Welcome to another comparison article. In today’s topic, we’ll be looking at the Sony a9 Vs a7RII. Both cameras are alike in many respects, but they also have many differences as well.
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| Get the Sony a9 at Amazon | Get the Sony a7R II at Amazon |
This article will help you make an informed decision about which of these cameras you should choose. So without wasting any time, let’s jump right into it.
The following section is just a quick summary of what we’ll be covering in this article. If you are in a hurry, but want to get a basic idea of how these two cameras — Sony a9 Vs Sony a7RII – compare with each other, this section is for you.
Comparison Overview
Although the Sony a9 and the a7RII were released two years apart, they have many things in common.
The A7RII was released on the 10th of June, 2015 while a9 was released by Sony on the 19th of April, 2017. Obviously, both cameras are products of the same company which is, Sony.
Sony has built a trustworthy name for itself all over the world. So you can be confident that since both cameras are products of Sony, they are no doubt good quality.
These cameras are not only good quality, but very convenient as well. Nevertheless, since the Sony a9 is built with a touchscreen, it’s higher than the a7RII in terms of convenience.
In addition, the Sony a9 has a longer battery life than the a7RII. At a full charge, you get double the shots you get with a full charge of the Sony a7RII.
This doesn’t mean that the a7RII is completely inferior to the a9. With the Sony a7RII, the maximum sensor resolution is higher than what you will get with the Sony a9 by 75 percent. This gives you more detail in your photos, and the ability to make bigger prints.
In addition, the a7RII is a lot more affordable than the a9. You’ll be saving quite a lot if you decide to go for this camera. Because of this, we think the a7RII gives you better value for its price.
Take a look at the comparison table below for a more thorough understanding of how these two cameras compare to each other.
Comparison table
Sony a9 | Sony a7RII | |
| Weather sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Articulating screen | Yes | Yes |
| Has a hot shoe | Yes | Yes |
| Has AF tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Autofocus points | 693 | 399 |
| Megapixels | 24.2MP | 42.4MP |
| Maximum light sensitivity | 204800 ISO | 102400 ISO |
| Number of microphones | 1 | 1 |
| Battery life with each full charge | 650 shots | 290 shots |
| Has WI-FI | Yes | Yes |
| Has a remote control | Yes | Yes |
| Has NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Has an LCD touchscreen | Yes | No |
| Panorama | No | Yes |
| Bluetooth | Yes | No |
| Dynamic range | 13.3 | 13.9 |
| PC sync port (for flash) | Yes | No |
| Burst mode | 20fps | 5fps |
| Weight | 673g | 635g |
What situation is each best for?
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| Get the Sony a9 at Amazon | Get the Sony a7R II at Amazon |
Sony a9
PC sync port (for flash)Using the hot shoe of both of these cameras you can attach an external flash. Nevertheless, the a9’s PC sync port, gives you more advanced lightning than the a7RII’s. Ease of useOf the two cameras in today’s article, the Sony a9 is the only one that has a touch screen. So if you are looking for a camera which gives you more ease of use, go for the a9.
| Sony a7RII
AffordableIf you are on a budget and looking for an affordable Pro camera, the a7RII is the right camera for you. For a Pro camera of that level, the a7RII is considered to be quite affordable. As a matter of fact, it’s a lot more affordable than the Sony a9.
Higher maximum sensor resolutionYou will be getting a lot more resolutions in your images with this camera. This is because it has a significantly higher maximum sensor resolution than the a9. So, for higher resolution pictures, go for this. |
Common features
Supports the RAW format
This feature gives your camera the ability to take photos in the RAW format. The RAW format gives you the highest quality images. This is because the RAW format leaves your images unmodified and uncompressed.
In addition, having their photos and videos in this uncompressed format gives photographers the ability to use them on very large scales, such as billboards and documentaries.
Articulating Screen
You can rotate or flip an articulating LCD to shoot photos or videos from various angles. With an articulating screen you can take amazing selfies. Both cameras come with this amazing feature, and are great for vloggers.
Weather Sealing
Ever wondered why you can’t use some cameras in certain conditions, but can with others? The answer is, weather sealing. This feature protects your camera from damage – by the weather, obviously. If your camera isn’t weather sealed, taking it out for an adventurous shoot when the weather is all funny, isn’t really advisable.
Just think about it. As a sports or wildlife photographer, you would have to shield your camera from the weather as you shot. This will probably make you miss the best moments. Thankfully, both of the cameras in this article have weather sealing. And are therefore safe to use in harsh weathers.
Electronic Viewfinder
Because they are mirrorless, both cameras are qualified to have an EVF. However, you should take note that it isn’t every mirrorless camera Is built with this feature. Some have only LCD screens. With an electronic viewfinder, you can have more control over your shooting and frame photos. You can also use an EVF to Look at relevant info such as histogram, your camera’s battery level, and ISO.
External Flash Hot Shoe
A hot shoe is a space atop the viewfinder for which is for mounting an external flash. Having an external flash comes in handy when you want to get good lighting from your camera, or when you’re doing flash photography.
Seeing as none of the cameras in today’s comparison comes with an internal flash, the external flash hot shoe is an even more important feature.
You won’t always have perfect lighting like in you have in your studio, so, having an external flash is a big advantage.
Face Detection Focus
This feature gives your camera the ability to recognize human faces and lock focus on them. This is a great feature for those who want to take portrait photos.
To get a good portrait, the camera has to collect a great deal of detail on the face. Because of the face detection focus feature, this is exactly what both cameras give you.
Microphone Jack
To be honest, your camera’s built-in microphone won’t always give you the type of sound quality you want.
The solution to this is getting an external microphone, so that you will get high quality sound even in areas which are very noisy. With the microphone jack, you can mount an external microphone on the camera, and therefore improve your camera’s sound quality.
Headphone Jack
Speaking of videos, with a pair of headphones, you’ll havess more control over your recording. With it, you can regulate the sounds which your camera picks up. So having a camera with a headphone jack gives you somewhere to connect your headphones, and have complete control over your audio recording.
Image stabilization
At events, when taking pictures, a lot of movement is involved when you are trying to capture all the beautiful moments; because that’s what you are paid to do as a photographer.
So as you move about with the camera in your hand, not shaking is almost impossible. As a photographer, you have no doubt noticed that even little movements affect the outlook of your photo.
This can’t be blamed on the photographer, as this is almost an unavoidable occurrence. Because of this, many camera producing companies make their cameras with – image stabilization.
This feature is present in the Sony a9 vs Sony a7RII as well as many Pro cameras in the market. If your camera has this feature, the effects which movements and shakes have on your images are reduced as low as possible. Because of this you can keep shooting confidently, knowing that you will get clear images.
Sony a9 Vs Sony a7RII — What makes each unique?
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| Get the Sony a9 at Amazon | Get the Sony a7R II at Amazon |
Higher sensor resolution
The quality of your images depends a great deal on your sensor resolution. With a high sensor resolution, you have finely detailed shots which you can use to create enlargements and posters. In terms of sensor resolution, the a7RII is better than the Sony a9. It has 42 megapixels, while the a9 has just 24 megapixels.
Built-in Bluetooth feature
In addition to a camera’s Wi-Fi feature, having a built-in Bluetooth gives you a broader range of devices which you can connect to wirelessly. By using Bluetooth, you can connect to nearby compatible devices and share videos and photos without bothering about wires.
Additionally, there are many devices which don’t come with the Wi-Fi feature, but have Bluetooth. We can safely say that Bluetooth expands your wireless connectivity. Of the two products in today’s article, the a9 is the only one which has this feature.
Touch Screen
In our time, a touch screen has become quite common in many technological devices. Devices these days, such as tablets, phones, watches, and even refrigerators have touchscreens. Seeing that practically all devices have touchscreens, a camera having one isn’t out of the ordinary.
With a touchscreen, accessing the functions and controls of that device – which is a camera in this case – is a lot easier. Of the two cameras in today’s article, only the a9 has this feature.
Sony a9 Vs Sony a7RII — Unique Pros
Sony a9
Large Buffer
There is still another important factor for smooth continuous shooting – the buffer. While shooting on burst mode, images are temporarily stored in the buffer, before they are moved to the memory card.
If the buffer gets full while you are shooting on burst mode, you’ll need to pause before restarting your continuous shooting. That pause, lets your camera empty its buffer, so that more shots can be taken.
More external storage
While the a7RII offers you just one memory card slot, Sony a9 gives you two. More storage space always comes in handy.
Touch Screen
As mentioned before, the Sony a9 comes with a touch screen while the a7RII doesn’t. Because of this, the a9 is easier to use than its opponent. With the use of a touchscreen, you can easily scroll through menus and select different functions without having to go through the stress of finding the right buttons. All you need to do is tap the screen. This is remarkable no doubt.
Fast continuous shooting speed
The ability to continually take a series of photos without stop comes in handy, especially If your subject moves around a lot.
Faster is better when it comes to continuous shooting. So, if you’re a sports or wildlife photographer or your job requires you to capture specific moments, then a fast burst mode is a crucial feature which your camera requires.
If that’s the case, the Sony a9 is perfect for you because with it, you get 20 frames each second when you are on burst mode.
Too frequent pauses due to a small buffer, can get really annoying. So having a camera with a large buffer is a lot better. The number of shots your buffer can take depends on the sizes of the images.
This is the reason why the buffer can take more shots when shooting on JPEG than when shooting on RAW. So the a9’s buffer can hold up to 240 shots when shooting RAW, and 364 shots when shooting JPEG on burst mode.
This means that when you shoot on burst mode with the Sony a9, you don’t have to pause for a moment until you have taken up to 240 shots (RAW), or 364 shots (JPEG).
Enhanced Wireless Connectivity
As mentioned before, only the a9 has this feature. In terms of wireless connectivity, it gives you more than the a7RII. With Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, your camera can be connected to a wider range of devices, whether they are compatible with Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Because of this, your need for cables and wires when transferring files will be reduced even more.
Longer battery life
This one matters a lot to photographers, especially it’s a Pro camera. No one wants a camera battery which dies quickly. This is another reason people love the a9. With each full charge, the Sony a9 gives you an impressive 650 shots of battery life.
Many photographers admire this camera’s battery. To give you an idea of how long it lasts, you can shoot for an entire day without needing an extra battery. This is a lot more remarkable when it’s compared to that of the a7RII. With the a9, you get almost double the number of shots with each full charge than the a7RII.
Advanced lighting
Earlier in this article, we talked a bit about the PC sync port for flash. We also mentioned that you can get it with only the Sony a9.
If, for instance, you are an event photographer you would definitely find this feature useful. Most of the time, there is almost nothing you can do about the lighting of the environment.
However, with the more advanced flash which connects to the PC sync port, you still get amazing lighting. So you might not be able to improve the area’s lighting, but you can enhance your camera’s lighting.
More focus points
If your camera has better focusing, it will produce sharper images. With as many as 693 autofocus points, the Sony a9 gives you great focusing and sharper images. In fact, the a9 gives you 294 more focus points than the a7RII.
Sony a7RII
Affordable
Pro cameras are known to be really expensive. So for a camera of that level, the a7RII is quite affordable. You could say that it’s one of the most affordable Pro cameras available. So are you a professional photographer who is on a budget and looking for a good camera on the Pro level? If so, the a7RII is perfect for you. If you choose the a7RII over the a9, you’ll be saving quite a lot.
Panorama
Unlike the a9, the a7RII has the ability to put photos into a stunning panorama. This is one amazing way which photographers use to express their creativity.
Higher image resolution
The maximum sensor resolution of your camera plays a big part in deciding the quality of the images it will produce. And of course, the higher the resolution, the better the quality of images. With the a7RII, the maximum sensor resolution gives you 42 megapixels. This is 75 per cent higher than what the a9 gives – quite impressive.
Sony a9 Vs Sony a7RII — Unique Cons
Sony a9
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| Get the Sony a9 at Amazon |
Not very affordable
In fact, it’s quite safe to say that the a9 far from affordable. Although the value it gives is really good, some people might have an issue with the pricing.
Unimpressive maximum sensor resolution
For a camera of this level, many photographers expected a lot more than the mere 24 megapixels which the a9 gave. It really could have been better. To give you an idea of how bad it is, the a9’s maximum sensor resolution is less than the a7RII’s by a whopping 75 per cent. The a9 could have been better.
Sony a7RII
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| Get the Sony a7R II at Amazon |
Small buffer
With a large buffer, you can take more shots before you need to pause. Furthermore, with this, you can capture more of your subject’s movements. So it isn’t surprising that a camera with a small buffer is a disappointment to many photographers. The 23 shots which the a7RII’s buffer give you (on both JPEG and RAW) doesn’t please many people.
No touchscreen
This is one thing about the a7RII which makes it a bit inconvenient to use. On the a7RII finding the right buttons is quite a hassle. The convenience of a touchscreen camera gives can really not be overstated.
Slow burst mode
5fps when on burst mode is really slow, even for a camera of this level. Many people were disappointed by this.
Sony a9 Vs Sony a7RII — Pros common to both products
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| Get the Sony a9 at Amazon | Get the Sony a7R II at Amazon |
Sony a9 | Sony a7RII |
High quality imagesThe Sony a9 supports the RAW format. The RAW gives you your images in their highest quality. Because of this, your videos and photos can be used on very large scales. | Same as the a9. |
Has an EVFThe a9 has an electronic viewfinder which gives you a digital view of what your lens is seeing. Also, it shows you other pieces of information such as your camera’s histogram, ISO, battery level and other things Most importantly, this viewfinder gives you the ability to frame your images properly, even when under direct sunlight. | Same as the a9. |
Slow motionWith the Sony a9, you can record slow-motion videos at any time you want. | Same as the a9. |
Weather sealingBecause this camera has weather sealing, using it in rough environments is quite safe. | Same as the a9. |
Image stabilizationThe Sony a9 reduces the disturbing results which little shakes or movements of your camera give while recording. This is really useful because, those movements are pretty much inevitable.
| Same as the a9. |
Larger display for viewing imagesWith the aid of an HDMI cable, your camera can be connected to a larger screen and view your images. | Same as the a9. |
Smartphone remote controlThis is another feature which the a9’s Wi-Fi an NFC offers you. Using these features, you can connect your smartphone to the camera and start a remote controlled shoot. Your phone can be used as the screen of your camera, and with this, you can conduct a successful photo shoot session without having to touch the camera. | Same as the a9. |
Good results in difficult exposure conditionsThis is the advantage which you get by using the auto exposure bracketing feature. You can set this feature easily, and the captured image will be reproduced by the camera in various exposure settings. | Same as the a9. |
Good lightingThe a9 comes with external flash hot shoe. By connecting a flash, you can enhance the lighting of your camera. This comes in useful especially if you’re doing flash photography. | Same as the a9. |
Easy transfer of filesWith Wi-Fi and NFC, you can connect your camera to other compatible devices and transfer images and other files wirelessly. In addition, the a9 has a built-in Bluetooth feature, which widens the number of devices which you can connect to. The a7RII however, doesn’t have this feature. | Same as the a9. |
Easy shooting from various anglesBy using an articulating screen, you can shoot easily at angles that would normally be impossible with a fixed screen. The only thing you need to do is flip the screen until you have the right angle. | Same as the a9. |
Rotatable LCD for selfies and videosIf you are a YouTuber or a vlogger, you’ll definitely find this one handy. The a9’s screen can be rotated far enough for you to take selfies, or record videos of yourself with it. | Same as the a9. |
Great portrait photographsThe a9 is enabled with the face detection focus feature. With this feature, the human faces in your images are sharp and clear, making it great for portrait photography. | Same as the a9. |
Better audio qualityYou can get better sound quality on the a9 by just connecting an external microphone to the microphone jack. The only thing you need to do is buy an external microphone. | Same as the a9. |
Cons common to both products
Sony a7RII
Doesn’t have GPSAs it doesn’t come with a built-in GPS, you can’t geo-tag your photos with the a7RII.
No built-in flashA built-in flash sometimes helps you add an extra burst of light to your images at those times when an external flash isn’t required. But the a7RII doesn’t have a built-in flash. Because of this, you won’t get a primary source of camera lighting. | Sony a9
Same as the a7RII
Same as the a7RII
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General feeling among users
Sony a9Users had many wonderful things to say about this camera. Many people loved the long battery life. They reported that with it, they could shoot all day long without changing the battery. Other loved features were, the fast continuous shooting speed, the large buffer, and the image stabilization. There was one thing which didn’t make many people happy, and that was, the pricing. Some complained that the price was an issue for them
| Sony a7RIIUsers also found many things which they loved about the a7RII. First of all, they liked the quality of the images and videos which it produced. Also, they were impressed with the a7RII’s 42megapixel sensor resolution. It gave their images greater detail, and gave them the ability to enlarge them. However, the battery life of the a7RII annoyed a lot of people. They were disappointed that it ran down so quickly. For a Pro camera, they expected more. Despite the issues with this camera, users still love the a7RII for its amazing features and capabilities. |
Final Note
And that brings us to the end of this article. Let’s just do a quick recap to wrap it up.
The a7RII is a lot more affordable than its opponent, making it the ideal choice for Pro photographers out there who are looking for an affordable pro camera.
It also has a higher maximum sensor resolution, which gives you incredibly detailed images, which you can enlarge to posters or billboards.
On the other hand, we have the Sony a9. It has double the battery life of the a7RII, giving you more shooting time. It has a larger buffer and a fast continuous shooting speed, which lets you capture many more movements of your subject.
Anyway, that’s everything you need to know. Happy buying!
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| Get the Sony a9 at Amazon | Get the Sony a7R II at Amazon |
