A7ii to A7Rii upgrade worthwhile?

[pflower]

I have been pretty happy with my A7ii but Ihave been thinking of upgrading to the A7Rii but I am wondering if it is really worth it. The major concern is that photographing in extreme lighting conditions - particularly in India with bright sunlight and shadows - there is relatively little leeway to push the shadows before they break up - assuming an exposure so as not to blow out the sky or highlights. So I am planning on going back to India next month and am wondering if upgrading to an A7Rii would offer me more room for manoeuvre in that respect. Of course I could use an ND but somehow wandering around with a Lee system handhold doesn't really appeal.

So anyone with experience of both cameras got anything to say? Increased resolution isn't really an issue - with careful post processing I can print very good A2 prints and have no real interest in going bigger. So the real question is whether there is more scope of lifting the shadows with the A7Rii than the A7ii.

Thanks

 

[Vivek]

I decided a while ago not to buy the A7R II (have, A7, 7R and the 7S, NEX-5N converted to monochrome), i just got back from India. I used my RX1R II and NEX-5N (monochrome). Both worked well. The RX1R II (similar sensor as the A7 R II) is much better when it comes to DR.

If it is a short trip, you could rent one. Longer one may warrant other considerations. In any event, do consider carrying a back up.

 

[pflower]

I decided a while ago not to buy the A7R II (have, A7, 7R and the 7S, NEX-5N converted to monochrome), i just got back from India. I used my RX1R II and NEX-5N (monochrome). Both worked well. The RX1R II (similar sensor as the A7 R II) is much better when it comes to DR.

If it is a short trip, you could rent one. Longer one may warrant other considerations. In any event, do consider carrying a back up.

Rental prices for 2 weeks or so aren't really very attractive. You say that the RX1R with a similar sensor is much better when it comes to DR - do you think my problem with lifting shadows would be ameliorated by the A7Rii? I had hoped to take an X1D with me, but that seems pretty unlikely now. I think I will take my Hasselblad 503 with the CFV-50c but it's not really ideal when it comes to walking around. I always take backups, but I have to say that my A7ii in about 18 months has never even suggested that it didn't want to work - so reliability seems pretty good but only until the one time it fails.

 

[Vivek]

I reckon it (42mp BSI sensor) is atleast about 1 stop better than the previous sensors. That is huge.

Yes, get one.

 

[ggibson]

The A7II sensor already has very high dynamic range. Yes, the A7rII is a bit better, but both should be able to capture a very wide range of values when shooting RAW and post-processing.

Maybe you're already doing so, but another thought would be to use a CPL to help rein in glare. That should bring some of the highlights down in your images.

 

[pflower]

The A7II sensor already has very high dynamic range. Yes, the A7rII is a bit better, but both should be able to capture a very wide range of values when shooting RAW and post-processing.

Maybe you're already doing so, but another thought would be to use a CPL to help rein in glare. That should bring some of the highlights down in your images.

Hmm, that's not a bad idea and I didn't try that but will if we ever get some bright sunny days again in the UK. I also wonder if the new firmware with the option for uncompressed Raw files might help a bit. At c£3K going to an A7rii is a bit painful since 90%+ of the files from the A7ii are much more than satisfactory technically.

 

[pegelli]

It depends a little at what ISO you shoot (and if you believe DXO or not).

According to the DXO measurements:
Up to ISO 400 the DR of the A7ii is not significantly different from the A7Rii (< 1/4 stop).
At ISO 800 you gain about a half stop with the A7Rii vs. the A7ii.
At ISO 1600 and above you gain about a whole stop with the A7Rii vs. the A7ii.

 

[Vivek]

CPL does not help. Uncompressed RAWs are indeed useful.

 

[jdphoto]

I have used both and find the A7II to be an excellent camera, but maybe slightly behind in DR and low light usability. Shooting in RAW allowed me to salvage many photos. I was shooting with the A7II on a snowy, sunny mountain top and exposed for highlights. The A7ii was perfect even when the lens was covered in snow. I'd wait for now because the BSI sensor tech will be in newer models. Use ND filters and turn off "live view" display.

 

[Vivek]

The contrasty light in the sub continent is known even from the earliest days of photography. Nevertheless, it ought to be experienced to be understood.

The typical scenes with "as captured" (these are jpgs from the camera) and processed (C1) shots from RX1R II, from Mumbai, India (not even the worst of the lighting as the smog softens the sunlight quite a bit!).

Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr

Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr

Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr

Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr

Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr

Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr

A7 II files would struggle and would be a bit less useful.

 

[cedie0401]

I've used both and I've been keeping my a7r II until now. The AF performance is terrific even with 3rd party AF lenses.

 

[iiiNelson]

IMO the A7RII (and RX1mkII) sensor is on another level performance wise compared to the other FE cameras due to the excellent AF, DR, resolution, and ability to crop. That's not to say the others or bad. I own the first generation A7 and A7R. They're great cameras but in the same way adding IBIS and refinement to the A7II made it feel more "grown up" the A7RII takes that another large step forward. Again it's not just about the better sensor. It's the small refinement and increased AF area as well.

 

[Vivek]

The price is getting close to my target of 1800 Euros. E infinity offers it now for 1850 euros.

quite tempting..