Sony a7C II initial review: not so small improvements: Digital Photography Review

The Sony a7C II is the brand’s second-generation small rangefinder-style full-frame camera. Similar in design to Its predecessor, the a7C II uses the same fantastic 33MP BSI sensor from the larger Sony a7 IV and boasts impressive stills, video and autofocus capabilities that should appeal to a wide range of users.

Key Specifications

• 33MP BSI CMOS full-frame sensor
• Bionz XR processor and dedicated ‘AI Processing Engine’
• AF tracking with subject recognition, 759 AF points with 94% coverage
• Up to 10 fps shooting with AF
• In-body stabilization rated up to 7.0EV
• 2.36M dot OLED viewfinder with 0.7x magnification
• Full-width oversampled 4K from 7K, up to 30p
• 4K/60p (from 4.6K capture) in Super35 / APS-C mode
• 10-bit video or HEIF stills capture
• S-Cinetone color mode
• 4K/30p USB streaming
• No mechanical first curtain shutter

The Sony a7C II will be available in September 2023 for a body-only price of $2199.99. A kit with the FE 28-60mm F4-5.6 will sell for $2499.99.

The GP-X2 grip extension will be available for a recommended price of $159.99.

Index:

What is it, what’s new?

The a7C II crams a lot of impressive specs into a reasonably compact full-frame body.

The Sony a7C II receives quite a few upgrades over its predecessor, including a new, higher-resolution sensor, updated processors, a higher magnification viewfinder, AI-enhanced autofocus, front and rear control dials and oversampled 4K/60p video. All this comes with a higher sticker price though (but chalk that up to inflation).

News sensor & processors

Sporting the same 33MP BSI CMOS sensor and Bionz XR processor as 2021’s Sony a7 IV, the a7C II also benefits from an additional ‘AI’ processing unit to assist with subject recognition and features such as Auto Framing. We first saw this style of secondary processor, dedicated to handling machine learning algorithms, in the a6700 and ZV-E1. Note: the a7 IV does not have one.

The additional processing power should give the a7C II an autofocus advantage over the a7 IV and its predecessor, especially when it comes to face and eye detection precision as well as when using subject-specific tracking modes. We were impressed with the a6700’s AF performance in our field and lab testing, and hope to see a repeat with the a7C II. The newer processor setup also brings the other features Sony has recently added, such as focus bracketing, in-camera timelapse creation and a host of video features.

The updated 33MP sensor, on the other hand, isn’t going to provide any sort of significant image quality advantage over the 24MP chip found in the original a7C. You may see a little more detail in low ISO shots, but it comes at the cost of some dynamic range and detail in high ISO ones. In return it means slightly more rolling shutter in video. Still, our initial impressions of image quality performance are positive.

Out of camera JPEG. Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II | ISO 100 | 1/1250 sec | f/2.8 | 35mm Photo: Dan Bracaglia

Front control dial & EVF improvements

Our number one design gripe with the original a7C was the lack of a front control dial. Our feeling was, that for $1800, you should be able to adjust exposure settings with both your thumb and index finger at the same time. And we still feel this way, which is why we are pleased to see Sony took our feedback (and yours) to heart. Sometimes it’s the littlest things that make the largest impact.

As a result of this new dial, the camera handles considerably better.

Another upgrade that improves usability is Sony’s move from a 0.59x magnification electronic viewfinder to one that is 0.7x. The a7C II still uses a 2.36M dot panel, though, which is a bit underwhelming. With such thin margins differentiating various models in today’s market, a 3.69M dot panel would’ve made this camera stand out more from the pack.

Oversampled 4K/60p & other video improvements

On the internal video front, the a7C II is a match with the a7 IV in terms of output and capability. You get oversampled 4K/30p video from a 7K crop, 4K/60p video in Super 35 mode (APS-C crop), and Full HD capture at up to 120 fps. 4K/30p video is notably 10-bit with 4:2:2 color sampling, which is a major step forward from the previous a7C, allowing more flexible Log and proper HLG HDR video capture.

For those confident in post-production, you also get S-Log3 and Sony’s S-Cinetone, plus user-assignable LUTs. These LUTs can either be used to give a corrected preview, embedded alongside the footage for use when editing or burned into the footage directly as you shoot.

Other notable video features and upgrades include focus breathing compensation, improved video AF subject recognition/tracking and Auto Framing mode. This feature uses AI trained algoritms to mimic the way a camera operator might punch in on a subject, while keeping them both framed and in focus, and is a handy way to get pro-looking shots without a camera operator behind the lens.

On the external video front, the a7C II can now stream 4K/30p via USB-C using the UVC/UAC protocols (meaning it just acts as a USB webcam: no need for drivers or specialist software).

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How it compares

The a7C II has a lot going for it. But competition in the enthusiast full-frame mirrorless market is stiff.

In a lot of ways, the a7C II overshadows both its predecessor, which should come as no surprise, as well as the Sony a7 IV. In fact, the only notable advantages the a7 IV offers over its smaller, lower-priced cousin are a better EVF and dual card slots.

The Panasonic S5 II is another similarly priced body that gives the a7C II a real run for the money in almost every regard, except size, weight and battery life.

Another camera worth comparing the a7C II to – though pricier (and not in the table above) – is the Canon EOS R6 II, which has a faster burst rate (12 fps mechanical), higher-rated IBIS (8.0EV), full-width 4K/60p, a nicer viewfinder and dual card slots. That said, we expect the a7C II to outperform the Canon in the autofocus and subject tracking department by a decent margin, particularly in video mode.

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Body & handling

The new front dial is located just below the shutter release for easy access.

The a7C II looks a lot like a Sony a7C with some minor modifications, the most notable being the inclusion of a front control dial. Size-wise, the a7C II is the same height and width as its predecessor, though it is 4mm thicker and 5g heavier. And while it’s certainly not the most inventive or exciting camera in terms of design, it does handle well. Then again, we’e always felt Sony is a little more focused on function rather than form.

The chassis is built of magnesium alloy and Sony says the body is constructed in a manner that makes it resistant to both dust and moisture. In hand, the camera sits comfortably with a solid, reassuring feel to it. Also, the new front dial feels well-placed, just below the shutter release.

A fully articulated touchscreen allows for selfies and vlogging.

The rear of the a7C II is also mostly unchanged from its predecessor too. Though, you do get one additional custom function button, located in between the lower rear control dial and the menu button. The rear display, at 1.03M dots, is a slightly higher resolution than that of its predecessor (0.92M) but the difference isn’t that noticeable. In use, the touch interface is extremely responsive.

The top of the camera also looks pretty similar to the a7C but there are some small changes. What was once a dedicated exposure compensation dial is now a blank custom dial. Sony also added a three-way selector, similar to the one found on the a7 IV, that allows users to easily jump from stills to video, to ‘S&Q’ mode. You’ll find it tucked just below the mode dial around the back.

And like all recent Sony cameras, users can independently customize their settings, menus, and more for stills and video shooting.

The a7C II can be charged via USB-C. The port also allows for image and video transfer as well as live streaming.

The EVF sees its magnification increased to 0.70x but the panel remains a 2.36M dot affair, which some folks, ourselves including, may find disappointing. There’s also (still) no AF joystick, which may dissuade other users (though you can use the rear screen to gain touchpad AF). But those are our two most significant criticisms of the design, aside from its lack of charm.

Along the non-grip side of the a7C II, you’ll find the lone UHS-II SD slot (the closed door in the image above). The hatch above it (opened) hides the microphone and USB-C port, while a lower hatch keeps the HDMI and headphone jacks safe. Note, that both the headphone and microphone ports are standard 3.5mm.

The camera uses Sony’s highest-capacity Z-battery; battery life is satisfactory.

The a7C II uses the latest Sony Z-battery. However, battery life is rated noticeably lower than that of the a7C or a7 IV. This can likely be chalked up to the new, secondary AI processora dn higher resolution sensor.

According to CIPA standards, you can expect 510 shots per charge when using the rear display and 540 when using the EVF. Of course, those numbers are incredibly conservative and depending on how you shoot and how often you review images, it’s not uncommon to achieve double the rated number of shots. A rating north of 500 shots per charge is unlikely to present an inconvenience for multiple days of fairly frequent shooting (though video and Wi-Fi use will chip into this more aggressively).

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Initial impressions

By Dan Bracaglia

The a7C II is a lot sweeter than these grapes. But will it age as well? Out of camera JPEG. Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II | ISO 100 | 1/1250 sec | f/2.8 | 35mm Photo: Dan Bracaglia

I had the chance to spend a little quality time with the Sony a7C II and I was by and large impressed with the handling, performance and output of this compact full-frame camera. It’s certainly a nice step up from its predecessor, though I must admit that I prefer the a7 IV’s overall design better.

Paired with the new 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II lens, the a7C II came along on a family trip to Oregon’s wine country in the Willamette Valley. And while it was hardly the star of the show – that was the Pinot Noir – it was a lovely companion. I instantly took a liking to the front control dial and overall, found the a7C II extremely comfortable to operate, with well-placed controls, decent battery life and responsive performance. I also like the grip.

I didn’t dive too deep into customization, which has gotten a bit overwhelming on recent Sony cameras at this point. But I did find Sony’s latest menus easy enough to reorient myself with and navigate (I did also just come off testing the a6700).

In addition to enjoying the new a7C II, Sony’s latest GM wide zoom also left me impressed, though not quite as impressed as Evening Land’s 2021 Summum Chardonnay. Out of camera JPEG. Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II | ISO 100 | 1/1600 sec | f/2.8 | 35mm Photo: Dan Bracaglia

That said, I do wish brands like Sony would put better effort into making their cameras work as simply as possible for most people, right out of the box. Maybe they can even come up with selectable ‘pro’ camera profiles that can be activated instantly; I’d switch the a7C II into a more complex customization pre-set if it meant the best AF hit rate.

On the subject, autofocus performance on the a7C II is nothing short of fantastic. In fact, AF was something I left as a complete afterthought for 95% of the time I used the camera. Yet, nearly every single one of my shots is perfectly sharp. This is especially true of eyes, whether human or canine.

“AF was something I left as a complete afterthought for 95% of the time I used the camera”

One over all complaint, though: With so much photographing in bright sunshine, I did struggle at times to compose through the EVF, which is a tad low-res for my taste. However, dialing up the EVF brightness to its maximum capacity did help a bit.

The ‘Chardonnay Room’ at Lingua Franca is a special place. Out of camera JPEG. Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II | ISO 1250 | 1/125 sec | f/2.8 | 16mm Photo: Dan Bracaglia

Ultimately, I wish Sony had been able to use the 3.69M dot display from the a7 IV, rather than continuing along with the 2.36M dot one, but it’s a physically larger panel than the one used here. I suppose certain sacrifices had to be made to keep the price around $2k and the size down (and to keep the a7 IV relevant-ish).

On the image quality, side I haven’t had a chance to process any Raw files – we’re still waiting on support – but I’m really liking the out-of-camera JPEGs from this camera. Sony sure has come a long way from the gross magenta and weird teal hues of yesteryear (2013). And if the a7 IV’s IQ output is any indication, a7C II Raw files should offer plenty of flexibility and great detail capture at base ISO.

Sony’s eye detection continues to be the best in the biz. Out of camera JPEG. Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II | ISO 100 | 1/800 sec | f/2.8 | 16mm Photo: Dan Bracaglia

All in all, the a7C II appears to be a meaningful upgrade over the original a7C in just about every regard. It also mostly retains its compact footprint (for a full-framer) even if the launch price has crept noticeably (and unfortunately) upward.

The a7C II is also a camera that largely usurps the very popular a7 IV. This will be especially true if the improvements in AF precision we expect, come to fruition in our testing. I’m also looking forward to putting the a7C II further through its paces to see just how well it stacks up against the latest bodies from Canon, Nikon and Panasonic. Until then…

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Sample gallery

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