Trying to decide between the A7SII or A7RII

One of the big strengths with the a7rii is auto focus. Face detection works very well. Even better on the a6300 and a6500. I sold my a7sii because I didn't need the crazy high ISO it's capable of and the AF just wasn't that great. Shooting full frame 4k isn't a big deal for me either. I actually prefer s35 since it's easier to keep the subject in focus when shooting wider apertures. I can get plenty of shallow DOF in cropped mode.
I also wanted more megapixels than 12.2 for stills. A7rii is also a really good stills camera. Many pro photographers have switched to it. 42MP is a lot!
I shoot 4K cropped most of the time. Rolling shutter doesn't bother me since I don't pan fast or shoot sports. The ISO sensitivity is also very good. Plenty of room for me.
All in all I'm very happy with the a7rii. It's my main camera now that I sold my FS7. I do miss the connivence of built in ND and proper audio but that's the price you pay when you decide to use a hybrid camera. The trade off is AF in video mode that I found the FS7 wasn't very good at and a small light camera that works great on small gimbals. With face detection AF on you can pull off some amazing shots with such a small package.
 
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Erik Naso said:
One of the big strengths with the a7rii is auto focus. Face detection works very well. Even better on the a6300 and a6500. I sold my a7sii because I didn't need the crazy high ISO it's capable of and the AF just wasn't that great. Shooting full frame 4k isn't a big deal for me either. I actually prefer s35 since it's easier to keep the subject in focus when shooting wider apertures. I can get plenty of shallow DOF in cropped mode.
I also wanted more megapixels than 12.2 for stills. A7rii is also a really good stills camera. Many pro photographers have switched to it. 42MP is a lot!
I shoot 4K cropped most of the time. Rolling shutter doesn't bother me since I don't pan fast or shoot sports. The ISO sensitivity is also very good. Plenty of room for me.
All in all I'm very happy with the a7rii. It's my main camera now that I sold my FS7. I do miss the connivence of built in ND and proper audio but that's the price you pay when you decide to use a hybrid camera. The trade off is AF in video mode that I found the FS7 wasn't very good at and a small light camera that works great on small gimbals. With face detection AF on you can pull off some amazing shots with such a small package.
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Sounds like I should go for a7rii :)

Would the ultimate video quality be better on a7rii 4k cropped mode compared with APS-C cameras like a6500? Feature wise a6500 sounds like more advanced camera. Wish a7rii had a touchscreen! Do you use full frame or cropped lenses on a7rii?
 
visata said:
Sounds like I should go for a7rii :)

Would the ultimate video quality be better on a7rii 4k cropped mode compared with APS-C cameras like a6500? Feature wise a6500 sounds like more advanced camera. Wish a7rii had a touchscreen! Do you use full frame or cropped lenses on a7rii?
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I use both. I have a a6000 as well so I bought a few Sony E lenses for it. I'm getting an a6500. I liked the a6300 a lot but the inconsistent overheating was a deal breaker. Drove me CRAZY!!!
With the new menu option to continue shooting while it's hot could make it a very usable all around hybrid. The AF is crazy good on it. It's basically the same as the a6300 with IBIS, increased buffer, touch focus (not a true touch screen and larger grip. The image in 4K video stands up to the a7rii very well and is probably a little better but that rolling shutter is the worst. IBIS will help what shooting handheld a lot. No headphone jack sucks but has an audio input. WTF?

Anyway, I'm not sure if I will sell my a7rii until i'm certain the a6500 will be dependable. I do like it, but I bought the a7rii because the a6300 didn't workout.
 
I tested a7sII and A7rII to be a B cam with my FS7: if you don't need to shoot in night condition buy A7RII. it is simple no ?
 
Rudo, some people say the iso difference is 1,5 stops between the a7sii vs a7r ii . Was that your impression too? Just wondering if you kinda tested the lowlight between the 2
 
In the comparisons I've seen, that ISO difference only appears at the crazy high ISO values that I hardly ever use.
 
A7SII can push iso higher with acceptable noise, i don't know if it's 1.5 stop exactly but my a7rII is more like FS7 that i expose @1000iso.
In some situations 1.5 stop more could be usefull because you can stop down lense around 2 stop and don't have to fight against focus.... but as i like shoot wide open it's not too important.
The best should be to have a7RII and A7SII in same body but it's not case. So to me i prefer good AF, same sensibility than my FS7, 4k FF or APS-C with speedboster ultra, very good still photo. My FS7 do the rest (Slow-mo, 4k50P@10bits slog3cineEI).
I hope that A7RIII could do 4k 50p in Slog310bits and resolve AF face detection when you plug external monitor on it.
I never shoot Slog with A7RII or A7SII because 8 bits and codec are not enought.
 
I'm torn between a6500 and a7rII. I like that a6500 is lighter, bigger buffer size (good for shooting sports), touchscreen, 24Mbps for stills is also a plus (42mbps would require almost double the space). They both have the core functionality I need IBIS, good AF, most importantly I expect the same iq.

I would be filming in 4k (super 35mm) cropped mode as it would do better in low light, less rolling shutter... What are a7rii advantages over a6500? I can use my FE lenses on a6500.

a6500 sounds like the better hybrid camera?
 
The A7RII advantage over A6500 in low light in a crop mode is likely to be very marginal, if at all existent. The sensor design is similar, so you'd get 15 MPX vs. 20. But the price difference of $1,800* lets you invest in other accoutrements.

*There are a number of current specials on A7RII that make the difference somewhat smaller.
 
DLD said:
The A7RII advantage over A6500 in low light in a crop mode is likely to be very marginal, if at all existent. The sensor design is similar, so you'd get 15 MPX vs. 20. But the price difference of $1,800* lets you invest in other accoutrements.

*There are a number of current specials on A7RII that make the difference somewhat smaller.
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According to the reviews 4K similar in quality too?

I can get a new a6500 for 1615 EUR (~1730$) or a7rii 2600 eur (~2780$ and it's falling! no wonder why...) in Europe. The difference is about ~$1000 but I'm still not sure what I'm getting better :) Just 35mm FoV and DoF?
 
A6500 looks like a great deal. But it is yet to be seen if it will be as dependable as the A7rii or overheat. That is my main concern. If it shuts down and can't be depended on for paying clients then the extra cost of the larger camera is worth it.
 
visata said:
According to the reviews 4K similar in quality too?

I can get a new a6500 for 1615 EUR (~1730$) or a7rii 2600 eur (~2780$ and it's falling! no wonder why...) in Europe. The difference is about ~$1000 but I'm still not sure what I'm getting better :) Just 35mm FoV and DoF?
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A7RII is full frame 42 MPX, good enough for most pro photo jobs. In a crop mode, you get 15 MPX, with rolling shutter/jello effects in video. Its full frame video skips some lines, so there's a slight loss of resolution.

A6500 doesn't skip lines but you still get a pretty bad - OK, really bad - jello in video and moving objects can get very blurry. It's not for shooting NASCAR but it's fine for soccer, basketball and so on.

For interviews and drawn out weddings and presentations, an externally mounted side fan is the most practical solution.
 
Not an easy choice, is it? Not when you want to do a variety of things - UHD, HD, photos, sometimes low light..and don't have many full frame lenses yet.
 
firehawk said:
A6500 looks like a great deal. But it is yet to be seen if it will be as dependable as the A7rii or overheat. That is my main concern. If it shuts down and can't be depended on for paying clients then the extra cost of the larger camera is worth it.
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According to this video, a6500 doesn't overheat:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVPtKP656KE

Is a6500 the winner now?

I was checking new cameras on the market, have you seen the stabilization of Olympus E-M1 Mark II? I've never seen on any camera like this. No need for cumbersome gimbal...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYECFKNMVkU

The sensor size is small, so must have much noise in low light, no log profiles, so DR shouldn't be great. It seems you can't have everything you want in one device.
 
For me, reasons to go for the a7R II instead of the a6500:

* Full frame: my vintage glass is designed for FF. Speedbooster makes it softer on the corners than a real FF sensor.
* 42 Mpix with great AF: if you're taking lots of stills AND want the super-high resolution.
* Absolutely awesome glass available, in native mount with AF, for stills: I'd love to get the Batis 18mm and GM 85mm.
* a6500 is soft in 1080p mode.
* Having the option to go FF 4k to get faster rolling shutter (on the a6500 you can get it by going 1080p).

If you're going to shoot APS-C anyway, don't care about 42 Mpix stills and won't spend a small fortune in glass for stills, I'd definitely go for the a6500.
 
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