Sony Alpha 7 Mark II
he diminutive Sony A7 Mark II is smaller than the Micro Four Thirds Panasonic GH4, yet has a full-frame sensor. It’s actually the same 24.3MP CMOS sensor that was used in the original A7, but the Mark II adds sensor-shift stabilisation. It’s the first full-frame camera to feature built-in stabilisation, and in this group, only it and the Olympus E-M1 with its relatively small Micro Four Thirds
TEverything is very
neat and tidy sensor give in-body stabilisation. Both feature advanced, five-axis stabilisation, giving a clear benefit when attaching any lens.
The A7 Mark II is comfortable, aided by its deeply sculpted finger and thumb grips. Controls are plentiful and menu navigation is easy, helped by a multi-way pad that features a rotary dial, as used in the Panasonic and Samsung cameras. You’ll rely on it more, however, as the Sony lacks a touchscreen. At least the screen has a tilt facility, and the camera itself has built-in Wi-Fi and NFC connectivity.
The autofocus system gets a speed boost, with a greater ability to track moving subjects. This makes the A7 Mark II better suited to action photography, although the 5fps maximum burst rate is quite pedestrian.
Performance
The A7 Mark II delivers excellent retention of fine detail. In our tests, the stabiliser gave a four-stop benefit in handheld shooting, equalling the performance of the competing system in the Olympus E-M1. However, the Sony makes the most of its bigger image sensor in terms of sumptuous image quality. The camera is supported by a growing range of excellent full-frame compatible lenses.