Sony’s Ultra-Sensitive α7S II Expands Lineup of Full-frame α Cameras

Sony’s Ultra-Sensitive α7S II Expands Lineup of Full-frame α Cameras

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San Diego, CA—Sony Electronics’ latest addition to their full-frame α7 line of mirrorless cameras, the α7S II, is engineered for ultrahigh sensitivity and wide dynamic range across its entire ISO range.

The α7S II delivers a sensitivity range of ISO 50–409,600, thanks to the combination of a 35mm, full-frame, 12.2 megapixel image sensor and Bionz X image processing engine. The sensor works to optimize the dynamic range across the entire ISO range to broaden the amount of tonal gradation in bright environments and minimize noise in dark scenes. Its processor features an upgraded image-processing algorithm to maximize the sensor’s capabilities, in particular at the mid-high end of the ISO scale, for detailed still images and movies with minimal noise. Plus, the camera incorporates 5-axis image stabilization.

“Sony continues to lead the industry in terms of innovation in the mirrorless space,” said Neal Manowitz, vice president of Digital Imaging, Consumer Sales & Marketing, Sony Electronics. “With the new α7S II, we’ve utilized many of our latest technologies to deliver a camera that will excel in all types of environments, producing still images and video content that will consistently amaze imaging enthusiasts, professional photographers and even Hollywood directors.”

The video credentials of the α7S II include the ability to record movies in 4K quality through use of the advanced XAVC S codec, with a bit rate of up to 100 Mbps. Because information from all pixels is utilized without line skipping or pixel binning, the camera is said to maximize the expanded power of its full-frame sensor to produce 4K movies with negligible moiré. This full pixel readout without pixel binning is also employed when shooting Full HD video (24p/30p), where the camera collects information from five times as many pixels required to generate 1,920×1,080 video and oversamples the information, “producing movies of extremely high quality and detail.”

A first for the α7 series, the α7S II can also record Full HD at 120 fps at 100 mbps in full-frame format, which can be reviewed on the camera screen and later edited into 4x/5x slow motion footage in Full HD (24p/30p) resolution. Other video functions include: S-Gamut/S-Log2; S-Gamut3.Cine/S-Log3 and S-Gamut3/S-Log3, to deliver wide dynamic range and simple color correction; and improvements to the zebra function.

The autofocus system on the α7S II was upgraded with 169 AF points and “Fast Intelligent AF” to detect contrast more easily and react speedily even in low light (as low as EV-4), when it’s tough to check focus with the naked eye. AF performance is also twice as fast as the predecessor model during video shooting.

Other notable features are: an XGA OLED Tru-Finder with a magnification of 0.78x and Zeiss T* coating to reduce reflections; silent shooting mode that can be activated at up to 5 fps continuous shooting; reduced-vibration shutter movement; a reinforced lens mount; the ability to charge the camera via a USB power supply while in operation; Wi-Fi/NFC connectivity; functionality with Sony’s PlayMemories Mobile app and camera apps; and a magnesium alloy body.

The Sony α7S II retails for $3,000. sony.com

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