When it comes to technology, 2018’s new crop of smartphones is an underwhelming case of same same but different. You can’t lump camera manufacturers into that ring however, as Canon and FujiFilm’s latest offerings look fantastic. Smaller, more compact and boasting some incredible hardware beneath the surface, mirrorless lens cameras are going for broke this year.
Not to be outdone, Sony is also throwing its hat into the ring with a device that bridges the gap between their super-pricy A9 and the A7S II, cameras which already have incredible video and low-light tricks up their sleeves. Called the A7R II, Sony’s new camera is billed as a “basic full-frame model” according to The Verge.
Packing a 24.2-megapixel sensor with 5-axis optical image stabilization, the A7R II’s real crowd-puller is a list of specs which make it sound like a far more expensive device than it actually is. Here’s said list, via Sony’s official channel:
- Newly Developed Full-frame 24.2MP Back-Illuminated Exmor R™ CMOS Image Sensor with Evolved Image Processing
- Wide ISO range of 100 – 51200 (expandable to ISO 50 – 204800 for still images) and 15-Stop Dynamic Range at low sensitivities
- World Class AF system featuring 693 phase-detection AF points covering 93% of image area, 425 contrast AF points and fast and reliable Eye AF
- Continuous Shooting at up to 10 fps with either Mechanical Shutter or Silent Shooting and full Auto Focus/Auto Exposure tracking
- 5-axis optical in-body image stabilisation with a 5.0 step shutter speed advantage
- High Resolution 4K Movie Shooting with full pixel readout and no pixel binning across full-width of full-frame sensor
- The longest rated battery life of any Mirrorless camera at 710 shots per charge
- Upgraded operability and functionality including addition of joystick for adjusting focus points, Dual SD Card Slots, SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.1 Gen 1) USB Type-C™ Terminal and more
So what’s the actual price? Cheap…kind of. The body alone for the A7 III will set you back $1999 (I’m still waiting for local RRP on this), which is a fair chunk of change I’ll admit. That being said, it’s a price which is at least half that of the Sony A9. It’s a lot of cash to flash, but Sony has a track record so far of being an industry leader in mirrorless lens cameras.
That’s a lot of quality technology in a small package, with a sparse selection of compromises.
Last Updated: February 28, 2018
