Sony Alpha 7R II

Sony Alpha 7R II was announced in 2015 and is a Full Frame (35.9 x 24 mm) Mirrorless camera with 42.4 Megapixel BSI-CMOS sensor. Its native ISO ranges from 100 to 25,600 and expands to 50 - 102,400 in boosted mode. The camera has a Tilting 3.0" screen with 1,229k dot resolution and built-in 0.5" Electronic (OLED) viewfinder with 2,359k dot resolution. It has a built-in 5-Axis Sensor Shift in body image stabilization.

Sony Alpha 7R II can capture video up to 3840 x 2160 resolution.

Here is the Sony Alpha 7R series lineup, where you can view and compare the main specifications of the cameras within the same series.

Sony Alpha 7R series lineup

	Model	Date	Sensor	Native ISO	Screen	Price
	Sony a7R V Compare	October 2022	61.0 MP Full Frame	100 - 32,000	Articulated 3.2" 2,360k dot Touchscreen	amazon B&H
	Sony a7R IV Compare	July 2019	61.0 MP Full Frame	100 - 32,000	Tilting 3.0" 1,440k dot Touchscreen	amazon B&H
	Sony a7R IIIA Compare	October 2017	42.4 MP Full Frame	100 - 32,000	Tilting 3.0" 2,360k dot Touchscreen	amazon B&H
	Sony a7R III Compare	October 2017	42.4 MP Full Frame	100 - 32,000	Tilting 3.0" 1,440k dot Touchscreen	amazon B&H
	Sony a7R II	June 2015	42.4 MP Full Frame	100 - 25,600	Tilting 3.0" 1,229k dot	amazon B&H
	Sony a7R Compare	February 2014	36 MP Full Frame	100 - 25,600	Tilting 3.0" 1,230k dot	amazon B&H

You can view their side-by-side comparison here: Sony Alpha 7R V vs Alpha 7R IV vs Alpha 7R IIIA vs Alpha 7R III vs Alpha 7R II vs Alpha 7R.

In this section we present pros and cons of Sony Alpha 7R II.

Here we are comparing Sony Alpha 7R II to its predecessor Alpha 7R and displaying the major changes.

For more detailed comparison between the models please visit Sony Alpha 7R II vs Alpha 7R.

In 2017 Sony Alpha 7R II was replaced by Sony Alpha 7R III. Let us now have a look at some important differences between Sony Alpha 7R II and its successor.

For more detailed comparison between the models please visit Sony Alpha 7R II vs Alpha 7R III.

Tilting screen

Sony Alpha 7R II has a 3.0" Tilting screen with 1,229k dot resolution. Tilting screen makes this camera very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting.

Electronic (OLED) Viewfinder

Camera has a built-in 0.5" Electronic (OLED) viewfinder with 2,359k dot resolution. It has a 100% coverage and 0.78x magnification.

BSI-CMOS Sensor

Sony Alpha 7R II features a 42.4 megapixel Full Frame BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 35.9 x 24 mm and a total area of 861.6 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 25,600 and expands to 50 - 102,400 in boosted mode.

The camera has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how Sony Alpha 7R II's Full Frame sensor compares with other types of sensors:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	35.9 x 24 mm	861.6 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Camera is equipped with BIONZ X processor and can take pictures up to 7974 x 5316 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolutions like Full Frame (3:2 - 5168 x 3448, 3984 x 2656, 16:9 - 7952 x 4472, 5168 x 2912, 3984 x 2240), APS-C (3:2 - 5168 x 3448, 3984 x 2656, 2592 x 1728, 16:9 - 5168 x 2912, 3984 x 2240, 2592 x 1456) with 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Sony Alpha 7R II has Sony E lens mount. Due to Full Frame sensor its crop factor (also called lens multiplier) is 1x. This means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length.

No Low-Pass Filter

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor. This results in a slightly sharper image but may also introduce moiré patterns and aliasing artifacts when photographing subjects with fine, repetitive patterns or details.

In-Body Image Stabilization

The camera has a built-in 5-Axis Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS) with 4.5 stops of compensation. This means that you are still getting vibration reduction when camera is paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.

Built-in Wi-Fi

Camera has a built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n, 2.4 GHz) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

NFC

Sony Alpha 7R II has Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which simplifies the process of pairing it with other NFC-enabled devices like smartphones or tablets. It allows to quickly transfer photos and videos or remotely control the camera from compatible device. NFC can also be used for authentication and security purposes. It can verify your identity before accessing certain features or transferring sensitive data. It can be used with NFC-enabled accessories as well, such as lenses, flashes and GPS devices.

USB Input and HDMI Output

Sony Alpha 7R II has a USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) input for data transfer. There is a Micro HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Sony Alpha 7R II comes with NP-FW50 battery pack with battery life of 290 shots.

External Storage Slots

The camera has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo Hybrid (UHS-I) card slot.

Shutter

Sony Alpha 7R II has Electronically controlled Vertical-traverse Focal-plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec. Camera can shoot continuously up to 5.0 fps.

Focusing

Sony Alpha 7R II has 399 focusing points and from -2 to +20 EV detection range There is also face detection feature which automatically finds and focuses on faces.

Exposure

Camera's exposure metering ranges from -3 to +20 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range. You can also do exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment.

Flash

Sony Alpha 7R II has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/250 sec. Flash compensation can be set from -3 to +3 EV with 1/3 or 1/2 EV step increments.

Sony Alpha 7R II has dimensions of 127 x 96 x 60 mm (5 x 3.78 x 2.36"). It weighs 625 g (1.38 lb / 22.05 oz) which is neither heavy nor lightweight.

127 mm (5")

96 mm (3.78")

96 mm (3.78")

60 mm (2.36")