Reader Inquiry: Sony A7R II vs Sony A7s High ISO Noise
Get Sony A7R II at B&H Photo.
John M writes regarding the A7R II vs the A7S:
I'm really not seeing a large difference at 50k or even 100k... is it that pronounced for stills? I'm trying to figure out whether I want to keep my A7s. I don't shoot video at all. IBIS is not a factor since I would use these settings for moving subjects indoors (more subject motion than camera shake... high shutter speeds).
Do you have any direct comparison between the two cameras at 50k+ ? With the 42mp scaled down to match the 12mp of course, if that helps it compete.
Is it safe to assume that a scaled down a7r-ii image will have fewer moiré issues in a high ISO setting? Or is that the least of my concerns at high ISO?
I suppose there is also the economic issue... dumping the a7s while it still has value, i.e. before the a7s-ii comes out (if there is one)...
DIGLLOYD: In the past I've showed that it is the sensor area that dominates the quality, not the pixel count. In other words, two full frame sensors of the same technical generation will deliver reasonably similar results for high-ISO noise at the same megapixels. See How to Downsample and Sharpen an Image.
However, the sensor with lower megapixels tends to do significantly better at color rendition as the ISO gets very high. That said, the A7R II sensor is Sony’s latest and best—perhaps better technology than the A7S sensor.
A higher resolution camera (for the same sensor size) always has an advantage with moiré, but Noise destroys fine details, so at high ISO moiré becomes a moot point. Whether a camera has an anti-aliasing filter is a major factor for moiré of course (the A7R II lacks an AA filter, the A7S has one, or it would have awful moiré issues).
- Noise vs Degree of Enlargement (Fruit, D810 at Sony A7s Size)
- ISO Series: D3s vs D800 from ISO 100 to 12800 (Dolls)
- Canon 5DS R Noise vs Canon 5D Mark III (Fruit)
- Leica M Monochrom Noise vs Nikon D800E
- Noise and ISO: Leica M Typ 240 vs Leica M9P
- ... etc
Regarding the A7S, I do not intend to test it.