Sony Alpha A7R II Tip - Eyeball Focusing In Continuous Mode

This short video by Gary Fong explains how to allow a very useful feature of the new A7R II which will let you track your subject eye even if he or she is moving in the frame.

There are quite a lot of new and interesting features on the new Sony A7R II which are exciting such as internal 4K, 42MP sensor, the ability to use Canon (and soon Nikon) lenses with AF (with and adapter) and more.

Fong found a way to customize the camera to use the eye AF – it isn’t complicated but it requires a few steps including setting up a back bottom that will make this function work (a bit annoying that Sony made turning this function on so complex).

Here is a reminder of the A7R II specs (see our original post on the camera – here and a hands on review and comparison vs. the 5DS-R, D810, GH4, a7 II & a7S here):

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 (on Amazon).

We are hoping to give the A7R II a test ourselves in the not too distant future and see what we shall make of this interesting camera – so make sure you stay tuned.

You can find many more helpful photography tips on our Photography tips section here on and LensVid.

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.