When the Sony A7 and A7R were introduced in October of 2013, mirrorless enthusiasts and professionals everywhere were thrilled. The A7 series was the first mirrorless interchangable lens camera with a full-frame sensor to hit the market, and it accomplished this along attractive features that appealed to professionals and experienced enthusiasts alike.
18 months later, and two more additions to the lineup, Sony has refined the A7 cameras in a way that assures photographers that the system is here to stay. There is a Sony A7 camera that fits nicely into every style of shooting, and I’ll be exploring the differences between the three most current bodies in the lineup: the A7II, the A7S, and the A7R.
Overview
The A7R is the oldest of the bunch, as it was was released alongside the original A7 in October of 2013. Its claim to fame is the monstrous 36.3 megapixel sensor — the highest resolution sensor in any mirrorless camera to date. This put the A7R in line (or above) many professional DSLR cameras, and had a lot of people wondering if it was finally the time to make the switch to a mirrorless system. Less than a year later, Sony unveiled the A7S — an interesting departure from the A7R and a departure from the camera industry’s obsession with megapixels.
This camera houses just a 12.2 megapixel sensor, but with two significant selling points: the lower resolution allowed for bigger individual pixels for increased low light performance; and Sony now marketed the A7 as the ideal camera for video with included support for Ultra HD 4K.
Lastly, we have the fresh-faced A7 II, which was introduced in November of 2014. This is an evolution of the original A7 camera, and houses a 24.2 megapixel sensor. It is the first A7 camera to deviate from the original body housing with a newly styled exterior, updated ergonomics, and a larger grip. The real game-changer for the A7II was its inclusion of a 5-axis sensor-shift image stablization system — a feature that photographers have asked for since the introduction of the A7 cameras.
Apart from the image-stabilization system and updated ergonomics, the majority of the A7II is heldover from the original A7, with the exception of a few tweaks to improve autofocusing speed and some minor image processing changes. The sensor is identical to the one in the A7 but that should not be considered a downside — why mess with a good thing, after all?
Ergonomics & Handling
The bodies of the A7R and A7S are identical in every way, with the exception of the logo on the front. Button, control, and port layout and functionality are the same between the two, so I will refer to them as the A7R/S for the remainder of this section.
Ergonomics are a large part of what was changed with the A7II. Gone is the shiny black finish of the A7R/S — it has been replaced with a matte, almost ruggedized finish that feels sturdy and teriffic in the hand. The grip has also been made larger and more sculped, to fall closer in line with what you might find on a DSLR. Depending on your hand size, it may be difficult to decide which grip feels better, but I found that both of them were comfortable without strain and offered a confident grasp of the cameras without any fear of slipping or dropping.
The top of the A7R/S and A7II are very similar, but there are a few key differences to take note of. Both cameras offer the same “squishy” shutter release, reminiscent of those found on high end DSLRs, but the A7II has moved the shutter from the top of the body to the top of the grip. While this feels more natural to me, I’ve spoken to a few photographers that actually preferred the old design, so this may fall within the purview of personal preference.
The A7II adds a second custom button to the right of the mode dial — that button, along with the other three on the rear, are completely customizable. This is where it’s clear that Sony is catering to the power-user with these cameras.
Nearly every button or dial on either of the cameras can be set to control just about anything you’d like. I’ve never seen another camera as infinitely customizable as these. The rear of the A7R/S and A7II are mostly identical. The 4-way rotating switch, with a programmable custom button in the middle is a welcome and intuitive feature, and the 921k dot 3″ tilting LCD is flexible and beautiful to look at.
Image Quality & High ISO Performance
Comparing the image quality of these three cameras is a lot like comparing three fine wines. They’re all impressive, but the one you decide on depends heavily on how you intend to use it. I shot extensively with all three, and came away with some important initial observations that may help clarify the differences between the three.
LOW LIGHT COMPARISON GRAPHIC
First and foremost, the A7R’s 36.3 megapixel sensor is an absolute monster. Not only is it a tremendous amount of resolution, but Sony has chosen to do without the anti-aliasing filter on this camera. The AA filter is essentially a slight blurring filter that is used to prevent moire or aliasing on finely detailed patterns, at the cost of sharpness, albeit a minor amount. However, with recent sensor and lens developments, it’s becoming increasingly common to do away with this filter entirely, resulting in stunningly sharp images. The A7R is no exception to this, and I found that when paired with excellent glass like the Zeiss 55mm f1.8 that I
tested, you can achieve unbelievable levels of detail. That much resolution also gives you quite a bit of leeway when it comes to cropping in post-production. While I always advocate getting the composition right in the camera, having 36.3 megapixels to play around with afterward means you can get awfully creative with your crops and still have more than enough
resolution left over. Cropped images from this camera looked every bit as good as the original, and retained the detail and almost clinical clarity that is so wonderful about the files to begin with.
High ISO performance is commendable, particularly considering the incredibly high resolution of this sensor. Noise starts in at around ISO 1600, but images are perfectly usable up to ISO 3200. ISO 6400 shows quite a bit of noise but the images retain detail well. Noise increases and detail smudges steadily all the way to the maximum ISO of 25,600. I’d be perfectly comfortable shooting this camera at ISO 3200 or 6400 with some noise reduction in post production.
Next up, we have the A7S. As I mentioned previously, this camera was created with low-light in mind. Lowering the native resolution means the pixels can be larger, thus collecting more light with less gain. Less gain means less noise. The result is almost shocking high ISO performance, with a maximum ISO of 409,600. When paired with a moderately fast lens, this camera can shoot in just about any light, or lack thereof.
Images taken up to ISO 6400 are perfectly clean, with little noise. Crank it up to ISO 12,800 and you start to see some noise creep in, but details are retained nicely. ISO 25,600 is only slightly noisier, but still reasonably detailed and perfectly usable. It’s not until you get into the extreme end of the range, like ISO 102,400, that you start to come up with quite a bit of noise and detail smudging. ISO 409,600 is unusable for photographic purposes, but it does work and it’s absolutely stunning to see.
The A7II is an interesting camera in the lineup, because the sensor falls perfectly in between the other two in terms of resolution. The 24.3 megapixel sensor is a holdover from the original A7, but it’s nothing to shake a stick at. Images from this sensor are sharp and detailed, and 24.3 megapixels does give you some wiggle room in terms of cropping in post production. When paired with quality glass, the sensor renders colors beautifully, and particularly excels at skin tones.
The A7II does not have the unbelievable ISO range of the A7S, but it does have on-sensor 5-axis image stabilization that allows you to take very steady shots at a much lower shutter speed. Sony promises up to 4.5-stops of stabilization, and I’m inclined to believe it. I was able to take perfectly sharp images hand-held down to ¼ sec (woah!) and occasionally even slower if I controlled my breathing properly. The stabilization is implemented well and is invisible to the user unless you need to tweak it. As a street photographer, a feature like this goes a long way when it comes to shooting hand-held in low light.
Images from the A7II are very clear and usable up to around ISO 6400, with quite a bit of noise creeping in around ISO 10,000. Images at ISO 12,800 are noisy, but details are retained very well and I would still consider the images usable if you absolutely needed them. Things gradually start to fall apart above ISO 12,800 all the way to the maximum of ISO 25,600. It is important to note though, that if you’re shooting handheld, the 5-axis image stabilization can help you keep your ISO lower than you would otherwise be able to.
Video
All three cameras will record 1080p video at 60p, recording in AVCHD with stereo sound. They all have built-in stereo microphones, as well as a stereo microphone input and a headphone monitoring jack. While all three cameras do a commendable job at taking video, the A7S is the camera that truly shines in this territory. The A7S will shoot Ultra HD 4K video, and output it to an external recorder through a clean HDMI monitoring port. Not only that, but the A7S also includes picture profile capability, with a “flat” S-LOG2 profile that is highly desired by videographers. The inclusion of this feature makes it clear that Sony intended the A7S to be the camera for videographers.
In Use
In use, all three cameras performed admirably and were an absolute joy to shoot with. The electronic viewfinder on all three is gorgeous, and I never found myself missing the optical viewfinders that I’ve long been accustomed to. Autofocus on all three cameras was extremely quick and responsive with the Zeiss 55 f1.8 lens I was using, although I’d give a slight edge to the A7II thanks to some newer sensor tweaks that help speed things up.
These are some of the most customizable cameras I’ve ever shot with, and I had quite a bit of fun getting them set up exactly how it felt comfortable to me. Fortunately, all the customizable controls are within easy reach and are generally simple to use without looking.
Conclusion
Sony has done something amazing with the A7 lineup of cameras. They are so small and light that I needed to continue reminding myself that I was shooting a camera with a full frame sensor inside — something that was nothing but a pipe dream only a few years ago. The best partis that Sony has given photographers a brilliant lineup of choices that allow us to pick what works best for what we shoot. Each camera has its own strengths and plays to those very well, in a variety of circumstances where many others would fall short. If you’re serious about shooting video, and/or extreme low light photography (such as Milky Way astrophotography), then the A7S is the best camera in the lineup. The low-light performance is simply mind-blowing, and the extra video features put the A7S in a class of its own.
Throughout my time shooting with the A7R, I kept coming back to an analogy that I had come up with when it was first announced: The A7R is the pickup truck of the lineup. Not everybody needs 36.3 megapixels, but if you do need it, then you certainly know you need it, and this camera’s got you covered. It feels like an obvious winner for landscape photographers that print large and demand intense detail.
The A7II makes a great middle brother. It’s the A7 camera for everybody else. Whereas the other two are fairly specialized, the A7II does a great job at just about everything, and is an absolute joy to hold and use. The updated body style is comfortable and feels incredibly well-built, and the in-body image stabilization makes shooting hand-held quite a bit easier. This is the jack of all trades in the lineup, and a brilliantly designed update that shows Sony is as passionate about this system as we are.
