Sony claims the Alpha 7 II offers ‘outstanding image quality in a compact size and light build’.

The Sony Alpha 7 II is due out in Europe in January 2015.

The 24.3-million-pixel model carries an Exmor CMOS imaging sensor and aims to provide ‘4.5 steps faster shutter speed of correction for still images’.

Sony claims: ‘Shooting sharp handheld stills and video is now possible under conditions that may have required a tripod in the past.

‘In this and other scenarios, users can enjoy beautifully rendered images from the full-frame sensor with the convenience of image stabilisation. ‘In-camera image stabilisation also offers sharper images for those using A-mount lenses on an optional lens adapter.’

A7II_rear-1200.webA7II_top-1200.webOn the 5-axis stabilisation, Sony adds: ‘It detects and corrects various camera shake along five axes for still images and video, including angular shake (pitch and yaw) that tends to occur when shooting with a telephoto lens, shift shake (along the X and Y axes) that becomes noticeable as photographing magnification increases, and rotational shake (roll) that often affects shots at night or when recording video.’

Features include 117-point focal plane phase-detection AF and an improved algorithm allowing AF to be ‘30% faster’ than in previous Sony cameras.

Tracking ability has been improved by 1.5x, according to Sony.

The Alpha 7 II also includes ‘lock-on AF’.

A UK price has yet to be announced.

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