A6300 or a7ii as second body

[Luke wl.]

Hello all. I am at a dilemma with what to do. I have recently sold off most my Canon gear (5d3, lenses, underwater housing) and am making the full move to Sony. I shoot for a living and can not be without a backup body for too long. I shoot outdoor lifestyle, adventure and action type stuff (fishing, hunting, diving, boating, etc.). I am very happy with my a7rii currently sporting a 16-35f4 and 70-200f4 and a few adapted lenses that I will be selling off soon to get the new g master glass.

 

My dilemma is between the 6300 and a7ii. As I see it the pros and cons between the two are as follows

 

6300 pros

Af speed (huge in what I do)

Burst with live view

Portability

 

Cons

No ibis

Crop sensor

Uw housing not yet available (I'm sure there will be a Nauticam sooner rather then later though)

 

A7ii pros

Same body as rii for familiarity

Ibis

Housing already available (and a7rii will fit in housing if need be)

Full frame

 

Cons

Slower af (how does it compare?)

Slower burst without live view

Size is the same as rii

More $$$

Less focus point coverage

 

 

How should the a7ii focus speed compare? Will we possibly see a firmware for bust live view for a7ii or a7rii?

[Guest Colin Scott Johnson]

I use a pair of A7r II bodies.

 

Three reasons:

 

1) 100% image consistency when shot side by side

2) Doubles the memory buttons allocations - I can set one body up one way and the other another, covering double the number of use cases

3) A backup body if one fails

 

I just spent 3 weeks shooting in Thailand and Laos with the two bodies. A Batis 25 one one Batis 85 on the other.

Wonderful combination for weight, size and IQ.

 

(http://www.sfstreetz.com/p1072024173#h61902340 - first 42 images)

 

The A7 II I owned and shot in Myanmar last year.

I hated that camera and sold it upon my return.

It's noisy, doesn't handle low light well and the colors don't look right for me.

 

HTH

 

~Colin

[Luke wl.]

Colin,

 

Not really an option at the moment as I need the uw rig faster than I could afford the second a7rii + an uw housing.

[danmleephoto]

I use the A7II as a second rig to my A99, its a great camera, Its a good option as it has phase DAF just like the A7RII. Autofocus is decent, depending on the lens. I have a Sigma 24-70mm A Mount via EA4 and the AF is good, nice crisp images. 

 

Personally I use it for weddings, concerts and events when the A99 is a bit of a monster to carry around, although its normally worked in tandem with the A99. I switch off the Auto Dynamic range on the A7II as it screws up image processing after as use profiles to have contrast +1 and all others set to 0, then its pretty much on par with the A99. "Slower burst without live view" not sure of thats true (Ill have to check)

 

I took my A7II on a six week trip round Europe adding in the 70-400mm G lens on A Mount, 70-200 f4 G E Mount and the 16-35 f4 Zeiss - it preformed really well, I turned off the e-curtain sync though to improve the AF / shoot speed. 

[Guest all8]

Sony releases cameras which are finished and don't need continual firmware updates. So, there will not be any firmware updates of significance (yes, I know about the RAW Compression .... ).

 

Most likely all the advantages/advances of the a6300 will be made available in the a7m3, perhaps even at a higher 36MP, and probably soon so that we don't all start lusting for the competition (Pentax K1) which makes the A7m2 look a little less interesting.

 

Unless you _need_ it I would wait a little. The a6300 looks great for high speed (subject) photography, A7m2 ... no so great but underwater is perhaps just fine, the A7r2 would also be fine underwater I guess.

[BobIndy]

A7II owner here. But lusting for a6300. I guess you need to ask yourself, are you trying to have just a true back up for your a7rII or do you want something that gives you options. I love my a7II, but when I buy another body, it will be the a6300 for the aps-c reach, faster af and tracking, smaller form factor... and that unbelievable 11fps. I have used an a6000 and was amazed at how small and light it is. To me, the ability to be shooting something like my 70-200 on my a7II but having the a6000 with a  small prime (I like the 28/2) on my hip was fantastic. The a6000 and a6300 are so light and easy to shoot with one hand that you never miss a shot. To explain a little better, if/when I get an a6300 I'll flip the lenses... going long on the a6300 and short on the a7II, but the a6000 doesn't work with the lea3 adapter like the a6300 should. So I guess what I'm saying is, if it's just a back up, I'd get the a7II... but if you want options, get the a6300.