Sony Alpha a7R II Mirrorless Digital Camera $1198 at B&H Photo
$1,236.95
$1,844.50
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I've been looking for a good deal on a decent mirrorless camera but missed the recent Nikon sale. Many people have recommended the Sony A7 series of cameras and this version from around 2015 seems to have just gone on sale for about $600 cheaper than usual.
For those who want to know the difference between A7r3 and 2. Its simply that Sony has made quailty of life improvements. They shoot the same 40mp image, but the 2 overheats and haves noise issues at higher ISO.
I can shoot at 1600 with no noise on the A7r3. Its insane!
The image processor is actually different on the two cameras. The riii has almost a stop more dynamic range.
Its "fine." Sure. I agree. But pretending things like the screen, weather sealing, and battery, are just nothing-burgers is naïve. How many times have you been out in the field changing batteries? I'm guessing not that much. Sure let me just take it off the tripod, take off my grip with a hex wrench, take out my camera bag (hope its not sandy or muddy or wet with salt spray...), get a new battery and put it in, put everything away, put the grip back on, put it back on the tripod. Oh the joy.
Regarding IQ, its easier to make up for that than it is things like the battery or screen. First off, the z5 and D750 have MORE dynamic range than the a7rii. If you need more resolution, you can merge multiple shots and get far more than 42 mp. Granted, that adds complexity and difficulty. But so does swapping batteries and avoiding moisture and craning your neck to see the screen.
Is that what you think people are going to be doing with this $1200 camera? Going out in the "field" and putting their camera's on grips, then on tripods in the rain?
Also, people don't have to remove the grip to replace batteries. The batteries are usually on trays that slide out of the grip.
This is a great sensor in a meh body, but I think people are making this out to be a terrible body, which it is not.
The AF is good enough for everything other than action.
Battery life is rated at 290 shots compared to the roughly 330 shots for all mirrorless cameras not from Sony. The reason it got so much flak for battery life is because it was being compared to DSLRs that tend to get over 1000 shots.
The screen is articulating, so I don't know what that guy was complaining about when talking about landscapes.
I also don't know what that other guy meant when he said that the Z5 has better image quality.
This is certainly not a no compromise machine like the gen 3 bodies and above, but it is not so terrible as to warrant avoiding. At the same time, the general advise that most will be better served by a more modern entry is true. Unless you really value the Sony ecosystem or the 42MP, get the Z5 or step up to the A7iii.
Is that what you think people are going to be doing with this $1200 camera? Going out in the "field" and putting their camera's on grips, then on tripods in the rain?
Also, people don't have to remove the grip to replace batteries. The batteries are usually on trays that slide out of the grip.
The only "grips" that need not be removed to replace a battery are L brackets that bulge out from the grip to accommodate the battery door. That, or a battery grip which is entirely different...
This is a great sensor in a meh body, but I think people are making this out to be a terrible body, which it is not.
The AF is good enough for everything other than action.
Battery life is rated at 290 shots compared to the roughly 330 shots for all mirrorless cameras not from Sony. The reason it got so much flak for battery life is because it was being compared to DSLRs that tend to get over 1000 shots.
The screen is articulating, so I don't know what that guy was complaining about when talking about landscapes.
I also don't know what that other guy meant when he said that the Z5 has better image quality.
This is certainly not a no compromise machine like the gen 3 bodies and above, but it is not so terrible as to warrant avoiding. At the same time, the general advise that most will be better served by a more modern entry is true. Unless you really value the Sony ecosystem or the 42MP, get the Z5 or step up to the A7iii.
The screen is not fully articulating... It flips out horizontally and that's it. If you turn the camera portrait, the screen will not tilt upward.
And the d750/z5 has more dynamic range. 13.9 stops on the a7rii vs 14.5/14.3 stops for the nikons.
Its "fine." Sure. I agree. But pretending things like the screen, weather sealing, and battery, are just nothing-burgers is naïve. How many times have you been out in the field changing batteries? I'm guessing not that much. Sure let me just take it off the tripod, take off my grip with a hex wrench, take out my camera bag (hope its not sandy or muddy or wet with salt spray...), get a new battery and put it in, put everything away, put the grip back on, put it back on the tripod. Oh the joy.
The only "grips" that need not be removed to replace a battery are L brackets that bulge out from the grip to accommodate the battery door. That, or a battery grip which is entirely different...
What you described (Something that goes on a tripod and requires a hex tool, is nothing like the Grip EXTENSION you linked.
1) The grip extension you linked would not work on any tripod
2) It does not require a hex tool.
3) If taking the camera off the tripod, then removing some grip extension is too much work to do "in the field", you could just.... not use a grip extension.
The screen is not fully articulating... It flips out horizontally and that's it. If you turn the camera portrait, the screen will not tilt upward.
And the d750/z5 has more dynamic range. 13.9 stops on the a7rii vs 14.5/14.3 stops for the nikons.
No objection to your point about dynamic range. That's valid. Some people will prefer the dynamic range and others will prefer the resolution.
Regarding the screen, the competitors we recommended all flip horizontally as well. Neither the Z5 nor the A7iii flip to the side. Both Sony and Nikon seem very reluctant to put in the fully articulating flip to the side screens. So overall, I don't think it's fair to knock the A7rii on this point in this context (if you were comparing against a Canon, it would be).
No objection to your point about dynamic range. That's valid. Some people will prefer the dynamic range and others will prefer the resolution.
Regarding the screen, the competitors we recommended all flip horizontally as well. Neither the Z5 nor the A7iii flip to the side. Both Sony and Nikon seem very reluctant to put in the fully articulating flip to the side screens. So overall, I don't think it's fair to knock the A7rii on this point in this context (if you were comparing against a Canon, it would be).
If he is quoting that DXOmark site for Dynamic range, the Z5/D750 only beat the A7Rii at ISO 100-200.
The A7Rii's sensor wins on every other metric, at every ISO.
If you really want a good Sony, do not buy anything that was released before a7iii
I think this advice is really misguided, it doesn't have the bells and whistles of the newer full frame cameras but the a7rii is a phenomenal camera. The IQ is still top tier and this is a good price. If you don't shoot video, this is still one of the best cameras you can buy especially considering the price. I use for portraiture, travel, city, landscapes, and Astro. Would shell out the extra money for a newer Sony for sports or wildlife. The a7iii is also a phenomenal camera but I believe it's still several hundred dollars above this price point.
Its "fine." Sure. I agree. But pretending things like the screen, weather sealing, and battery, are just nothing-burgers is naïve. How many times have you been out in the field changing batteries? I'm guessing not that much. Sure let me just take it off the tripod, take off my grip with a hex wrench, take out my camera bag (hope its not sandy or muddy or wet with salt spray...), get a new battery and put it in, put everything away, put the grip back on, put it back on the tripod. Oh the joy.
Regarding IQ, its easier to make up for that than it is things like the battery or screen. First off, the z5 and D750 have MORE dynamic range than the a7rii. If you need more resolution, you can merge multiple shots and get far more than 42 mp. Granted, that adds complexity and difficulty. But so does swapping batteries and avoiding moisture and craning your neck to see the screen.
Meh. I spent a month in Vietnam with the two and swapped many batteries. Don't fall into the arms race mentality. The three definitely has some nice refinements but it's crazy how spoiled we've become when it comes to what a 1000 camera offers these days.
This is a good camera if you're doing landscapes or anything that doesn't move too much -Ie sports.
The main issue you'll run into is the camera supports low SD transfer speeds. This can not be remedied with a faster SD card as the highest supported speed is low. So if you're shooting burst/in succession, there will be situations where the camera just seems to give up and won't let you shoot for a while.
Obviously if you're a landscape photographer, burst ain't your thing.
I think this advice is really misguided, it doesn't have the bells and whistles of the newer full frame cameras but the a7rii is a phenomenal camera. The IQ is still top tier and this is a good price. If you don't shoot video, this is still one of the best cameras you can buy especially considering the price. I use for portraiture, travel, city, landscapes, and Astro. Would shell out the extra money for a newer Sony for sports or wildlife. The a7iii is also a phenomenal camera but I believe it's still several hundred dollars above this price point.
A7iii can be had for 1400 with EDU discounts (1-2 times every month), look at comments above about Green Toe accepting ~1450 as well. There is no reason for you to buy this unless you plan on using it inside a studio all the time ..
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I can shoot at 1600 with no noise on the A7r3. Its insane!
Regarding IQ, its easier to make up for that than it is things like the battery or screen. First off, the z5 and D750 have MORE dynamic range than the a7rii. If you need more resolution, you can merge multiple shots and get far more than 42 mp. Granted, that adds complexity and difficulty. But so does swapping batteries and avoiding moisture and craning your neck to see the screen.
Also, people don't have to remove the grip to replace batteries. The batteries are usually on trays that slide out of the grip.
The AF is good enough for everything other than action.
Battery life is rated at 290 shots compared to the roughly 330 shots for all mirrorless cameras not from Sony. The reason it got so much flak for battery life is because it was being compared to DSLRs that tend to get over 1000 shots.
The screen is articulating, so I don't know what that guy was complaining about when talking about landscapes.
I also don't know what that other guy meant when he said that the Z5 has better image quality.
This is certainly not a no compromise machine like the gen 3 bodies and above, but it is not so terrible as to warrant avoiding. At the same time, the general advise that most will be better served by a more modern entry is true. Unless you really value the Sony ecosystem or the 42MP, get the Z5 or step up to the A7iii.
Also, people don't have to remove the grip to replace batteries. The batteries are usually on trays that slide out of the grip.
https://www.bhphotovide
The only "grips" that need not be removed to replace a battery are L brackets that bulge out from the grip to accommodate the battery door. That, or a battery grip which is entirely different...
The AF is good enough for everything other than action.
Battery life is rated at 290 shots compared to the roughly 330 shots for all mirrorless cameras not from Sony. The reason it got so much flak for battery life is because it was being compared to DSLRs that tend to get over 1000 shots.
The screen is articulating, so I don't know what that guy was complaining about when talking about landscapes.
I also don't know what that other guy meant when he said that the Z5 has better image quality.
This is certainly not a no compromise machine like the gen 3 bodies and above, but it is not so terrible as to warrant avoiding. At the same time, the general advise that most will be better served by a more modern entry is true. Unless you really value the Sony ecosystem or the 42MP, get the Z5 or step up to the A7iii.
And the d750/z5 has more dynamic range. 13.9 stops on the a7rii vs 14.5/14.3 stops for the nikons.
https://www.bhphotovide
The only "grips" that need not be removed to replace a battery are L brackets that bulge out from the grip to accommodate the battery door. That, or a battery grip which is entirely different...
1) The grip extension you linked would not work on any tripod
2) It does not require a hex tool.
3) If taking the camera off the tripod, then removing some grip extension is too much work to do "in the field", you could just.... not use a grip extension.
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And the d750/z5 has more dynamic range. 13.9 stops on the a7rii vs 14.5/14.3 stops for the nikons.
No objection to your point about dynamic range. That's valid. Some people will prefer the dynamic range and others will prefer the resolution.
Regarding the screen, the competitors we recommended all flip horizontally as well. Neither the Z5 nor the A7iii flip to the side. Both Sony and Nikon seem very reluctant to put in the fully articulating flip to the side screens. So overall, I don't think it's fair to knock the A7rii on this point in this context (if you were comparing against a Canon, it would be).
Regarding the screen, the competitors we recommended all flip horizontally as well. Neither the Z5 nor the A7iii flip to the side. Both Sony and Nikon seem very reluctant to put in the fully articulating flip to the side screens. So overall, I don't think it's fair to knock the A7rii on this point in this context (if you were comparing against a Canon, it would be).
The A7Rii's sensor wins on every other metric, at every ISO.
I think this advice is really misguided, it doesn't have the bells and whistles of the newer full frame cameras but the a7rii is a phenomenal camera. The IQ is still top tier and this is a good price. If you don't shoot video, this is still one of the best cameras you can buy especially considering the price. I use for portraiture, travel, city, landscapes, and Astro. Would shell out the extra money for a newer Sony for sports or wildlife. The a7iii is also a phenomenal camera but I believe it's still several hundred dollars above this price point.
Regarding IQ, its easier to make up for that than it is things like the battery or screen. First off, the z5 and D750 have MORE dynamic range than the a7rii. If you need more resolution, you can merge multiple shots and get far more than 42 mp. Granted, that adds complexity and difficulty. But so does swapping batteries and avoiding moisture and craning your neck to see the screen.
Meh. I spent a month in Vietnam with the two and swapped many batteries. Don't fall into the arms race mentality. The three definitely has some nice refinements but it's crazy how spoiled we've become when it comes to what a 1000 camera offers these days.
Add $150 for the kit with the 28-70 if you don't have lenses.
The main issue you'll run into is the camera supports low SD transfer speeds. This can not be remedied with a faster SD card as the highest supported speed is low. So if you're shooting burst/in succession, there will be situations where the camera just seems to give up and won't let you shoot for a while.
Obviously if you're a landscape photographer, burst ain't your thing.
One is full-frame, the other is not.
Idiot. Need to do your research.
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