Sony Alpha A7R II Mirrorless Camera Body

This camera is my baby! I’ve used it for everything from portraits, selfies, and YouTube videos. Wonderful for all content creation needs. My 2 issues are: (1) is that the viewer window/screen doesn’t flip or have a wide range of motion. So it takes me a bit longer to set up for videos. Yes, it connects to the phone or computer via app, but it would be so much more simple if the screen flipped! (2) the battery life on the included battery drains incredibly fast when filming videos or when it’s connected to Bluetooth. Otherwise, solid camera that I love to use!

6 years strong. 6 years of amazing images!

I originally purchased this camera when it first launched back in 2015, and for anyone looking to upgrade their current DLSR or simply get a second body well look no further! This camera may be old, but it still stands its ground as a worthy contender!1. Images are sharp, clear, crisp. 42 MP in RAW is plenty of detail to slow your computer down or drool over. With a great lens this camera will continue to do just what the new models do — and that is take amazing images.- Photography Cons: The more megapixels, the more noisy your image gets when pushing your ISO.- Chromatic Aberration is present in some situations, but Lightroom is handy in quickly fixing these issues.- Being mirrorless, the sensor will become subjective to getting plenty of dust particles so ... MoreI originally purchased this camera when it first launched back in 2015, and for anyone looking to upgrade their current DLSR or simply get a second body well look no further! This camera may be old, but it still stands its ground as a worthy contender!1. Images are sharp, clear, crisp. 42 MP in RAW is plenty of detail to slow your computer down or drool over. With a great lens this camera will continue to do just what the new models do — and that is take amazing images.- Photography Cons: The more megapixels, the more noisy your image gets when pushing your ISO.- Chromatic Aberration is present in some situations, but Lightroom is handy in quickly fixing these issues.- Being mirrorless, the sensor will become subjective to getting plenty of dust particles so keep an eye on it.- Photography Pros: amazing highlight retention (when shot properly)- Wonderful, rich colors.- Plenty of helpful photo modes for Pros and Beginners.2. For the video folks, the autofocus system is surprisingly very responsive and accurate. As long as you have a good lens (Sony branded) you will enjoy the best of its autofocus system.- The video files are extremely manageable for importing and editing when shooting directly from camera to an SD card, but you can opt in on purchasing an external monitor like an Atomos to unlock even more options for recording, encoding and storing files. (Which is what I use)- This camera does not support Sony’s latest video profiles: Cine, HLG, and so forth. So if you needed to record these, it won’t be possible. While there are work arounds, I recommend looking at something newer.- Overall amazing quality, I’ve owned this camera for 6 years and I do not regret making the jump to mirror less with this.

First High End Camera

Coming from an android phone user, I have been comfortable enough to take pictures with the ease of use of camera phones when I go hiking and traveling throughout my military career. After using actual photo editing software and realizing the difference in megapixels that I was lacking with my camera phone to an actual high end camera, I realized I needed something more robust and professional to what I wanted to do. My passion is landscape photography and this camera doesn't disappoint. The level of detail that you get after cropping the photo is breathtaking. I love the fact that I can also crop a photo to fit the narrative and style of composition that I want after taking a second look at the photo on a big screen monitor. I have tried the Canon 80D previously ... MoreComing from an android phone user, I have been comfortable enough to take pictures with the ease of use of camera phones when I go hiking and traveling throughout my military career. After using actual photo editing software and realizing the difference in megapixels that I was lacking with my camera phone to an actual high end camera, I realized I needed something more robust and professional to what I wanted to do. My passion is landscape photography and this camera doesn't disappoint. The level of detail that you get after cropping the photo is breathtaking. I love the fact that I can also crop a photo to fit the narrative and style of composition that I want after taking a second look at the photo on a big screen monitor. I have tried the Canon 80D previously and still wasn't impressed by the quality of the photo that I was looking for. 42 megapixel is plenty of what I wanted and being able to zoom into photos and not lose sharpness is great especially with landscape photography. One thing that I wish was different is the grip system and would have loved to get the Sony a7IV for that but the price and package that B&H provided for this camera when I bought it is something I could not pass up. I got a 42 megapixel camera $400 cheaper than a 33 megapixel camera. To also include a 16-35mm f/2.8 lens, messenger bag, extra battery and SD card for $4,700 is something you won't be able to find anywhere else unless you look for used equipment. Even then, used/new on B&H is only a $200-$300 difference. This camera kit has definitely made me happy and would recommend this camera to anyone who is looking for more sharpness in their pictures and the satisfaction to know that you have bought into a great ecosystem for your photographic needs.

Great Upgrade from A7RII

5 years ago I bought the Sony A7rII and have been using it since then. While it produced great images, the focus system was very poor. It was very easy to be me frustrated with that camera.I finally bit the bullet and upgraded to the A7Riiia when it was on sale and have been really impressed. My daughter has the 7IV and that focus system is excellent, but the a7RiiiA isn't too far behind. The image quality is superb, and the features and buttons make this very easy to use. The eye af for humans and animals works well and makes portrait photography much easier. Clearly this camera excels at landscape photography. It's light, IQ is high and it's easy to always have with you on a hike.I'm happy with this camera for my semi pro and personal needs.

Great upgrade from Sony A7Rii

I've been using the A7rii for the past 4-5 years and while it makes excellent images it certainly has its drawbacks. The main problem is that the focus system is slow and relatively inaccurate.I purchased an A7IV for my daughter as a graduation present from college (BA Journalism) and it really exposed how much I was missing with the R2. I rented an Riiia and while not quite as good as the A7IV, it is a dramatic improvement. I'm glad as my photography is primarily landscapes, portraits and street scenes and I really like having 42mp for the large size prints I make.I've found the colors a better in the a7riii as well as it seems to handle higher iso better too. I realize the a7riii is close to 5 years old, but it is really an excellent camera-not that far off of ... MoreI've been using the A7rii for the past 4-5 years and while it makes excellent images it certainly has its drawbacks. The main problem is that the focus system is slow and relatively inaccurate.I purchased an A7IV for my daughter as a graduation present from college (BA Journalism) and it really exposed how much I was missing with the R2. I rented an Riiia and while not quite as good as the A7IV, it is a dramatic improvement. I'm glad as my photography is primarily landscapes, portraits and street scenes and I really like having 42mp for the large size prints I make.I've found the colors a better in the a7riii as well as it seems to handle higher iso better too. I realize the a7riii is close to 5 years old, but it is really an excellent camera-not that far off of current 2022 versions.Needless to say, the image quality of the riii is impeccable and has been a pleasure to use.

Overlooked gem for landscapes

I own and love many of the newer Sony full frame mirrorless cameras - the A7R III, A9 (great for action bird and sports photography), A7R IV (love the high res sensor and ability to use crop mode with a push of a button. Makes shooting with primes much more convenient) and best of all my A1 which combines best of A9 and A7RIV. However, my favorite for landscapes is the A7R II.The image quality is superb. The user interface and autofocus, especially continuous autofocus tracking is not as good as newer bodies but the BIG advantage is this is the last Sony Full Frame camera that can use the downloadable Sony Playmemories Apps including a built in software gradient density filter (called Sky HDR) where you can not only select the degree of darkening but you can ... MoreI own and love many of the newer Sony full frame mirrorless cameras - the A7R III, A9 (great for action bird and sports photography), A7R IV (love the high res sensor and ability to use crop mode with a push of a button. Makes shooting with primes much more convenient) and best of all my A1 which combines best of A9 and A7RIV. However, my favorite for landscapes is the A7R II.The image quality is superb. The user interface and autofocus, especially continuous autofocus tracking is not as good as newer bodies but the BIG advantage is this is the last Sony Full Frame camera that can use the downloadable Sony Playmemories Apps including a built in software gradient density filter (called Sky HDR) where you can not only select the degree of darkening but you can adjust transition abruptness and position of the transition zone. There is also a Smooth Reflections App that works like a built in variable ND filter. Unlike a real variable ND filter you don't get color shifts and don't get the dreaded X artifact. Best of all, this works with any lens including the fantastic Sony 12-24 f2.8 GM which doesn't accept screw in filters. You don't need separate filters or adapters for different size lenses. Both these Apps work by combining multiple exposures so you need the camera on a tripod. In the case of the Smooth Reflections App, if you pick the highest degree of smoothing I think it combines over 100 images so this can take some time. Once the exposures are acquired it takes a little time to process in camera. You can set the camera to give you RAW in addition to jpeg files which I find useful since I may do some further tweaking in photoshop or lightroom.There are other APPS including ones for multiple exposures and Star Trails (creates a video and not a still image) which I haven't used much. Sony does charge to download the apps but it's only something like $5 or $10, depends on the App. Far cheaper though than buying gradient density or neutral density filters.

So happy with it!!!

I purchased this camera new near the end of 2020, and since have been incredibly impressed. The camera even today holds up so well, even allowing me to take 8k timelapse's, beautiful 4k footage in log (even straight out of camera it's beautiful), impressing people and clients with my photos, a solid 10/10. Using it together with other photographers and videographers, I can use this camera with their R5's and other comparable cameras (leica sl2, sony a1), and still get just as great results.For build quality, I am also very satisfied. I personally have never dropped it, however someone did knock over it while it was sitting on a gimbal, and it fell right onto the side with wires connected to it. The wire did bend, and I was worried the port would be broken, however ... MoreI purchased this camera new near the end of 2020, and since have been incredibly impressed. The camera even today holds up so well, even allowing me to take 8k timelapse's, beautiful 4k footage in log (even straight out of camera it's beautiful), impressing people and clients with my photos, a solid 10/10. Using it together with other photographers and videographers, I can use this camera with their R5's and other comparable cameras (leica sl2, sony a1), and still get just as great results.For build quality, I am also very satisfied. I personally have never dropped it, however someone did knock over it while it was sitting on a gimbal, and it fell right onto the side with wires connected to it. The wire did bend, and I was worried the port would be broken, however the port is perfectly stiff as it was before, and works just as well with every function.I have heard some had weather sealing issues, however I've used this camera countless times during inclement weather, and it still is just fine.This camera allowed me to make an income from my passion, and express what I see in a creative way. I am incredibly thankful for this camera, and even after using it for a while, I am not looking to replace it any time soon. Thank you Sony for making such an amazing and professional piece of equipment.