Edit: I should have clarified in the video, I know these body designs are so you can look through the viewfinder with your right eye while ''surveying the scene'' - I am left eye dominant, therefore regardless of any camera design, I would always use my left eye to look through the viewfinder. My stronger eye is way more important than surveying the scene, and I have never shot in a way or style which has required me to keep one eye open anyway (but that's awesome if that works for you) - These points are just my personal real world experience, and that will not always align with how other people use / interact with cameras. But as I said originally below, my experience with the camera is genuine and I am not reading a spec sheet from my office, that is how I intend to make videos about stuff, rather than talking about anything anybody can read on a brands website. Plus as showcased in the video you can still ''survey the scene'' with your right eye if you wanted to because the camera is so small and for me personally, I still don't require that when it comes to taking photos. I would just simply prefer a central viewfinder, on any camera. But that's me lol. - Thanks for watching: (PS It's not a range finder, its an EVF simply positioned on the left hand side. Ok I'm done🤣.) End of edit. Genuine real world, possibly slightly weird (😂) pros and cons from somebody who has actually spent the last year using this camera (rather than somebody reading a spec sheet behind a desk)
First of all, I love this camera. My main camera is the A7RV, but the A7Cii makes me happy. I have a difference of opinion with you in many of your "gripes". The AF (program it to BBF and use tracking) is so good that you don't need the joystick to focus and re/compose (hell I don't even use it on my A7RV). About the EVF placement, it's a rangefinder and if you open your left eye at the same time, you can see subjects coming into your frame. I might also add that your nose clears it too LOL. Sony did a remarkable job with a compact FF camera. BTW, it has improved AF and colors to the A7IV, but if you (obviously) need dual card slots, center EVF and bigger grip than the A7IV is to way to go.
@@stkuj hey mate, thanks for watching! I absolutely love this camera to bits, my gripes are just stuff that don’t align with my way of shooting that’s all. And the A7IV solves those, but then the A7IV has cons the A7CII doesn’t lol. So it’s a give and take situation, everybody is different with what they do and don’t like about cameras. To clarify though, it is not a rangefinder. It just simply has a body designed like one. It’s an EVF on the left, which is not what makes a camera a range finder, and I keep seeing this misconception about the C line hahah. As I said in another reply, I’m left eye dominant, I use my left eye and can still see over the top of the camera with my right eye. Doesn’t matter how you hold or use this thing! 😂
Cool venue, concise, ergonomics heavy experience post, Greg. I passed up this model for an A74, mainly for scarce custom buttons and no joystick. Use a6700 for lightweight trips. Different strokes for different folks, feature/value assessments. How is low light performance? What’s your shutter count comparison between A74 and A7CII - like camera odometer? BTW, I would not have thought that thing was a hot tub - fish container, perhaps, but not hot tub😊. Cheers!
@@paulm8157 agree with you the lack of custom buttons it’s pretty annoying, but I see why they do it from a business stand point. Low lights the same as the A74 as it’s pretty much exactly the same camera under the hood. I’ve had the A74 a year longer so it has a higher shutter count (for now😂) - if I was to repair the mic input the A74 would stay ahead I think! Cheers for watching fella, no fish in that tub 🤣🤣
I have been shooting with my A7Cii for about 7 months now. Its been nothing but great for me. I do automotive photography and it performs really well. ngl though with all this talk about the A7V coming out I do want that now but I will keep shooting with my A7Cii till at least 2026 before I get the Sony A7V. Really good video brother. Cheers.
@@TBills3000 hahaha I know how you feel as soon as I saw the rumours for that I was like here we go again 😂 the thing is most of the time they’re not worth upgrading to straight away and then by the time you have ran your current camera into the ground, there will be probably 2 more models to choose between, so it’s best to wait anyway! Appreciate it man thanks for watching!
Really great video mate! Hope you had a great trip! Looks like you got to some really cool spots! This was a camera I looked at before making the switch recently, it seems like such a great piece of kit! I think it compliments your setup and shooting style perfectly, especially paired with the A7iv 👌🏻📸
@@chrisharveyphotography thanks so much matey! It was a great little escape! You’re right it does indeed, shame about the mic situation but I wonder if I’d even have bothered using it for photo if it wasn’t for that 😂so possibly a happy accident hahaha!
I relate to that they’re not the most inspiring or fun cameras shall we say, but the problem is they’re so damn good at doing what you need to them to do the lack of friction makes them like a blacksmiths hammer! 😂 lovely area of Scotland up there!
A short question and I Feel you might be the best person to ask since you have used both. Have you used this as a dual camera setup with your A7IV and how did it fare? I am deciding between getting a second A7IV or this A7CII. I have been using the A7RIII/A9/A7IV for my personal and professional work, sometimes with a dual camera setup. For my personal street work and travel, I feel the smaller form factor is a huge plus especially with my 24/40mm 2.5G lenses. Thing is I remember using the A7IV + A6400 combo for a wedding once and it was a minor headache switching between form factors since the muscle memory is a little out of place. Not too sure if I would get the same headaches with the A7CII.
@@yumeyama4783 hi mate, yes I use them in conjunction with each other, the only differences between how the two cameras function is less custom buttons on the A7Cii, I have them set up exactly the same but my A74 has a couple of custom buttons i have to put into the FN menu on the A7Cii, which to be honest is no problem, it was annoying at first but now I just instantly know when I’m holding the A7Cii a couple of things are in the FN menu instead, pretty seamless duo other than that! Colours match flawlessly across photo and video
How come u didn't get the bottom plate from smallrig, better handling with it, and also why you look through the viewfinder with the left eye???? i saw a video about it people are doing unwillingly wrong how they look through the range finder style cameras
Debated it but it makes the grip taller not wider, I don’t have a problem with the size of the camera all in all, and the whole point of them it that they’re smaller haha! I look through it with my left eye because I’m left eye dominant (aka much better vision in my left eye) - but regardless if you look through it with your right eye you’re still out of line with your lens and sensor, it’s not a range finder camera otherwise I might attempt to use my weaker eye! Hope that made sense haha
@@DISTANTMEDIA yeah but you can se eif something is going to come into the frame if you use right eye, helps more for street photography when you wait for someone to come into the frame
@@strippedlist yeah yeah I know that, just not needed for me 😁 - if you own this camera look through it with your left eye, you can literally do the exact same thing with your right eye cause the body is so small (as shown in the video) Theres absolutely no wrong way to hold a camera haha, all personal preference and what feels best for you at the end of the day! Would take a central viewfinder any day of the week 😂
I just wished it was even smaller and lighter, like my nex7 which has been my travel camera since 2012, and it's way more compact than the newer models. I've been thinking to upgrade to the a7cii as I already got some full frame lenses I would finally also would want to use to their fullest. Also on my old nex 7 the eye sensor seems to be dying as sometimes I only get image on the viewfinder. But I always love to shoot from the hip and look down on the screen like with a middle format, but with the new flip out camcorder screen it is always on the side with the a7cii and I fear that it will be bothering me a lot. Any advice?
Yeah unfortunately you will have to sacrifice having a bit of a bigger camera if you're upgrading to a full frame Sony model, but of course you are gaining unmatched specs. its still small when paired with a small lens tbh, id argue it feels way nicer in your hand as well. Wouldn't worry about the fully articulating screen, they work miles better than the tilt open ones! 😁
Owned both and like both. But for paid work it's the a7IV due to dual card slots and larger body for better ergonomic control. Recently sold the a7IV expecting the a7V will be released in the next few months. The a7cII is a great choice with cool retro look and subtly improved tracking but lacks the 1/8000 shutter and has lower high speed synch.
Got it. Finally got the A7IV, I am a left eye shooter and using A7CII's viewfinder feels difficult especially when using glacier glasses for my high altitude projects. Feels completely different after 12 years with Canon DSLR
It's actually called a joystick, mate... 😂 I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed using my A6000 back in the day so I can only imagine how good these are, especially given all the advancements over the years. Nicely done, mate. Some cracking images throughout as usual. The whole hot tub situation made me consider the idea of you filming your conclusion to this video in a random garden, I can't lie. 😂
@@matthewpatterson9184 you know if I didn’t clarify that they’d be comments kicking off about it 😂😂😂 - yeah it’s kind of mind boggling they’re managing to get this much into a small body now days, the new era of cameras again I guess! Hahaha just popped in to film the outro don’t mind me😂 nah it was just the cabin we had for a week!
@@ClassyLB it’s not an issue if you actually like operating a camera with the touch screen - I don’t though, I have all touch settings turned off, and when I’m looking through the viewfinder and changing my focus point in real time, not taking my eye away to look at the LCD, taking multiple shots at different points, then the thumb pad on the A7IV is the most ergonomic and responsive way of doing it on any camera I’ve used so far
Love this camera, does everything I need it to do so far. There’s a way to program it so that the joystick seems useless. My only gripe is the maximum shutter speed. No complaints otherwise. Nice pics by the way.
You must be left eye dominant which is why the viewfinder is uncomfortable for you. I think most people are right eye dominant so they use the left eye to see rest of the scene.
Your criticism of the viewfinder is laughable. No wonder it’s awkward for you. I have this camera and you’re supposed to look into the eyepiece with THE OTHER EYE LOL! Your right eye - then your nose and face are not scrunched into the camera. And yes you use your left eye to scope the scene. You lost points there my friend ….
@@grateful786 don’t HAVE to but it’s certainly more beneficial than ‘viewing the scene’ - which you can do with any eye on any mirrorless camera, or via the LCD 😂
Edit: I should have clarified in the video, I know these body designs are so you can look through the viewfinder with your right eye while ''surveying the scene'' - I am left eye dominant, therefore regardless of any camera design, I would always use my left eye to look through the viewfinder. My stronger eye is way more important than surveying the scene, and I have never shot in a way or style which has required me to keep one eye open anyway (but that's awesome if that works for you) - These points are just my personal real world experience, and that will not always align with how other people use / interact with cameras. But as I said originally below, my experience with the camera is genuine and I am not reading a spec sheet from my office, that is how I intend to make videos about stuff, rather than talking about anything anybody can read on a brands website. Plus as showcased in the video you can still ''survey the scene'' with your right eye if you wanted to because the camera is so small and for me personally, I still don't require that when it comes to taking photos. I would just simply prefer a central viewfinder, on any camera. But that's me lol. - Thanks for watching: (PS It's not a range finder, its an EVF simply positioned on the left hand side. Ok I'm done🤣.) End of edit.
Genuine real world, possibly slightly weird (😂) pros and cons from somebody who has actually spent the last year using this camera (rather than somebody reading a spec sheet behind a desk)
First of all, I love this camera. My main camera is the A7RV, but the A7Cii makes me happy. I have a difference of opinion with you in many of your "gripes". The AF (program it to BBF and use tracking) is so good that you don't need the joystick to focus and re/compose (hell I don't even use it on my A7RV). About the EVF placement, it's a rangefinder and if you open your left eye at the same time, you can see subjects coming into your frame. I might also add that your nose clears it too LOL. Sony did a remarkable job with a compact FF camera. BTW, it has improved AF and colors to the A7IV, but if you (obviously) need dual card slots, center EVF and bigger grip than the A7IV is to way to go.
@@stkuj hey mate, thanks for watching! I absolutely love this camera to bits, my gripes are just stuff that don’t align with my way of shooting that’s all. And the A7IV solves those, but then the A7IV has cons the A7CII doesn’t lol. So it’s a give and take situation, everybody is different with what they do and don’t like about cameras.
To clarify though, it is not a rangefinder.
It just simply has a body designed like one. It’s an EVF on the left, which is not what makes a camera a range finder, and I keep seeing this misconception about the C line hahah. As I said in another reply, I’m left eye dominant, I use my left eye and can still see over the top of the camera with my right eye. Doesn’t matter how you hold or use this thing! 😂
@@DISTANTMEDIApeople calling the X100 a rangefinder *all the time* makes it pretty clear nobody actually knows what a rangefinder is anymore.
@@nickthaskater FINALLY somebody who knows 😂 the A7C doesn’t even have the fake viewfinder overlay and they’re still calling it a range finder.
last year oct i bought my first camera , A7C and man it has been the best choice i have made in my life. I LOVE LOVE LOVE that camera
@@TECH3_ awesome to hear bro! I wish I got the first C camera from Sony when it originally came out!
been tossing up between this and the fuji xt-5 - thanks for the helpful video brother!
@@j0hnnyl3gend most welcome man, thanks for watching!!
which one are you getting?
This camera is excellent for traveling, hiking or anything where you don’t want to carry too heavy. Performance is absolutely amazing.
@@movakalin5333 100%! It’s the minimal/light carry photographers dream!
Cool venue, concise, ergonomics heavy experience post, Greg. I passed up this model for an A74, mainly for scarce custom buttons and no joystick. Use a6700 for lightweight trips. Different strokes for different folks, feature/value assessments. How is low light performance?
What’s your shutter count comparison between A74 and A7CII - like camera odometer?
BTW, I would not have thought that thing was a hot tub - fish container, perhaps, but not hot tub😊. Cheers!
@@paulm8157 agree with you the lack of custom buttons it’s pretty annoying, but I see why they do it from a business stand point. Low lights the same as the A74 as it’s pretty much exactly the same camera under the hood.
I’ve had the A74 a year longer so it has a higher shutter count (for now😂) - if I was to repair the mic input the A74 would stay ahead I think!
Cheers for watching fella, no fish in that tub 🤣🤣
I have been shooting with my A7Cii for about 7 months now. Its been nothing but great for me. I do automotive photography and it performs really well. ngl though with all this talk about the A7V coming out I do want that now but I will keep shooting with my A7Cii till at least 2026 before I get the Sony A7V. Really good video brother. Cheers.
@@TBills3000 hahaha I know how you feel as soon as I saw the rumours for that I was like here we go again 😂 the thing is most of the time they’re not worth upgrading to straight away and then by the time you have ran your current camera into the ground, there will be probably 2 more models to choose between, so it’s best to wait anyway! Appreciate it man thanks for watching!
Really great video mate! Hope you had a great trip! Looks like you got to some really cool spots! This was a camera I looked at before making the switch recently, it seems like such a great piece of kit! I think it compliments your setup and shooting style perfectly, especially paired with the A7iv 👌🏻📸
@@chrisharveyphotography thanks so much matey! It was a great little escape! You’re right it does indeed, shame about the mic situation but I wonder if I’d even have bothered using it for photo if it wasn’t for that 😂so possibly a happy accident hahaha!
I had a Sony a few years ago, loved the results but for whatever reason, didn't particularly enjoy using it. Loved the shots around Craig Harbour.
I relate to that they’re not the most inspiring or fun cameras shall we say, but the problem is they’re so damn good at doing what you need to them to do the lack of friction makes them like a blacksmiths hammer! 😂 lovely area of Scotland up there!
A short question and I Feel you might be the best person to ask since you have used both. Have you used this as a dual camera setup with your A7IV and how did it fare? I am deciding between getting a second A7IV or this A7CII. I have been using the A7RIII/A9/A7IV for my personal and professional work, sometimes with a dual camera setup. For my personal street work and travel, I feel the smaller form factor is a huge plus especially with my 24/40mm 2.5G lenses. Thing is I remember using the A7IV + A6400 combo for a wedding once and it was a minor headache switching between form factors since the muscle memory is a little out of place. Not too sure if I would get the same headaches with the A7CII.
@@yumeyama4783 hi mate, yes I use them in conjunction with each other, the only differences between how the two cameras function is less custom buttons on the A7Cii, I have them set up exactly the same but my A74 has a couple of custom buttons i have to put into the FN menu on the A7Cii, which to be honest is no problem, it was annoying at first but now I just instantly know when I’m holding the A7Cii a couple of things are in the FN menu instead, pretty seamless duo other than that! Colours match flawlessly across photo and video
How come u didn't get the bottom plate from smallrig, better handling with it, and also why you look through the viewfinder with the left eye???? i saw a video about it people are doing unwillingly wrong how they look through the range finder style cameras
Debated it but it makes the grip taller not wider, I don’t have a problem with the size of the camera all in all, and the whole point of them it that they’re smaller haha!
I look through it with my left eye because I’m left eye dominant (aka much better vision in my left eye) - but regardless if you look through it with your right eye you’re still out of line with your lens and sensor, it’s not a range finder camera otherwise I might attempt to use my weaker eye! Hope that made sense haha
@@DISTANTMEDIA yeah but you can se eif something is going to come into the frame if you use right eye, helps more for street photography when you wait for someone to come into the frame
@@strippedlist yeah yeah I know that, just not needed for me 😁 - if you own this camera look through it with your left eye, you can literally do the exact same thing with your right eye cause the body is so small (as shown in the video) Theres absolutely no wrong way to hold a camera haha, all personal preference and what feels best for you at the end of the day! Would take a central viewfinder any day of the week 😂
DJI Mic 2 Adapter, no mic input needed 🙌🏽 just make sure you have the DJi mic 2, then add the adapter to pair together.
@@ScottieWoods how’s it write audio to video files without a mic input? 😳
@@DISTANTMEDIA you plug the adapter into the hot shoe, then your mic works seamlessly with writing audio to video, all in camera 👍🏽
@@ScottieWoods damn! Thanks man, looks like an upgrades due then! 😂
What’s the highest shutter speed? Will f1.4 lenses be a problem when shooting daylight?
@@alphaandomega2709 I highly doubt it, think it’s about 1/4000 - and failing that you can just use an ND filter 🙌
I just wished it was even smaller and lighter, like my nex7 which has been my travel camera since 2012, and it's way more compact than the newer models. I've been thinking to upgrade to the a7cii as I already got some full frame lenses I would finally also would want to use to their fullest. Also on my old nex 7 the eye sensor seems to be dying as sometimes I only get image on the viewfinder. But I always love to shoot from the hip and look down on the screen like with a middle format, but with the new flip out camcorder screen it is always on the side with the a7cii and I fear that it will be bothering me a lot. Any advice?
Yeah unfortunately you will have to sacrifice having a bit of a bigger camera if you're upgrading to a full frame Sony model, but of course you are gaining unmatched specs. its still small when paired with a small lens tbh, id argue it feels way nicer in your hand as well. Wouldn't worry about the fully articulating screen, they work miles better than the tilt open ones! 😁
whats the lens you’re using in the video?
@@m0kiro Zeiss 16-35mm, link in bio if you need it
If you get A7CII and A74IV almost at a same price, which would you choose?
@@boseabhi2 A7IV, unless I had a very specific reason to need a smaller camera
Owned both and like both. But for paid work it's the a7IV due to dual card slots and larger body for better ergonomic control. Recently sold the a7IV expecting the a7V will be released in the next few months. The a7cII is a great choice with cool retro look and subtly improved tracking but lacks the 1/8000 shutter and has lower high speed synch.
Got it. Finally got the A7IV, I am a left eye shooter and using A7CII's viewfinder feels difficult especially when using glacier glasses for my high altitude projects. Feels completely different after 12 years with Canon DSLR
@@boseabhi2 hope you enjoy it man! Left eye shooters unite 😂
@@DISTANTMEDIA absolutely 😆, I thought of staying in canon platform but sky high price of L series RF glasses was a bummer
It's actually called a joystick, mate... 😂 I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed using my A6000 back in the day so I can only imagine how good these are, especially given all the advancements over the years. Nicely done, mate. Some cracking images throughout as usual.
The whole hot tub situation made me consider the idea of you filming your conclusion to this video in a random garden, I can't lie. 😂
@@matthewpatterson9184 you know if I didn’t clarify that they’d be comments kicking off about it 😂😂😂 - yeah it’s kind of mind boggling they’re managing to get this much into a small body now days, the new era of cameras again I guess!
Hahaha just popped in to film the outro don’t mind me😂 nah it was just the cabin we had for a week!
Why is the thumb pad an issue if you can use the touch screen to choose your focus point?
@@ClassyLB it’s not an issue if you actually like operating a camera with the touch screen - I don’t though, I have all touch settings turned off, and when I’m looking through the viewfinder and changing my focus point in real time, not taking my eye away to look at the LCD, taking multiple shots at different points, then the thumb pad on the A7IV is the most ergonomic and responsive way of doing it on any camera I’ve used so far
Which lenses are you using on it for photography?
At the moment I just use a 50mm and a 16-35mm - Nothing fancy but it's all I need right now for most of my photography :)
Love this camera, does everything I need it to do so far. There’s a way to program it so that the joystick seems useless. My only gripe is the maximum shutter speed. No complaints otherwise. Nice pics by the way.
@@patricksprojects thanks mate appreciate it! Definitely looking forward to seeing where the C line goes in the future that’s for sure!
Lens name please ❤
@@ArjunSingh-qt5jn zeiss 16-35mm f4 - Theres a link for it in my description also 🙌
You must be left eye dominant which is why the viewfinder is uncomfortable for you. I think most people are right eye dominant so they use the left eye to see rest of the scene.
@@alphakay I am yeah, and I know haha. Thanks so much for watching!
"Not a touch screen guy".... do you own a smartphone?
@@RB-vf9xn nah don’t own a phone, only use fax machines
Your criticism of the viewfinder is laughable. No wonder it’s awkward for you. I have this camera and you’re supposed to look into the eyepiece with THE
OTHER EYE LOL! Your right eye
- then your nose and face are not scrunched into the camera. And yes you use your left eye to scope the scene. You lost points there my friend ….
@@Pfagnan read the other comments :)
People who are left eye dominant have to use their left eye look through the viewfinder!🙄
@@grateful786 don’t HAVE to but it’s certainly more beneficial than ‘viewing the scene’ - which you can do with any eye on any mirrorless camera, or via the LCD 😂