New Release: Sony A7 Mk II
Enhanced Grip Design

New Release: Sony A7 Mk II

Well, Sony is a creative company and always come out the innovative product. A few days ago, the newly announced product in Japan became a hot topic on the web again. What is it? It is the new Sony Mirrorless Full-frame camera – Sony A7 II! Why is it so hot debating this time? It is because it finally has a function everyone is dreaming of – the 5-axis in-body image stabilization!

Let’s watch the official video first.

The Body

Sony claims the new 5-axis in-body stabilizer could provide up to 4.5 stops of image stabilization. It means the manufacturer can build a smaller and cheaper lens without an image stabilizer. When attaching a lens with an in-lens image stabilizer, the Sony A7II will optimize the stabilization mechanism to fully utilize both in-lens and in-body image stabilizers.

Sony A7 Mk II - Robust Magnesium Alloy Body
Robust Magnesium Alloy Body

Surprisingly, the new Sony A7 II is made of a magnesium alloy body. We may expect it to be as robust as the current Sony A7S and A7R. A few months ago, people found that the Sony A7 and A7S to have light bleeding issues during long exposure. It is likely due to the mount component issue. The new Sony A7 II now comes with a robust lens mount that can better support large and heavy lenses, and it should also address the light bleeding issue.

Sony A7 Mk II - Enhanced Grip Design
Enhanced Grip Design

Sony has refined the grip on Sony A7 II. Sony reallocates the shutter button and the front dial to the more accessible location. The video recording format is upgraded to the pro-quality XAVC S format with the S-Log2 gamma setting that we have seen on the Sony A7S too. However, the Sony A7 II is capable to record at Full HD instead of the 4K. It has the new Hybrid AF system that is 30% faster than its predecessor, and can shoot up to 5fps continuous AF/AE shooting with better focusing.

Summary

The Sony A7 II is selling at 189,880 yen in Japan and is not available to other countries yet. It is about USD 1,600 or SGD 2,100 by the currency conversion rate at the writing time.

Updated: Sony Singapore has Sony Days 2014 from 27 Nov 2014 to 04 Jan 2015, Sony A7 currently has a 20% discount while the Sony A7R and A7S have a 10% discount.

James Tan

James Tan is a Singapore-based professional photographer who shoots weddings, events, products, and cityscapes. Learn more about his works on his galleries. He shares his perspective on cameras, gadgets, and photography tips & tricks in his blog. You can follow him on his YouTube channel and Instagram.

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