making me question if getting another Canon is the right decision. That dynamic range....
How this camera handle cold weather? (Battery life in cold environment )
talking about video capabilities, i've seen a lot of you'r stuff and overall quality of this one is on top.
Always laughable when people complain about a menu on a camera they just tried. Well yeah I tried a 70d the other day and the menu sucked. Is it really that bad... Unlikely, it's just a matter of getting used to things.
Yes. "I'm a XXX shooter and I can't find anything on these stupid YYY menues."
Sorry but I have the Sony and have just made the move from Canon but the AF on the Metabones is just too slow for continuous focus which is the reason I made the move. Now it means i have to buy native glass for the Sony. There is no choice. I really want the continuous AF for use on my Ronin M. I would go for the Canon 1DX2 but it has a crop factor of 1.4 and I need wide angle. If I buy a 11 to 22 for the Canon, I will have 15mm but it will be too heavy for the Ronin M I have been told.
i liked your review overall but I would have loved to see some side by side shots comparison of the two cameras.
I was a bit annoyed that you didn't compare the "action" portion with the Sony FE 70-200mm F4 that lens have great af in my testing with the A7II you talked alot about how not good the af was with the metabones adapter. Well I think that is to be expected since its not a native solution.
thanks.
Welcome back !
+eur0thug Good to be back!
Jordan @ TCSTV
+TheCameraStoreTV is the focus of the a7R ii better/faster than a7ii?
+mcmc Yes.
If your getting into professional photography and you don't have any lenses, should you go with Nikon or the Sony A7R 11?
Nikon lenses will be cheaper. I made the switch from nikon to sony a7rii. But id probably go back to nikon based on lenses if that's what is making up your mind.
Are you going to do a EM-10 Mark II review?
Great vid!! But I got questions :)
If the 50 mpx canon wasn't around, what would you have compared the Sony why and what do you believe the results would have been?
To date, beyond that or cost, the main complaints have been power, lack of touch screen, 4K heat dissipation , 29 min video time out and the HDMI port... My personal issue lays with lens choice and selection. What would be the best bang for buck all round 2 or 3 lenses to think about for the Sony?
PS when do you think Sony will lower their prices?
You two are the best reviewers on line. Keep up the good---and, most importantly, credible---work.
What were you looking or editing your pictures with?
TCSTV is one of the best channels for camera reviews, however this was quite an underwhelming review, I was expecting to see this review done with the exciting new glass by Sony and Zeiss like the 35mmf1.4 Distagon, the 90mm Macro or the Zeiss Batis, I wanted to see the eye detection autofocus and the face detection autofocus, i wanted to see the slient shutter in action, but all I saw was the boring 24-70mmf4 and a canon lens that litterally crippled every amazing autofocus feature of this camera :((
+Valère Exactly my thoughts. Thank you !
so filming in super 35 mode reduces audio volume by 80% ? or do you not know how to adjust volume levels in post ?
I like the content, but your videos have a really weird color cast. Yellow to yellow-green.
Also, did you guys use the new Metabones firmware? I hear that makes a big difference in the focusing for most lenses.
It would be interesting to see your comments added on reviews/test etc about the color rendering of each camera-camera maker and if there is a advantage to one versus the other especially when doing comparisons despite the availability and usage of RAW on still images and cameras of this level plus the usual comment saying that you can make them look the same - which in my opinion/experience is not entirely true and even if it where there are time savings choosing one over the other if it gives the base look one prefers out of the box.
Each camera maker has it's specific color science and usually for portraits/skin tones Canon is the preferred one by apparently many - so i'd like to see what do you think about it having tested side by side two of the newest top cameras.
On the video side I see color science for each camera a even more determining aspect to consider/compare and it would be interesting to know if one camera/maker is better suited for a specific type of production and/or which is more practical to grade because of less latitude for post having no internal raw recording on this type of cameras (to my knowledge) and even if it had the underlying storage requirements are not always a option for all uses and slog and the likes of flat/extended dinamic range camera profiles seem to be a useful option for storage constrained productions-usage.
I don't love the video's color grade in the outdoor shots - I feel like it's still just too flat of an image. I want deeper blacks, highlights a little punchier...just a little less DR all around in the final output image. I feel like the Sony captures so much that it's tempting to leave it all in there, but I'm watching and it just doesn't feel quite right.
I AM very curious to hear more about the workflow though, as I have the RII but haven't made the jump to S-Log yet. Actually I've been using PP5, which is cine gamma but not S-Log, I believe? Great, soft image that doesn't need much of a grade. I still need to learn to use log.
Thanks for the video. Is this camera weather/water resistant?
Did the Otus lens survive?
One of the great presentation teams out there - well done guys.
That river is beautyful.
At 20:30 The A7RII seems to have some terrible moire on his shirt.
How's your lens? Nice work with the tree stump tripod.
guys good review as always....why its 360p...
This camera aged so well
Do you still use it? If so how is it for sports and general subjects in motion?
what's the location of the outdoor shots???
Audio in the second half isn't as loud as the first half.
really great video...now i'm going off track but can anyone help me how to make 50p video a slomo one ??