First Look At The Sony A7S II

Today Sony announced the successor to its low light full frame A7S camera with the introduction of the A7S II which brings several welcome improvements including internal 4K, image stabilization, better AF and several smaller but no less important features.

After the introduction of the A7R II it was clear that Sony will have to update its flagship low light camera and now it did with many of the same features that the A7R II introduced (including the 5-axis sensor stabilization we also saw in the A7 II and the 4K internal recording) together with the same high performance 12MP ultra low light capable sensor.

The new A7S II – larger grip

Above is a (very) short look of Matt Allard from Newsshooter at the new A7S II talking to Den Lennie at IBC 2015.

Kenta Honjo from Sony talks to Allan Weitz from B&H on the A7S II

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOOby81vN3w[/youtube]

Here is a list of features of the new camera:

Sensor: 12MP Full Frame (same as the A7S).
Processor: BIONZ X.
Stabilization: 5-axis sensor stabilization (similar to the A7 II and A7R II).
Auto focus system: 169 points for contrast-detection AF.
Sensitivity: ISO 100 – 102,400, extendable to an ISO 50 – 409,600 range (same as the A7S on paper).
Auto focus: Hybrid phase/contrast detection AF system – capable of going down to -4EV (with better accuracy).
Video capabilities: 1080p video at 120fps with a full-frame readout (first for the A7 series), internal 4K @30p (like the A7R II), S-Log3 (up to 14-stops of dynamic range).
Video formats: XAVC format at up to 100Mbps
Continuous shooting speed – 5 fps (with AF).
Viewfinder: New, larger 0.5″ OLED electronic viewfinder with 0.78x magnification and 2.36m dot.
Connectivity: Built-In Wi-Fi Connectivity with NFC.
User upgrades – better grip, silent shooting mode, better lens mount, charge with USB while the camera is still working (very useful indeed).
Price: Pricing and availability of the α7S will be priced at around $3000 in the U.S – available from fall 2015 (pre-order on B&H).

For the most part we feel that with the introduction of the A7R II the A7S II is a much more niche camera for those video photographers who really need the extra low light capability of the A7S II – many other stills and video shooters will prefer the more balanced A7R II with its high resolution (and still more than decent low light performance).

–

Official video of the Sony A7S II – 4K low light

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVLBHMbRMW4[/youtube]

Official Sony A7S II image stabilization demo

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb9FWw6sXVI[/youtube]

Official Sony A7S II slow motion 1080p 120p demo

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9VIFHUAXsk[/youtube]

4K video shot with the new Sony A7S II

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0y23l252RI[/youtube]

Official AF demo in movie mode

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IehRNPtiP8[/youtube]

If you don’t want to miss any new photography product be sure to check out our product photography section on our photo gear channel.

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.