Sony Alpha 7R II
Price £2,499 (body only)
WHEREAS the Alpha 7 II is positioned as the all-rounder and the Alpha 7S II is engineered for optimal low-light performance, the A7R II fulfils the role of resolution heavyweight within Sony’s flagship full-frame mirrorless trio. It shows marked improvements over the A7R in just about every department. Not only has resolution been upped from 36.2MP to 42.4MP, the A7R II doesn’t suffer from the same performance compromises of its predecessor. Indeed, the A7R II is able to match the A7 II for continuous shooting speed (5fps) at nearly twice the resolution, and even outperforms it by two EV stops with its extended sensitivity range of 50-102,400.
The A7R II further benefits from the addition of a more advanced Hybrid autofocus system than found inside the A7 II and A7S II. This employs 399 phase- detection and 25 contrast- detect AF points for viewfinder-wide coverage and all-but-instantaneous focus lock. The A7R II also matches the A7S II with its support for 4K video capture at 24/30fps, but adds the ability to record 4K footage using the full width of its 35mm sensor.
Elsewhere, the A7R II benefits from all the usual bells and whistles you’d expect of a flagship model including tough magnesium alloy construction, weather-sealing, a large and super-sharp EVF, a high-resolution tiltable LCD display, a wide array of physical controls and generous customisation options. All this combines to make it one of the most desirable and costly options in this mirrorless roundup.