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.

Finally, somebody comparing size side by side and showing the EVFs. THANK YOU!!!!!

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.

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

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.

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!

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

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.

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.

You forgot that the 7c2 lets you loads luts and shoot in cinema 235 ratio

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"

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.

For me, having bought the A7IV just 5 months ago, (and loving it), I’m viewing the most significant differentiating enhancements of the A7C II, (2 stops better IBIS, AI auto focus, improved touch menu) as only marginal improvements and not worth spending another $2K for. 2:02 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. If I did not already own the A7 IV maybe I would go with the A7C II, as it is cheaper (new for new), a little smaller, and I could make use of the AI autofocus and better IBIS for handheld video stabilization and low shutter speed photography. As is, I can’t reason to get the A7C II especially with how happy I am with the snap of the A7IV’s shutter, the really comfortable grip that hugs your hand, the extra clicky customizable buttons, the joystick, how easy it is to control ISO by spinning the D pad, and the gorgeous EVF. Now, a gently used A7C, at ~$1000 as a second shooter (addition, not a replacement), is an attractive proposition if I could get one at that price!

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

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.

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.

5,5 not 5 stops

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.

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!

The A7C II is almost my perfect camera on paper, but as someone who uses screens more than the EVFs, I wish it had a tilt screen. I don't like the less discrete, off center nature of articulated screens. I'm sure it doesn't make good business sense to do this, but I'd kill for Sony to make tilt screen variants of their nicer, more photo-focused hybrid cameras.

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 😍

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

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.

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 👊🏾

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. =)

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.

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 :/

The dual sd card slot made it an easy choice for me. I hardly ever use evf cuz im more a video guy. Bigger body preferred for better grip too. Super happy with my purchase. Never really considered A7ii

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.

Great vid thanks! Subbed.

Finally updating my dinosaur 5dmkii. I’m ripping the bandaid off and going Sony and swapping L lenses in for 3rd party RF. I was set on Sony a7iv, but I’m torn on the Cii for the better AI autofocus. I tend to be a hobbyist and don’t shoot video. Will I honestly notice a difference between these 2? I like the iv dual card as well as I occasionally do a few paid family shoots . Thanks for a great video.

One of the best reviews ever ❤

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

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 :)

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

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)

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

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..

Great review!

Love a bit of Stamford

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 ?

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

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

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

This or Canon R8?

What kind of lens is on the A7cii?

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

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

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

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

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!

Great video.

Third like safety

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.

overheat?

Street best use rangefinder style

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

No AI chip in the A7IV

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

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

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

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

The iPhone is more stealthy

I guess the AI focus is nice to have for photography. On the contrary it might be essential for videography. Don't know if the cons of not having a mechanical shutter on board is a deal breaker in studio photography and shooting at events with much LED lights.