Preface

The Sony a7 series is a breakthrough in camera design. The cameras’ light-weight and compact size make them convenient working tools that can easily be carried to remote locations and hard-to-reach vistas. Within a year’s time, Sony has produced four full frame camera models for their E-mount lens series. The latest is the a7 II, or as Sony lists it in their online catalog, the ILCE-7M2, with the letter K appended to the end if you purchase the kit lens.

The a7 II is an updated design of the original a7 and is distinguished by the inclusion of an in-body sensor stabilization system, which can minimize movement in five axes. This benefits both the still photographer and the videographer. It ensures the capture of high-resolution still photographs when you’re handholding the camera and aiming long telephoto lenses. And when you’re recording movies, it dampens random camera movements that result from handholding the camera. Such movements shift the framing of the scene and are distracting for the viewer.

With the in-camera stabilization system in the a7 II, hand tremors can be dampened with any lens—not just E-mount lenses. This means you can use the high quality Sony A-mount lenses, which are stabilized for taking sharp still pictures at slow shutter speeds. You don’t even have to use a Sony lens—Nikon, Canon, Leica, Pentax, and Olympus lenses are now stabilized by the movement of the camera’s sensor. The only requirement is an adapter for mounting the lens onto the Sony a7 II body.

The Sony a7 II has an excellent system for framing and composing an image. There is no optical finder; instead, there are two electronic viewing screens that display the sensor’s output. This provides you with a more accurate view of what will be recorded. Incorrect camera settings for exposure and color balance are visible immediately, and remedial action can be taken before the picture is captured. This benefits busy photographers by reducing the time needed to correct images in post-processing. For critical work that requires accurate focusing, these electronic display screens are superior to and more convenient than an optical finder. They also display exposure meters, levels, and compositional lines for framing pictures.

The electronic screens are creative tools as well. They provide a way for you to visualize the scene to determine if changes should be made in tone and color. You can also see how the scene will look as a monochrome image, allowing you to balance shadows, gray tones, and highlights for the perfect composition.

All of this is not to say that the a7 II is perfect. For photographers who are interested in taking action shots with a rapid-fire burst capability, this camera is not as well suited as some heavier DSLRs. However, this deficiency can be remedied by using the LA-EA4 adapter and the A series lenses, whose phase detectors can assist with focus.

The a7 II is eminently suitable for photographers who are interested in taking pictures at a deliberate rate, who are concerned about critical composition, and who want to take landscape photos, closeups, portraits, or scientific photographs.

Whether you are a neophyte or an expert DSLR user, you will develop new techniques and style. We wrote this book to help you get the most out of this camera. Even if you are unfamiliar with photographic terms and principles, you can use this book to help you start taking pictures immediately. We take you from opening the camera box to becoming comfortable with manually setting your new camera’s controls and taking photos and movies using your own settings.

If you are an experienced photographer who uses a DSLR, this book will describe the necessary camera settings in detail, and we’ll provide you with some useful tricks for using techniques that are unavailable with a DSLR. As always, we have many recommendations for camera settings that allow you to get the most out of your efforts. We also discuss camera accessories and legacy lenses. We hope this book will help you get more enjoyment out of your experience with the Sony a7 II.