Sony launches A7C II hybrid compact camera alongside US$2,999 A7C R high-resolution compact sibling

After months of teases and leaks, and plenty of speculation, Sony has announced the Alpha 7C II (A7C II) and Alpha 7C R (A7C R) as the latest revisions to its compact full-frame camera lineup. While they might look similar to the first-generation A7C, there's a lot going on under the hood that make the A7C II and A7C R worthwhile.

There are a few similarities between the two cameras. For starters, Sony has implemented a number of quality-of-life improvements, like an additional scroll wheel on the front and tweaks to the handle and the PSAM dial on top of the cameras. As for processing, the BIONZ XR processor coupled with Sony's AI processor give the A7C II and A7C R arguably the best autofocus and subject tracking on the market.

In summary, the A7C II is basically a an A7 IV with an AI upgrade, and the A7C R is a compact A7R V with a bit of a downgrade. Though they look similar, the 33-MP A7C II has a different target audience than the 61-MP A7C R. The A7C II appears to be well-suited for a hybrid shooter that definitely wants to do some video, whereas the A7C R has much more potential as a high-resolution photography camera.

The A7C II has a 33-MP BSI CMOS sensor, which should deliver balanced photo and video quality, whereas the 61-MP sensor in the A7C R has been proven to exhibit harsh rolling shutter, making it a poor choice for a video-first setup. Both cameras also come with five-axis image stabilisation rated to seven stops of compensation, and they are able to deliver 4K 60 FPS 4:2:2, 10-bit video recording, although with a 1.5x crop on the A7C II and a 1.2x crop on the A7C R.

Of course, both cameras come with the usual S-Log3, S-Cinetone, and user LUTs for versatility and high dynamic range video.

In terms of interface updates, the A7C II and A7C R both have a USB Type-C port with USB Power Delivery for charging while using the camera, while a Micro HDMI out allows the camera to output video to an external recorder. The USB Type-C port can also output 4K 60 FPS video to a computer without the need for any drivers.

The biggest selling point of the A7C II and A7C R is the compactness, but some sacrifices had to be made to achieve this size advantage. Instead of dual card slots, like on the A7 IV and A7R V, the A7C II and A7C R feature only a single SD card slot running at UHS-II speeds. That hasn't impeded the burst shooting rates — 10 FPS for the A7C II and 8 FPS for the A7C R — although it may indeed affect how many images can be taken before the burst rate slows down.

As for pricing and availability, Sony will make the A7C II available starting mid-September for US$2,199.99 in North America and €2,400 in Europe. The A7C R, on the other hand, will land mid-October for US$2,999.99 in North American and €3,700 in Europe. The A7C R does come with a neat included grip to improve ergonomics further.

Pricing could make the new Sony A7C cameras a tough sell, especially when compared to the likes of the Fujifilm X-S20, which delivers up to 4K 60 FPS and 6K 30 FPS footage with similar quality and framing at a much lower price. Unless you're steeped in the Sony ecosystem or you really need the full-frame experience over APS-C or Sony's colour science, there may not be much benefit in getting an A7C II over the Fujifilm camera. Even Sony's A6700 seems like a decent option to cross-shop against the A7C II.

The A7C R, on the other hand, plays in a different league, thanks to its impressive resolution, and there may not be much else to compare it to in terms of size and image quality, although the use of a single SD card slot may deter professional shooters that need redundant storage.

Buy a Sony A6700 with 18-135mm Zoom Lens on Amazon.