The Sony α7S II (model ILCE-7SM2) is a 12.2-
megapixel
In digital imaging, a pixel (abbreviated px), pel, or picture element is the smallest addressable element in a Raster graphics, raster image, or the smallest addressable element in a dot matrix display device. In most digital display devices, p ...
full-frame mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera
A mirrorless camera (sometimes referred to as a mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera (MILC) or digital single-lens mirrorless (DSLM)) is a digital camera which, in contrast to DSLRs, does not use a mirror in order to ensure that the image ...
made by
Sony
is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...
.
It was publicly announced on at a press conference held at the
IBC IBC is an initialism that can stand for:
Broadcasting
*Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation, Channel 13, Philippines
*International Beacon Project, Worldwide network of radio propagation beacons
*International Broadcast Centre
*International ...
2015 exhibition in Amsterdam and was released in with a suggested retail price of (body only) at the time.
The α7S II is offered as a body only or in a package with a
Sony FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS zoom lens. It was succeeded by the
Sony α7S III
The Sony α7S III (model ILCE-7SM3) is a 12.2-megapixel full-frame mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera made by Sony. It was publicly announced on online with a suggested retail price of (body only) at the time. The α7S III is offered as a ...
in October 2020.
Features
Image features
The α7S II features a 35mm (35.6 x 23.8 mm) full-frame
Exmor
Exmor is a technology developed by Sony and implemented on some of their CMOS sensor, CMOS image sensors. It performs on-chip Analog-to-digital converter, analog/digital signal conversion and two-step noise reduction in parallel on each column ...
CMOS sensor
An active-pixel sensor (APS) is an image sensor, which was invented by Peter J.W. Noble in 1968, where each pixel sensor unit cell has a photodetector (typically a pinned photodiode) and one or more active transistors. In a metal–oxide–semic ...
capable of capturing approximately 12.2 effective megapixels.
Autofocus and metering
The camera's 169-point autofocus sensors use
contrast-detection AF to capture and record.
ISO
For still images, the α7S II's ISO is 100–102400 with expansion down to ISO 50 and up to ISO 409600 equivalent. For movies, the α7S II's ISO is 100-102400 equivalent with expansion down to ISO 100 and up to ISO 409600 equivalent. For still images or movies on auto setting, the camera's ISO is 100–12800 with selectable lower and upper limits.
Shutter
The α7S II's shutter speed range is 30 s to 1/8,000 s for still images. For bulb movies, the shutter speed range is 1/4 s (1/3 s step) to 1/8,000 s.
The camera has an approximate maximum continuous shooting speed of 5.0 frames per second in Speedy Priority Continuous shooting drive mode and a shooting speed of 2.5 frames per second in Continuous shooting drive mode.
Ergonomics and functions
The α7S II has a
TFT LCD
A thin-film-transistor liquid-crystal display (TFT LCD) is a type of liquid-crystal display that uses thin-film transistor, thin-film-transistor technology to improve image qualities such as addressability and contrast. A TFT LCD is an active mat ...
screen with a size of 7.5 cm (3 inches) and resolution of 1,228,800 dots with an adjustable tilt angle of 107 degrees up and 41 degrees down (approximate). The
OLED
An organic light-emitting diode (OLED), also known as organic electroluminescent (organic EL) diode, is a type of light-emitting diode (LED) in which the emissive electroluminescent layer is an organic compound film that emits light in respon ...
electronic viewfinder has a resolution of 2,360,000 dots and a .78x magnification.
The camera additionally has built-in
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for Wireless LAN, local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by ...
with
NFC
NFC usually refers to:
* Near-field communication, a set of communication protocols for electronic devices
* National Football Conference, part of US National Football League
NFC may also refer to:
Psychology
* Need for cognition, in psychol ...
compatibility.
Video
The camera can record
4K UHD
UHD may refer to:
Technology
* Ultra-high-definition television
* Ultra HD, any of several high-definition graphics display resolutions
* USRP hardware driver, used with Universal Software Radio Peripherals
* Ultra HD Blu-ray, an enhanced varian ...
(QFHD: 3840 x 2160) internally in full frame format. The camera allows for movie image size to be set, as well as the frame rate per second, and compression method.
''
The Possession of Hannah Grace
''The Possession of Hannah Grace'' (released as ''Cadaver'' in select international markets) is a 2018 American supernatural horror thriller film directed by Diederik van Rooijen and written by Brian Sieve. The film stars Shay Mitchell, Kirby ...
'' was filmed entirely using the A7S II
Firmware update
On , Sony announced batch firmware updates for the α9 and α7 line of cameras including firmware version 3.01 for the α7S II; its main change was improving overall stability of the camera body.
International Space Station

In , Japan's national aero-space agency,
JAXA
The is the Japanese national air and space agency. Through the merger of three previously independent organizations, JAXA was formed on 1 October 2003. JAXA is responsible for research, technology development and launch of satellites into o ...
, installed a Sony α7S II outside the
International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is a large space station that was Assembly of the International Space Station, assembled and is maintained in low Earth orbit by a collaboration of five space agencies and their contractors: NASA (United ...
's
KIBO Japanese Experiment Module after determining it would be durable enough to withstand the
vacuum
A vacuum (: vacuums or vacua) is space devoid of matter. The word is derived from the Latin adjective (neuter ) meaning "vacant" or "void". An approximation to such vacuum is a region with a gaseous pressure much less than atmospheric pressur ...
of
outer space. According to Sony, the a7S II captured the first 4K footage in space using a commercial level camera. In order to mitigate the temperature extremes of outer space, the camera mount is equipped with a heater and radiator.
Sony stated that the camera body was not modified but the software was modified to include the ability for full remote control from inside the Space Station.
JAXA selected the
Sony FE PZ 28-135mm F4 G OSS
The Sony FE PZ 28-135mm F4 G OSS is a full-frame constant maximum aperture advanced standard zoom lens for the Sony E-mount, announced by Sony on September 12, 2014.
Though designed for Sony's full frame E-mount cameras, the lens can be used on S ...
lens to capture images and record video for the purpose of this assignment.
Accessories
According to Sony's website, the α7S II model comes equipped with:
* Sony ILCE-7SM2 Camera Body
* Battery Pack NP-FW50 (rechargeable)
* Battery Charger BC-VW1
* AC Adapter AC-UUD11
* Neck/Shoulder Strap
* Micro-USB Cable and Cable Protector
See also
*
Comparison of Sony α7 cameras
*
List of cameras on the International Space Station
*
List of Sony E-mount cameras
Sony has released the following E-mount cameras since 2010. The E stands for the Eighteen mm flange distances of the E-mount cameras. Depending on type and model E-mount cameras are part of the Sony α, SmartShot, Handycam, NXCAM or XDCAM syste ...
*
Sony α7II
References
External links
Product page*
{{Sony MILC cameras
α7S II
Cameras introduced in 2015
Full-frame mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras
Personal cameras and photography in space