Maximise Your Creative Potential

Sony’s Alpha 7 (Sony a7) range has been one of the most exciting ongoing surprises in the camera world over the past few years. Ever since the firm dropped a proverbial bombshell into the camera market by bringing out two full-frame small mirrorless models with beefy resolution capabilities, it has been dropping updates, new models and lenses alike to create a truly enticing system.

While the three iterations are similar in many ways, they are strikingly different in many others, and which one will suit you best will depend heavily on what kind of photographer you are. What subjects do you shoot? What are your goals with your photography, and what conditions do you regularly find yourself in? All these are questions to answer when picking the right a7 model to maximise your creative potential.

Well, look no further, because we’re about to run through the Alpha 7 models in turn, going through the strengths and weaknesses of each one. Read on to find the perfect Alpha 7 camera for your photography...

The Sony a7 and Sony a7 II

As you might expect, the Sony a7 was one of the cameras on the stage when Sony first raised the curtain on its new series. Whereas the other two a7 variants are more specialist tools for different purposes, as we shall see, the a7 is very much a jack of all trades.

Packing a 24.3MP sensor, an ISO range of 100-25,600 (expandable to ISO 50), a 2,040K-dot electronic viewfinder and a 5fps high-speed mode, the a7 is equipped for a broad range of situations. Its killer app though is its sophisticated and lightning-fast 117-point phase-detect AF system with 25 contrast-detection points, something absent from the other models in the series. This gives it an edge when it comes to photography requiring fast reactions, such as sports, action and wildlife.

Of course, time and photo tech marches on, and it felt like no time at all before the a7 earned itself an upgrade in the form of the Sony Alpha 7 II. The sequel kept a lot of the components of its predecessor – if it ain’t broke, as they say – but with the principal addition of 5-axis image stabilisation. Designed to reduce image blur by compensating for camera-shake, this system will be familiar to anyone who has used the Olympus OM-D E-M1 or E-M5. By compensating not only for pitch and yaw movements but also vertical, horizontal and rotational movements, the system ensures better stabilisation than any in-lens system could hope to achieve.

Elsewhere the model inherited a lot from its predecessor, so we’ve got the same 24MP sensor and Bionz X processor, meaning factors such as the ISO range remain the same. Interestingly, though the AF system is the same model, Sony manage to tighten up the algorithms enough to make it even faster (the firm estimates about 30%), thereby cementing the a7 II’s place as the quickfire shooter of the a7 system.

Videographers are catered for in the a7 II, with support for the XACV S codec and the S-Log 2 gamma, which allows for retention of a significantly wider dynamic range that makes colour grading in post-production significantly easier (more on this later). There’s also the handy option to record an instantly shareable MP4 file alongside full-resolution AVCHD or XACV S video, which pairs nicely with the a7’s Wi-fi and NFC connectivity options.

In truth, though, if you’re interested in using an a7-series camera for video then you may want to keep reading, as there’s another camera you’re going to want to meet a little further down the line...

The Sony a7R and Sony a7R II

If cameras had feelings, you could forgive the original Sony a7 for being a bit miffed that another strikingly similar camera stole its thunder on the very day of its launch, at the exact same time.

For the original a7 was not alone on its arrival, and was accompanied by the truly formidable Sony a7R. The ‘R’ stands for resolution, and the a7R made no bones about delivering that. Its sensor boasted 36MP of resolution (and remember, this was in a pre-5DS R world), and its lack of an anti-aliasing filter meant that the camera was able to make the most of it. What was most exciting though was a new ‘backless’ design, which featured no space between the micro-lenses. This meant that more light would be drawn into each photodiode, meaning in simple terms: less noise, better low-light performance and better dynamic range. Sony’s Bionz X processor lent the a7R the same generous ISO range as the a7, though its shooting rate was considerably lower – just 1fps, which could be upped to 4fps if you didn’t mind turning off the AF and metering. This made sense: the a7R wasn’t a camera for capturing fast subjects, and there was no point pretending it was.

Inevitably, the Sony a7R received its update, in the form of the truly interesting Sony a7R II. Unlike the update to the a7, this new model sported a brand new sensor: the world’s first back-illuminated full-frame chip with a resolution of 42.4MP. Burst speed went up to 5fps, and the ISO range went to an expandable ISO 102,400 – not the highest in the range, as we’ll see shortly, but still pretty impressive.

The roster of the features on the a7R II mean that if you’ve got the cash to spend, it’s a truly impressive prospect and arguably the most comprehensive full-frame camera around. A superior fast-hybrid AF system that comprises 399 phase-detection and 25 contrast-detection focus points, 5-axis in-body stabilisation, a reduced-vibration shutter and a new 0.5in, 2,040-million-dot OLED EVF that improves upon that of the Alpha 7R with higher 0.78x magnification – all of this adds up to an incredible imaging package.

You should use a Sony Alpha 7R or 7R II if...

... you’re shooting landscapes. The high-resolution sensors on both cameras will allow you to capture a staggering amount of detail

... you’re making prints. The more megapixels the better when it comes to prints, and if you want to hang images on your wall then the a7R and a7R II will ensure they are of breathtaking quality even at larger sizes.

... you’re shooting studio fashion or portraits. Once again it’s resolution to the rescue here, and the a7R II will give you the pin-sharp detail you need.

The a7S and a7S II

‘S’ stands for sensitivity, and that is precisely what Sony’s a7S cameras deliver. First announced shortly after the debut pairing of the a7 and a7R, the a7S was notable for delivering a staggering maximum ISO of 409,600, allowing it to effectively see in the dark.

We’re willing to bet a lot of photographers remember exactly where they were when they first saw Sony’s low-light demo video of the a7S in action, showing the camera gradually transforming a pitch-black beach scene into what practically looked like mid-morning. If you’ve never seen it, we’d thoroughly recommend watching it – even more than a year on, it’s a thing of beauty.

The a7S and its successor use a sensor of comparatively low resolution to their stablemates – just 12MP in total. This is not a camera for those who demand the ultimate in resolution and detail, this is a camera for those who need versatility and low-light performance – in order to get high-ISO performance of good enough quality you need very large photosites on the sensor, and this means by necessity there will be fewer of them.

The a7S and its successor use a sensor of comparatively low resolution to their stablemates – just 12MP in total. This is not a camera for those who demand the ultimate in resolution and detail, this is a camera for those who need versatility and low-light performance – in order to get high-ISO performance of good enough quality you need very large photosites on the sensor, and this means by necessity there will be fewer of them.

The a7S II addressed this, and as well as being able to shoot at 1080p, can internally save 4K footage at 24,  25 or 30fps. It records in XAVC-S format, with an MP4 wrapper and 4:2:0 colour sampling with the option of either 100 or 60Mbps bit-rates. It also has the rather cool ability to shoot slow-motion video at 120fps.

The a7S II also boasts Sony’s picture profiles, which offer users a way to fine-tune the black and white points of their video footage, as well as adjusting the gamma curves and colour. The new S-Log3 gamma profile (S-Log2 in the original a7S)  is inherited from Sony’s range of premium camcorders, and offers a wide colour gamut that considerably increases the dynamic range.

You should use a Sony a7S or a7S II if...

... you have any interest at all in shooting video. Its sophisticated video capabilities make the a7S II the undisputed champ in the a7 stable when it comes to movies.

... you need to shoot in low light. Whether it’s night-time cityscapes or basement gigs, the a7S and a7S II’s superb low-light performance will ensure that you get the shots you need.

... you need to keep things quiet. The a7S and a7S II come packing a silent shooting mode for whisper-quiet shutter operation. Street photographers, take note.

Key features:

Sony a7 II

24 megapixels 

Full frame CMOS sensor (35.8 x 23.9 mm) 

Max resolution: 6000 x 4000 

ISO: 100-25600 

Hybrid AF: Phase and contrast-detection

Sony a7R II

42 megapixels 

Full frame CMOS-BSI sensor (35.9 x 24 mm) 

Max resolution: 7952 x 5304 

ISO 100-25,600 (expands to 50-102,400) 

0.5in 2.4-million-dot OLED EVF

Sony a7S II

12 megapixels

Full frame CMOS sensor (35.6 x 23.8 mm)

Max resolution: 4240 x 2832

ISO 100-102,400 (expands to 50-409,600)

4K video with picture profiles