When Sony launched the Alpha 7 and Alpha 7R two years ago, the manufacturer was looking to target two different types of photographer. While the Alpha 7 was out to appeal to enthusiasts looking for a full-frame camera with an ‘all-round' level of performance, the Alpha 7R was aimed at landscape and...

Sony continues to take a three-camera approach with its second-generation full-frame mirrorless system. At one end of the spectrum sits the high-resolution, 42-megapixel Alpha 7R II , and at the other is the 12-megapixel Alpha 7S II ($2999.99, body only).

Full-frame 4K video recording; Incredible high ISO image quality; 5fps burst shooting; In-body image stabilization; Hinged rear display; Sharp EVF; Dust- and moisture-resistant design

Expensive; 12-megapixel resolution can be limiting; Omits PC sync socket; Overly sensitive eye sensor; No built-in flash

The Sony A7S II takes the A7S to the next level. The redesigned camera body, improved autofocus, and bevy of new features make the A7S II a very capable full-frame mirrorless camera no matter the lighting conditions.

Comfortable and surprisingly compact camera body; Improved low light performance; Built-in image stabilization; Wide range of usable ISOs; More sophisticated autofocus performance; Excellent video capabilities

Relatively low resolution; Mediocre continuous shooting performance; No built-in flash; No losslessly compressed RAW option

The Sony A7S II is a new 35mm full-frame compact system camera with a 12.2 megapixel sensor that provides an incredible ISO range of 50-409,600 and high dynamic range. Other standout highlights of the A7S II include internal 4K video recording with full pixel readout without pixel binning in...

After the introduction of the Sony Alpha 7 II and Sony Alpha 7R II it was only a matter of time before Sony introduced the update to the Alpha 7S, its 12Mp, low light and video-centric model which has become popular in the film and television industry.

Sony's A7S II is the ultimate low-light shooter for night owls.

Excellent 12.2MP full-frame stills; Top-notch 4K; 120-fps Full HD videos; Whopping 409,600 ISO; 14-bit compressed/uncompressed RAW

Very noisy at high ISOs; Not ideal for action; Expensive

The Sony Alpha A7S II is a full-frame camera with a difference. Where its brother the A7R II uses a 42-megapixel sensor for massive amounts of detail, this camera pares the resolution all the way down to 12 megapixels to radically improve low-light performance.

Great low-light performance; Excellent for video; Much-improved ergonomics

Limited detail capture among full-frame cameras; Unimpressive burst performance

Sony's Alpha A7s Mark II is a full-frame mirrorless camera that's optimized for 4k video, particularly in very low light. Sony's essentially taken the 12 Megapixel sensor of the original A7s Mark I and slotted it into the body of the A7r Mark II.

Great quality 4k video; Clean up to 6400 ISO and still good at 25600 ISO, Capable of shooting in extremely low light at up to 409600 ISO, Very good 1080p options including APSC crop and 120p slow motion, S-Log 2 and 3 for subsequent grading.

Contrast-based AF not great at tracking moving subjects; No APSC / Super-35 crop option for 4k video; Built-in IS only provided one or two stops in my tests; Small dials and buttons.

Thanks for a VERY intelligent & fantastic review; seems I've been lucky to find 2 honest and thorough reviewers of wonderfull photofilm-webpages ! This other reviewer, Andrew Reid, found out in september, that a dark spot appeared where the sun was captured on the Alpha7S2's video (actually just a...

We didn't get to review the original Sony ILCE-7S (α7S) camera, which was released in April 2014 so it's nice to receive its successor, the α7S Mark II, which was announced on 11 September 2015. The updated camera improves on its predecessor in several important ways.