Sony a7R vs Sony a7RII
– A Comparative Review. Reviewers Editor AL & Guest Reviewer Trisha Lim
Words by Editor AL, Behind the Scenes Photo by Koh Lye Huat.

Photo: Guest Reviewer Trisha Lim with Sony a7R MarkII and Editor AL with Sony a7R.
Photo by Koh Lye Huat.

19^th October 2015, Singapore – As the world are placing their curious attention on the newly launched Sony a7SII, Sony sent me the a7RII. By now, most of you already know how it works, but for the sake of those new to the a7 series cameras, the product line has 3 models namely the “7” (base model), “7R” (R is for resolution and the R always has high mega pixel) & “7S” (S is for sensitivity, which is why the S always features insane level of ISO). As for today, all the Mark II for the respective model is on the market now replacing the original first generation line up.

“The example above show little differences however we noted that the a7RII picks up light colors better.”

For this article, we are going to take a closer look at the Sony a7RII. Although some of our subscribers emailed us and ask us why Sony is not sending the a7SII to us, we are unable to answer this but probably Sony Singapore has other plans for us since we are always trying to compare how cameras work rather than paper specs which we are not exactly interested. So if you found your way here looking for reasons to buy the Sony a7RII, you are in the right place, if you are looking for really technical stuff, then too bad, wrong site for you. (giggles)

“The example above shows the power of having 42.2 megapixel – click on both the photos to see for yourself. We were blown away!”

We are going to refer the Sony a7R as “R” and the New Sony a7RII as “R2” for easier reading. Both cameras were set to the same settings during the review. And ALL images had been resized to 3000×2000 for easier loading. If you wish to view the full resolution image, please email us. Meantime, if you click on any of the photo in this article, you still get to view at full size of 3000×2000 – trust us, it’s already impressive.

So what has changed since the original R? Let’s take a quick glance. Both R & R2 still features super high resolution with the R2 featuring a new sensor with a higher megapixel now at 42.4 megapixel (the R has 36.4 megapixel) and ISO range has also gained a leap from 51200 to 102400. Autofocus remained the same with a 25 focus landing points working on contrast detection but the R2 gained an additional 399 points (virtual points) with phase detection. Frame per second (FPS) the R2 gained 1 more frame to 5 fps from the R’s 4fps. But probably the most welcome upgrade for the R2 will be the 5-axis in-body SteadyShot image stabilizer and as featured in all the MarkII of the Sony a7 series.

“The dynamic range at work. The R & R2 both promises good range and for those who likes to edit their photos, images from either R will promises you hours of fun.”

Other goodies that came with the R2 includes the ability to custom a minimum shutter speed and Auto ISO and it has the Continuous Eye-Focus. The R2 also came with expanded AF & Metering Sensitivity that allows 2 more minus stops, one more additional C4 button (the R has only 3) and a higher resolution EVF plus increased viewfinder magnification. For videographers, the R2 has 4K video recording now – the original R has HD only. With all that goodies, the R2 had gained a little weight over the R at 582gm which is minimal. There are more differences and upgrades from the R2 but what we had shared above were the things that matters to us.

“At the same setting, note the above images ended up with 2 different colors. The R2 gave us a more vibrant and more accurate color rendering.”

Just when we were planning how to review the Sony a7RII, we decided to bring along with us the original Sony A7R to Gardens by the Bay, Singapore which a Chrysanthemum displays are currently being exhibited. I roped in a buddy photographer and a regular guest gear reviewer Trisha Lim along for this review. Both the Sony a7R and the R2 were fitted with the same 28-70mm standard issue kit lens, same shooting settings and I shall the let photos do the talking which I had splashed across the whole article. Enjoy!

Further to the review above, I tool the Sony a7RII out for a walk, fitted with the Sony LA-EA4 along with an A-Mount 50mm lens.

Image: The New Sony a7RII fitted the Sony LA-EA4 adaptor with an A-mount prime lens.

Image: After a tight crop, details was retained. Click on the image to view.

Image: Need me to say more?

From the photos taken from both the R & R2, we noted on the many improvements that was “upgraded” – and we love it! While many purists will argue that resolution is not everything, it is something when you do a lot of cropping or printing large prints. In fact, we highly recommend that all creative agencies and media houses should have the Sony a7RII as standard issue. (Just don’t quote us! :)) While the world continues to marvel over the new Sony A7SII, do not forget the Sony a7RII that is quietly selling alongside with the rest of the a7 series camera. An a7 will always be an a7.

Special Thanks to Sony Singapore once again for the a7RII!
Thanks Trisha LIM for agreeing to be the guest reviewer and Koh Lye Huat for the cover photo for this review!

About Sony Electronics (Singapore) & Sony South East Asia
Sony Electronics (Singapore) was established on 1st October 1999 with business activities comprising engineering and manufacturing, sales and marketing, and logistics and information systems. As part of Sony Electronics (Singapore), Sony South East Asia is responsible for the marketing and sales of consumer products in Singapore, as well as for business and professional products in Singapore and other countries in the South East Asia region. It also handles export business for consumer products from Singapore to various parts of Asia. Since establishing our presence in Singapore in 1973, we have grown steadily over the years to become a leader in the consumer electronics market. For more information on Sony’s products and services in Singapore, please visit http://www.sony.com.sg/

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