Sony a7II Review

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[Supermanohman]

I love how you guys both review something. It's much more conversational and natural than just 1 person listing specs and pros/cons.

[Chrsshin]

I'm gonna record Tony's voice when he says, "Cmon focus you piece of shit." and play it whenever I'm procrastinating xD keep it up love your vids!

[hs]

Regarding auto-focus speed: one thing that I have found very useful is the Lock-on AF. You can set it so that it tracks the object (animal, person, etc) under the focus point after you half-press the shutter. You can get the lock on, then compose and frame, and finally snap the shutter at the moment you want. I use it a lot when shooting my daughers playing sports, and it works well for me.

[onifot]

I bought your Stunning Digital Photography.  To everyone out there - I am on chapter four and I am beyond impressed.  I am a newbie and this is my second book - this one is one third the price and has so much more content plus videos, accessible entertaining style.... I couldn`t wait to finish it to recommend it.  Great job, Thanks.

[agoniavr]

2:46 "Did I come out well?" 2:50 "Woah, tag me on Facebook!"

[GeoffBosco]

Did Chelsea say, "Such season"?

very doge
wow

[skatertwig]

The only thing lacking is AF speeds, once that improves I feel Mirrorless will start taking over. Oh and I think Sony cameras have the most simple menu by far. Canon and Nikon Menus suck in my opinion. Nice thing about the a7 series cameras once you set the camera you pretty much never have to go in the menu.

[ycstyles]

I have used to shot photos with a7ii since 2017. Still my favorite camera of mine.
Thanks for reviewing this camera^^

[greatpix]

The best thing for shooting through glass is a rubber lens hood. It allows you to get right on the glass without damage and you can even angle the camera a bit to get the shot if needed. They also make a great bumper if you drop your camera/lens or bang it against something accidently.

[ChengHooSew]

My co-worker have a DSLR and I switched to A7r right at the time it came out from DSLR. Every now and then we switch camera and truly the DSLR track moving object way faster and snappy. The a7r is sufficient on normal usage and it is actually more accurate then DSLR when it actually lock on. But if you came from DSLR you'll notice the difference or else it's not that big of a deal if you have not use a DSLR before. But now that I'm so good at manual focusing I would beat my friend's DSLR sometimes. By the way we work at pet shop with fishes and chinchilla. But I came from manual focus era and my first SLR was Canon F1 so I got used to it quite fast. I even got used to the focus by wire native lenses. 

[foxphotography]

I loved this video! I'm not in the market for a mirrorless camera at this point, but this video is so much like your book, SDP, that it was awesome to watch. In today's photography society (which, granted I'm new to), I feel that so many pros are building up and praising cameras that aren't necessarily subpar, but have shortcomings. I really appreciate that I can always count on Tony and Chelsea to be honest in a review of a piece of equipment. Loving the videos, loving SDP, loving how much better my photography has gotten just since I've started reading/watching!

[JacobRoecker]

Great Review.  One thing that was missing was mentioning that most of the buttons are programmable.  I believe the shoot would have gone a bit better if Chelsea had mapped the focus buttons she needed to be close to something she's used to. 

I had the same problem on the A6000, I programmed the bottom of the toggle wheel to initiate changing the focus point, then I use the LRUD buttons to change it to where I need it to go.

Maybe you do reviews with only the stock settings.  If so, good points and map it to taste now so you can have more fun!

This camera's not cheap and I hope you have a better time with it.  True the focussing system isn't on par with the DSLRs you're used to and maybe it's not that certain shots become impossible, but that we have to adjust the way we shoot to get them.

[RHoveyFamily]

Sony Focusing "Issues" ?? Learn the Cameras!
I love Tony & Chelsea's work - 98% of the time in all aspects (books, videos, help).
I think they swung and missed on this one though.  Sony focusing technology has things that DSLR's (any) simply don't.  One should become more familiar with it before doing one quick shoot and throwing out verdicts.  (Reminds me of Tony's video on the Sony A6000 vs the Olympus OMD-Em10, when he only got 4 of 10 shots sharp on burst with the Sony, when most site testers get 70% or better sharp - and more that are usable).  Might it be getting the settings right??.  There is Lock-On Focus, Flexible Spot Focus with Lock-On, Face Detection Registering, Eye Focus, and other advanced options - though some only currently works on Sony E ad FE lenses.  It's great digital focusing technology without having to manipulate a toggle and re-compose, and much more.  To watch Tony struggle to get plants & berries right in front of him in focus makes me further wonder about his settings (some Sony focus settings can cancel out others if not combined correctly).  I didn't see any representations of the Sony tracking with the moving box or tracking snowflakes during filming.  And "…no mirror-less cameras can focus as well as even entry-level DSLR's…"  Really?  The A7's are not as fast as the A6000, I concur, but here's a recent quote from a popular and respected on-line reviewer and teacher as to mirror-less focusing vs. DSLR's  on the A6000 vs a popular Canon DSLR full frame:  Speaking from personal experience, the proclamation that "no mirror-less camera can focus as fast as even the cheapest DSLRs" simply isn't true.  As recently as last week I did a side-by-side shoot, in a controlled studio environment between the Sony a6000 and  the Canon 5D MK II (DSLR FF). As a native Canon shooter I am very familiar with the equipment and have used it religiously for nearly 18 years. The focusing and capture rate of the Sony A6000 (with a cheap 16-50mm, f/3.5-5.6 lens) blew the 5D (with 24-70mm, f/2.8 lens) out of the water. It wasn't even close. In fact, there are many, many images from the Canon that simply aren't useable at all due to being out of focus even though the system said it was. Again, having used both systems for a real world comparison (and personally being several thousands of dollars invested into a full-frame Canon EOS system), I would still strongly recommend the Sony mirrorless A6000. It's simply that good, and a fraction of the price of the majority of full-size DSLRs.  
And regarding Chelsea with her slam on manipulating the camera:  many of us find the Sony menus excellent and refreshing from having to manipulate tons of buttons on a big camera.  Tony declares that Pro's prefer buttons and only consumers won't care, but I read of plenty of Pro's moving to Sony from DSLR's - and loving them (videos all over YouTube). Of course one is going to find a different system awkward at first, but nobody I've read that's using the Sonys regularly has issues with the menu system or select, totally customizable buttons.   And further for the naysayers:  I expect the resistance will persist for a time, but mirror-less IS the future folks, and when it comes to such Sonys as the the 36mp Sony A7r, there's no "…step up…" as Tony calls it.  The A7r's images (check the top sites out there) rival the medium form Panasonic and the Nikon 800E, and stone cold beat the Canon 5Dm3.  Image quality isn't everything, but it's the ultimate thing.  Even the APSC A6000 images look as good as any Canon DSLR in average or low ISO's.  Dealing with the rest of the Sony features is just a matter of learning and adjustment.  And with the Electronic Viewfinder:  see 100% of the photo to be taken, see it brighter than the eye can see, a live histogram, use Focus Peaking and Zebra to see what's in focus and blown out (invaluable in Macro and Night Photography), see the DOF, and more…  And the Sony cams have superb Video, charge with USB (on the run), tilt screens, SD cards that work across all models, are smaller, cheaper, and have great built-in WiFi - just a few more of the features you don't get on high end DSLR's for 3 times the money.   Folks, check out other Sony reviews on YouTube for other opinions and perspectives - there are plenty out there.

[godofhope]

Good old times ;) where DSLR were better in AF. Now even Tony changed his mind ^^

[enknot]

you dudes are the only people who gave a review that i found in ANY way helpful. Thank god for the Northrups.

[johncampbell]

That moment when the Beluga whale saw its' own image was very moving.

[MrInternetDude]

2:46 lol he looks at the pic hahahahah

[stevenwaldstein]

Sony A7II, A7, and A7R can all be easier to set the focus point if you reprogram the center button in the control wheel to "Standard". Then push it and then use the four point on the control when to move your focus point around. IMO that is very quick.  You should try it.

[kylewolfe_]

Really loved the video! The image stabilization is a very tempting feature, but I think I'm gonna have to hold back and stick with my regular A7. If I were just getting into it, I would most likely buy this over the A7, but for those who already own one like me, I don't think it's worth the hassle to sell your old body and upgrade up a mark, I think I'll be skipping until the mkIII.

[DCT_Aaron_Engineering]

Thanks for the review.  It was very detailed and thorough.  I have bought 2 Sony cameras now based on your reviews VG30 and the A7II.  Thanks for all your hard work.  It helped me to make an informed decision. Regards, Aaron.