14 DAY TRIAL // Before the upcoming Canon Expo in New York, Sony has revealed its brand-new Alpha A7s II camera, the successor of its previous Alpha A7s.
The original Alpha A7s had a maximum of 409,600 max ISO that allowed images to be captured in near darkness. Apparently, the new feature of the camera fixes a major issue with the original model, and which meant that users couldn't film 4K footage without an external recorder.
Now that the camera gets a full-frame sensor, it also allows internal 4J recording (3,840 x 2,160) at 24 or 30fps, having no pixel binning at both 4K and 1080p resolutions. What's nice is that the camera keeps its incredible 12-megapixel sensor and 409,600 ISO light sensitivity of the original model. Additionally, the 1080p footage will be filmed at 120 fps with a full-frame readout.
To compete with Canon's upcoming camera that is also aimed at Arri Amira, Sony's new Alpha 7s will have a new shooting option called S-Log3 that will allow for 14-stops of dynamic range, on par with cinema cameras like the one from Arri.
Excellent for night shots but lacks the megapixels
Sony records its videos in XAVC format at up to 100Mbps, so expect to get at least a UHC Class 3 SD memory card. The exact bitrate of recorded video is also unknown, but we can assume it is somewhere around 8-bit since the A7 II goes around that figure.
Borrowed from the Alpha 7 II is also the 5-axis stabilization, which means less jitter on shots taken at night or with telephoto lenses. What's nice is that the new camera also arrives with a new OLED electronic viewfinder with 0.78x magnification especially made for the best color contrast during night shots. Unfortunately, enthusiasts will be disappointed by the subpar number of megapixels, 12MP, when Canon these days arrives with monster sensors of 120MP and even 250MP, even if some might be designed for professional and institutional use.
Unfortunately, the camera sells for the hefty price tag of €3,400 for the body only, and will first sell in Europe, in November.
