ILCE-7RM2

Walking around with this camera is very comfortable - yet not as stealthy as my RX1R II. The body is solid though a little small and I find my pinky dangles in the air - so I use it to support the bottom of the body. Middle and ring fingers hold on to the small front grip (which is comfortable) and my index finger lives between the shutter release and shutter speed dial (explained a little more below). There is a slight bump-out on the rear where my thumb comfortably sits and provides quick access to the f-stop dial. It's a slightly different grip on the RX1R II which, though smaller, doesn't make it seem as small - maybe the lack of the bump-out grip in the front of the RX1R II. I enjoy the placement of the buttons and dials on this camera. They are solid and smooth to operate - and the ones that need to click into position do so. At this time, with the camera always in manual (M) mode I have the front dial set to adjust shutter speed, the rear to adjust f-stop and a button on the rear to adjust ISO on the fly. A single click on the button brings up the ISO menu, then the thumb wheel allows me to quickly scroll to the rating I want. The only other button programmed so far is C1 for eye detection. Obviously, only used in portraits but seems to nail it every time. I use this same setup on the RX1R II. I have been using the Exposure Comp wheel more and more to give me the exposure exactly how I want it rather than relying on post to correct that. Also been getting into relying almost solely on the histogram in the viewfinder to expose my work now. The shutter release is smooth and pleasing (and I like the sound of it) and has the option of silent shutter, though I haven't tried that to date. SONY A7R II - SENSOR The A7R II has a 42.4-megapixel back-illuminated 35mm full-frame Exmor R CMOS sensor powered by the BIONZ X image processing engine to support 14-bit uncompressed RAW images. Technically, getting an ISO range of 50-102,400 but realistically using ISO 100-25,600. Even more realistically for my style is ISO 100-6400. Unlike my RX1R II, there is no optical low-pass filter on this camera. 5-AXIS IMAGE STABILIZATION The Sony A7R II has 5-Axis Image Stabilization which has been maximized for the 42 MP sensor. This system corrects camera shake while shooting along the 5 axes of angular shake (pitch & yaw), shift shake (along the x/y axis), and rotational shake (roll). Pair this with a IS lens (like the Zeiss Batis 85 I have been using) and you can freehand some ultra-lowlight photography. BATTERY Battery is notoriously bad on these cameras, but there are a ton of tips and tricks out there to increase life. Best thing I suggest is tossing the camera into Airplane mode - this turns off all the Wi-Fi and searching for networks. With this off, I can shoot all day with 3 batteries at the ready. To be honest, I shoot so little on a typical day (200-300 max photos) that I seldom need to jump to a backup. Some other things you can try are reducing the brightness in the monitor and viewfinder, having a short power-save time, turn off the "Sunny Weather" option, turn off audio signals and turn off Pre-AF. If I am walking around between shots, I tend to switch the camera off too. Not sure how much that helps, but a habit I picked up with the RX1R II. I also suggest having a couple battery backups and a couple chargers in the house. Right now, I have 2 Sony stock batteries and 2 off-brand ones. I haven't noticed much of a difference between the two. For the house, I have a pair of chargers, as these batteries seem to take forever to get to a full charge. At least with a pair, I am able to cut the charge time in half. FINDER / SCREEN There are a couple ways to compose images with the A7R II. Either the screen on the back of the camera with LiveView or via the Electronic View Finder (EVF) that's really a godsend. The camera has the intelligence to automatically only power the view you are using. If LiveView, the EVF is powered off. If you put your eye to the EVF, it fires up in an instant and the back screen powers down. Very good for a camera that's a battery whore, as mentioned above. With either of these views, you can increase or decrease the resolution, though they both look really good at standard. Very bright and quite responsive. Nearly identical to what I said about the RX1R II and not like the LiveView of the past (where my last experience was with a laggy Sony NEX-3). I keep the rear screen fairly dim, so I like to use the finder as my review of images when needed. The eye cup for the A7R II finder is much better than the RX1R II, by the way. The former is a proper viewfinder with a rubberized eye cup (see rear image of A7R II below in the My Defaults section) while the later is a pop-up EVF and does not offer eye relief at all. Both screens offer a slew of data from shutter speed, ISO, f-stop to digital levels, histograms and so on. I won't bore you with all the goodies, but there is a plethora of stuff that can be added to or removed from either screen. The rear screen tilts up and down which is nice to hold over your head or at your feet to frame a decent shot. I don't use the screen often, but really enjoy the ability when I need it to compost a shot this way. I find this can be a stealthy way of composing a shot without those around aware of what you're doing - if stealth is your motive. AUTOFOCUS The Sony A7II offers up 25 contrast detection points and 399 phase detection points covering about half the sensor. The modes available here are Single, Continuous and Manual focus as well as AF-A and DMF modes that can be used with the native FE glass. As I don't tend to shoot moving targets, I stick to Single mode for almost all my shooting and have found it to be quite fast and really accurate. As always, you can also switch the focus areas between Wide Area, Zone Area, Center Area (my preference), Flexible Spot, Expand Flexible Spot, Lock-on AF Expand Flexible Spot, Lock-on AF, Eye AF (which I mapped to C1), and Face Detection. Like with the Sony RX1R II, the files spoil me. There is a great deal of latitude in them and so much shadow detail. The IQ is really nice to work with and I am getting the hang of how they behave with my one-click edits. Conclusions It is very early on with this camera to have any firm conclusions, but I have to tell you, I was secretly hoping to not love this one. I have my film cameras that I am more than happy with, and my Sony RX1R II that I figured was all I wanted. I wanted to shoot this, get it out of my system, then return it. Well, it's not going back. As soon as I strapped on the Zeiss Batis 85 and walked around with the Sony A7R II I was smitten. This camera is really offering everything I currently want in a digital setup. Gorgeous files with the colors I enjoy, great speed and a joy to walk around with. I read complaints about the menu system, but really, once you set it up once, you don't need to dig in there much and it truly isn't that bad. This is a fine compliment to my film work and will also be a great compliment to the Sony RX1R II - so yes, they are both staying. I plan to get a ton of use out of this throughout the year and re-touch this review with future thoughts, uses, issues or what have you.

What can i say that hasn't already been said? It's one amazing camera packed full of features. While priced out of the reach of most amateur/newbie photographers, if you can afford it don't be scared away by it's feature list. Sony has made this camera very user friendly. After a very brief tutorial on how to use it, my friends were blown away by the pictures they were able to get with no real camera knowledge. That being said, you are really doing yourself an injustice to buy this camera and not learning how to use it's many different options to take your photos to the next level. The 2 biggest complaints so far have been battery life and an overheating issue when shooting 4k video. First the battery life is awful if you are a pro photographer who's camera is on all the time. My first time out with the camera i took it to my friend's daughter's 2 year old birthday party. Young kids meant i had the camera on fast continuous shooting for that fraction of a second when they would look and smile just right. With 1 fully charged battery i was able to shoot a little over a 1,000 42MP Raw + JPEG stills, about 5 min total of 4K + MP4 video and sent about 50 photos to my iphone via wifi. Not to mention showing people the camera and going back to review and pick out which photos came out best all over about 5 hours. While not impressive battery life, it's very usable. The batteries are also very small and it's easy to stick one or two in your pocket/bag just in case. As for the overheating 4k video, I have not filmed enough yet to run into this issue. From other reviews, it sounds like for most people this will not be a problem. It seems to only really affect those filmmakers shooting all day. Once again there are plenty of reviews out there to understand if this really will be an issue for you. Personally i have only run into 4 things i don't like/issues with the camera: First, lack of 2nd SD slot. I think Sony really dropped the ball on this one since many seem ready and eager to jump over but can't afford to take the chance because they shoot one time events like weddings. Not having this backup is really an annoyance on such a feature rich camera. Second, the size/weight. Many like the slightly larger si larger lenses, and with added features like stabilization and a much quieter shutter, the added weight is understandable & acceptable. However after enjoying the size and weight of the original A7R, my first physical impression of the mark 2 was disappointment over the added bulk. Especially since i like taking the camera out with me, carrying it in my hand all day, letting it dangle from a wrist strap. or slipping it into a pocket. This new camera will take some adjustments on my part. I'm also not a fan of the locking mode dial, as i never had issues with the original and i now have to remember/retrain myself to push the unlock button down before turning. ze, especially with the Third, the wifi connection to my iphone is still disappointing. Especially in video mode, the picture goes from nice and smooth to slow/choppy. I was hoping to use the iphone as a video screen but unless i can find another wireless option it looks like i'm plugging back into the HDMI. Speaking of the side ports they once again feel cheap vs the metal original doors i preferred, however sony has added a cable accessory that is suppose to keep the cables plugged in. I haven't used yet but it looks promising. Finally the lack of GPS/geotagging. I understand it's not for everyone, many would not enjoy the added startup time and drain on the battery. But i strongly feel that this camera should have had this feature, probably disabled from factory, for those who want it. Geo tagging can be added if you have you phone connected and are running the remote/playmemories app, however i really don't want to have to keep my phone on all day while i walk around shooting. Sony seems to be listening to what the public wants so i wouldnt be surprised to find these features in the mark 3 cameras or even a "pro level" rumored A9, however i would personally be surprised if such a camera was released any time soon. It seems like this camera is packed full with just about everything. When most things try to do too much they usually have to make great sacrifices and end up as just mediocre products. While this camera is far from being the best at all it does, it succeeds in doing everything to such a high degree that it will constantly exceed expectations. The best way i can put it is you are not buying a ridiculously fast Arial Atom V8, a luxurious Rolls Royce Phantom nor a high tech Tesla S. You are buying a Mercedes S65 AMG. Something that may not be #1 but blows your mind at doing so much at such a high level. Both are also very expensive, but when you realize what they offer over what is out on the market that costs twice as much you come to realize they worth every penny.

I decided to move to Sony's platform from shooting Nikon's D810 and I'm really glad I did. While the controls might not be quite as intuitive as my Nikon D810 and this camera definitely wouldn't work well as a weapon in a pinch, the image quality is so perfect and amazing that it's forgivable. Here are the pros and cons as I see them to owning the SonyA7rII: Pros: Amazing image quality - the best I've ever seen - and I did a lot of side by side with the D850. When dealing with high end camera's that occupy very top of the DxoMark scale, it really comes down to specific needs and personal preference. The EVF is absolutely fantastic to use. It's clear, the colors are wonderfully vibrant and true to life, and the ability to zoom in on far away objects from the viewfinder for perfect focus is a great benefit worth the extra demand on the battery. Silent mode which uses an electric front shutter is great and now (after upgrading to the latest firmware version) appears to work when uncompressed RAW is selected Though small, this camera feels solid and, with the grip, fits my large hands comfortably Though Sony doesn't have a large lens selection, the lenses they do have are insanely sharp and bar none among the best I've ever owned, particularly their Zeiss lenses and new Sony "G" lenses. To give some perspective - the best lens for Nikon ends at a 36 sharpness rating, Sony's lens lineup almost starts where Nikon leaves off and goes up to an insane 46 rating (per DxoMark). I can use this camera with ALL of my vintage glass including Nikkor AI and NAI MF lenses, Helios, Pentacon, Zeiss, and INDUSTAR, etc. All that's needed is a simple adapter and each of every one of theses lenses benefits from Sony's 5-axis in-body image stabilization. the shallow depth of the camera body ensures it's compatible with virtually every 35mm camera lens ever made - something that I ran into trouble with on my D810 because Nikon actually has the widest body of all camera makes. My M42 mount lenses (for example) would have to be mounted slightly inside of the D810 body to get the right magnification and infinite focus. And that's not even an option because doing this risks destroying the mirror. Even vintage Nikkor AI and NAI lenses can't be used without fairly major modification which also ruins the lens value. A lot of people seem to really dislike the A7 line UI. I personally kind of like the interface. Maybe it’s because I work with a lot of technology, but I find it pretty simple to use and after owning my camera for a few weeks have the placement of everything committed to my long-term memory. It also looks more modern than Nikon or Cannon’s UI. It might seem a little segmented at first, but in the end, everything kind of makes sense as a whole so I’m counting it as a pro. Love that Sony included two batteries and a charger. This really makes me feel like I bought a high-end camera. If they’d throw in a screen protector (see my grumble below), I’d be completely happy with the included accessories. Cons: The battery life could be better I'd love to see the build quality be just a bit more robust. I.e. I wouldn't take this on out in sub zero weather, do a photo-shoot in a sand storm, or bring it with me white water rafting. Even decent weather sealing would be a nice gesture. This one is probably on the top of my list - I'd love to see dedicated controls for all major settings that I use every day. I can set the aperture from the back dial and the exposure from the front dial, but it would be great to have a control for the ISO. I virtually always shoot in full manual mode and having to right click on the wheel to bring up an ISO dialogue before selecting the ISO is just the tiniest bit annoying. The camera should come with a snap on screen protector like Nikon provides. When you spend this much on a camera and don't get basic protective equipment, you feel like Sony is being a tad on the penny pinching/apathetic side. Some tips: Knowing how short the battery life would be I loaded on six batteries and bought a grip for the camera so I can use two at a time. With the grip I can shoot about half of what I used to get away with using my D810, which is workable Get a good protective carrying case/backpack for this camera to keep it safe. My final verdict: It's overall the best camera I've ever owned. While it is quirky in some way, some of the quirks are starting to grow on me. Now we'll see about longevity. The shutter is rated at 500,000 actuations, so I'm hopeful.

The following review is from a photography perspective. I have personally enjoyed the video capabilities; however, I am in no position to share my input on its features in terms of film/ videos. I used to use the Canon 6D body, and when I saw the specs of this camera it got me interested in the sony lineup. However, I was content with my canon lenses. The ability to use adapters to use almost any lens is what got me to make the switch (of bodies). There are several key features about this camera that make it amazing, but here are a couple of my favorite: -EVF: I never have to chimp after taking a shot, I know exactly what I'll get in terms of exposure. -5-axis-stabilization: I predominately use primes, and most do not have IS. This allows me to shoot at lower shutter speeds if necessary. I rarely need a tripod anymore (except for long exposures of course). -Flip Screen: I wish it could flip out and rotate like the Canon 60D, but no full frame has a flip screen. Its a minor addition but it is a life saver for composing shots where the camera can't be held naturally. -MASSIVE Megapixel Stills: The megapixel beast, only second to the canon 5dsr, is perfect to retain a lot of detail. Is it overkill for the average photographer? Absolutely. It is extremely handy when it is needed. There is no hesitation in the need to crop. -35mm Mode: Allows me to have 2 focal lengths at all times (with primes). It also cuts down on the file size considerably. Its literally having a crop sensor and full frame in one. -Wide customization for button layout: Allows me to find the best layout to make changes in settings on the whim. It also helps to have several buttons to be able to access multiple features without having to go into the messy menu system. Here are a few things I dislike, or wish the camera had: -Fairly slow buffer/ load lags: When shooting (even just one photo), in order to preview it, it takes about 2 seconds until it you are able to preview it. That is when you turn off auto preview. Shooting at burst makes this wait time considerably longer. This is an expected obstacle; however, it is occasionally a nuisance when time is very limited. -Touch Screen: Wish it had one like the a6500. Potentially will be an added feature to the Mark iii? -Lack of multiple SD card slots: It would help to have 2 SD card slots to ensure a backup copy of all photos. For a professional, this would be added confidence, and not risk ruining an entire shoot. There is not a whole lot of negatives about this camera. Its perfect for portraiture, lifestyle, landscape/cityscape, and travel photography. It is weak in sports/action/nature photography due to the lack of fast autofocus (in comparison to Canon and Nikons 1dx and D5 or even their crop sensor DSLRs). It also shoots Full-Frame 4K! It is versatile, small and lightweight, and packs a punch. This camera will offer a pleasant experience. It is not for everyone, but it is certainly a treat for those that use/own it.

I was looking for the quality of medium format film images and reviews suggested that this camera produce images equal to some medium format digital cameras. So far this camera has met my high expectations. The main advantage of this mirrorless camera over a dslr is evident with a quality prime lens where the compact size and weight is most beneficial. To really appreciate the image quality requires great glass like the 1.8/55, a tripod and a hands free trigger. That does not mean that this camera cannot be used for compact carry with the pancake 2.8/35 (with an ingenious tiny lens hood) and a shotgun sling. It can also be used for available light shooting with the 1.8/55, perhaps using eye focus. Features like weather resistance, in camera stabilization, eye focus, silent shooting mode, ISO minimum shutter speed, dynamic range optimization, manual focus zoom, programmable buttons, in camera apps and wireless communication are nice. Sony seems committed to software improvement as this camera is now up to firmware 3.0 which SUPPORTS UNCOMPRESSED RAW (82 meg files). As for lenses, this camera takes FE (Full Frame E Lenses) and E (APS-c) lenses. E (APS-C) lenses should work on this camera in sensor crop mode (using only part of the FF sensor). And the FE lenses for this camera should work on Sony E (APS-C) cameras with the expected crop. Many shorter Canon L lenses will autofocus with an adapter. Due to a number of adapters, this camera can be used with lots of legacy glass in manual focus mode. I strongly recommend that you carry a number of batteries when on a shoot with this camera and turn on airport mode. If you need a bigger body, you can add a Gariz case or two battery grip. My wish list. Currently, as far as my test show, most in camera lens corrections ARE reflected in the RAW files. So if you plan to do post processing lens corrections you may want to turn off all in camera lens corrections (Gear --> 7 --> Lens Corrections Option in the Menu). My wish for Firmware 4.0 is an option to turn off in camera lens corrections only for RAW, leaving lens corrections on for JPEGs, as I am currently shooting in RAW+JPEG. Another wish is the ability to program a button to switch from FF (full frame) to APS-c and back. This would allow for easy in camera cropping (55 -> 88 ) on the fly. I was able to import the uncompressed raw + jpegs to the no longer supported Aperture 3.0 on OS X 10.11.1 as the A7Rii RAW conversion is part of the operating system. Have fun!

Let me begin by saying that I feared the steep price point of this camera would not be justified by the performance and benefits. I started shooting a little over a year ago with a Nikon APS-C, and was satisfied but I really wanted to move up to a full-frame camera. I'd considered sticking with Nikon, however there were so many folks raving about this particular camera I decided to give it a go. After using this camera for a couple of months I can tell you that I do not regret it at all. The Sony A7RII is a marvelous piece of kit that has exceeded my expectations in so many ways. As with anything, though, it certainly isn't without its drawbacks. What I like about it: Many of the features that I find beneficial are the auto white balance which is spectacular (at least when used outdoors), 42mp high resolution, custom function buttons, full range of dials – I'd become so used to using the dials on my Nikon to adjust aperture, shutter speed so it's nice to have that option on the A7Rii –, and the extended dynamic range. Also, since I'm partial to landscape photography there is a lot of walking about. The size and weight of the A7Rii are ideal for just that purpose. Continuous auto focus is superb for the situations in which I've needed to use it so far. I've heard from folks that it doesn't perform so well for sports photography, but for my purposes it works perfectly. Manual focus assist and focus peaking have also been immensely useful. Perhaps one of the most useful features for me is the electronic viewfinder because it allows me to compose shots in low light, or with filters attached. Things I would improve: As I said, the camera is great but by no means perfect and I think it would benefit Sony to make some improvements. - EVF / Live View Sensor: Way too sensitive. If I want to shoot from the hip the camera has to be far away enough from my body in order to engage Live View. Additionally, if I'm composing my shots using live view and my fingers or wrist strap come too close to the eyepiece, the image jumps from LV to EVF. Not at all ideal. It would be great if Sony would also add the option to switch off LV except when reviewing photos. As it stands, if you turn off live view, photo review must be done through the EVF or by clicking the review (play) button. - Read / Write speeds / Buffer Time: Yes, I know that the A7Rii writes HUGE files and those files take time to read from and write to the card. Unfortunately read/write speeds remain consistent irrespective of image format and size. I've tested just shooting Fine jpg format, and it still takes way too long to write to the card. With all the new high-speed cards becoming available, it would be great if Sony had software that would take advantage of the faster cards. It also makes image review painfully slow. Again, I get that some time is required for the images to write to the card, but the A7Rii does this much slower than other cameras. It also makes for checking sharpness during review very painful since there is a two second lag between the time I hit the button that allows me to zoom in, and actually being able to zoom in. - Custom function buttons: As much as I love the custom function buttons, I would really like to see Sony expand this feature to allow users to assign functions to buttons from menus other than just the shoot menu. - Battery life: I've heard a lot of different justifications for why the battery life on this camera is so poor, but at the end of the day I think Sony should spend a little more time on improving battery life. Users are currently able to shoot an average of 300 photos whereas other cameras are getting over 1,000. I hope this review has helped someone who might be on the fence as I was when I contemplated making my purchase. Below are a couple of photos I've shot with the A7Rii. The first – L.A. city skyline – was shot with the Batis 18mm f/2.8, and the second – the Huntington Beach Pier – was shot with the Sonnar 24-70 f/4. Update 02/08/17: The paucity of lenses offered by Sony has prompted me to amend my review, but I will leave the rating as is because this is my opinion and has no bearing on the quality of the product. When I purchased this camera, I did so knowing full well that FE lens selection was limited. I figured that because FF mirrorless cameras were relatively new, that it would take Sony some time to catch up in the lens department. After months of new releases by Sony and third party lens manufacturers for A and E (APS-C) mount lenses, I'm beginning to doubt that. The first Sony FF E mount camera, the Sony A7, was released over three years ago, and rumors of the Sony A7RIII are swirling about the internet. Fed up with the waiting game, I purchased the Sigma MC-11 adapter, which works wonderfully. I'm of the opinion that, if Sony is really serious in its endeavor to maintain its competitive edge, it needs to do something about its line of lenses. Yes, they have a nearly-full range in the GM line, but these lenses are – in some cases – double that of Canon and Nikon glass, but are of equal or lesser quality leaving them little justification for the price point. They have their budget-conscious line like the 50mm f/1.8 and now the 85mm f/2.8, but if the atrocious reviews of the 50mm are any indication, I think I know what to expect from the 85mm. "Why are you complaining if you knew that Sony's FE lenses were limited," you're probably asking. And it's a good question. I was seduced by higher resolutions, size / weight, and – I will sheepishly admit – the hype. Buyer's remorse? Maybe just a little. "But you can adapt non-Sony lenses to the A7RII," you might say. Yes, I can and I have. I recently purchased the Sigma MC-11 adapter and a Canon 70-200mm and it works splendidly with my A7RII. But then why shouldn't I have taken my $3400 and spent it on a Canon 5D MK 4 or a Nikon D810, skipped the adapter, and have a wide variety of quality, affordable lenses to choose from? Perhaps I should have. I spent less than half for the MC-11 adapter and a certified refurbished 70-200, than I would have on the Sony 70-200 GM. Why am I writing this? I'm writing this because I am frustrated with Sony's apparent lack of interest in creating a robust, diversified, and AFFORDABLE kit for its consumers. The A7RII was sold out for months, a clear indication that folks are very interested in moving towards mirrorless. It's a bit like manufacturing a revolutionary car with roll-down windows and a solitary AM/FM radio, then releasing a double-din nav system and power windows of a quality equal to that of its competitors, but at twice the price. I'm writing this as a point of contention, something to consider before purchasing this camera. So, don't buy this camera? No, that isn't what I'm saying. I'm saying if you're intent on buying it, to be aware that your options are LIMITED with respect to Sony native lenses, in terms of quantity, quality, and affordability. I've added this in the hopes that it might save someone else the frustration of waiting and hoping that Sony will wake up and work to meet the demands of its customers.

I made the jump to full frame and I am absolutely loving it! I moved over to full frame from my previous Sony a55. This thing is solid, feels very good in your hands with the added dimension in the grip. It is light enough when compared to other larger DSLRS so carrying it is a joy. At the moment I am using the LAEA 4 with 2 minolta lenses, Sigma 85 1.4, and my Tamron 28-75 2.8 a mount lenses. I am planning on grabbing the 55 1.8, Macro 90mm, and Batis lenses soon but in the meantime I am enjoying every minute of this amazing camera. Note, for those of you who own A mount lenses make sure you research which lenses auto focus with the LAEA3 because most of mine did not work with that adapter. The LAEA4 works with all the older lenses that do not have a built in drive but you do lose the 399 focus points and several auto focus modes. However, I found that the LAEA4 focuses well with my lenses and the 1/2 stop I lose is no problem with this camera. This camera is NOT perfect, but it is definitely close to it and I believe with some firmware upgrades it will be even more AMAZING. Pros: Lightweight Built Quality EVF is AMAZING, I can see it near darkness through it! Resolution is CRAZY good, you can crop till you heart is content... Image Quality High ISO Capability (12800 ISO is usable) 4k Internal Recording and various other video features Dynamic Range is great Cons: Lossy RAW compression (Hopefully fixed soon)...some artifacts occur if files are pushed too much! Just get it right in camera and you are good! No Dual Card Memory Slot Short Battery Life (But you can plug this thing into a portable charger to extend the batter life)

I waited for Nikon mirrorless for too long time and finally decided to try Sony. It's a good camera but very different to Nikon DSLR. It's smaller, but not that light weight. mirrorless camera body is smaller than DSLR but not the lens. Optics is still follow its own rule. Image quality is good, high ISO is also not bad, as many others already mentioned, no need to repeat here. After a year's use, it seems that Sony may need to improve some functions. 1. Image file number DSC0XXXX. Nikon only has 4 digits counter. when I first saw Sony has 5 digits counter, I feel that's great. However, it turns out that the first 0 is not belong to the counter and will not change, so still 4 digits counter. Also, I haven't figure out the way to change "DSC0", have to use other software to change the file name each time (not to be confused with my another Sony camera) 2. no menu showing recent adjusted functions 3. no real sleep mode? If I forgot to shut down the power, camera will continue burning power until battery is over. All the power would convert to heat and camera becomes very hot (not sure if that's harmful for the camera life...) 4. Focusing system need to be improved. This may also be related to the lens. It's not rare to see photo are not in focus. Now I get used to get at least 2-3 shot for the same photo just in case there's not in focus problem. Most depressed part, after I purchased the a7Rii for less than a month, Sony released the a7Riii....and then several months later, camera price jump down....then several months later, Nikon released Z7.... Anyway, in general, this is a good camera.

This is the best camera I've ever owned. I've gone through tons of cameras looking for professional quality videos (I rarely use my a7R for pictures) and this camera has bested them all in terms of quality and performance! With my particular situation, I record videos in low lighting.. very low lighting. I was using a Canon Rebel T5i before swapping to the Sony and while that camera can manage great video quality, it doesn't handle low-light very well. The Sony a7R not only handles my particular situation well, the way it deals with color is superb! I have a blue screen behind me that's almost pitch black, yet the picture quality is so clear that I can chroma key it out without problems. If you're buying the a7R for pictures, it's VERY easy to get a stunning photo in crystal clear quality. I should also point out I'm using the T * FE 55mm F1.8 ZA lens which has no zoom function. One issue I have is that the touch screen on the back of the camera doesn't pull out, making it difficult for me to adjust settings while having the camera on myself, but anybody buying a camera like this isn't buying it for selfies, so it's just a personal issue.

totally excellent very fast shipping prompt courteous service. the images from this camera are incredible. I use it for coin photography. It is way beyond any DSLR. I have ever owned this camera has taken my photography to a new level. I have been invited to do some family portraits. see how that goes thank you so much. great deal and a great camera.

I recently bought the Sony A7R II from Amazon.ca The image quality is great, and almost identical to the more expensive A7R II I compared both a friend's A7R III with my A7R II, and a side from the physical differences (joystick/dual SD card slots etc), the burst FPS, and all you care about is IMAGE QUALITY, then save your money and buy the A7R II. Both these cameras has the EXACT SAME Full Frame Image Sensor. I shoot pictures as a hobby, and mostly of nature or astrophotography (my cameras are mounted on a stationary tripod 90% of the time), this camera is perfect, and for the price to image quality performance, it cannot be beaten. If you shoot sports and fast moving subject, you may consider the fast A7R III if resolution is important. If resolution is not important, you are better off with an A9 or a Fuji X-T3. I am a primary Fujifilm user (Fuji X-T1 and X-T20), and this is my first Sony camera. I do have to say that the menu is definitely not as user frriendly, and the Fn menu/Q menu is not as intuitive than the Fuji. However, Sony's UI is not the worst I have used. The WORST UI I have ever used goes to.... OLYMPUS.... I like the fast this camera still has 3 control wheels (one on front, one on back, and one on the d-pad). The lack of joystick on this camera is not something I really care about, as I manual focus all my shots 90% of the time anyways for landscapes, and star photography. The autofocus is more than adequate for casual portraiture shooting (I only shoot portraits only occasionally). One thing to note is that I had to do an exchange on this camera. The first camera I received had a somewhat loose LCD hinge, where the tilt hinge did not allow the LCD to site flush again the body. Since I had both A7R IIs during the exchange process, I also realized the LCD panel themselves between the 3 A7R IIs were DIFFERENT. The one I sent back to Amazon had a brighter LCD display, but the color temperature was very cool (so maybe the perception of a brighter screen?) My current replacement A7R II LCD screen is slightly dimmer, but the color temperature calibration on this display is much warmer (yellowish tint). I honest does not know if the differences in LCD panel quality is a manufacturing tolerance, or just poor Quality Assurance... Either way, exchanging my current camera is too much of a hassle for just a slightly brighter screen. I only wrote this as a WARNING, and things to watch for when you order one. The OLED Electronic Viewfinder between the two A7R IIs were IDENTICAL, so no QA issues here. Overall, gr8 camera for the price. If you don't care for high speed shooting, then BUY IT NOW..

Best full frame mirrorless camera. I'm a photographer by trade. I shoot in studio Monday to Friday for a national e/retailer. For my work I use a combination of 35mm DSLRs and medium format cameras and the files from the Sony are absolutely incredible! I wanted a powerhouse camera with a small form factor and couldn't be happier!

It is a very good camera as we all know but build quality could be a little bit better !