Sony Alpha A7S II review

Sony's 12MP full-frame CSC is a great option if 4K video and low light shooting are your thing

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Dynamic range is a measure of the camera's ability to record a wide brightness range. The higher the dynamic range, the less likely you are to see burnt-out highlights or blocked-in shadows. Dynamic range is measured in EV (exposure values) and its typically highest at low ISO settings, falling off as the ISO value increases.

Sony A7S II lab tests

JPEG dynamic range analysis: The relatively low resolution of the A7S II should give it an advantage in dynamic range because the individual photosites (pixels) are larger and can in theory capture more light and hence a wider range of light values. In practice, the A7S II only starts to show an advantage at ISO 51,200, which is well outside the range of normal photography. If you do need to shoot at these ISO settings, and higher, it does have an advantage over the rest.

Sony A7S II lab tests

Raw (converted to TIFF) dynamic range analysis: Apart from an odd dip from ISO 800-1600, the A7S II is narrowly the best of this group, though the Canon 5D Mark II and Nikon D4S run it a close second.