DON'T Buy The Sony A7CII... Until You Watch This

The Sony A7CII has all the hallmarks of being the best full frame camera for street or travel photography. And that’s because it’s essentially just a Sony A7IV squashed into a small and lighter package. So, is this an A7IV killer, and which one should you buy? Watch this video to find out.
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⏳ TIME STAMPS ⏳
POV Street Photography - @0:00
Sony A7CII vs A7IV - @0:20
The Similarities - @0:55
Size & Weight - @1:59
EVF - @3:03
Buttons & SD Card Slots - @3:53
No Joystick - @4:16
Autofocus - @5:11
Image Quality - @6:19
IBIS - @6:35
Mechanical Shutter - @6:55
Price - @7:53
Verdict - @8:20
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All of the opinions expressed in this video are my own based on my personal experience whilst using the equipment/software featured. Whilst some videos may include paid sponsorship, I never allow manufactuers to dictate what I can or can't say about their product(s). Their money helps to cover the cost of video production, it does NOT buy my opinion.
My videos are designed to be both informative and entertaining and are made to the best of my abilities. I am only human so I do occationally make mistakes, and whilst corrections are always welcomed in the comments, please be polite and courteous and refrain from being a total cockwomble. 👍
#sonya7iv #sonya7cii #streetphotographers #streetphotography

[@coxbright]

I really like the way you end your videos with a concise conclusion and a clean cut off. It's like a mic drop.

[@billmartin1010]

For me, the A7Cii is a Leica Q3 but with the ability to use my favorite focal length. The Sony with the 40mm f/2.5 lens is small, discreet, easy to use -- and technically superior to the $6,000 Leica. The A7Cii is my first Sony and I love it. It is a nearly perfectly designed street photography machine.

[@chriswittstruck282]

Great vid thanks! Subbed.

[@SteveVickAK]

Great review!

[@asmaafreen685]

One of the best reviews ever ❤

[@eeevision]

Great review Tom! Almost the same thing happened as when the first generation sony a7c was released after the a7iii... The biggest problem I think is that sony should market their entry level cameras in the exact opposite way... The a7iv should have had the extra features that the a7cii has now. It goes without saying that they are doing it on purpose,as they will have to sell the a7v with something,but it is not fair to those who bought the a7iv. I think that the AI chip was much more needed in the a7iv than in the compact camera that has just been released. Don't get me wrong it's great to have it just overkill (in the "C" entry series). I currently use the old a7c almost daily and so far I have no complaints about the autofocus. For me who is a hobby photographer it's no problem if 1 or 2 pictures are out of focus, but for someone who uses a a7iv for wedding/video shooting it really matters how many pictures are sharp! I think evf is not as big a problem as the non color accurate "low resolution" (Canon's new R series in comparison) display especially if you have to watch in direct sunlight... I totally agree with you the a7iv is the better choice especially if you manage to get a barely used one still under warranty!

[@bala1000mina]

Thank you so much Tom for the informative and helpful review on Sony A7CII, learnt a lot! God bless and good luck!

[@TomCalton]

Thanks, you too!

[@bala1000mina]

@@TomCalton Thank you! 🙏

[@mrmeowpuss]

I own both cameras and I actually prefer the a7C II now, the EVF doesn't really bother me and the improved AF, better IBIS and bulb timer are more important.

[@MartinV.]

Thinking of pickup up my first Sony camera. I think I'm leaning more to the A7CII because of the slightly smaller size, but I do plan on using it as a more travel/fun camera, so I'm hoping that because of the size, I will be able to take it to more places that don't allow "Professional Photography"

[@jamesbarron5590]

I have the a7c and added an a7iv for the better ergonomics, dual card slot and better evf. I still enjoy the a7c but prefer the a7iv for my Tamron 35-150. I’m considering upgrading the a7c to the a7cii but I would still not consider it as a alternative to an a7iv for what I use it for, client work. I had to add a grip to the a7c which negated the smaller form factor but it was still cheaper than an a7iv. Now the a7cii is similarly priced. With smaller lenses, the a7c form factor is great. It is slightly smaller than my Fujifilm x-pro3.

[@corykphotography]

Definitely curious about Sony lately. But with that said, I shoot Olympus MFT and Nikon FF. I am currently looking into an APSC camera, a 1 inch sensor, and a medium format. I'd like to have one of each. I also have a 35mm film camera. I think Sony will become my APSC with an a6400 or a6600. Maybe an a6500. There are a lot of great APSC lenses out there for Sony.

[@damasovi_travels1244]

very nice review!! and if only $100 price differences, well for that price I will take the 2 card camera, never had am SD problem but for the ergos and the 2 card slot, I will be happy to pay the differences! thanks for the video

[@KEHA14]

Great video.

[@gerykis]

Excellent comparison , just one thing is missing what I can't find nowhere is comparing a shutter sound of the two camera. I 've heard the A7Cii have an awful golfclub like sound , . Is this true ? and is the A7IV is any better ?

[@simonkelic7786]

Very good comparison. So as a portrait shooter (maybe weddings in nearer future) you would still go for A7 iv, aren´t you? I would come from an old xt 3 Fujifilm and one year A7 C so i´m easily happy with an autofocus even like A7C because of having issues with Fujifilm for years now :)

[@ChillVibesAT]

so i wanna upgrade from the a7iii. I wanna shot handheld video, should i buy the a7iv or the a7cii?

[@TsvetanVR]

Coming from a full-size DSLR and shooting a lot of wildlife with chonky 600mm lenses, the smaller size of the A7C series is actually a big disadvantage. I even tend to add an L-bracket to my A7 IV for better grip when I'm out for birds. Speaking of birds, I can't really imagine how much more difficult it would be to work with such long lenses and quickly acquiring your subject, especially in flight. (Due to the viewfinder off-center placement) With that said, my A7 IV is noticeably more compact and lighter than my 7D Mark II and when I want to go super lightweight, I put my 50mm 1.8 and it becomes pretty much weightless in my hands or on my neck. After looking at many many cameras and testing a few, I picked my A7 IV for Black Friday as I feel it's the best by a pretty big margin in that price bracket. Having literally endless buffer with a CF Express card is another big benefit. The only thing I wish it had is the ability to stack multiple images into one high-resolution one like some other cameras, mostly when I'm going for cityscapes. *Locally, the A7C II is currently on sale for 2250 Euros while the A7 IV sits quite a bit lower at 2029 Euros (On sale + Sony Winter Cashback) but with the best deal being just 2109 Euros for the A7IV + a battery grip. *Prices in Germany, with VAT.

[@Migi-eg2nm]

Would the Sony FE 50mm f/2.5 lens be good for everyday use and take videos of people/ places/ scenery? I'm a beginner hobbies for photography and the a7cii will be my first big purchase camera and I want to edit the videos to post on social media!

[@user-ll2qv3ho7u]

Very interesting comparison, but the budget also bites, i have canon 5d iii as my main camera and not so long time ago I've decided to buy a small one for journeys , im choosing between fuji xm1 and sony nex 5t , both with 16-50 kit lenses and the price is absolutely the same - about 245£ , what do you think? (P.S. - sony has 4000 shutter counts , fuji - unknown)

[@outdoorsinontario3037]

Interesting! How does the mark 4 do in low light compared to the a7s3 ? I do a ton of night time videography and need that noise floor nice n creamy. lol. Good video tho, I’ve been wanting a mark 4 since it came out but maybe I will go with a used one since it’s much much cheaper now. Thnx for the idea.

[@dubenick]

A7sIII is better in low light…

[@hskpictures9314]

I have 1 question, What is the main difference between full mechanical shutter vs percial mechanical shutter?

[@gv100_blitz]

I picked up an a7cii+kit lens for 2k open box several months ago and love it for casual on the go use and street photography- it can’t be understated how much more compact it is, it fits in 90% of jacket pockets with Sony’s 35/50 1.8 primes

[@Vantrakter]

I agree. I had an A9 but it didn't fit in a jacket pocket, the A7cii and its kit lens, or one of the smaller Sigma or Sony primes, does. Herearound the A7c ii is 200e more expensive than the A7 iv, but I wanted small. There's no reason to even consider the A7c line unless you want compact and if you do want compact there really isn't any reason to consider anything else.

[@toasty-toast]

I’d love to see a comparison vs the R8 plus lenses if you spent the exact same budget

[@Cthames123]

For me, having bought the A7 IV just 5 months ago, (and loving it), I’m viewing the differentiating enhancements of the A7C II as only marginal, improvements. I appreciate the size comparison done, which in my mind proves more is made on the size difference of the two cameras than what is really there. There seems to be better Auto focus, IBIS, and the size is truly smaller? But not worth $2k for me. Some will think it is. If I did not own the A7 IV I would go with the A7C Ii all day and wouldn’t look back. As is, I can’t reason to get the A7C II. Now a gently used A7C, at ~$1000 as a second shooter is an attractive proposition if I could get one at that price!

[@Cthames123]

Update: I got a gently used, open box, Sony, A7C, at the price I wanted with the kit lens included, ($1300 USD), which in my mind considering the value was a great buy. It works as a second shooter, and EDC camera when I don’t want to take my A7 IV places. Great camera at the used price!

[@Soundwave857]

3:50 correction the a7cII has 8 customizable buttons and the a7IV has 11 customizable buttons (excluding the one on the lens). only menu, disp, fn and playback are not customizable. My only gripe with the cII is how dark the evf and screen is, how its not the rV's screen mechanism and how bad the buttons feel :/

[@gethatmoney1]

Just picked up my A7CII and I love it. I’m not a pro by any means but the smaller form factor makes it easier to keep on my body.

[@gabrielosoba2382]

What in the serendipity is going on here 😂 Gotta say the algorithm is certainly strong with this one.. Moved out of London not long ago and was feeling a bit uninspired, sold my A7iii and picked up a x100v hoping to reignite the desire to go out and start taking photos.. All of a sudden out the blue your channel just starts popping up all the time. Now this video as I’ve just bought an a7cii 😂 on top of that you must be local don’t know how I didn’t recognise Oundle in some of your other video and now Stamford. I know when the universe is trying to tell me something good sir, consider me subscribed 👊🏾

[@humbucker08]

What kind of lens is on the A7cii?

[@TheBenchapman]

Love a bit of Stamford

[@TomCalton]

It's beaut 👌🏻

[@tomirwinphoto]

The EVs on Sony's Alpha 6 thousand series and the a7c/cII are a step down from those on the full size a7III & IV. My strong preference is the a7IV that I find significantly more effective and especially tracking fast moving subjects (combat sports, surfing, etc.). And if you shoot paid gigs the single card slot is a risk. Bottom line is that the weight difference with a lens (or three) is almost unnoticeable.

[@c4studio446]

Nice work! Which lens do you put on a7cii for street?

[@aspilobo]

40mm f2.5

[@McSpark86]

In teams of client work, it's definitely the A7iv because I need redundancy especially when money is involved. A7C II, it's mainly my everyday camera for family and holidays.

[@MaxwellStarr]

A7iii owner considering upgrading - I keep looking at the deficiencies that the A7CII has compared to A7IV and keep thinking is the AF boost from the AI chip really worth sacrificing a big center-mounted viewfinder, better shutter, dual card slots and joystick for? I mean AF on the A7IV is already sticky and fast.. I've also had A6x00 bodies for years, that control layout is fine for a compact camera but not sure I want to give up the full-size A7 ergonomics on my flagship camera. Definitely leaning A7IV..

[@gilcarag274]

I would probably wait for the a7V.

[@sylviebouissou]

La meilleure comparaison sur internet de ces 2 boitiers, bravo !

[@TomCalton]

Merci beaucoup 😁

[@lorenschwiderski]

The King is the one behind the camera. In regard features on cameras, a tilt only screen is preferred. How it feels in hand is a great benefit when living with a camera. A good / easy to deal with menu system helps. Alas, it is not a game of better camera, in the street photography world, but most that of abilities of those holding the camera. Frames per second? If you cannot snap the moment, then I guess you spray and pray. People are snapping way too many shots. A sharp image of nothing, by the way, is just that.

[@konstantin_lv]

In my experience that number of frames per charge is much higher. I’ve used the 1st gen A7C in flight mode and shot 1200 raw files with 20% of charge remaining. I love that battery 😍

[@JacopoDiGiuli]

Thanks for the video! In my view, the significant improvement of IBIS on A7CII alone is worth the price of the ticket! I would just have to try both cameras to understand the waivers in terms of ergonomics and comfort for my hand!

[@Cthames123]

I am a A7 IV owner. Is the +2 stops in IBIS worth spending another $2k on a new but otherwise very similar camera? I considered this, the smaller size, and the auto focus enhancements. Sony also boasts the A7C ii is equipped with their latest color science, and for video you can apply Look Up tables (LUTs) to picture profiles in-camera when shooting video. For me these improvements seem marginal and were not enough to justify buying a whole ‘nother camera, especially with the trades in battery life, EVF, ergonomic grip, and all the custom buttons and joystick.

[@JacopoDiGiuli]

It depends on what you think is important in a camera: of course if you want a more ergonomic grip and a better electronic viewfinder, they may be worth the choice of the Sony A7IV; for me for example who do a lot of video on the street and at events possibly without a gimbal, I like compact cameras and care little about the EVF (as long as the LCD screen is clearly visible in the sun), then if I am starting from scratch, for me the best choice to date falls on the A7CII!@@Cthames123

[@aspilobo]

⁠@@Cthames123I’m a A7R user. Having no ÍBIS makes my night portraits look a little bit like a painting, but still nice. You comment sounds like nonsense to me

[@aspilobo]

@@Cthames123sorry for bad English lol

[@Cthames123]

@@aspilobo I hope you are enjoying your A7R, (V maybe?). Having the better IBIS definitely has it’s place, no doubt and is an attractive draw, but for me, that feature and all the others offered with the A7C II are not enough for me to drop another few thousand dollars on a new camera especially considering the A7 IV already has good IBIS. Nonsense? Maybe, but thats how I see it. I think your night photography with IBIS off comment, (looks like a painting) , is referring to how you get blurry images? I could use even better IBIS for hand held night shots with slower shutter speeds myself but I can work with the already good IBIS of my A7 IV. If I had infinite money maybe I’d take a bite at the A7C ii or even the A7RV apple, but as is…I have kids to put through college(man, is that expensive), leaky pipes to fix, new brakes for my wife’s car to buy, and my baby needs a new pair of shoes. And darn it..I’m saving up for my BMW that I want to buy before I’m too old to enjoy it! Not splurging on the A7C ii or A7CR.

[@benejpocock]

The concept is great, but as you rightly point out it’s not that much smaller than the A7iv. Also, whilst it’s lighter (by less than an iPhone) and more ‘compact’, you still have to attach FF lenses to the front which are invariably larger and heavier than their smaller sensor camera counterparts. That further negates, IMO, any weight saving, especially at the cost of functionality.

[@gilcarag274]

I think the 2.5 Sony G lenses make perfect sense with this camera for a light FF setup. I think the 24mm weighs 176g !! Edit: even less: 163g.

[@benejpocock]

@@gilcarag274 Totally get it - having looked it's only 162g! I guess my point was as it's only 145g lighter than an A7iv but does away with a few features (2 card slots, AF joystick, a custom button or two, slower mechanical shutter etc), is that enough of a saving when considering it as a system? Sure, if you're already in the Sony system and have a load of lenses then yes, it does. But when (like me for example), you're coming back to photography and trying to decide on what system to go with; that 145g isn't enough to seal the deal (IMO) if you're looking for a compact system (OM-1+12-40 (FF equiv. 24-80) f2.8 PRO for example is less than a kilo (said without starting a sensor size argument!). The equiv. Sony GMII lens is 695g and over twice the price! The thing is I really want to want one, but think like Tom, I'd 'suffer' the extra 'bulk' of the A7iv instead.

[@kevinheg8814]

For me the A7IV is much better. Better Grip (for heavier and bigger lenses), 1/8000 is important for me in bright light with fast lens. Also the big EVF is better on the A7IV. But both cameras are great. =)

[@mac24x7]

5,5 not 5 stops

[@mackudog1]

Third like safety

[@DanScreen]

overheat?

[@SimeonKolev]

7:00 1/4000s is not the only problem with that shutter :). It has only one curtain which means you will not be able to shoot over 1/1000s without ruining the bokeh.

[@coleshill_production]

Did sony say this cam was for "street photographers" only?

[@user-fx7jz5zy6c]

200,000 shutter count rated for the a7cii... Should be more considering how much it costs

[@cryptobyt2403]

Street best use rangefinder style

[@johannkrist]

Only one thing that matters. Do you need a viewfinder or not?

[@HaithamA]

I just spent a kidney's worth on the A7IV so it better be better

[@ernstfrohlich897]

When you reach the Limit of the Shutter Speed you can set ISO to 50

[@patria0124]

In that case you would lose some dynamic range

[@ernstfrohlich897]

@@patria0124 why?

[@patria0124]

@@ernstfrohlich897 it’s native iso is 100. If you drop it to 50, it’s the same as you lower the exposure by 1 stop in post: you would not gain any benefit in terms of dynamic range

[@ernstfrohlich897]

@@patria0124 Reducing the ISO to 50 is better than using an ND filter. An ND filter degrades the image quality.

[@patria0124]

@@ernstfrohlich897 indeed, but iso 50 could also degrade image quality by blowing up more highlights

[@TheBigNegative-PhotoChannel]

I bought the A7IV on Black Friday, and I'm really disappointed, especially for my style of street photography. The mechanical shutter is so damn loud, and the electronic shutter is just garbage. The quality reminds me of my old X-E3, it was the same there. I still have the X-T5 and X-H2, and they are much better suited for stealth shooting. When you're close to people, not only is the mechanical shutter almost silent, but the electronic shutter is also usable.

[@lewcehjitl3282]

Dude your getting 15+ stops dynamic range, shoot uncompressed Raw, you can fix the mechanical shutter noise by turning on elec first curtain. Image quality is top notch “full frame sensor”. Keep your a7iv learn to use it. Happy shooting 😊

[@TheBigNegative-PhotoChannel]

@@lewcehjitl3282 It's not about the quality of the full-frame sensor. That's top-notch. It's just that the darn shutter is as loud as my analog mirror cameras from the damn 70s, even with electronic first curtain shutter. I'm usually standing right next to people with a 35mm lens when I'm taking photos; I might as well start clapping my hands right next to them. If, like many others, I only took environmental shots from the other side of the street, that wouldn't be a problem either.

[@iop223]

@@TheBigNegative-PhotoChannel sounds like the rx1 series with the leaf shutter is better suited for your style of shooting. provided you like the lens of course

[@catalin-ap]

The same are true for the a7C II, maybe just a bit more dampened shutter. Ironically, Sony's A1 mechanical shutter is superb in sound! The a7R V's is also quite ok. The a7 III's is pure garbage loud, and the a7C II and a7C R seem identical to the a7C's, so not bad, not great (and just EFCS). The a6700 seems quite decent. If you want great electronic shutter, you either need the a7S III, or A9, or the Canon R8 / R6 mk II. a7R V's (and a7CR's) electronic shutter is even more garbage, huge rolling shutter.

[@dubenick]

Heh, and I like going to a louder, more mechanical and “tactile” sounding and feeling shutter when i went from my a7c to the a7iv

[@tsizzle]

So you don’t find the improved AI autofocus, focus bracketing, face centering tracking in video to be worthwhile over the A7IV?

[@TomCalton]

For me personally, no. But as I mentioned in the video, it all completely depends on your own personal needs. I'd much rather go without those things you listed in exchange for better hardware. But that's not to say everyone will feel the same way as me on that.

[@ericvaleraphotography27]

No AI chip in the A7IV

[@rodnyg7952]

why is it that most YTube photo channels, which are always trying to market something on us, all take such amateurish and boring pictures?

[@sew_gal7340]

Because gear heads are generally compensating, while very artistic people can take beautiful images with a disposable camera. I dont have any real talent so all i focus on is gear because that's my excuse , these channels are popular with folks like me because we dont have that ability to transcend technological errors.

[@rodnyg7952]

@@sew_gal7340 lot's of truth to that, though I would say it's more of a question of not being able to transcend their own amateurish/boring pictures rather than technological errors. Regardless of the technology in use, a genuine artist is never really content with their own work. This is what drives them to create more

[@Tvojangel2000]

Вывеску надо с точками сделать! Badass mather ph....er! И вписать в квадрат! ________ |Badass| |Mother| |Ph.....er| ----- 😉😉😉

[@toasty-toast]

The iPhone is more stealthy

[@miggyloz806]

iPhone has inferior quality. I'll take the bigger sensor any day of the week

[@Hackehager]

American sh...t prodct!

[@davidmurray5926]

Neither for me.. that damn side hinged, slow and obtrusive rear screen is crap.

[@DocBlob]

Neither. It's a Ricoh, always has been.