MUST READ! Great A7rII tests by electrical engineer Kasson!

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We saw plenty of bloggers and photographers posting their Sony A7rII tests. But it’s time now to get a feedback form a different kind of reviewer. What does electrical engineer Kasson think about the new Sony camera? His principal research area for those six years was color management, color processing for digital photography, and color transformations such as gamut mapping. And these are damn great and must-rad articles you have to click on:

a7RII read noise spectra at high ISO settings (Kasson).
Nikon D810 vs Sony a7RII dark-field noise (Kasson).
a7rII read noise vs shutter speed (Kasson).
Sony a7RII self-heating (Kasson).
a7RII read noise with EFCS on and off, plus silent, continuous (Kasson).

 

A7rII preorder list:
In USA: at Amazon, BHphoto, AdoramaSonyStore US, FocusCamera, Uniquephoto.
In Europe at Sony DEUK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT. Wex UK.
In Asia at Digitalrev, CameraPro.

A7rII case:
Gariz leather case in [shoplink 39113 ebay]Black (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39108 ebay]Camel (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39110 ebay]Orange (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39111 ebay]Brown (Click here)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 39112 ebay]Red (Click here)[/shoplink]. Also available on Amazon US (Click here).
Gariz Alcantara case in [shoplink 39094 ebay]Black (Click here)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 39095 ebay]Red (Click here)[/shoplink]. Also available on Amazon US (Click here).
Lim’s case in [shoplink 39107 ebay]Black (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39102 ebay]Brown (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39103 ebay]Red (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39104 ebay]Yellow (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39105 ebay]Navy Blue (Click here)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 39106 ebay]Khaki (Click here)[/shoplink]. Also available on Amazon US (Click here).

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Both Zeiss Loxia lenses now in Stock at Bhphoto! Zeiss Batis and Sony A7rII waiting list is 2-3 weeks.

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Loxia_35_50

This is the first time I see both Loxia lenses in Stock at the same time. You can have them at BHphoto:
Loxia 35mm lens (Click here).
Loxia 50mm lens (Click here).

But you still have to wait to get the new Zeiss Batis lenses and the Sony A7rII. Next US Stock is scheduled to arrive in 2-3 weeks.

Batis store links:
Zeiss Batis 85mm f/1.8 lens in US at Adorama, Bhphoto. In Eu at Amazon DE, WexUK. In Asia at Digitalrev.
Zeiss Batis 25mm f/2.0 lens at Adorama, Bhphoto. In EU at Amazon DE, WexUK. In Asia at Digitalrev.

A7rII preorder list:
In USA: at Amazon, BHphoto, AdoramaSonyStore US, FocusCamera, Uniquephoto.
In Europe at Sony DEUK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT. Wex UK.
In Asia at Digitalrev, CameraPro.

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New A7rII news roundup (M-mount test by Nick Frank, Video review by EosHD, Low Light test by Cinema5D)

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A7rII_really_right_stuff

Brian sent us that picture to prove the Really Right Stuff L-bracket for A7II also fits the A7R II. Also the Sunwayphoto plate works on the A7rII (here at Amazon). And I guess this means all A7II L-bracket you can find on [shoplink 39200 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink] will work on the new A7rII too.

Nick Frank posted the very first detailed Sony A7r with M-mount lens test. You can download all the files at nickfrank.de. Would like to hear what you think about those images!

Cinema5D tested the video low light quality of the A7rII:

To my opinion, It is safe to work the Sony A7rII (for broadcast purposes) up to ISO 6400 with no problem. You can go higher risking some noise in your footage, but in some occasions it will be more than acceptable.

EosHD posted the first part of his A7rII review:

“The Sony A7R II is a fascinating camera and tons of fun to shoot with. When compared to cream of the crop from last year, the GH4, NX1 and A7S, the A7R II is overall the better all-round camera for both video and stills. Astounding 42MP photos, completely new sensor and internal 4K recording from a full frame sensor, despite heat issues.”

15 tips for getting the most out of your sony a7rii (Colby Brown).
Sony Alpha A7R II Sample 4K Video Footage (Thevideomode).
A7rII vs A7r by Digitaldigest on Youtube.
Focus test: Sony A7Rii / A7R ii with Tamron 24-70mm f2.8 VC lens and Metabones IV adapter by Wayne’s got G.A.S. on Youtube.

Tenbreaths sent me this: ”

Regarding the Chinese Lab A7rII test:  First of all, it’s a Chinese camera rental/repair agency that did the test in its lab.  The comparisons of dynamic range are actually charted:  Two examples
http://mmbiz.qpic.cn/1
http://mmbiz.qpic.cn/2
with the author conceding a “surprising” advantage for a sony camera over the d810 in terms of higher iso dynamic range performance.  But also noting that in the low iso performance area so key to landscape photographers, d810 is still king.
Of course the main issue is the long exposure color noise in the shadows which starts to appear at shutter speeds greater than 1 second, really become a problem beyond 10 seconds, and is like an unwelcome dose of LSD beyond 30 seconds.  The author demonstrates this by comparing pictures which have been adjusted +ev 5 for exposure and +100 for shadows in the shadow areas with d810, 5dsr, (and later on d800e, a7m2, and canon 6d).  This actually could be a significant issue for landscape lovers
http://mmbiz.qpic.cn/3
http://mmbiz.qpic.cn/4
http://mmbiz.qpic.cn/5
and these two charts below compare information/noise ratio after adjusting for the different total pixel sizes
http://mmbiz.qpic.cn/6
http://mmbiz.qpic.cn/7″

A7rII preorder list:
In USA: at Amazon, BHphoto, AdoramaSonyStore US, FocusCamera, Uniquephoto.
In Europe at Sony DEUK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT. Wex UK.
In Asia at Digitalrev, CameraPro.

A7rII case:
Gariz leather case in [shoplink 39113 ebay]Black (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39108 ebay]Camel (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39110 ebay]Orange (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39111 ebay]Brown (Click here)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 39112 ebay]Red (Click here)[/shoplink]. Also available on Amazon US (Click here).
Gariz Alcantara case in [shoplink 39094 ebay]Black (Click here)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 39095 ebay]Red (Click here)[/shoplink]. Also available on Amazon US (Click here).
Lim’s case in [shoplink 39107 ebay]Black (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39102 ebay]Brown (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39103 ebay]Red (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39104 ebay]Yellow (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39105 ebay]Navy Blue (Click here)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 39106 ebay]Khaki (Click here)[/shoplink]. Also available on Amazon US (Click here).

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A7rII aftermath. Jonathan asks: “A-Mount Loyalists…Will you switch?”

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Sometimes A-mount owners blame me for not reporting enough A-mount news. But the truth is there is simply little to tell yet. I rarely get A-mount rumors and as you have seen Sony did not introduce any new A-mount camera the last 15 months (and only two “updated” A-mount lenses). So here we are: Jonathan on SonyAlphaForum puts on table the big question: After the A7rII launch…A-Mount Loyalists…Will you switch?

I was a loyal A-mount user, waiting, and waiting for an update to my a99. The A7R2 was just too good to pass up, and the fact that I didn’t have to sell all my A-mount lenses was a bonus (still using my Sigma fisheye and 500mm, and Zeiss 135 f/1.8). So, money not being an issue, why would an A-mount user not cross over to FE at this point?

So here is the poll:

There are cameras that are very likely to come (like the A9III, A7cII) and much less likely (A7000, medium format). But let us know what is on top of your 2023 wishlist?

View Results

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A7rII preorder list:
In USA: at Amazon, BHphoto, AdoramaSonyStore US, FocusCamera, Uniquephoto.
In Europe at Sony DEUK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT. Wex UK.
In Asia at Digitalrev, CameraPro.

A7rII case:
Gariz leather case in [shoplink 39113 ebay]Black (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39108 ebay]Camel (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39110 ebay]Orange (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39111 ebay]Brown (Click here)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 39112 ebay]Red (Click here)[/shoplink]. Also available on Amazon US (Click here).
Gariz Alcantara case in [shoplink 39094 ebay]Black (Click here)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 39095 ebay]Red (Click here)[/shoplink]. Also available on Amazon US (Click here).
Lim’s case in [shoplink 39107 ebay]Black (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39102 ebay]Brown (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39103 ebay]Red (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39104 ebay]Yellow (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39105 ebay]Navy Blue (Click here)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 39106 ebay]Khaki (Click here)[/shoplink]. Also available on Amazon US (Click here).

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Bart (Ex LeicaBoss.com): “The A7RII is probably now the world’s best M-mount camera.”

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My friend and M-mount expert Bart from the now offline site Leica Boss sent me this:

The A7RII is probably now the world’s best M-mount camera. I can report that The [shoplink 39161 ebay]Leica Summicron 35mm f/2[/shoplink] and [shoplink 39162 ebay]Zeiss ZM 18mm f/4[/shoplink] both work beautifully on the A7rII. Both struggled greatly with the original A7 cameras. The corner smearing & color shifts have been all but eliminated.
I had a few moments to test each lens at a demo yesterday – and really the only limitations now are the lenses themselves. The “wide open” shots appear to only show the natural aberrations of the lenses, rather than any sensor-produced issues.
Of curse, these pictures are nothing special – but are well enough to understand that we have a real winner for Leica shooters. Unbelievable! Link to images and post:
https://plus.google.com/106990676031669199820/posts/XFcskarmgTM

New A7rII test/news roundup:
Sony A7R II Initial Impressions and Sample Images (SLRlounge).
Real-world samples from Portland (Dpreview).
Field Charging the In-Camera Battery (Diglloyd).
First Look by Movetomirrorless.
Image samples by Reality Scanner.
Sony A7RM2 and a Model Photographer (Blandfordstudios).
A7Rii first impressions thread (incl RAW downloads) at SonyAlphaForum.
Testing out the Sony A7R II with as many native lenses as possible…(Photographyblog).
Ten great new settings on sony a7rii (Brian Smith).
A7rii and zeiss 55 1.8 giving me strange focus jitters? (SonyAlphaForum).

I also got an anonymous (and therefore non reliable) info from a Chinese reader which would be quite worrying if true:

hello, a chinese test lab just tested the A7rII sensor today, they use the same method but different standard compare to DXOmark, more reliable and more practical
the dynamic range doesn’t have much improvement, about 0.1EV better than A7r, still around 2/3 stop less than nikon D810, D810 is still the DR king
the real problem is, due to overheating of the BSI and more heats from stabilization system. the DR can go down extremely bad in long exposure.
in a 30s exposure test, the A7rII is even worse than canon 5dsr
so if turn on the camera and turn on stabilization for too long, long exposure, and using too much burst,can all cause serious drop in image quality

But I seriously doubt the info here is correct. Also because the real world image samples we have seen so far are of superb quality.

A7rII preorder list:
In USA: at Amazon, BHphoto, AdoramaSonyStore US, FocusCamera, Uniquephoto.
In Europe at Sony DEUK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT. Wex UK.
In Asia at Digitalrev, CameraPro.

A7rII case:
Gariz leather case in [shoplink 39113 ebay]Black (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39108 ebay]Camel (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39110 ebay]Orange (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39111 ebay]Brown (Click here)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 39112 ebay]Red (Click here)[/shoplink]. Also available on Amazon US (Click here).
Gariz Alcantara case in [shoplink 39094 ebay]Black (Click here)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 39095 ebay]Red (Click here)[/shoplink]. Also available on Amazon US (Click here).
Lim’s case in [shoplink 39107 ebay]Black (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39102 ebay]Brown (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39103 ebay]Red (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39104 ebay]Yellow (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39105 ebay]Navy Blue (Click here)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 39106 ebay]Khaki (Click here)[/shoplink]. Also available on Amazon US (Click here).

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