Sony Alpha a7RII Simply the Best Mirrorless Full Frame Digital Camera: See Features, Specs, Price and Reviews

The Sony Alpha a7RII could probably be the ultimate mirrorless full frame digital camera, featuring 42.4 megapixel sensor, Ultra HD 4K video recording, 399 AF points and many more features. I’m very much excited about this new camera, it has lots of new exciting features and it’s built with the world’s first full frame back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS sensor. This is the successor of the previous Alpha a7R but the gap between these two cameras is huge. There are many features in the new Alpha a7RII that you don’t get to enjoy with the older a7R. Let’s take a look below and find out if this will be your next camera.

Sony Alpha a7RII Full Frame Mirrorless Camera

See latest pricing and availability of the Sony Alpha a7R II at Amazon here.

Sony Alpha a7RII Mirrorless Digital Camera is a Beast

The Sony Alpha a7RII mirrorless camera is the world’s first to have a full-frame back-illuminated Exmor R 42.2 megapixel CMOS sensor. This new sensor enhances light collection efficiency, expands circuitry scale and outputs data about 3.5 times faster, while minimizing image noise. Conventional sensors are layered with a Gapless OCL, Aluminum wiring layer and Photodiode substrate at the bottom. Meanwhile, the new back-illuminated sensor is layered with Gapless OCL, Photodiode substrate and Copper wiring layer. The Light receiving surface is moved on the second layer.

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Sony uses the BIONZ X image processing engine in the Alpha a7R II. This engine works hand in hand with the Exrmor R CMOS sensor to produce high-resolution stills and video that are sharp, clear, more natural looking, low-noise depiction and at improved speeds. The Sony a7RII also features a 5-axis image stabilization system called SteadyShot INSIDE. This SteadyShot compensates for blur caused by 5 types of camera shakes (vertical, horizontal, roll, pitch and yaw) while taking photos or videos with your hands.

Another main feature of the Sony Alpha a7RII is the fast Hybrid AF (AutoFocus) system with 399 focal plane phase-detection AT points. The 399 AF points covers 45% of the total image area, plus 25 contrast-detect AF points, improves accuracy, speed and tracking performance of the camera even when shooting at 5fps. Other AF features are the Lock-on AF and Eye AF.

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The Sony Alpha a7R II is also capable of recording videos up to Ultra HD 4K in XAVC S Format at 30 fps or 24 fps. You can also record videos in Super 35mm format which uses oversampling with full pixel readout and no pixel binning. This reduces moiré and aliasing which is common in high resolution sensors. Video recording also benefits from the SteadyShot 5-axis image stabilizer and 399 AF features I mentioned above, producing crisp, clear and detailed videos.

Sony Alpha a7RII 4K Video Sample

This full frame mirrorless camera has an electronic viewfinder. The Sony Alpha a7RII features a 0.5-inch 2.36M-Dot XGA OLED Tru-Finder with 4-lens optical system, ensuring clarity and detail of the display. It also has a 3-inch Xtra Fine LCD display that can be tilted up to 107 degrees up and 41 degrees down. This makes it easy for the user to shoot low or high angled shots or if you simply just want to see a different perspective.

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The Sony a7R II’s body is made out of magnesium alloy with a robust lens mount that offers greater sealing for dust and moisture resistance. However, it’s not waterproof or splash proof, so you may want to avoid wet or rainy environments. It also has a built-in WiFi and NFC connectivity making it very easy to connect with an iOS or Android device. The body of the Alpha a7RII has also been redesigned to have a better grip, refined controls and improved shutter mechanism that reduces vibration by around 50%.

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There is a video review below (more like and detailed overview) that covers all about what you need to know about the Sony Alpha a7R II. For complete and detailed specifications of the a7R II, see the table below.

Price and Availability

Want this camera much? You can now order the Sony Alpha a7RII Full Frame Mirrorless Camera (body). It comes with a retail price of $3,198.00 USD (price at post), and shipping will start in August. The package includes the following: NP-FW50 Lithium-Ion Rechargeable Battery (1020mAh), AC-UUD11 AC Battery Charging Adaptor, shoulder strap, body cap, multi-interface shoe cover, eyepiece cup, micro-USB cable and you also get a 1-year limited warranty.

See latest pricing and availability of the Sony Alpha a7R II at Amazon here.

Sony Alpha a7RII Reviews

Sony α7R II Product Feature:

Sony a7R II Review by Tony Northrup:

Sony Alpha a7RII Full Specifications

General Camera type Interchangeable-lens digital camera
Lens compatibility E-mount
Image sensor Type 35 mm full frame (35.9 x 24.0 mm), Exmor R CMOS sensor
Number of pixels (effective) Approx. 42.4 megapixels
Number of pixels (total) Approx. 43.6 megapixels
Image sensor aspect ratio 3:2
Anti-dust system Charge protection coating on optical filter and image sensor shift mechanism
Recording system (still images) Recording format JPEG (DCF Ver. 2.0, Exif Ver. 2.3, MPF baseline compliant), RAW (Sony ARW 2.3 format)
Image size (pixels) [3:2 aspect ratio]
35 mm full frame L: 7,952 x 5304 (42M), M: 5168 x 3448 (18M), S: 3984 x 2656 (11M)
APS-C L: 5168 x 3448 (18M), M: 3984 x 2656 (11M), S: 2592 x 1728 (4.5M)
[16:9 aspect ratio]
35 mm full frame L: 7,952 x 4,472 (36M), M: 5,168 x 2,912 (15M), S: 3,984 x 2,240 (8.9M)
APS-C L: 5168 x 2912 (15M), M: 3984 x 2240 (8.9M), S: 2592 x 1456 (3.8M)
[Sweep Panorama]
Wide: Horizontal 12,416 x 1,856 (23M), vertical 5,536 x 2,160 (12M)
Standard: Horizontal 8,192 x 1,856 (15M), vertical 3,872 x 2,160 (8.4M)
Image quality modes RAW, RAW & JPEG, JPEG Extra fine, JPEG Fine, JPEG Standard
RAW output 14 bit
Picture Effect 13 modes: Posterization (Color, B/W), Pop Color, Retro Photo, Partial Color (R, G, B, Y), High Contrast Monochrome, Toy Camera, Soft High-key, Soft Focus, HDR Painting, Rich-tone Monochrome, Miniature, Watercolor, Illustration
Creative Style Standard, Vivid, Neutral, Clear, Deep, Light, Portrait, Landscape, Sunset, Night Scene, Autumn Leaves, Black & White, Sepia (Contrast -3 to +3 steps, Saturation -3 to +3 steps, Sharpness -3 to +3 steps) (Style Box 1-6 also provided)
Dynamic range functions Off, Dynamic Range Optimizer (Auto/Level (1–5)), Auto High Dynamic Range: Auto Exposure Difference, Exposure Difference Level (1.0-6.0 EV, 1.0 EV step)
Color space sRGB standard (with sYCC gamut) and Adobe RGB standard compatible with TRILUMINOS™ Color
Recording system (movies) Recording format XAVC S / AVCHD format Ver. 2.0 compliant / MP4
Video compression XAVC S: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264
AVCHD: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264
MP4: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264
Audio recording format XAVC S: LPCM, 2ch
AVCHD: Dolby Digital (AC-3), 2ch, Dolby Digital Stereo Creator
MP4: MPEG-4 AAC-LC, 2ch
Image size (pixels) [NTSC]
XAVC S 4K: 3,840 x 2,160 (30p/100 Mbps, 30p/60 Mbps, 24p/100 Mbps, 24p/60 Mbps)
XAVC S HD: 1,920 x 1,080 (60p/50 Mbps, 30p/50 Mbps, 24p/50 Mbps), 1,280 x 720 (120p/50 Mbps)
AVCHD: 1920 x 1080 (60p/28Mbps/PS, 60i/24Mbps/FX, 60i/17Mbps/FH, 24p/24Mbps/FX, 24p/17Mbps/FH)
MP4: 1,920 x 1,080 (60p/28 Mbps, 30p/16 Mbps), 1,280 x 720 (30p/6 Mbps)[PAL]
XAVC S 4K: 3,840 x 2,160 (25p/100 Mbps, 25p/60 Mbps)
XAVC S HD: 1,920 x 1,080 (50p/50 Mbps, 25p/50 Mbps), 1,280 x 720 (100p/50 Mbps)
AVCHD: 1920 x 1080 (50p/28Mbps/PS, 50i/24Mbps/FX, 50i/17Mbps/FH, 25p/24Mbps/FX, 25p/17Mbps/FH)
MP4: 1,920 x 1,080 (50p/28 Mbps, 25p/16 Mbps), 1,280 x 720 (25p/6 Mbps)
Picture Profile Yes (Off/PP1-PP7) Parameters: Black level, Gamma (Movie, Still, Cine1-4, ITU709, ITU709 [800%], S-Log2), Black Gamma, Knee, Color Mode, Saturation, Color Phase, Color Depth, Detail, Copy, Reset
Movie functions Audio Level Display, Audio Rec Level, AF Tracking Sensitivity, AF Drive Speed, Auto Slow Shutter, HDMI info. Display (On/Off selectable), Time Code/User Bit, Picture Profile, Creative Style, Picture Effect, Rec Control, Dual Video Rec, Marker Setting, PAL/NTSC Selector
Color space xvYCC standard (x.v.Color when connected via HDMI cable) compatible with TRILUMINOS™ Color
Clean HDMI output Clean HDMI output NTSC: 3,840 x 2,160 (30p/24p) / 1,920 x 1,080 (60p/24p) / 1,920 x 1,080 (60i), YCbCr 4:2:2 8 bit / RGB 8 bit
PAL: 3,840 x 2,160 (25p) / 1,920 x 1,080 (50p) / 1,920 x 1,080 (50i), YCbCr 4:2:2 8 bit/ RGB 8 bit
Media Media Memory Stick PRO Duo, Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo, Memory Stick Micro (M2), SD memory card, SDHC memory card (UHS-I compliant), SDXC memory card (UHS-I compliant), microSD memory card, microSDHC memory card, microSDXC memory card
Slot Multi slot for Memory Stick Duo / SD memory card
Noise reduction Noise reduction Long exposure NR: On/Off, available at shutter speeds longer than 1 sec.
High ISO NR: Normal / Low / Off selectable
Multi Frame NR Auto/ISO 100 to 102400
White balance Modes Auto WB / Daylight / Shade / Cloudy / Incandescent / Fluorescent (Warm White / Cool White / Day White / Daylight) / Flash / Color Temperature (2,500 to 9,900K) & Color Filter (G7 to M7: 57steps, A7 to B7: 29steps) / Custom / Underwater
AWB micro adjustment G7 to M7 (57 steps), A7 to B7 (29 steps)
Bracketing 3 frames, H/L selectable
Focus system Type Fast Hybrid AF (phase-detection AF / contrast-detection AF)
Focus point 35 mm full frame: 399 points (phase-detection AF)
APS-C: 357 points (phase-detection AF) / 25 points (contrast-detection AF)
Sensitivity range EV -2 to EV 20 (at ISO 100 equivalent with F2.0 lens attached)
AF modes Automatic AF (AF-A), Single-shot AF (AF-S), Continuous AF (AF-C), Direct Manual Focus (DMF), Manual Focus
Focus area Wide (399 points for phase-detection AF / 25 points for contrast-detection AF) / Center / Flexible Spot (S/M/L) / Zone / Expand Flexible Spot / Lock-on AF (Wide / Zone / Center / Flexible Spot (S/M/L) / Expand Flexible Spot)
Other features Lock-on AF, Eye AF, Predictive control, Focus lock; Eye-start AF and AF micro adjustment (both only available with optional LA-EA2 or LA-EA4 attached), AF illuminator (built-in, LED type, range: Approx. 0.30–3 m), AF ON
Exposure control Metering type 1200-zone evaluative metering
Metering sensor Exmor R CMOS sensor
Metering sensitivity EV -3 to EV 20 (at ISO 100 equivalent with F2.0 lens attached)
Metering modes Multi-segment, Center-weighted, Spot
Exposure modes AUTO (iAUTO, Superior Auto), Programmed AE (P), Aperture priority (A), Shutter-speed priority (S), Manual (M), Scene Selection, Sweep Panorama, Movie
Scene Selection Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Sports Action, Sunset, Night Portrait, Night Scene, Hand-held Twilight, Anti Motion Blur
Exposure compensation +/-5.0 EV (in 1/3 EV or 1/2 EV steps), with exposure compensation dial: +/-3.0 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
AE bracketing Bracket: Single/Bracket: Cont., 3/5/9 frames selectable. With 3 or 5 frames, in 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 1.0, 2.0 or 3.0 EV increments, with 9 frames, in 1/3, 1/2, 2/3 or 1.0 EV increments.
AE lock Available with AE lock button. Locked when shutter button is pressed halfway. Can be disabled from the Menu.
ISO sensitivity (Recommended Exposure Index) Still images: ISO 100-25600 (expandable to ISO 50-102400 for shooting still images), AUTO (ISO 100-6400, selectable lower limit and upper limit)
Movies: ISO 100-25600 equivalent, AUTO (ISO 100-6400 equivalent, selectable lower limit and upper limit)
Viewfinder Type XGA OLED, 1.3 cm (0.5 type) electronic viewfinder (color)
Total number of dots 2,359,296 dots
Brightness control Auto/Manual (5 steps between -2 and +2)
Color temperature control Manual (5 steps)
Field coverage 100%
Magnification Approx. 0.78x (with 50 mm lens at infinity, -1 m-1)
Diopter adjustment -4.0 to +3.0 m-1
Eye point Approx. 23 mm from the eyepiece lens, 18.5 mm from the eyepiece frame at -1 m-1 (CIPA standard)
Display Graphic Display / Display All Info. / No Disp. Info. / Histogram / Digital Level Gauge
Real-time image-adjustment display On/Off
LCD screen Type 7.5 cm (3.0 type) TFT drive
Total number of dots 1,228,800 dots
Brightness control Manual (5 steps between -2 and +2), Sunny Weather mode
Adjustable Angle Up approx. 107 degrees, down approx. 41 degrees
Display selector (Finder/LCD) Auto/Manual
Display Graphic Display / Display All Info. / No Disp. Info. / Histogram / Digital Level Gauge / Shooting information for viewfinder mode
Real-time image-adjustment display On/Off
Zebra Yes
Peaking MF Yes (Level setting: High/Mid/Low/Off, Color: White/Red/Yellow)
Other features Face detection On / On (Regist. Faces) / Off, Face registration, Face selection (Max. number of detectable faces: 8)
Auto Object Framing Yes
Clear Image Zoom Still/Movie: Approx. 2x
Digital zoom Smart zoom (still images) M: Approx. 1.5x, S: Approx. 2.0x
Digital zoom (still images) Approx. 4x
Digital zoom (movies) Approx. 4x
PlayMemories Camera Apps Yes
Lens compensation Peripheral shading, chromatic aberration, distortion
Shutter Type Electronically controlled, vertical-traverse, focal-plane type
Shutter speed Still images: 1/8000 to 30 sec., Bulb
Movies: 1/8000 to 1/4 (1/3 step)
NTSC: Up to 1/60 in AUTO mode (up to 1/30 in Auto Slow Shutter mode)
PAL: Up to 1/50 in AUTO mode (up to 1/25 in Auto Slow Shutter mode)
Flash sync. speed 1/250 sec.
Electronic front curtain shutter Yes, On/Off
Silent Shooting Yes, On/Off
SteadyShot INSIDE (image stabilization) Type Image Sensor-Shift mechanism with 5-axis compensation (Compensation depends on lens specifications)
Compensation effect 4.5 steps (Based on CIPA standard. Pitch/yaw shake only. With Sonnar T* FE 55 mm F1.8 ZA lens mounted. Long exposure NR off)
Flash Control (with optional external flash) Control Pre-flash TTL
Flash compensation +/-3.0 EV (switchable between 1/3 and 1/2 EV steps)
Flash bracketing 3/5/9 frames selectable. With 3 or 5 frames, in 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 EV increments, with 9 frames, in 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 1.0 EV increments.
Flash modes Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction (On/Off selectable), Hi-speed sync*1, Wireless*1
External flash Sony α System Flash compatible with Multi Interface Shoe. Attach the shoe adaptor for flash compatible with Auto-lock Accessory Shoe.
FE level lock Yes
Drive Drive modes Single shooting, Continuous shooting, Self-timer, Self-timer (Cont.), Bracketing (Cont., Single, White Balance, DRO)
Self-timer 10 sec. delay/5 sec. delay/2 sec. delay/Continuous self-timer (3 frames after 10 sec. delay/5 frames after 10 sec. delay/3 frames after 5 sec. delay/5 frames after 5 sec. delay/3 frames after 2 sec. delay/5 frames after 2 sec. delay)/Bracketing self-timer (Off/2 sec. delay/5 sec. delay/10 sec. delay)
Speed (approx., max.)*2 Continuous shooting Hi: Max. 5fps, Continuous shooting Lo: Max. 2.5fps
No. of recordable frames*2 (approx.) Continuous shooting Hi: 24 frames (JPEG Extra Fine L), 30 frames (JPEG Fine L), 37 frames (JPEG Standard L), 23 frames (RAW), 22 frames (RAW & JPEG)
Playback Modes Single (with or without shooting information, Y RGB histogram & highlight/shadow warning), 9/25-frame index view, Enlarged display mode (Maximum magnification L: 24.9x, M: 16.2x, S: 9.4x), Auto Review (10/5/2 sec, off), Image orientation (Auto/Manual/Off selectable), Slideshow, Panorama scrolling, Folder selection (Still / Date / MP4 / AVCHD / XAVC S HD / XAVC S 4K), Forward/Rewind (Movie), Delete, Protect
Interface PC interface Mass-storage, MTP, PC remote
Multi/Micro USB Terminal Yes*3
Wireless LAN (built-in) Wi-Fi Compatible, IEEE802.11b/g/n (2.4GHz band)*4
Playback of still images and movies on smartphones, PCs and TVs
NFC™ Yes (NFC Forum Type 3 Tag compatible, One-touch remote, One-touch sharing)
HD output HDMI micro connector (Type-D), BRAVIA Sync (link menu), PhotoTV HD, 4K still image playback
Multi Interface Shoe Yes
Others Auto-lock Accessory Shoe compatible with supplied shoe adaptor, Microphone terminal (3.5 mm Stereo minijack), Headphone terminal (3.5 mm Stereo minijack), Vertical Grip Connector
Audio Microphone Built-in stereo microphone or ECM-XYST1M / XLR-K2M (sold separately)
Speaker Built-in, monaural
Print Compatible standards Exif Print, Print Image Matching III, DPOF setting
Custom function Type Custom key settings, Programmable setting
Memory function Yes (2 sets)
Power Battery Rechargeable battery pack NP-FW50
Still images Approx. 290 shots (viewfinder) / approx. 340 shots (LCD screen) (CIPA standard)
Movies Actual*5*6: Approx. 50 min. with viewfinder, approx. 55 min. with LCD screen (CIPA standard)
Continuous*5*7: Approx. 95 min. with viewfinder, approx. 95 min. with LCD screen (CIPA standard)
External power AC Adaptor AC-PW20 (optional)
Operating temperature Range 32–104°F/0–40°C

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