Sony Alpha A7 II First Impressions Review

Building off the strength of its E-mount NEX cousins, Sony's A7 family had three members. The A7R had a higher resolution sensor, and eschewed phase-detection autofocus in favor of sharpness. The A7S was all about getting the most low-light sensitivity out of a full-frame sensor, at the expense of resolution. Last but not least, the plain ol' A7 served as the Goldilocks of the bunch, blending hybrid autofocus with just enough resolution and continuous shooting speed.

But as we noted at the time, these were clearly first-gen products that didn't quite stick it to DSLRs in the way we all hoped they would. While the luxury of a full-frame sensor in a small body was a knockout feature, the overall experience was undermined by niggles and faults sprinkled here and there. Oddly placed control dials were a tad annoying, and the location of the shutter button was less than ideal.

Well, it looks like Sony's been taking notes. The A7 II (MSRP $1,699.99) is no half-hearted follow-up, shoring up everything we loved about the original while addressing many of the its shortcomings head-on. We've got our review sample in-house, and before we get to lab testing, here are our initial thoughts.

Design & Usability

Tipping the scales in favor of function

The first-gen A7 cameras were a statement that photographers really could have it all. Once exclusive to bulky DSLRs, Sony's 35mm imagers found a far sexier home inside svelte mirrorless cameras. Without a large grip, mirrorbox, or legacy concerns, Sony was free to make a mirrorless camera that no other company had attempted to build.

That's great on paper, but let's face it: those models were borderline anorexic. Hear us out—we loved shooting with the A7 and its brethren, but one look at some of the larger FE-mount lenses on Sony's roadmap struck fear into our hearts. You can't have a teeny tiny camera hanging off of a big telephoto and expect it to handle like a champ.

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Other ergonomic issues also plagued the user experience. While Sony adapted a strong, austere aesthetic, the A7 misplaced some critical controls and for some, it just didn't seem like a cohesive whole in usage. Overall, it was a much nicer camera to look at than it was to use for any serious shooting.

Happily, the A7 II retains a compact profile while fixing most of the problems we encountered with the original. Sporting a new, matte magnesium finish, an improved grip, and wonderfully tactile front and rear control dials, it more than makes up for the sins of the father.

Let's talk about that comfy grip for a second: it's where the shutter button, power switch, and front control dial all live, so it's a crucial aspect of this reworked design. Thankfully, it's an ergonomic step-up from the stubby, A6000-style grip on previous models. On the camera's top side, there's the mode dial, exposure compensation dial, and two well-placed custom buttons. While the custom buttons are identically shaped and side-by-side, a raised partition between them will help you keep them straight.

The rear control layout is basically identical to the A7, A7S, and A7R. In our eyes, that's a good thing. The only remaining worry is the placement of the menu button, which continues to defy logic. However, the Fn menu button, (which, we admit, contains most of the mission-critical controls you really would need) is very well-placed, indeed.

Despite all the great ergonomic differences, not much has changed otherwise. You still get an excellent EVF, a tilting 3-inch LCD, and a separate SD card compartment. Sony has improved the A7 II, without altering the original idea too much. The biggest addition is one you can't see from the outside...

Features

Four little words mean worlds of change.

In the camera market, Sony's legacy was acquired, not inherited. With the purchase of Konica Minolta's camera department, Sony took ownership of the storied A-mount, which its SLT cameras continue to use.

Even though the mirrorless E-mount is incompatible with the older Konica Minolta system, there's still some of that Minolta DNA in there, if you know where to look. In the A7II, it's manifested itself in the form of a new in-body image stabilization system that's one of the most advanced in the world.

Konica Minolta was one of the first companies to pioneer IBIS (then called Anti-Shake, now marketed as SteadyShot), and Sony continued their work. Pentax and Olympus are the only other companies who have leveraged this unique idea, with Olympus's 5-axis system providing the most comprehensive protection against jostles and shakes. Moreover, we noticed that it's eerily quiet, making it useful even when shooting video.

The A7 II features 5-axis image stabilization, so you get at least 3-axes of protection, even when using adapted legacy lenses. Luckily the axes are pitch, yaw, and roll—the x and y correction you miss out on are less significant in the scheme of things. Overnight, Sony has transformed what was already a highly adaptable camera into the ultimate way to revive your vintage glass. We'll be doing a deeper dive into the image stabilization system in our full review.

IBIS aside, the A7 II is more about subtle refinements to the A7's balanced blueprint. You still get a really nice 24-megapixel sensor that should be at least as good as last year's. Battery life has been bumped up a few shots overall, but as far as we can tell so far, the A7 II still depletes Li-ion batteries at an alarming rate. The battery pack is the same measly one that we learned to treat with kid gloves in the A7 (the A7S even comes with two of them, if that isn't a tell-tale sign that Sony knows it's too small).

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Sony has revamped the focusing system in the A7 II, and we see some functionality that we really like here. Ripped from the A6000, the A7 II's hybrid focusing algorithm is supposed to be quicker overall, better at tracking and features an improved Lock-on AF mode. Sony told us that with some moving objects, the A7 II continuously tracks whatever it's locked on to, but we didn't get great results with subjects jumping on a trampoline. It is nice, however, that the camera will give you a visual indication of which AF points are active (there's 117 points) when using continuous AF, displaying moving squares over which subject is being followed.

If there's one feature we hoped would carry over from the previous cameras, it's the electronic shutter mode found in the A7S. Sadly, the A7 II doesn't include this feature, and we have to guess that it's due to the IBIS system. The only other mirrorless cameras that have a full electronic shutter option (like the Panasonic GH4 and the Fujifilm X100T) don't have in-body stabilization, so it may well be a technical limitation.

Video continues to be a less important concern in the regular A7, as it still only shoots ordinary 1080/60p HD video at 50 Mbps using the XAVC S codec. We were really hoping to see 4K video in this version of the camera, but it sounds like the image stabilization system required the overall system to be more efficient, and it might deplete the battery much too quickly if higher-resolution video came along for the ride.

Conclusion

Onwards and upwards for full-frame mirrorless!

The A7 II is a camera with the same general purpose as its predecessor—it's still the best balance of performance and speed in the A7 lineup—but whose purpose is renewed and honed. Sony managed to cram in an impressive image stabilization system that's perfect for adapted lenses. Between that and the changes to the camera's build quality, button layout, and ergonomics, the A7 II is a clear overall improvement to a quality product.

With the direct competition still clinging to their old ways, there's little doubt that Sony will continue to offer what other simply can't at this juncture. This keeps Sony's A7 ahead of the curve, and not just by a little bit, but by a whole heck of a lot. By offering up the level of image quality that pros require without the bulk, the A7 II makes the proposition even more tempting than ever before. Unless you're a dedicated sports shooter (or a serious videographer who prefers to shoot 4K), the Sony A7 II might finally be solid enough to lure you into Sony's most exciting camera system yet.

Check back soon for our full review, including the results of our lab tests and analysis of the A7 II's image stabilization system.