Previous Alpha 7 cameras have had excellent image quality but many street photographers objected to the notoriously loud shutters. It looks like the Sony A7 II shutter sound is quiet enough to go unnoticed and that’s a good thing. Hit the jump for the video evidence courtesy of Steve Huff.
Sony A7 II Shutter Sound
Steve Huff over at stevehuffphoto.com is a huge fan of the Sony A7 series and he compares the Sony A7 II shutter sound to the Sony A7S (the quietest A7 up until now). The difference is remarkable with the A7 II sounding whisper quiet by comparison!
The shutter sound was one of the biggest road blocks preventing me from investing the A7 line of cameras. As a street photographer I like to draw as little attention to myself as possible while shooting. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t hide the fact that I’m shooting on the street. But anyone who has used an A7R knows how jarring that shutter can be – you can hear it from across the street! The standard A7 was a bit better and the A7S was the quietest of the bunch until now.
Based entirely on Steve Huff’s video, the A7 II shutter sound is soft and confident and actually reminds me of the shutter sound on my Leica M 240. Subdued but solid.
Unfortunately I’m not sure this is a fair test of the new camera’s shutter sound. As one commenter pointed out – the Sony A7 II has a large zoom lens on it which may be dampening the sound a bit. You’d really need to test both cameras with the same lens to get an accurate idea of the differences.
Also, it should be noted that the A7S does have an all electric silent shutter mode which is virtually silent in operation. Unfortunately shooting in this mode isn’t the best idea for all situations as the rolling shutter effect can cause distortion with quickly moving objects. Silent mode sounded like a great idea but in practice it’s not the best for street photographers on the go.
Overall there’s a lot to be excited about with the Sony A7 II and it’s quickly shaping up to be the camera of the year. The question of battery life still remains but we’ll have to wait for the full reviews to start rolling it before we can comment on that!
If you can’t wait you can order the Sony A7 II at your favorite retailer:
B&H Photo Video
Sony A7 II (Body Only)
Sony A7 II with FE 28-70mm OSS Lens
Amazon
Sony A7 II (Body Only)
Sony A7 II with FE 28-70mm OSS Lens
Adorama
Sony A7 II (Body Only)
Sony A7 II with FE 28-70mm OSS Lens
What’s your take on the Sony A7 II shutter sound? Is it quiet enough to go unnoticed on the street? Or do you need more evidence before you make up your mind? Post your ideas in the comments below and keep the conversation going!