Sony a7 II

The Sony a7 II is a mirrorless camera from 2014 that puts a full-frame sensor into a body weighing 599 grams. The electronic viewfinder serves eye-level work and the flip screen helps at awkward angles.

A 24 megapixel sensor and the Sony E mount shape the shooting experience. The mount takes Sony E lenses, and in-body stabilisation means lenses without their own stabilisation still give steadier handheld results.

It suits photographers who put stills first. Video stops at Full HD, and the 350-shot battery rating makes spare batteries worth packing for a long day out.

The a7 II scores 78 for optics, a good result that places it in the top 11% of cameras in our database. At its core sits a 24.3 megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor with the Bionz X processor, offering resolution that supports large prints and generous cropping.

In-body stabilisation is the standout practical strength. It counters camera shake with any attached lens, so unstabilised primes become usable at slower shutter speeds when your subject stays still. It does nothing for subject movement, so moving targets still need fast shutters.

Autofocus offers 117 points to choose from. A 1/8000 second top shutter speed gives more scope for wide apertures in bright light, and the 2.36-million-dot electronic viewfinder provides a detailed preview before you commit.

Burst shooting is the weak spot here. The maximum rate of 5 frames per second is workable for portraits and general subjects, but it constrains fast action such as sport or wildlife. Anyone who regularly photographs motion will feel this ceiling.

Video is a modest area for this camera, scoring 56. Recording tops out at Full HD, so there is no 4K recording option for anyone who wants to crop footage later in editing or deliver to higher-resolution displays.

The maximum frame rate reaches 60 frames per second, while resolution tops out at Full HD. Clips record in XAVC S alongside the camera's stills capabilities during mixed shooting and flexible editing later in a simpler combined workflow.

There is no built-in timelapse feature, so timelapse work needs external triggering or stills assembled afterwards. For occasional Full HD clips alongside a stills session the camera is adequate, but it is not built around video production.

The features score of 57 reflects a modest setup. The 3-inch LCD has 1.23 million dots and offers a flip screen for framing from different angles during live-view work, but it is not a touchscreen, so setting changes go through buttons and dials.

Wi-Fi is built in, while Bluetooth and GPS are absent. Without GPS the camera cannot tag files with location data on its own, and live view lets you compose directly on the LCD.

The body carries weather sealing against dust and moisture. There is no built-in flash, but an external flash can be mounted, which matters for event and interior work.

Storage and battery is the weakest-scoring area here, at 35. A single card slot accepts SD, SDHC and SDXC cards plus Memory Stick Duo, Pro Duo and Pro-HG Duo types, giving format choice but no way to write a backup copy in camera.

The NP-FW50 battery is rated at 350 shots per charge. That figure is not an all-day promise for heavy shooting, so carrying at least one spare battery is sensible for longer sessions.

USB charging is also supported, so the battery can be topped up over a USB connection between shoots. It is a useful convenience rather than a replacement for spare batteries.