Unveiled: Sony A7R II, RX100 IV, and RX10 II

Today, Sony unveiled the much-anticipated successors to three high-end cameras with a ton of new features and capacities: the 42.4MP, full-frame sensor, mirrorless a7R II and the 20MP, 1" sensor, high-end point-and-shoot RX100 IV and RX10 II cameras. All three feature the ability to record UHD 4K internally; new, more light-sensitive image sensors; and a host of other new features. It looks like Sony went all out for these upgrades.

a7R II

At the heart of the new Sony a7R II Camera is an all-new, back side illuminated, 42.4MP, full-frame image sensor. This is the first time a full-frame sensor has featured back side illumination, which in turn offers better high ISO performance than the original a7R, despite the increase in resolution. With the ability to shoot up to an expanded 102400 ISO, the a7R II approaches the a7S in low-light sensitivity. Also new on the a7R II is on-sensor phase detect autofocus, to dramatically increase the autofocus speed. Unlike Contrast Detection AF, Phase Detection AF is able to tell which direction the lens needs to go to achieve focus. The a7R II has 399 phase detection points that combine with contrast-based AF for fast and accurate Hybrid AF.

The a7R II also inherits the more robust body and in-camera, 5-axis, SteadyShot image stabilization first seen on the a7 II, meaning that all lenses, from E-Mount prime lenses like the 55mm f/1.8 that lack IS to adapted manual-focus lenses, will now be stabilized. The a7R II also has a new shutter design for reduced vibration and increased durability. Plus, the a7R II features electronic first-curtain shutter mode and silent shooting mode for quieter shutter action. Also upgraded is the electronic viewfinder, which has a higher 0.78 x magnification rating than the original a7R, for a more pleasant viewing experience.

In a huge upgrade for video users, it now has the ability record UHD 4K video internally onto memory cards in the 100 Mb/s XAVC codec. It has more robust picture profile controls in video mode than the a7R, including S-Log2. And, thanks to its high-resolution sensor, the a7R II is able to window the sensor in Super-35 mode and record 4K without pixel binning. These improvements, along with the in-body stabilization, will make shooting video on the a7R II a more pleasing experience.

All in all, this new camera represents a huge update from the original, with a new body, new sensor, new video features, and more; it’s a complete redesign and well worth the upgrade. It looks like the mirrorless, full-frame camera has finally come of age. 

The New Point-and-Shoot Cameras

Sony has also brought the company’s stacked sensor technology to two of its high-performance point-and-shoot cameras. The Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II Digital Camera updates 2013’s RX10 and brings with it the high dynamic range, low-noise and high-speed autofocus tracking of the new sensor. Low-light performance, in terms of image quality and autofocus capability, has also been improved due to the new sensor’s configuration. The attached DRAM memory chip features 5x faster readout of image data than the previous model and up to 14 fps burst shooting. In addition, this bridge-style zoom features internal 4K video recording and 40x super-slow-motion, high-frame-rate shooting of 960 fps at 1080p. An Anti-Distortion Shutter with a maximum speed of 1/3200 second allows for sharper images at wide apertures and minimizes the rolling-shutter effect often seen when recording fast-moving subjects; the electronic shutter reaches speeds of 1/32000 second. 

While the sensor on the RX10 II is a welcome update, the principal specs on the camera remain similar to its predecessor. A 1" 20.2MP sensor provides high-resolution image quality for images captured through its Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 24-200mm equivalent optical zoom lens with a constant f/2.8 maximum aperture. The ISO sensitivity remains the same as the previous RX-10 at ISO 12800 maximum. The XGA OLED Tru-Finder monitor and built-in electronic viewfinder offer image composition and playback viewing. Built-in Wi-Fi with NFC enables wireless transfer of images to smart devices and remote camera control.

Every year Sony updates its RX100 pocket-sized point-and-shoot, and every year we are impressed with the development of this camera. This year is no different, as the Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV replaces the Exmor R BSI CMOS sensor with the new Exmor RS CMOS sensor. Like the RX10 II, the RX 100 IV improves low-light focusing, performance speed, and dynamic range.

Both cameras also provide 4K (QFHD 3840 x 2160) movie recording, utilizing the XAVC S codec. This is a huge step forward in video quality for compact shooters, as the cameras offer full-pixel readout without pixel binning, ensuring the fine details of 4K are preserved with minimal moiré and other artifacts. The RX 10 II enables extended shooting at 4K, up to 29 minutes, while the RX100 IV shoots 4K in clips of up to at least 5 minutes. Both cameras offer selectable PAL and NTSC formats, feature Picture Profile and S-Log2/S-Gamut and enable dual video recording to shoot 16.8MP still images while recording 4K video. 

While the sensors are the same in the two cameras, the lenses and form factors are significantly different. The RX100 IV has a Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 24-70mm equivalent zoom with a maximum aperture of f/1.8 at the wide end and f/2.8 at telephoto. Its pocket-sized form is ideal for day-to-day shooting, street photography, and travel, and it’s a solid low light performer. Like its predecessor, the RX 100 IV has a retractable electronic viewfinder with improved 2.36 million dots of resolution and the XGA OLED Tru-Finder monitor. It also has a pop-up flash and provides built-in Wi-Fi with NFC.