First Look At The New Sony A7R Mark II

Yesterday Sony came out with a new line of cameras including a new A7 flagship – the A7R Mark II which includes a staggering new 42MP sensor, in-body image stabilization, a completely new AF system and a whole host of new features including in camera 4K video recording capabilities – we bring you an extended first look from a variety of sources.

The A7R was a groundbraking camera for Sony with its 36MP sensor in such a small body. However the camera did have quite a few shortcomings including slow AF, slow processing and no stabilization. The new A7R II was designed to solve all these problems and add new features like 4K in-body recording (a first for Sony and a first FF of this type to have such a capability) as well as S-Log2 for better dynamic range in video and 5-Axis SteadyShot which should improve both stills and video shooting.

The new A7R MKII

Quick Look at the new Sony A7R Mark II from Lori Grunin from CENT

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sg_vwBmFkLs[/youtube]

Tony Northrup has a much more extensive look at the camera (although it is based on Sony’s announcement and not on a physical preview with the camera (which will only be available in about 2 months or so).

Tony Northrup technology review of the new A7R II

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7-RRqUsDMQ[/youtube]

Sony A7R Mark II specifications:

42MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS Sensor (the first ever FF back side illuminated sensor).
BIONZ X Image Processor (improved/updated and 3.5x faster than the one on the A7R).
Internal 4K XAVC S Video & S-Log2 Gamma, 100MBit in 4K and 50MBit in 1080p (a first for Sony).
5-Axis SteadyShot in-body stabilization (similar to the one on the A7 II).
399 Phase-Detect AF Points & 5 fps Burst (on paper the most advanced AF system ever created).
Shooting speed – 5 fps (with AF).
0.5″ 2.36M-Dot XGA OLED Tru-Finder EVF (improved EVF).
3.0″ 1,228.8k-Dot Tilting LCD Monitor (but no touch screen sadly).
ISO 102,400 with a silent shutter mode (thanks to the electronic shutter).
Durable reduced-vibration shutter design and weather-resistant magnesium alloy body.
Built-In Wi-Fi Connectivity with NFC.
Price: $3200 (from August 2015).

yesterday Sony also introduced new versions of the RX100 (Mark IV) and RX10 (Mark II) both also include internal 4K recording (although the RX100 IV only for up to 5 min) both cameras include a new 1 inch CMOS sensor (same resolution though) and ultra slow motion capabilities as well as faster AF. Pricing for both these cameras will be high – $1000 for the RX100 IV and $1300 for the RX 100 II.

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Iddo Genuth

Iddo Genuth is the founder and chief editor of LensVid.com. He has been a technology reporter working for international publications since the late 1990's and covering photography since 2009. Iddo is also a co-founder of a production company specializing in commercial food and product visual content.