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Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony A7S II

Portability
57
Imaging
56
Features
45
Overall
51
Sigma SD1 Merrill front
 
Sony Alpha A7S II front
Portability
68
Imaging
61
Features
76
Overall
67

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony A7S II Key Specs

Sigma SD1 Merrill
(Full Review)
  • 15MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • No Video
  • Sigma SA Mount
  • 790g - 146 x 113 x 80mm
  • Launched April 2012
  • Previous Model is Sigma SD1
Sony A7S II
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 102400 (Increase to 409600)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 627g - 127 x 96 x 60mm
  • Revealed October 2015
  • Superseded the Sony A7S
  • Successor is Sony A7S III
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Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony A7S II Overview

On this page, we are evaluating the Sigma SD1 Merrill and Sony A7S II, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Pro Mirrorless by brands Sigma and Sony. There exists a significant gap among the sensor resolutions of the SD1 Merrill (15MP) and A7S II (12MP) and the SD1 Merrill (APS-C) and A7S II (Full frame) provide different sensor sizing.

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The SD1 Merrill was released 4 years before the A7S II and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Sigma SD1 Merrill being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A7S II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a short summary of how the SD1 Merrill scores against the A7S II in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sigma SD1 Merrill over the Sony A7S II

 SD1 Merrill A7S II 

Reasons to pick Sony A7S II over the Sigma SD1 Merrill

 A7S II SD1 Merrill 
RevealedOctober 2015April 2012Fresher by 42 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1229k460kClearer display (+769k dot)

Common features in the Sigma SD1 Merrill and Sony A7S II

 SD1 Merrill A7S II 
Manually focus Dial exact focusing
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display measurement
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch friendly display No Touch friendly display

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony A7S II Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to carry your camera often, you will want to take into account its weight and proportions. The Sigma SD1 Merrill has got external measurements of 146mm x 113mm x 80mm (5.7" x 4.4" x 3.1") along with a weight of 790 grams (1.74 lbs) and the Sony A7S II has measurements of 127mm x 96mm x 60mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.4") having a weight of 627 grams (1.38 lbs).

Take a look at the Sigma SD1 Merrill and Sony A7S II in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are working with at the time. Below is a front view proportions comparison of the SD1 Merrill versus the A7S II.

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony A7S II size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SD1 Merrill and A7S II is 57 and 68 respectively.

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony A7S II top view buttons comparison

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony A7S II Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is very difficult to picture the difference in sensor sizing just by looking through specs. The photograph here will help give you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the SD1 Merrill and A7S II.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The SD1 Merrill due to its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF more challenging and the Sigma SD1 Merrill will result in more detail as a result of its extra 3 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images a bit more aggressively. The older SD1 Merrill will be behind with regard to sensor tech.

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony A7S II sensor size comparison

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony A7S II Screen and ViewFinder

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony A7S II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sigma SD1 Merrill
Portrait photography with Sony A7S II
65
has manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (15 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW files
no liveview feature
68
has manual focus
sensor size is great (Full frame)
features face detect focusing
saves RAW files
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Sigma SD1 Merrill Street photography info
Sony A7S II Street photography info
57
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW files
environment sealing
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
78
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
saves RAW files
environment proofing
great high ISO (102,400)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sigma SD1 Merrill
Sports photography with Sony A7S II
61
sensor resolution is decent (15 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
environment sealing
supports phase detect AF
no liveview feature
lack of image stabilization
58
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
features tracking focus
environment proofing
continuous shooting slow (5.0 frames/s)
resolution not great (12MP)
not so great battery (370 per charge)
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sigma SD1 Merrill as a Travel photography camera
Sony A7S II as a Travel photography camera
54
environment sealing
sensor resolution is decent (15MP)
does not have Time Lapse function
does not offer selfie friendly screen
49
environment proofing
not so great battery (370 shots)
resolution not great (12MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Sigma SD1 Merrill Landscape photography features
Sony A7S II Landscape photography features
63
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sigma SA mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
sensor resolution is decent (15MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW files
environment sealing
no liveview feature
lack of image stabilization
does not have Time Lapse function
71
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
great high ISO (102,400)
saves RAW files
environment proofing
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
not so great battery (370 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Sigma SD1 Merrill Vlogging information
Sony A7S II Vlogging information
9
no video
35
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detect focusing
great video quality (3840 x 2160 pixels)
does have microphone support
display isn't selfie friendly
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Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony A7S II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sigma SD1 Merrill and Sony A7S II
 Sigma SD1 MerrillSony Alpha A7S II
General Information
Brand Name Sigma Sony
Model Sigma SD1 Merrill Sony Alpha A7S II
Type Advanced DSLR Pro Mirrorless
Launched 2012-04-10 2015-10-12
Physical type Mid-size SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Dual True II Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS (Foveon X3) CMOS
Sensor size APS-C Full frame
Sensor measurements 24 x 16mm 35.6 x 23.8mm
Sensor surface area 384.0mm² 847.3mm²
Sensor resolution 15 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio - 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4800 x 3200 4240 x 2832
Maximum native ISO 6400 102400
Maximum boosted ISO - 409600
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Minimum boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points - 169
Lens
Lens mount Sigma SA Sony E
Total lenses 76 121
Focal length multiplier 1.5 1
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 3" 3"
Display resolution 460k dots 1,229k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dots
Viewfinder coverage 96 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.64x 0.78x
Features
Slowest shutter speed - 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed - 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate - 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash options no built-in flash no built-in flash
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 4K (3840 x 2160 @ 30p/24p [60-100Mbps]), Full HD (1920 x 1080 @ 120p/60p/60i/30p/24p [50-100Mbps]), 720p (30p [16Mbps])
Maximum video resolution None 3840x2160
Video data format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 790g (1.74 pounds) 627g (1.38 pounds)
Physical dimensions 146 x 113 x 80mm (5.7" x 4.4" x 3.1") 127 x 96 x 60mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 85
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.6
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.3
DXO Low light score not tested 2993
Other
Battery life - 370 shots
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FW50
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures))
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I, UDMA compatible) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Retail cost $2,339 $2,767