Sony α7S II

Full-frame mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera

Sony α7S II
Overview
Sony α7S II with Sony Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS lens
Maker	Sony
Type	Full-frame mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera
Released	October 2015 (2015-10)
Intro price	US$3,000 (2015 (2015)) US$2,399 (2018 (2018))
Lens
Lens mount	Sony E-mount
Lens	Interchangeable lens
Sensor/medium
Sensor type	CMOS
Sensor size	35.6 × 23.8 mm (full frame type)
Maximum resolution	4240 × 2832 (12 megapixels)
Film speed	ISO 50-409600
Recording medium	Multi slot for Memory Stick Duo/SD memory card
Focusing
Focus areas	169 focus points
Shutter
Frame rate	120fp
Shutter speeds	1/8000 s to 30 s
Continuous shooting	5.0 frames per second
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder magnification	0.78
Frame coverage	100%
Image processing
Image processor	Bionz X
White balance	Yes
General
Video recording	4K UHD (QFHD: 3840 x 2160)
LCD screen	3 inches with 1,228,800 dots
Dimensions	127×96×60 mm (5.0×3.8×2.4 in)
Weight	627 g (22.1 oz) including battery
Made in	China

The Sony α7S II (model ILCE-7SM2) is a 12.2-megapixel full-frame mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera made by Sony.^[1]^[2] It was publicly announced on September 11, 2015 (2015-09-11) at a press conference held at the IBC 2015 exhibition in Amsterdam and was released in October 2015 (2015-10) with a suggested retail price of US$3,000 (body only) at the time.^[3]

The α7S II is offered as a body only or in a package with a Sony FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS zoom lens. It was succeeded by the Sony α7S III in October 2020.

Features

Image features

The α7S II features a 35mm (35.6 x 23.8 mm) full-frame Exmor CMOS sensor capable of capturing approximately 12.2 effective megapixels.^[4]

Autofocus and metering

The camera's 169-point autofocus sensors use contrast-detection AF to capture and record.^[5]

ISO

For still images, the α7S II's ISO is 100–102400 with expansion down to ISO 50 and up to ISO 409600 equivalent. For movies, the α7S II's ISO is 100-102400 equivalent with expansion down to ISO 100 and up to ISO 409600 equivalent. For still images or movies on auto setting, the camera's ISO is 100–12800 with selectable lower and upper limits.^[2]

Shutter

The α7S II's shutter speed range is 30 s to 1/8,000 s for still images. For bulb movies, the shutter speed range is 1/4 s (1/3 s step) to 1/8,000 s.^[2]

The camera has an approximate maximum continuous shooting speed of 5.0 frames per second in Speedy Priority Continuous shooting drive mode and a shooting speed of 2.5 frames per second in Continuous shooting drive mode.^[2]

Ergonomics and functions

The α7S II has a TFT LCD screen with a size of 7.5 cm (3 inches) and resolution of 1,228,800 dots with an adjustable tilt angle of 107 degrees up and 41 degrees down (approximate). The OLED electronic viewfinder has a resolution of 2,360,000 dots and a .78x magnification.^[2]

The camera additionally has built-in Wi-Fi with NFC compatibility.^[2]

Video

The camera can record 4K UHD (QFHD: 3840 x 2160) internally in full frame format. The camera allows for movie image size to be set, as well as the frame rate per second, and compression method.^[6]

The Possession of Hannah Grace was filmed entirely using the A7S II

Firmware update

On May 15, 2019 (2019-05-15), Sony announced batch firmware updates for the α9 and α7 line of cameras including firmware version 3.01 for the α7S II; its main change was improving overall stability of the camera body.^[7]

International Space Station

In December 2016 (2016-12), Japan's national aero-space agency, JAXA, installed a Sony α7S II outside the International Space Station's KIBO Japanese Experiment Module after determining it would be durable enough to withstand the vacuum of outer space.^[8] According to Sony, the a7S II captured the first 4K footage in space using a commercial level camera.^[9] In order to mitigate the temperature extremes of outer space, the camera mount is equipped with a heater and radiator.^[10] Sony stated that the camera body was not modified but the software was modified to include the ability for full remote control from inside the Space Station.^[10]^[11] JAXA selected the Sony FE PZ 28-135mm F4 G OSS lens to capture images and record video for the purpose of this assignment.^[12]

Accessories

According to Sony's website, the α7S II model comes equipped with:^[13]

Sony ILCE-7SM2 Camera Body
Battery Pack NP-FW50 (rechargeable)
Battery Charger BC-VW1
AC Adapter AC-UUD11
Neck/Shoulder Strap
Micro-USB Cable and Cable Protector

References

^ "Sony expands range of compact full-frame mirrorless cameras with the launch of the ultra-sensitive α7S II". Press Centre - Sony. Sony Europe. Archived from the original on November 12, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Sony a7S II - Brochure" (PDF). Sony Canada. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
^ Universe, Alpha. "Sony Announces The New Ultra-sensitive α7S II!". Sony. Archived from the original on November 12, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
^ "Sony α7S II E-mount Camera with Full-Frame Sensor". Sony. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
^ "Sony Alpha A7S II Specs". CNET. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
^ "Sony Alpha 7S II: Digital Photography Review". Dpreview.com. Archived from the original on October 2, 2016. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
^ "ILCE-7SM2 System Software (Firmware) Update Ver. 3.01 (Windows) | Sony USA". www.sony.com. Archived from the original on October 16, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
^ "Sony's a7S II stuns with 4K footage from outside the International Space Station". TechCrunch. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
^ Sony. "The α7S II successfully recorded the first ever commercial level 4K footage in space from outside the International Space Station". www.sony.com. Sony. Archived from the original on October 10, 2017. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
^ ^a ^b Murnane, Kevin. "Sony's α7S II Camera Shoots Stunning 4K Video From The International Space Station". Forbes. Archived from the original on September 7, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
^ "α7S II Has The Right Stuff For Outer Space". Sony | Alpha Universe. Archived from the original on November 13, 2019. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
^ "α7S II 4K Videos and Images from KIBO ISS by JAXA". Sony Canada. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
^ "Sony A7S II Review". Imaging Resource. Archived from the original on October 17, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2019.