It's something of a surprise: Sony managed to keep under wraps an interesting new camera that is slated to begin shipping to the home market (i.e., Japan) in less that three weeks.
The camera is the fourth iteration of the popular, hot-selling, and rapidly proliferating A7 full-frame mirrorless series, now consisting of the original 24-MP A7, the 36-MP A7r, and the made-for-video 12-MP A7s—the current DxOmark low-light, high-ISO champ.
The new camera, called the A7II, differs from its predecessor in several important ways. Most notably, it has in-body image stabilization (IBIS), a five-way system that corrects "Yaw & Pitch," "X and Y," and "Roll." Sony claims this is the world's first full-frame camera with five-way IBIS.
Here's a link to Sony's video about the A7II IBIS (which it calls "SteadyShot INSIDE").
Also important—besides some significant-sounding upgrades in various electronic speed parameters, including 40% faster startup—is a redesigned grip side of the body. The grip is larger, the shutter release button has been relocated, and a front control dial has been added.
Hard to judge, but the A7 series is at least within shouting distance of "most desirable cameras on the planet" for enthusiasts right now. The read from here is that people love 'em. Seems like this new camera won't hurt that one bit.
No word yet on when the camera will be released for other markets (it can't be preordered yet), or what the likely price will be...or whether the original A7 will be retired or remain in the lineup (my guess is the latter). We'll keep you posted.
Mike
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Featured Comments from:
Sarge: "Not much of a surprise (the IBIS) since Sony itself will be making not a lot of native FF lenses with OSS for the a7 line. Perfect for the Zeiss ZA/FE mount lenses. Just what the doctor ordered for my LM/LTM lenses and M42 Takumars. Bring it on!"
