Sony A7S II First Shots: Giant pixels get updated processing to accompany those 14-bit RAW files
posted Tuesday, October 20, 2015 at 6:14 PM EDT
Sporting the same 12.2mp sensor as the original A7S and boasting enhanced processing algorithms for the mid-higher ISO ranges for improved image quality, the A7S II has also courted the camera world with 14-bit uncompressed RAW files. We've just completed our First Shots test series of Still Life images across the ISO spectrum, so it's time to take a closer look at just where the Sony A7S II stands against the competition.
For anyone ready to dive in and start pixel-peeping these images and downloading the 14-bit uncompressed RAW files from our lab, head straight to our Lab Samples page and help yourself! And if you're ready to make comparisons across ISO's against the original A7S or the rest of the competition, the images await your inspection in our Comparometer.
For everyone else still here, below are a few comparisons to get you started. First is the A7S II alongside the A7S at the now relatively benign ISO 12,800. Then we'll move to a comparison at the still lofty ISO 51,200 against one of the reigning high-ISO kings - the Nikon D4S (the slight size difference is due to the D4S having higher resolution at 16.2mp).
It's certainly subtle, but the A7S II exhibits slightly better handling of high-ISO noise than the A7S in certain areas such as in the wall shadows near the top of the image, while preserving more fine detail in areas like the dark mosaic tiles.
Obviously a difficult ISO for most any camera, both of these low-light powerhouses handle the noise here in respectable fashion. They display slightly different noise-reduction artifacts, but there's still some fine detail available in the images from each camera, and that's no small feat at this ISO.
We're sure there are other cameras you'd like to compare to the A7S II (A7R II? 5D Mark III? GH4 perhaps?) so head to our Comparometer to continue your comparisons, and stay tuned for more to come on the Sony A7S II.
Sony A7S II Lab Samples • Gallery • Sony A7S II vs Sony A7S
Sony A7S II ISO 51,200 Nikon D4S
Obviously a difficult ISO for most any camera, both of these low-light powerhouses handle the noise here in respectable fashion. They display slightly different noise-reduction artifacts, but there's still some fine detail available in the images.
It's certainly subtle, but the A7S II exhibits slightly better handling of high-ISO noise in certain areas than the A7S
like in the wall shadows near the top of the image, while preserving more fine detail in areas like the dark mosaic tiles.