Sonder Creative - Commercial and Portrait Photography

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Is the Sony A7R II innovative?

I've had the pleasure of using the Sony A7R II for a while now and I'm very pleased with what this camera can do. So, the question, is the Sony A7R II an innovative camera? 

in short..., Yes.

Having been a Canon user for my whole photographic life, using the Sony is a big change for the better. I still use the Canon cameras and I do enjoy the familiar feel, the 5DS is more than capable when it comes to high resolution. Having said that there are quite a number of features in the Sony which I think are amazing. 

Touch-less Shutter

I still can't get over how awesome and useful this feature is. To be able to take a picture without touching the camera, or having anything dangling from the camera. This feature comes in especially handy for those long shutter speeds and bulb mode.  

Customization

I love how on this camera I can change pretty much all the buttons to do what I want them to do. I agree with a number of people who claim the Sony menu system is a little awkward and for that reason the custom buttons are so useful. If I'm not mistaken I don't think any of the buttons do their factory function any more, aside from the shutter button of course. 

Built in Remote control

Having the ability to control your camera using a smart phone/tablet opens up so many creative possibilities. I can't think of many (if any) shoots where this feature has not come in handy.  Also the ability to review images on a tablet means you're not all huddled around a small screen to see if the images are any good. 

PlayMemories Apps

I think this feature has been severely underplayed, the fact that these cameras have dedicated app stores is just phenomenal. The store is still in it's early stages and probably not where it needs to be, however it's a huge step in the right direction. We may be looking at the dawn of smart cameras. Currently there aren't many apps available, however the few that are there, I find to be very useful.

Ultimately, Sony are beginning to develop some real potential in their software for cameras. They've started to use the WiFi feature for more than just transferring images and it's a huge leap forward. When you look at smart phones and what they can do, it's disappointing that not enough camera manufacturers are adopting better software. 

I believe once Sony bring their software to a really high standard, sort out their battery technology and implement a second card slot, the A7 series could be some of the best cameras in the world.