Sony has announced the Sony Alpha 7C II camera, a new iteration of the compact full frame that’s filled with compelling features for hybrid shooters, including some of those from the latest Sony Alpha cameras. Professional photographer, YouTuber and Sony Artisan Miguel Quiles has already spent some time with the Sony Alpha 7C II, taking it to beautiful Puerto Rico, as well as testing it for portrait shoots and videos. “The Alpha 7C II was an absolute joy to use and if you’re looking for a light, compact hybrid camera that offers full frame image quality and the latest features, this is a camera you’re going to want to check out.” Watch as he takes a closer look at the new camera’s features while putting its performance to the test. Learn more about the new Sony Alpha 7C II HERE.

“...it might just be the most powerful hybrid travel camera in its category.” – Photographer & YouTuber Miguel Quiles

An Autofocusing & Feature-Filled Beast Of A Camera

Quiles first points out the new Sony Alpha 7C II’s 33 megapixel sensor, Bionz XR processing engine and a dedicated AI processing unit. “This means that you’re getting some of the awesome autofocusing features that were introduced in cameras like the Alpha 7R five and ZV-E1, things like improved subject recognition and improved eye autofocus performance and subject tracking. It can even identify and track other subjects including animals and birds, cars, trains, planes and insects.”

The Sony Alpha 7C II also has a 759 point phase detect autofocus. This covers 94 percent of the image area, and can shoot up to 10 frames per second with both mechanical and silent shutter and both autofocus and auto exposure tracking. With all of the features the camera offers, Quiles calls the camera a beast, especially when you consider how small it is. “Comparing it to the Alpha 7 IV, it has 45 percent less volume and is 22 percent lighter, weighing 514 grams (18.1308 ounces) with the battery and memory card included,” he says.

Another feature Quiles found very exciting was the ability to select your RAW size and compression. This means you’re able to shoot uncompressed RAW images or lossless compressed images in small, medium and large sizes, allowing you to save space on your memory cards.

A Powerful Camera For Hybrid Creation On The Road & In The Studio

These powerful features combined with the camera’s video capabilities has Quiles calling it a powerful camera for the hybrid shooter. The Sony Alpha 7C II offers 4K video with full pixel readout, 7K oversampling, 4:2:2 10-bit color, and All-Intra recording. With it you can capture 4K 60 frames-per-second video in Super 35 and 120 frames-per-second in Full HD. The camera also has S-cinetone color and S-LOG 3, giving you 15+ stops of latitude as well as assignable user LUTs. “When you consider all of that along with the autofocus features it brings along with it,” Quiles proclaims, “it might just be the most powerful hybrid travel camera in its category.”

The actual build and design of the camera is similar to that of the Sony Alpha 7C, but Quiles says a major difference is the larger hand grip with an added front dial that makes it fit very nicely in his hands. There is also an optional grip you can use to make it even easier to hold. “The dials up top have been reconfigured as well,” he explains, “separating your shooting and capture modes. You still have that side flip screen, and on the side you’ll find your headphone and microphone jack, SD card slot, micro HDMI and a USB-PD port that you can use for fast charging the Z-series battery. That USB port also supports UVC/UAC streaming in 4K 30 frames per second, so you can use the camera with a nice lens and get the best looking live streaming footage that most people you’ll run into have ever seen.”

Quiles took the camera to Puerto Rico to capture video clips documenting the experience, as well as still images of the beautiful scenery along the way. “In my opinion, this is really the way that I think this camera will be appreciated – coming along for trips and being able to capture insane image quality and not wear yourself out carrying a bulky setup.”

As a professional portrait photographer, Quiles also had to take the camera for a test spin during a portrait shoot. He found the image quality to be outstanding, and says he really leaned on those AI focusing features while he worked on finding the right light, compositions and expressions on his subject’s face.

Learn more about the Sony Alpha 7C II HERE.