On the back of the camera, you’ll also find an autofocus joystick, and the video recording button has been shifted to the top of the camera, with the side access ports having been upgraded as well. Sony has not only introduced two dual UHS-II SD card ports to the a7S III, but the same slots are also capable of supporting the far quicker CFexpress Type A cards, which are now available in 80GB and 160GB capacities, respectively. The a7S II is capable of recording 4K video at up to 30 frames per second while using the whole width of the sensor and utilizing complete pixel readout. When a camera’s maximum effective ISO is calculated, it represents the utmost sensitivity at which it can shoot photographs of outstanding quality. A7S III instead has two dual-format card slots, which implies that both slots are compatible with UHS-II SD cards and the newly released CFexpress Type A cards, as well as the older CFexpress Type A cards.
Check out our in-depth Sony A7S III review to find out whether this is the camera for you if the price of the A7S III didn’t make your bank account suffer too much. Finally, the A7S II takes use of the most recent picture compression technologies, including 10-bit HEIF files, which outperform JPEG’s 8-bit color while delivering fewer file sizes than the latter. As a result, Sony claims that the focusing on the new model can lock onto targets in somewhat lower light (EV-6) than on the previous model’s autofocus (up from EV-4 on the A7S II). An additional advantage of the A7S III is the addition of new codecs, including XAVC-S-I, which supports bit rates of up to 500Mbps, and XAVC-HS, which supports high frame rate modes such as 4K/100p at 200Mbps. This is an improvement over the A7S II, which codecs had a maximum speed of 100Mbps.
Video pros and photographers alike will appreciate what the Sony a7S and Sony a7S II have to offer. Although the a7S II was the second camera in the series, we were interested in seeing how the two cameras compared. Let’s take a look at a couple of the most visible distinctions and explain why you may choose one over the other based on your preferences. 69 distinct specifications, the current market price, and DxO Mark ratings are used in our Decision Algorithm to dynamically rate cameras, allowing for a more objective and consistent comparison. Both the Sony A7S II and the Sony A7S feature full frame sized 12.0 MP resolution sensors, hence sensor size and resolution are not distinguishing characteristics between these two cameras.
Here’s a cropped picture comparison between the Sony a7S II and the Sony a7S in 4K resolution. The only difference I can see is that the 4K HDMI output does its standard Gamma adjustment while also significantly increasing contrast and saturation. When compared to external film, the internal footage from the Sony a7S II seems to be practically comparable. When comparing the a7S to the new a7S II, I can certainly notice more noise on the a7S at its lowest ISO setting. The picture quality of the XAVC-S 100 mbit codec is also rather good, which is a pleasant surprise.
Even the latest Sony cameras, such as the R4, are a little too large for my tastes; I like the R2 or R3 sizes. No, I did not include sliding shutters in this article, but I probably should have. It’s strange that Sony claims 2x quicker performance but our measurements are closer to 3. As a result, a single card slot may accommodate both XQD and CFexpress-B cards since the form factor B cards are the same size and have the same connections.
The A7S II and A7S are both cameras that are part of Sony’s A7S series. The most recent models from this series may be found in the section below. Take note that the lowest noise levels are achieved by the camera at ISO 1600, ISO 2500, and ISO 3200. When shooting at ISO 2000, there is a modest increase in color noise in the shadows.
Canon has issued a warning to customers informing them that new orders of its EOS R3 mirrorless camera might take up to six months to arrive at their doorstep owing to «the effect of global components supply.» It has current video specifications, and although many would not consider it a still camera owing to the low pixel count, it is one of the greatest video interchangeable lens cameras available. Somebody, somewhere is probably wondering whether the less expensive camera would be adequate for their needs, and this comparison could be of assistance.
His experience with the camera has also included shooting ProRes RAW in a variety of lighting circumstances, including near complete darkness. However, although both the A7S III and A7S II are primarily video cameras, they are also capable of producing outstanding still images albeit at a lower resolution of 12MP than the competition. The Z battery, which is now available in higher-end Sony cameras such as the Sony A9, Sony A7R IV, and Sony A6600, delivers a significant increase in both still and video shooting periods. With a number of improvements over the previous generation a7 III, Sony’s new flagship camera comes at a higher initial cost.
It’s true that sometimes upgrading to the next-generation may result in a significant improvement, but there are other occasions when it’s just not worth it. Sony, on the other hand, has always pushed its A7S line of cameras as far as they possibly could with successive releases. S-Log2 and S-Log3 curves are supported by both cameras, but the a7S III adds S.Gamut3 and S.Gamut3.cine modes, which make it simpler to match the colors of video taken with Sony’s professional cinema cameras to film produced with the a7S III. After a preposterous 17 years in the field of technology journalism, Mark is now seeking to shatter the world record for the most number of camera bags amassed by a single individual. He was formerly the Cameras Editor at Trusted Reviews, the Acting Editor on Stuff.tv, and the Features Editor and Reviews Editor on Stuff magazine, among other positions.
The A7S II’s design has not been completely reinvented, but it is much more polished and user-friendly for videographers – especially when you consider the following three changes between the cameras… Both the A7S III’s performance at high ISOs and its management of problems like rolling shutter, which may distort objects when you pan the camera fast and was a minor issue on the A7S II, have improved as a result of this. The following are the 10 most significant differences between the two hybrid video cameras: When they upgrade to a better product, it actually costs more to maintain both the new and the old versions. There aren’t many «backports» of functionality to previous Sonys, and the newer versions are more likely to be utilized in every successive product cycle as a result.
«However, the camera only truly takes full use of this in playback mode,» says the photographer. The a7s series, in particular, should emulate the body design of the a7c rangefinder. It makes little sense for a brand that is primarily focused on video to have a false pentaprism protruding from the top.