In this case, attempting to move the focus point (the rectangle you see in the viewfinder or LCD that tells you where your camera is focusing) with the Control Wheel (the way it works with both Nikon and Canon) was bringing up the Display, ISO and the Drive Modes. To move your focus point someplace other than the center of your viewfinder, first you gotta press the Down Button of the Control Wheel to move Focus Setting (to normal people that just means the Focus Point). Release w/o Lens: Disable – do not allow firing the camera without a properly attached lens. And by low light conditions I’m not talking about shooting in moonlight, I’m talking about shooting inside your house with the lights on at night. I also heavily use MF when focusing manually. Then, in Menu 2, select the Down Button, 5. Gary also shares how to setup back-button focusing and … Metering Mode: Multi, but sometimes I change to Spot metering when a situation calls for it (see my article on metering modes) Flash Comp: 0.0 White Balance: AWB (Auto White Balance) Focus Mode: AF-A, which is a combination of AF-S and AF-C modes, works pretty well for most situations on the A7R II. Face Registration: used for registering faces. Sony produces some of the world’s best sensor technology, but in the past Sony has had some of the world’s worst menu systems, and has made countless design mistakes with its camera’s ergonomics. Thank you. Experience Sony Alpha 7M III full frame camera with interchangeable lens, image sensor, autofocus, 4K movie recording capability, speed up to 10fps, high-resolution imaging & more. I usually toggle between two presets – for Landscapes and People. Choose Menu > Camera icon (Page 3) > Focus Mode > AF-S, AF-C, etc… Using the memory recall. The problem is the autofocus. Now look through your viewfinder or LCD to take a photo. Absolutely NO GOOD! My FE 1.8 55mm looks like a 70mm, tossing out the wider view. I rarely ever shoot video, but when I do, I use the smaller frame rate and size to save space, Bracket Settings: Selftimer during Brkt: Off, Bracket order: 0 -> – -> +, Picture Effect: Off (grayed out in RAW mode). For portraits, I set the camera to AF-A focus mode, ISO to Auto, turn on face recognition + eye focus. One time setup — RESETTING THE CAMERA — Go to Menu tab5 screen7. DRO / Auto HDR: Off Focus Area: Flexible Spot: M. This mode works great for selective focusing. Gear List: Sony a7ii, Sony 24-70mm… In this video, Gary shows how you can optimize your Sony camera for Portrait Photography then how to save the features and custom button settings into Memory. Let’s go through these real quick: Drive Mode: I mostly keep it at “Single Shooting”, but sometimes switch to Self-Timer when photographing on a tripod to avoid camera vibrations. Custom Key Settings: Custom Button 1 — Focus Mode. The Sony A7R II has a lot of menu options, but there are some things that you can only control with the external controls. The Sony A7iii was sold out everywhere when it launched, so it’s clear that a bunch of people are jumping ship and switching over to the Sony world. I am a nikon user and customed to the “AE/AF lock” button, where with one button I can lock both and then recompose. Recently I purchased Sony a7 ii with Zeiss lenses for primarily architectural photography. Many thanks in advance. If your hands are shaky, try “Fast”, which should double the minimum shutter speed in Auto ISO mode. Don’t mess with this one, unless you know what you are doing. While I prefer to use the C4 button as a “Focus Magnifier” I ended up setting the C4 button to “Metering Mode” (to toggle between the different metering modes). It is best that you explore your camera and learn about each setting as much as you can in order to take advantage of all the available features and customizations! SteadyShot Settings: Auto. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Once you set your button of choice to “AF-On” in the “Custom Key Settings” sub-menu (found in Wheel 7), the next step is to remove focusing from the shutter release half-press. my sony a7 II went in pal. If you don’t want to go that route yet, I would encourage you to try using the Aperture Priority mode instead of the Program Mode, Auto or Scene modes. 2.7 Custom Key Settings AEL Button – Eye AF; AF/MF Button – AF On; It’s also important to note that for Eye AF to work, the camera must be in AF-C (continuous autofocus) mode. Here’s a stumbling block I came across yesterday with a student: moving the focus point of the Sony A7 II. I have two questions: 1). Choose Menu > Custom Settings > Custom Key Settings > AEL Button > AF On. For example, when you are in either Manual modes, the rear dial will adjust the shutter speed, while the front dial will adjust the aperture (default behavior, which you can flip through the menu). But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. While these two dials are primarily used for adjusting the exposure during shooting, their functionality can change depending on what you are doing. There are a six different Sony A77II autofocus area settings selectable. Although you can modify and customize the function menu when the button is pressed, I rarely touch the default values. Hi Poydan, Welcome to the community. You can go from -3 to +3 on the dial. Sony cameras have become a big hit among the indie filmmaking crowd due to their versatility, cost of entry, and video quality. Nasim, I just purchased the A7Rii as I photograph newborns and their families in the hospital under poor lighting situations. mode and formtted my cardand erased everything.. i went to bestbuyand they allowed me to exchange camera but didnt fix my card and i lost 1k pics how can i get pics back? I usually have this on the top C1 function button, as explained above. : Keep at default, only for video, Date/Time Setup: You might want to turn Daylight Savings On, Copyright Info: Set your copyright info and name here, Format: for formatting the inserted SD card, Display Media Info. Nasim Mansurov on his Photography Life blog, Time to Create a 2021 Copyright Preset for Lightroom. Oops! Now that we have finished our review of the Sony A7R II mirrorless camera, we thought it would be a good idea to provide our recommended settings for this camera. Let’s go through each menu setting. You can follow him on Instagram and Facebook. Lenses used so far. Exposure Compensation: 0.0, I prefer to use the top dial for adjusting exposure compensation instead. The Sony a6500 Vs. the Sony a7ii: Battle of the Popular Pics! I have something of a love / hate relationship with Sony cameras. Creative Style: Standard. Custom Button 2 — Metering Mode. The challenge was trying to interpret the vague descriptions in a thin user manual. Click to know. Even the menu system of Olympus cameras, which I find to be rather complex to navigate through, is more organized in comparison. He is recognized as one of the leading educators in the photography industry, conducting workshops, producing educational videos and frequently writing content for Photography Life. The camera does the rest of the exposure calculation work quite well. Aside from the hot shoe, there are only two dials and two function buttons you will be dealing with. Hi Nasim Having a Nex 7 first my a7rii will be a bit more challenging, especially paging through the menu features. For the record, I love the size of this camera and the quality of the raw files, especially the low noise of the high ISO captures. ISO: The “Auto” setting usually works pretty well. All you have to do is access “Shooting Menu 7” in the camera menu, then save your settings in one of the three memory banks. As explained in my understanding camera modes article, I usually shoot in Aperture Priority mode, since it gives me control over the most important camera setting – aperture. Life shouldn’t be so hard. Auto-suggest helps you quickly narrow down your search results by suggesting possible matches as you type. The Sony a7II is the company’s fourth full-frame interchangeable lens mirrorless camera and spec-for-spec it’s arguably the most technologically advanced camera I have ever used.The a7II is notable as the first full-frame mirrorless camera to feature an in-body image stabilization system. Regardless of all your personal settings you use, I thought it was great how you explained them and for some to be found. Switch between Multi, Center or Spot. 1. Currently, I only use one of the memory recall dials. I set mine to give me two functions – when the switch is at the “AEL” position, the button locks down my exposure (useful for capturing hand-held panoramas, etc), and when the switch is at the “AF/MF” position, the button is used for back-button focusing (useful when focusing and recomposing). This is where you set the main camera operating mode, whether it is Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Manual or one of the Auto or Scene modes. Audio Rec Level: N/A (grayed out in PASM). Most of the portraits you see on this site were shot with a Sony A7 III camera. Long Exposure NR: On (recommended when shooting long exposures – will double the total exposure time), High ISO NR: Off (grayed out in RAW mode), Center Lock-on AF: Off, but can be a good option when something needs to be actively tracked, Smile / Face Detect. Well, it wasn't so simple. Much simpler just to go directly to the Focus Area setting and select Flexible Spot – Once selected you can use the control dial to direct the spot to the area required. I hope this clarifies how to set this up. Understanding Sony’s Autofocus Settings. Examples of functions that can only be assigned with custom keys. Z6 II vs Z7 II – which one is better for enthusiast, Image Size: L:42M (grayed out in RAW-only mode), Panorama: Size -> Standard (only visible in Panorama mode), Panorama: Direction -> Right (from Left to Right, visible in Panorama mode), Movie Record Setting: 24p 17M (FH). Besides the advanced customizable autofocus functions (find the guide here), The Sony A77 II has some more hidden features and functions that you might want to familiarize yourself with.. I’ll start with some of my settings … For whichever reason, it is mapped to “2” instead of “1” on the top dial. Post-production software can only fix so much when you fudge your focus. 0 My Sony A7 III Camera Settings for Portrait Photography. Read more about Nasim here. Explore. Here is how the back of the camera looks: At the top of the camera back, to the left of the rear dial, you will find the third custom function button C3. Release w/o Card: Disable – do not allow firing the camera without a memory card inserted. I hope you found this article useful. Doesn’t matter for most people, since the A7R II does not come with a built-in flash. The Menu button located to the left of the electronic viewfinder obviously opens up the camera menu – that’s where you make changes to the camera. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. It has a slightly higher megapixel count, 5 FPS vs 3.5 FPS, in-body stabilization, and it shoots 60 FPS 1080P in S-Log 2. You can not only set Auto ISO Minimum and Maximum, but also the minimum shutter speed in relation to focal length (“ISO AUTO Min. The second dial is the exposure compensation dial. Autofocus Basics: Focus Area vs Focus Mode I have no trouble with ARW files in LR or PS CC. In the 4-K video mode, the viewer(s) act like they zoom in on the composed shot. AF Micro Adj: Off, don’t do this unless you want to calibrate a lens, AF System: N/A – grayed out on some lenses, Function Menu Set. You can even change the focus spot size by rotating the control dial. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. This leaves three modes that I find to be the most useful on the A7R II: Aperture Priority, Manual and Memory Recall. I am able to get to 30″ but not beyond for bulb. If you’re new to these cameras or … SS” setting). If you don’t do any of that, it is best to keep “Airplane Mode: On” to save battery life. Please note that the above settings work for me and they might not necessarily suit your needs. However, you should keep it turned off, as silent shooting decreases dynamic range, drops bit depth and causes all kinds of issues with moving subjects (rolling shutter effect, etc). Should I wait for the A7R iii? SteadyShot: On – keep this turned on for in-body image stabilization + lens stabilization. Go to the Gear icon and go to Menu 6, scroll down and select Custom Key Settings, 3. PL provides various digital photography news, reviews, articles, tips, tutorials and guides to photographers of all levels, By Nasim Mansurov 36 CommentsLast Updated On August 2, 2019. The setting you’re looking for is called AF Track Sens, and is found in Camera Settings 1 / AF2 (page 6/14). Saved by Michelle Price. It seems Sony has created product for customers to hung-on with an investment that does not support any existing platform. 1. Can switch between AF-S, AF-C, AF-A, DMF, or MF. The solution might be buried in your settings. The Sony A7 II comes with an improved version of the hybrid autofocus system found on its predecessor, offering up to 30% faster autofocus performance. Just like other Sony mirrorless cameras, the A7R II is definitely “right-heavy” on the back, with almost all buttons located to the right of the camera LCD. This allows quick access to this important setting to change between Wide, Zone, Flexible Spot, or Flexible Spot Lock focus modes. Flash Mode: Fill Flash. Open up the camera menu, navigate to Wheel 5, then set “AF w/ shutter” to “Off”. Lower down you will find the AF/MF and AEL switch, which has a button in the middle. Peaking Level: Mid – focus peaking only works in MF mode. This is the case with the A7 MKII. The Sony A7-series cameras have a myriad of different settings and buttons, which can be confusing to understand, especially for first-time Sony users. I saw in a previous article you talked about this in nikon cameras and would like to know if you have figured out how to do this with the a7r2. Once you press the center button on the dial (configured below), you can easily move the focus points. You can program your Sony a7, a7R, a7S, a7II, a7RII, a7SII, a7 III, a7R III camera for Back-Button AF so that focusing is performed by pressing the AEL button with your right thumb. Extract. Arrgh! Sony a7II and a7RII Settings. A lot of trial and error for sure. Weighing only around 200g, this is a lens that you can literally fit inside your pockets. Sony A77 II advanced features guide. This hybrid AF system is a combination of phase and contrast detect AF, which allows for much quicker AF acquisition than only contrast detection, which is found on both Sony A7R and A7S. Unfortunately, Sony’s menu system is a big mess and it is far from being user-friendly or intuitive. In my case, I would have to press and hold the AF/MF / AEL button when the switch is set to AF/MF. Can you suggest a 35mm prime lens? What’s the best fast track video setting for Sony a7ii? S. Auto Img. I have a A7Rii gray card issue. However, it’s buried deep into the menu structure of the Sony (what a pain!!!) Eye AF Eye-AF is one of the most powerful features you will find in the Sony A7iii and it is one of the advantages Sony has over Nikon and Canon. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Even the smallest cameras are feature-rich and heavy on options. and pretty much undocumented. Also, here’s the Sony Help Guide for the A7RII. Forget to press the Down Button first, you end up seeing the Display, ISO and Drive Modes again. This setting can be adjusted in five levels from 1 … Similar to Nikon DSLRs, the Sony A7R II is equipped with two function dials on the front and the rear of the camera. The built-in Sony SteadyShot system promises to offer about 4.5 stops of stabilization capability which should help reduce the effects of camera shak… Once you’ve set it, you may still not be happy with the procedure. The first dial close to the flash unit is the camera mode dial. For landscapes, I set camera mode to Manual Mode, Manual Focus, ISO 100, turn Auto ISO off and turn off other irrelevant settings such as face recognition. If it weren’t for difficulty of programming without any manufacturer support (and the limited number of lenses), I might switch. How could it not replace the Canon? Note that these are just our personal recommendations, but they are a good place to start if you are trying to get a hang of this camera. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Insane, right? I have mine engage only when the camera is in the movie mode, so that I do not accidentally start recording video. The Sony A7iii is a powerhouse but to unlock its full power you need to be able to get into the settings. Allows picking one of the saved presets. Depending on the options selected in [Focus Area] or [Center Lock-on AF], the available functions varies when pressing the key.. Focus Magnifier: Used for zooming in while focusing manually. I am looking to have Canon and Sony, or Canon and Fuji cameras. I keep “ISO AUTO Min. Putting this menu option to “off” resolves the issue. Since Samsung has exited the cameras business. Why are the features hidden and undocumented? Some Sony users like to use eye autofocus in single AF mode, but I suggest that you should use it in continuous autofocus mode by keeping the AF-ON button depressed. At the same time, it won’t hurt your pocket as much too, being that it’s one of the most affordable Sony FE prime lenses out there. The Fn (Function) button is a very useful button that you will be using to make quick changes to the most important camera settings such as ISO, White Balance, Drive and Focus modes, etc. And I concur, I love Sony a7 ii, but the final working results are disappointing. Michelle, did you ever figure out a good lens to use? I have no idea. Voyin, What version of LR are you using ? When in movie mode, I usually pick Aperture Priority as well. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Don’t bother with creative styles, as they are irrelevant when shooting in RAW. Thanks, Jim. Ah, but there is a way to make use of the Control Wheel for the focus point! Setting Reset | Initialize | OK (Do this only once when you take over the camera from someone else who may have messed up the setting) — SELECTING NTSC OR PAL —- … Sony a7ii Best Video Settings Read More » Sony has several autofocus settings to choose from, so it can be kind of confusing on what each does and when to use each mode. Recommended Camera Menu Settings for Landscape Photography, Tips for Photographing the Great Conjunction. The main drawback of the Sony system is the menu, from all reports. I usually leave Minimum ISO at 100, while setting Maximum ISO to 3200 – anything above ISO 3200 is too noisy for my taste. Regarding my recent comment, I have just figured it out. 88. Display Rotation: Off – I don’t like it when the camera flips verticals, as it results in dead space. From the NEX 5 to the NEX 7 to the A7r, features, functions and interface have shown a steady improvement an… How do I get a correct white balance reading using a gray card while using off-camera flash? When playing back images, both dials can be used for moving between images – you get the idea. 2. In the Custom Key Settings go to Menu 2, 4. Just like the top C1 and C2 custom function buttons, this one is easily programmable through the menu system. Silent Shooting: Off – a great new feature that can be used in some situations (like shooting a wedding ceremony silently in a church). Since this dial does not have a lock feature like the camera mode dial, you might sometimes end up with overexposed or underexposed shots, so don’t forget to take a look at the dial every once in a while, particularly when you take the camera out of your camera bag. I set mine to “Drive Mode”, so that I can quickly switch between the different drive modes like Single Shooting and Self-Timer (the two I use the most). I own a Sony A7Rmk2. : Shows what’s on the card, Setting reset: will reset the camera settings or reinitialize the camera. I shoot photos and video. A Down Button menu will pop up with a lot of options, 7. I rarely ever use these, but sometimes it is useful to send pictures to my phone – this is where it is done. By checking this box I consent to the use of my information, as detailed in the Privacy Policy. Choose Menu > Custom Settings > Pre-AF > Off 2. Memory: going here will save all the current settings in one of the selected presets. Always turn off when mounting on a tripod. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. SS” at “Standard”, which works for my hand-holding. Sony is a well-known manufacturer of a wide variety of consumer electronic products, including a number of still and video cameras. Focus Standard:. In following your measures, is it possible that I accidentally hit a menu setting that has given me this problem? I had originally hoped the Sony A7II would replace my Canon 5D MKII. Memory recall: only available when when one of the two MR modes is selected on the top of the camera. That is, the viewable area is a center cropped 2/3rds of the 2-K HD modes. 3. To move your focus point someplace other than the center of your viewfinder, first you gotta press the Down Button of the Control Wheel to move Focus Setting (to normal people that just means the Focus Point). On my A7R II, I picked the AF/MF / AEL button for that, but you can use any other programmable button. : Function Upper and Lower – leave these at default, Dial Ev Comp: Off – I use the top dial for exposure compensation, Zoom Ring Rotate: N/A (only works on some lenses), MOVIE Button: Movie Mode Only – to prevent accidental recording of movies. More information... People also love these ideas Pinterest. Lots of menu options to go through, with different functions thrown under random menus. I keep my C2 to “Focus Mode”, which allows me to quickly change from one focus mode to another, say from Single-shot AF (AF-S) to Manual Focus (MF) and I set my C1 to “Focus Magnifier” (instead of the default “White Balance”), as I tend to zoom in and focus on my subjects quite a bit when shooting in manual focus mode. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Before going into the camera menu, let’s first get started with the exterior controls. My main deal will be what each setting means and actually does. : grayed out in PASM. Grayed out in AF mode, must be in MF to work. Although the Memory Recall (MR) mode is targeted at more advanced photographers that want to store settings for different situations, I would encourage every A7R II owner to explore this mode, since it can be very useful when changing from one shooting scenario to another. But for the moment I’m sticking with my Nikons. The Sony A7-series cameras have a myriad of different settings and buttons, which can be confusing to understand, especially for first-time Sony users. Once you do that, you will no longer be able to focus by half-pressing the shutter release – focus will only be possible to activate through your chosen custom function button. 2). Other settings are used for accessing specific playback functions, Viewfinder Brightness: Auto works pretty well, Audio signals: Off – I always turn these off, Tile Menu: Off – you don’t want extra icons to access the menu, Mode Dial Guide: Off – won’t display the guide when changing camera modes, Delete confirm: “Delete” first – don’t want to scroll when I need to delete something, Pwr Save Start Time: 1 Min usually works pretty well, Cleaning Mode: used for cleaning the camera sensor, HDMI Settings: Keep at default, only for video, 4K Output Sel. With the 399 focus points on the Sony a7R III, and its ability to track focus like no other, the company touts it’s hard to get a shot that’s out of focus.This camera is like an artificially intelligent robot – it can predict and figure out exactly what you want in focus on. The rear of the Sony A7R II is a lot more functional compared to other parts of the camera, thanks to a number of different navigation and function buttons. But there’s also bunch of new setting you won’t find on any previous Sony a7-series cameras. In recent years they have introduced a number of very well received cameras including a series of mirror-less camera bodies that use interchangeable lenses. Nasim Mansurov is the author and founder of Photography Life, based out of Denver, Colorado. Sony A6000 Sony Xperia Sony A7r Iii Sony Camera Camera Case Camera Shop Sony Led Photography Settings Camera Photography. Maybe you, as an expert would know something more…, support.d-imaging.sony.co.jp/www/d…index.html. There’s lots to love about the new Sony a7RII including upgrades to the original a7R of 5-Axis image stabilization found on a7II, Silent Shooting mode found on a7S and Electronic Front Curtain Shutter (EFS) found on every a7-series camera – except the original Sony a7R. Playback is obviously to play back images on the LCD and the C4 / Trash button can be used to delete unwanted images during playback. The Sony FE 28mm F/2 is the best lens for Sony A7ii users who recently switched over to Sony’s side. It was especially bad in low light conditions. So, in this article, we will go through every camera setting on the A7R II, including how to set the entire menu optimally. When the camera is not in Playback mode, the C4 serves as another programmable function button. I am having trouble getting to the “bulb mode”. I am currently Canon 6D, and Samsung NX1. I had hit “Auto” in the “Gear” Menu #6 – APS-C/Super 35mm. I thank you sir for your time. I can use eye-AF to instantly place my focus point over the subject’s eye, out pretty close to the edges of the frame. I read nothing of this in any blogs. MF Assist: On – a great feature that automatically zooms in when you move the focus ring in manual focus mode. There are two extra buttons beneath the multi-functional navigation dial – Playback and C4 / Trash. Now the Focus Settings have been assigned to the Down Button, Got that? Can switch off face detection here so that the autofocus does not get sidetracked by faces. Only works in “Superior Auto” mode. But, they are nothing if not persistent, and after numerous iterations they pretty much get things right. I found “Normal” for AF Drive Speed and Track Duration to be optimal for most situations. This is true for all of my primes and my 24 – 240 Sony glass. FINDER/MONITOR: Auto – will automatically switch between viewfinder and LCD.