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Sony A7S II Comparison Review

The Sony Alpha 7S II is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that was announced in September 2015 and is equipped with a full frame sensor. It offers a resolution of 12 megapixel.

camera

Is the Sony A7S II a good camera? The A7S II has a Camera Elo of 2249. This rating puts the A7S II below average of all mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (full frame cameras), the A7S II also ranks below average. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 2.5-star performance rating. – Well, the Sony A7S II is more than 9 years old, and there have been many other good digital cameras released since 2015.

Headline Specifications
Sony A7S II
Mirrorless system camera
Sony E mount lenses
12 MP, Full Frame Sensor
4K/30p Video
ISO 100 - 102 400 (50 - 409 600)
Electronic viewfinder (2400k dots)
3.0 LCD, 1229k dots
Tilting screen (no touchscreen)
5 shutter flaps per second
In-body stabilization
Weathersealed body
370 shots per battery charge
127 x 96 x 60 mm, 627 g

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

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Body comparison with a credit card

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size of the Sony A7S II vis-à-vis a credit card. Three consecutive views from the front, the top, and the rear side are shown. All width, height and depth measures are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

Sony A7S II vs credit card front
A7S II versus credit card top view
A7S II and credit card rear side

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Sony A7S II alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

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Body Specifications
    Camera
Model
Camera
Width
Camera
Height
Camera
Depth
Camera
Weight
Battery
Life
Weather
Sealing
Camera
Launch
Launch
Price
Street
Price
1.
 
Sony A7S II 127 mm 96 mm 60 mm 627 g 370 Y Sep 2015 US$ 2 999ebay.com
2.
 
Sony A7 II 127 mm 96 mm 60 mm 599 g 350 Y Nov 2014 US$ 1 999ebay.com
3.
 
Sony A7 IV 131 mm 96 mm 80 mm 659 g 580 Y Oct 2021 US$ 2 499 amazon.com
4.
 
Sony A7R II 127 mm 96 mm 60 mm 625 g 290 Y Jun 2015 US$ 3 199ebay.com
5.
 
Sony A7R III 127 mm 96 mm 74 mm 650 g 650 Y Oct 2017 US$ 3 199ebay.com
6.
 
Sony A7R IIIA 127 mm 96 mm 74 mm 650 g 650 Y Apr 2021 US$ 3 199 amazon.com
7.
 
Sony A7R IV 129 mm 96 mm 78 mm 665 g 670 Y Jul 2019 US$ 3 499ebay.com
8.
 
Sony A7R IVA 129 mm 96 mm 78 mm 665 g 670 Y Apr 2021 US$ 3 499 amazon.com
9.
 
Sony A7S 127 mm 94 mm 48 mm 489 g 380 Y Apr 2014 US$ 2 499ebay.com
10.
 
Sony A7S III 127 mm 97 mm 81 mm 699 g 600 Y Jul 2020 US$ 3 499 amazon.com
11.
 
Sony A99 II 143 mm 104 mm 76 mm 849 g 490 Y Sep 2016 US$ 3 199ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Sony A7S II was launched in the US market at a price of $2,999. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

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Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The imaging sensor is at the core of digital cameras and its size is one of the main determining factors of image quality. All other things equal, a large sensor will have larger individual pixel-units that offer better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Moreover, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more control over depth-of-field in the image and, thus, the ability to better isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors are more costly to manufacture and tent to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Sony A7S II features a full frame sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.0. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Sony A7S II among the large-sensor cameras that aim for top notch image quality.

Sony A7S II sensor measures

Consistent information on actual sensor performance is available from DXO Mark for most cameras. This service determines an overall sensor rating, as well as sub-scores for low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and color depth ("DXO Portrait"). The table below summarizes the physical sensor characteristics and sensor quality findings and compares them across a set of similar cameras.

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Sensor Characteristics
    Camera
Model
Sensor
Class
Resolution
(MP)
Horiz.
Pixels
Vert.
Pixels
Video
Format
DXO
Portrait
DXO
Landscape
DXO
Sports
DXO
Overall
1.
 
Sony A7S II Full Frame 12.0 4240 28324K/30p23.613.3299385
2.
 
Sony A7 II Full Frame 24.0 6000 40001080/60p24.913.6244990
3.
 
Sony A7 IV Full Frame 32.7 7008 46724K/60p25.414.7337997
4.
 
Sony A7R II Full Frame 42.2 7952 53044K/30p26.013.9343498
5.
 
Sony A7R III Full Frame 42.2 7952 53044K/30p26.014.73523100
6.
 
Sony A7R IIIA Full Frame 42.2 7952 53044K/30p26.014.73523100
7.
 
Sony A7R IV Full Frame 60.2 9504 63364K/30p26.014.8334499
8.
 
Sony A7R IVA Full Frame 60.2 9504 63364K/30p26.014.8334499
9.
 
Sony A7S Full Frame 12.0 4240 28321080/60p23.913.2370287
10.
 
Sony A7S III Full Frame 12.0 4240 28324K/120p23.713.9252086
11.
 
Sony A99 II Full Frame 42.2 7952 53044K/30p25.413.4231792

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but can also record movies. The A7S II indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the A7S II can use is 4K/30p.

Feature comparison

Beyond body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the A7S II has an electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 2400k dots. The viewfinder offers a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.78x. The tables below summarize some of the other core capabilities of the Sony A7S II in connection with corresponding information for a sample of similar cameras.

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Core Features
    Camera
Model
Viewfinder
(Type or
000 dots)
Control
Panel
(yes/no)
LCD
Specifications
(inch/000 dots)
LCD
Attach-
ment
Touch
Screen
(yes/no)
Max
Shutter
Speed *
Max
Shutter
Flaps *
Built-in
Flash
(yes/no)
Built-in
Image
Stab
1.
 
Sony A7S II2400 n3.0 / 1229 tilting n 1/8000s 5.0/s n Y
2.
 
Sony A7 II2400 n3.0 / 1230 tilting n 1/8000s 5.0/s n Y
3.
 
Sony A7 IV3686 n3.0 / 1037 swivel Y 1/8000s 10.0/s n Y
4.
 
Sony A7R II2400 n3.0 / 1229 tilting n 1/8000s 5.0/s n Y
5.
 
Sony A7R III3686 n3.0 / 1440 tilting Y 1/8000s 10.0/s n Y
6.
 
Sony A7R IIIA3686 n3.0 / 2340 tilting Y 1/8000s 10.0/s n Y
7.
 
Sony A7R IV5760 n3.0 / 1440 tilting Y 1/8000s 10.0/s n Y
8.
 
Sony A7R IVA5760 n3.0 / 2340 tilting Y 1/8000s 10.0/s n Y
9.
 
Sony A7S2400 n3.0 / 921 tilting n 1/8000s 5.0/s n n
10.
 
Sony A7S III9440 n3.0 / 1440 swivel Y 1/8000s 10.0/s n Y
11.
 
Sony A99 II2400 Y3.0 / 1229 full-flex n 1/8000s 12.0/s n Y
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

The LCD screen on the Sony Alpha 7S II is flexibly attached to the body. In particular, the LCD can be tilted vertically to facilitate odd-angle shots in landscape orientation. This tilting design is often preferred, for example, by street photographers to a fully articulated, swivel type of LCD attachment, as it is more unobtrusive during shooting than a screen that flips out to the side.

articulated screen
Flexible screen on the A7S II

One feature that differentiates the A7S II from many older cameras is in-body image stabilization (IBIS). The A7S II reduces the risk of handshake-induced blur with all attached lenses, while cameras without IBIS have to rely on optical image stabilization in OIS-equipped lenses to achieve the same effect.

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Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Sony Alpha 7S II and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

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Input-Output Connections
    Camera
Model
Hotshoe
Port
Internal
Mic / Speaker
Microphone
Port
Headphone
Port
HDMI
Port
USB
Port
WiFi
Support
NFC
Support
Bluetooth
Support
1.
 
Sony A7S IIYstereo / monoYYmicro2.0YY-
2.
 
Sony A7 IIYstereo / monoYYmicro2.0YY-
3.
 
Sony A7 IVYstereo / monoYYfull3.2Y-Y
4.
 
Sony A7R IIYstereo / monoYYmicro2.0YY-
5.
 
Sony A7R IIIYstereo / monoYYmicro3.1YYY
6.
 
Sony A7R IIIAYstereo / monoYYmicro3.2YYY
7.
 
Sony A7R IVYstereo / monoYYmicro3.1YYY
8.
 
Sony A7R IVAYstereo / monoYYmicro3.2YYY
9.
 
Sony A7SYstereo / monoYYmicro2.0YY-
10.
 
Sony A7S IIIYstereo / monoYYfull3.2Y-Y
11.
 
Sony A99 IIYstereo / monoYYmicro2.0YYY

It is notable that the A7S II has a microphone port. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

Further information on the features and operation of the A7S II can be found in the free online Sony A7S II Manual or on the Sony support site.

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Expert reviews

While the comparison of technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it remains incomplete and does no justice, for example, to the way the A7S II handle or perform in practice. User reviews, such as those found at amazon, can sometimes inform about these issues, but such feedback is often incomplete, inconsistent, and biased. This is where reviews by experts come in. The following table reports the overall rankings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

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Review Scores
     Camera 
 Model 
 AP 
 score 
 CL 
 score 
 DCW 
 score 
 DPR 
 score 
 EPZ 
 score 
 PB 
 score 
Camera
Launch
Launch
Price
Street
Price
1.
 
Sony A7S II5/5+....4.5/55/5 Sep 2015 US$ 2 999ebay.com
2.
 
Sony A7 II5/5+4/582/1004.5/55/5 Nov 2014 US$ 1 999ebay.com
3.
 
Sony A7 IV5/5+ +4.5/589/1004.5/54.5/5 Oct 2021 US$ 2 499 amazon.com
4.
 
Sony A7R II5/5+ +5/590/1005/55/5 Jun 2015 US$ 3 199ebay.com
5.
 
Sony A7R III..+ +4/590/1004.5/55/5 Oct 2017 US$ 3 199ebay.com
6.
 
Sony A7R IIIA..+ +4/590/1004.5/55/5 Apr 2021 US$ 3 199 amazon.com
7.
 
Sony A7R IV5/5+4.5/591/1004.5/55/5 Jul 2019 US$ 3 499ebay.com
8.
 
Sony A7R IVA5/5+4.5/591/1004.5/55/5 Apr 2021 US$ 3 499 amazon.com
9.
 
Sony A7S4/5....86/1004.5/55/5 Apr 2014 US$ 2 499ebay.com
10.
 
Sony A7S III4.5/5+ +5/591/1004.5/55/5 Jul 2020 US$ 3 499 amazon.com
11.
 
Sony A99 II....4.5/585/1004.5/54.5/5 Sep 2016 US$ 3 199ebay.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The above review scores should be interpreted with care, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera's market launch date and its price, and rating-comparisons among cameras that span long time periods or concern very differently equipped models make little sense. Also, please note that some of the review sites have changed their methodology and reporting over time.

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Sony A7S II FAQ

Below are some additional questions and answers concerning some particular features of the A7S II.

What technology is the imaging sensor in the Sony A7S II based on?

The camera features a CMOS (Complementary Metal–Oxide–Semiconductor) sensor.

Which image processing chip is used in the Sony A7S II to convert the raw signal into an image file and perform noise reduction and image sharpening?

Sony equipped the A7S II with the BIONZ X image processor.

What is the ISO sensitivity range of the Sony A7S II?

The camera has a native sensitivity range from ISO 100 to ISO 102400, which can be extended to ISO 50-409600.

What is the life expectancy of the shutter in the Sony Alpha 7S II?

Sony mentions a shutter rating of 200 000 actuations for the A7S II. This number represents a Mean Time before Failure, that is an average value. The shutter might fail earlier, or it might last longer. Anyway, in order to exhaust the expected shutter life of the A7S II over, say, three years, one would have to take about 200 pictures each and every day.

How do I find the shutter count on my Sony A7S II?

Sony embeds the number of shutter actuations in image metadata. You can check the number of shots that your A7S II has taken up to now by uploading a recent image to the free online shutter count finder app.

Is completely silent shooting possible with the Sony A7S II?

The camera has an electronic shutter option, so that it is indeed feasible to capture images without any shutter noise.

Is it difficult to use manual focus lenses with the Sony A7S II?

The A7S II offers focus peaking as a manual focus aid. This feature works by placing a colored highlight on in-focus zones within the image.

Does the Sony A7S II feature an autofocus assist light?

Yes, the camera has a lamp built-in that can illuminate the subject and improve autofocus in low-light settings.

What is the fastest shutter speed that can be used with the Sony A7S II for flash photography?

The A7S II's flash sync speed is 1/250 sec.

Does the Sony A7S II support the Ultra High Speed (UHS) bus interface for SD cards?

Yes, the camera can indeed use UHS-I cards (data transfer speed of up to 104 MB/s).

Which battery does the Sony A7S II use?

The camera gets its power from the Sony NP-FW50 (here at amazon), which is a rechargeable Lithium-Ion power pack.

Is there a vertical grip available for the Sony A7S II?

Yes, Sony offers the VG-C2EM as an optional accessory to facilitate shooting in portrait orientation and to provide additional battery power.

Where can I find the best deals for the Sony A7S II?

Grey imports from Asia, as found on ebay, are often very attractively priced. However, these cameras come without a warranty from Sony.

Camera to camera comparisons

If you would like to see a side-by-side review with another camera, just use the search menu below. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored.

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    Specifications Summary
    Camera Model Sony A7S II
    Camera Type Mirrorless system camera
    Camera Lens Sony E mount lenses
    Launch Date September 2015
    Launch Price USD 2 999
    Sensor Specs
    Sensor Technology CMOS
    Sensor Format Full Frame Sensor
    Sensor Size 35.6 x 23.8 mm
    Sensor Area 847 mm2
    Sensor Diagonal 42.8 mm
    Crop Factor 1.0x
    Sensor Resolution 12 Megapixels
    Image Resolution 4 240 x 2 832 pixels
    Pixel Pitch 8.40 μm
    Pixel Density 1.42 MP/cm2
    Moiré control Anti-Alias filter
    Movie Capability 4K/30p Video
    ISO Setting 100 - 102 400 ISO
    ISO Boost 50 - 409 600 ISO
    Image Processor BIONZ X
    DXO Sensor Quality (score) 85
    DXO Color Depth (bits) 23.6
    DXO Dynamic Range (EV) 13.3
    DXO Low Light (ISO) 2993
    Screen Specs
    Viewfinder Type Electronic viewfinder
    Viewfinder Field of View 100%
    Viewfinder Magnification 0.78x
    Viewfinder Resolution 2400k dots
    Top-Level Screen no Top Display
    LCD Framing Live View
    LCD Size 3.0 inch
    LCD Resolution 1229k dots
    LCD Attachment Tilting screen
    V-logging Friendliness No front-flip
    Touch Input No touchscreen
    Shooting Specs
    Focus System Contrast-detect AF
    Manual Focusing AidFocus Peaking
    Maximum Shutter Speed 1/8000s
    Continuous Shooting 5 shutter flaps/s
    Shutter Life Expectancy200 000 actuations
    Silent ShootingElectronic Shutter
    Time Lapse Photographyno Intervalometer
    Image StabilizationIn-body stabilization
    Fill Flash no On-Board Flash
    Storage Medium MS or SDXC cards
    Single or Dual Card Slots Single card slot
    UHS card support UHS-I
    Connectivity Specs
    External Flash Hotshoe
    USB Connector USB 2.0
    HDMI Port micro HDMI
    Microphone Port External MIC port
    Headphone Socket Headphone port
    Wifi Support Wifi built-in
    Near-Field Communication NFC built-in
    Body Specs
    Environmental SealingWeathersealed body
    Battery Type Sony NP-FW50 power pack
    Battery Life (CIPA)370 shots per charge
    In-Camera Charging USB charging
    Body Dimensions 127 x 96 x 60 mm
    (5.0 x 3.8 x 2.4 in)
    Camera Weight 627 g (22.1 oz)

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