Sony Alpha 7C II (A7C II)
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It took three years to see the arrival of the official successor to the A7C, embodied today by the A7C II, a mirrorless full-frame sensor camera that takes up the fundamental proposition of the C line. Namely a compact body and lightweight with a remote rangefinder viewfinder, as opposed to the reflex centered viewfinders of the A7 and other A9s.
Launched in 2020, the A7C was designed on the basis of Alpha A7 III from which it recovered the 24 Mpx sensor. At the beginning of autumn 2023, it is logically on the most recent A7 IV that the A7C II relies, in particular by taking up its 33 Mpx full-frame Exmor R sensor, as well as its duo of processors forming the unit Bionz XR. A calculation complex that allows, despite an additional pixel of almost 50%, to offer the same range of sensitivities as the A7C (100-51,200 ISO, expandable from 50 to 204,800 ISO).
The Sony A7C II with its rotating screen. © Sony
Two additional major advances allow the A7C II to stand out from its ancestor: a more efficient mechanical stabilization of the sensor and the new AI chip, which can be found in all the latest Alpha boxes from Sony. The stabilization system increases the gain from 5.5 to 7 speeds, thus making it possible to significantly reduce the exposure time with freehand. The AI chip allows, for its part, to hook more subjects (humans, eyes, but also cats, dogs or planes) without ever failing or almost. Thanks to the algorithms from Sony’s deep learning and the power of its dedicated chip, which is much faster and more energy efficient than the calculation cores of traditional ISPs such as the Bionz XR.
Compared to its predecessor, the A7C promises faster, more precise AF, 94% AF coverage across the sensor, and nearly identical burst shooting. Almost, because if we are still entitled to 10 frames per second (as on the first A7C of the name), the depth of the buffer memory increases a little and absorbs up to 1000 jpegs in fine quality or 44 raw or 20 raw + jpeg in super fine quality.
The Sony A7C II in two-tone version. © Sony
In terms of video, the A7C II must meet an increasingly demanding audience. And it relies on this not only on the video part of the A7 IV, from which it borrows its sensor, but also on the FX3 video camera in its latest firmware version (2.0). Its 4K30p mode is thus sampled from a 7K stream (the full width of the sensor), and its 4K60 mode in Super 35 format (APS-C equivalent) is the result of a crop in the sensor without pixel binning. And it takes advantage of recording up to 4:2:2 10-bit All-Intra (all frames are complete) in S-Log 3. If it is not a real camera, the The A7C II, however, seems to have enough to capture very high quality 4K footage – Sony having never disappointed in this area.
The Sony A7C II and the 20-70mm f/4. © Sony
To the promises of pure image quality, we must add features such as an automatic self-framing mode (autoframing) that will appeal to youtubers. Or the assembly in the case of timelapses. In addition, the integration of a more powerful processor allows the A7C II to take advantage of active video stabilization. A mode which makes it possible to compensate in a very convincing way for the movements of the operator at the cost of cropping in the image.
On the grip side, the case is a bit thicker (4 mm) and barely heavier (14 g), but its newer, more advanced and more powerful components… sap endurance a bit! While the two bodies both use the famous Z battery, the original A7C displayed 740/680 images per charge (with screen/with viewfinder), while the new version goes to 540/510. In addition, if the generational technical progress and compared to the A7 Mark IV are palpable, the A7C II must, because of its compactness and its greater lightness, make some sacrifices. The most important is the image definition of its electronic viewfinder, which only displays a very disappointing 2.36 Mpx while the A7 IV is 50% better defined (3.68 Mpx) and other boxes still more above. It will then be necessary to ignore the double slot for memory cards, and be satisfied with the use of the SD. A use which explains the limit to 4K, only CF Express and other XQDs being able to collect the flow rates of higher definitions.
The A7C II is available for pre-order today in two versions (black or silver). Two kits will be available at launch:
- A7C II bare case: 2400 €
- A7C II + SEL2860: €2,700
A brand new grip without additional battery, but with quick access mechanism to the original battery, will be available as an option at 180 €.