In this article, I’m going to explain how to set up your A7 photo modes and guide you through the best photography settings you can find on your A7 III and other A7 models. You will find this setting in Camera Settings 2 / Exposure2 (page 10/14). Sony a7 III vs Sony a7R III The Sony Alpha A7R III combines a high-resolution sensor with an impressive 10fps continuous shooting speed and powerful 4K video features. 4. Either way, the difference will be difficult to notice unless you do a drastic exposure recovery or very heavy processing. This will make it easier in future to transition between shooting with flash or natural light (though do note that some of the settings we’re about to change are global and not available to save in custom settings). The basic exposure settings of your A7 III or any A7 model are the same found in every other digital camera: Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO (exposure triangle). To have quick access to this setting, you might want to customize its functionality to one of the buttons on your camera, such as the C4 button. Therefore I would appreciate your feedback if there are specific settings which would allow capturing slightly more detail in terms of sharpness when using You can go from a minimum of 3 to a maximum of 9 shots, and from 0.3Ev to 1Ev exposure shift. Once you are ready, make sure “Write Copyright Info” is set to “On” and you are good to go. Sony cameras have the advantage of allowing you to create custom settings which you can save and switch back over to at any time. These settings are the same across most of the A7 and A9 series. This can be especially helpful if you shoot with multiple cameras or if you have a team of photographers shooting an event. Both of these settings can be found in the Camera Menu Tab (1) on Page 9. Owners of A7 I and A7 II series can consider this post valid for their cameras as well, although some settings and extra functionalities are missing. You’ll have to connect the-the camera via Wifi first (it makes a Wifi access point), using the instruction on the A7 III screen. Camera Settings 1 / Exposure1 (page 9/14). To customize your own “My Menu” simply navigate to the “My Menu Setting” menu tab (Star) and select “Add Item” to begin the process. The key is to customize one of your camera’s buttons to allow you to easily engage it. This can be partially adjusted by changing the shutter speed, but it doesn’t always solve the problem. Based around an updated 24.2-megapixel back-illuminated full-frame sensor, the A7 III punches well above its weight with a rich feature including a 693 phase-detect autofocus system, 10 frames per second, internal 4k video, and silent operation For many of you, you will probably want to make sure that anything that is captured to Card 1 (the faster UHS II slot) automatically gets copied to Card 2. With Spot Standard, the camera measures a small portion of the subject and, because it is black, the camera will think that the image is too dark and will overexpose your picture as a result. Note: if you upload a JPG image to the web with an AdobeRGB colour space, it will be converted to sRGB automatically and may result in lower saturation in comparison to the original photo. Additionally, you can now also customize a few different buttons differently when you are in Playback mode, although this is mostly reserved for the new protect and star rating system. Wedding Pro Shares his Sony Camera Settings Tutorial Thursday December 13, 2018 By Angela Nicholson The quiet winter months are the perfect time for wedding photographers to trial new kit ready for coming season. However, noise may increase. You can change these settings with the main dial on top. If you find that your subject is too dark or too bright, chances are that the camera is not measuring correctly. Like this Post 2. Since I shoot a mixture of stills and video projects throughout my travels, I decided to make video settings the focus of the upper Fn menu and assign still photography based settings to the bottom or lower row to keep them organized and separate. To avoid this, consider using a remote controller or smartphone to pilot the camera wirelessly. The second concerns colours and effects, and we describe them in the next chapter. Patrick Murphy-Racey is well-known as one of the best sports photographers in the world. The higher the bit-rate, the higher the image quality. To charge these batteries on the road, I opted to pick up two Newmowa dual chargers from Amazon. Silent Shooting13. It gives you a lot of flexibility when you are using your camera at odd angles or perspectives (both high and low), which can be extremely helpful in a pinch. *The setting is greyed out in the screenshot above because I had an external monitor attached to the camera to capture these screenshots. October 2021 When it comes to purchasing a new camera, most of us are incredibly excited to jump right in and start using our new creative tool…but that process can also be frustrating. They are not dissimilar to the effects you can find on smartphone apps. This setting can be found in the Tool Box Menu on Page 1. By default, the A7 and A9 series don’t have a multiple exposure or double exposure in camera available. Another new feature to the a7R series is the ability to force the cameras light meter to read from an adjustable focus point rather than just the center of your image when you use the “Spot Metering Mode”. When you press the shutter release button, the camera takes pictures consecutively until you lift your finger from the shutter button. Void where prohibited. While this isn’t a big deal if you are shooting in the RAW file format, it is one less thing that you might have to change in the digital darkroom. While I tend to fully customize 95% of my needs into my a7R III button layout and the Fn. Here is some info straight from the Sony Help Guide for the a7R III…. If the desired speed is longer than 30 seconds, turn the dial once more to go in, Press the left button on the rear control wheel (Drive). Choosing a Creative Style will be highly influenced by your personal taste and the subject you’re photographing. But there’s also bunch of new setting you won’t find on any previous Sony a7-series cameras. Record Setting (movie) S&Q Settings Proxy Recording Audio Recording Audio Level Display Audio Rec Level Audio Out Timing Wind Noise Reduct. But can you use the picture profiles for photos on your Sony A7 III & co.? The second most important customizable element of the a7R III is the Fn or Function Menu. A long exposure is a photograph taken with a shutter speed of 1 second or longer. At the bottom of the menu you will find “Picture Profile”. It recently won numerous camera of the year awards, showcasing how it is easily one of the best cameras available to date. Another big addition to the Sony a7R III is known as “Pixel Shift Technology”. Additionally, if you haven’t picked up a Sony a7R III yet, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this post as I will be giving one away one Instagram soon! Modern HDR software are capable of aligning the images correctly. Although AdobeRGB has a wider colour gamut, you won’t see a perceptive difference unless you work with compatible monitors and printers. Highlight and Entire Screen Avg. As you move your face close to the rear camera, the sensor picks up on this and automatically switches the display to the Viewfinder. Silent Shooting / Electronic shutter on the A9 and A9 IIThe A9 series use a special Stacked CMOS sensor that can process data much faster than the A7 series. The silent shutter is not available on the A7, A7R and A7 II. We will photograph and explore incredible mountain peaks, beautiful reflected lakes and gorgeous fall colors as we move throughout one of the most impressive mountain ranges in the world. The Sony A7 III has different colour profiles as well as other colour settings to control your image. Set your exposure reference (aperture, shutter speed and ISO). Select it and then choose 1,2 or 3 at the top of the next screen. For anything like that, the new “My Settings” Menu is where you will want to look. which are designed for the situation their names describe. Uncompressed RAW is found on your Sony A7 III and other A7 models down to the mark II generation. This especially true when there is a lot of contrast in your scene. Actually, we could be lazier then that by rotating the main dial to Auto, letting the camera pick all the settings and simply concentrating on the composition as we do with smartphones. How does this work? Enter as many times as you wish. While many photographers (myself included) often customize the name of our image files when we import them into Adobe Lightroom, Capture One or On1 Photo RAW, there can be some merit to customize the names of image files coming out of the a7R III. In the Toolbox Menu under Page 5 you will find the “Copyright Info” option. For each metering setting, you can adjust the exposure shift by ±1 Ev. If I were to set 3200˚k outside during the day, my image would have a severe blue tint. While the following 11 settings aren’t game-changing when it comes to your a7R III experience, they are important never the less! Sony Artisan Patrick Murphy-Racey explains how he sets up the new α7R III for sports photography. Menu, there are a few features or settings that you simply can register in those areas. Picture Profile Gamma Disp. Colour Settings6. Specializing in landscape, travel and wildlife photography, his body of work spans the four corners of the globe and covers all 7 continents.Â. is valid for lenses with electronic contacts compatible with the E-mount system. If you have other plans for that button, you could also set “PX. If you want to find out more, the web is full of articles on this topic. October 2021 Each of these settings are on by default with the a7R III.   One of the most annoying sounds to come out of any digital camera these days are the audio beeps to let you know when you are either shooting or when you use a shutter delay. There is a dedicated dial on top of your Sony A7 camera, located on the far right area next to the rear exposure dial. SteadyShot can be useful for many situations including landscape photography. One of the first things you are going to want to purchase for your a7R III will be the fastest UHS-II SD card you can find. Assist Auto Slow Shutter (movie) Initial Focus Mag. These settings can be found in the Camera Menu Tab (1) on Page 2 & 14 respectively. Picture Profile Gamma Disp. While charging your camera via micro USB is possible on all Sony mirrorless bodies, the a7R III also has a USB Type C port that can be used as well. His photographic portfolio spans the four corners of the globe and all 7 continents. Saved settings remain in memory even after you perform Camera Settings Reset. To customize the names of your files, head to the Toolbox Menu and move to Page 5 where you will find “Set File Name” as the last option on the page. While the Mark III doesn’t shoot 20 fps like the Sony a9, it is still capable of shooting at 10 fps. Then jump to the Camera Menu Tab (1) and move to Page 3. Camera Settings 1 / Quality Image Size 2 (page 2/14). Because there isn’t a lot of light available, the more time you give the camera to capture that light, the better the exposure. You’ll also find tips about this technology in other genre-related articles such as Landscape and Wildlife Photography. The Pantanal region of Brazil is known as the land of the Jaguar. While the Horizon Leveling tool can be extremely handy to use with the a7R III when you are on a tripod, I find it harder to use when shooting handheld. Record Setting (movie) S&Q Settings Proxy Recording Audio Recording Audio Level Display Audio Rec Level Audio Out Timing Wind Noise Reduct. When you first turn on your camera, you will be greeted with an option to set the system language right off the bat. Learning all of the new camera menus, features and functionality can be challenging, especially if you are coming from a completely different camera brand. He has worked as a photo instructor for National Geographic and founded, He is also the founder of the humanitarian photo organizationÂ, A Photographers Guide to Navigating The Pandemic, Top 15 Products & Services For Travel Photographers, A Photographers Guide to Exploring the Northern Territory of Australia, Gear Review: A Photographers Take Dell XPS 13 (9370) Quad-Core Laptop, Iceland Winter Photo Workshop – Ice Caves & Auroras. To know more about Sony’s menu system, check out dedicated article here.The precise location of a setting can vary slightly from one camera to another (it may be on the previous or following page).On older models (mark I and mark II generation), Camera Settings 2 is called Custom Settings, the icons are different (see below), some settings are in a different location, and there is no title or page number. Change it from “Off” to “On”. This is useful if, for example, you find that the camera always underexposes a little when using Spot or another metering setting. If you’re looking for settings related to a specific photography genre, or a specific situation, check out our separate articles below: The first setting you want to look at is called File Format. From the physical buttons on the camera to the Fn. A7 and A9 cameras are rated between 5 stops and 5.5 stops of compensation (CIPA standard). (Read more about this here.). My New Photoseries About Kyrgyzstan (Sony A7RIII, 12-24G, 100-400GM etc) 5 Everest 5 Super easy Sony firmware update process for macOS Mojave 5 Sharing my optimized Focus Peaking settings for using manual focusing legacy lenses 5 A7III IBIS 4 4 You can record the location information on the images. Exposure Settings7. It is compatible with all sorts of devices and software types. The Compressed version shows more purple colour cast and has more colour noise. I always choose Auto. Sony’s S&Q Movie Mode (Slow & Quick) is also worth taking a look at. To prevent this, you will find in the menu of your A7 III / A7R III a setting called Long Exposure NR. Even Sony shooters might be a little surprised with all the new changes to the brand new menu system, differences in button layout and new features that make the a7R III one of the best cameras I have ever used. Once the bracketing starts, the camera will take the first shot following your exposure settings, then it will underexpose and overexpose the other frames. Where there are differences concerning specifications and settings, I made sure to highlight them throughout the article. These features can be found in the Tool Box Menu on Page 2 under “Display Quality as well as the Camera Menu Tab (2) on page 6 under “Finder Frame Rate”. After a lot of experimenting and tweaking, the results of this camera are amazing. One of my favorite things to do with a new Sony mirrorless camera is to customize the experience of shooting with the camera to match my needs as a landscape, travel and humanitarian photographer. Then we have the JPEG Image Size setting. The uncompressed file type has had no algorithms run through it, providing pure RAW image data. A RAW file saves all information the camera pixels register during shooting and will make for better quality images if you want to edit in something like Adobe Lightroom.A jpeg is a compressed image (available in FINE (larger) and STANDARD (smaller, less quality) which takes up less space on your SD card but is less suited for editing afterward. With S&Q you can shoot videos at high FPS, such as 120fps at 1080p, which can provide a slow motion like look with the footage you shoot. GIVEAWAY!!! Guide:Low Light Settings for your Sony A7 / A9. Once in the mode, you have the ability to set the minimum shutter speed you are willing to let your camera shoot at before the Auto ISO feature engages. Since the use of an intervalometer will now require that micro USB port to function, the USB Type C port can be used to charge the camera instead. There you will find “Spot Metering Point” at the top of the menu and select “Focus Point Link”. There are ten presets, all customisable, that contain advanced parameters taken from Sony’s Professional camcorders and Cine-Alta series. Refer to the official page for more information. Sony, which also makes Bravia TVs and Alpha mirrorless cameras, raised its full fiscal year profit forecast to 1.085 trillion yen ($10 billion), a record for the company. It will give you some HDR bracketing control (1Ev to 6Ev) but the number of shots it takes is limited to 3. This is because the RAW file doesn’t embed a colour profile nor is it affected by the Colour Space setting. Note: once you’ve set your exposure reference (the one the camera will start with), you can see indicators at the bottom of the screen that will show you by how much the other shots will be over and under exposed. While we will work hard to get you in the right spot for both sunrise and sunset, with over half the day steeped in darkness, we will make sure to chase any and all Aurora activity that presents itself throughout our time in the Lofoten Islands. Alternatively, you can activate AEL with a custom button. It allows you to set a slower shutter speed that the one you would normally use to ensure a sharp image. For example, if you do a lot of printing, you will want to use the AdobeRGB Color Profile instead as it contains a larger spectrum of possible colors to capture. Important: the settings I’m illustrating here affect the JPG files only. Now all you need to do is open up your Play Memories App on your mobile device to make sure you have a connection and then start shooting away. You can read more about it in our accessory article. Both of these settings can be found in the Camera Menu Tab (1) on Page 1. When active, the camera takes two pictures: the first is your normal shot, the second is a black image (also known as dark frame). With RAW, colours will be controlled by the photo editor software on your computer. (movie) AF drive speed (movie) AF Track Sens (movie) The Winner will be chosen at random on January 15th, 2018 This giveaway is not sponsored by Instagram or Sony. Luckily the Sony a7R III picked up a very subtle fix for this situation. Thank you! If you plan to work with JPGs, choosing the right white balance setting is crucial because you won’t be able to correct it if it is wrong. Personally, I found this to be problematic because one of the benefits of a mirror-less camera is the fact that the Rear LCD and the Viewfinder generally show you exactly what your exposure is going to look like (outside of low light situations). With an external battery, I can quickly connect my Sony a7R III to a power brick by using a micro USB cable. A typical example of long exposure on your Sony A7 III is an image of a river with flowing water that is completely blurred as a result of the slow shutter speed. My full in-depth review will be coming soon! Priority Set in AWB is not available in the A7 I and A7 II series. Once installed on your camera, you can access the Multiple Exposure mode with different options and settings. Where mirrorless cameras go head-to-head! The ‘AF-ON” button is correctly configured by default, but we do need to adjust the “Shutter Release” button so that it too no longer controls your autofocus system. The camera will take three pictures and marge them automatically. You then take those four images and merge them together on your computer to get some fairly impressive results when it comes to the depth, texture, and color found in your images. This way, rather than having the camera always measure from the centre, you can force it to measure from where you have set your focus point. If you want better quality and more dynamic range, you want to work with RAW files. One of the most under-rated accessories for any camera is an L bracket. I carry an Anker PowerCore+ 20100 USB-C Power brick. While I don’t personally leverage this feature, it is a nice touch for those that need drastically different workflows for still and video work. If you have any questions about the Sony a7R III, please let me know in the comments below! If you want to take HDR photos in camera with your A7 III or any other A7/A9 model, you need to look for the DRO/Auto HDR setting. Join 34k other photographers who have signed up for my monthly Newsletter full of gear reviews, workshops announcements, giveaways & MORE! The idea of back button focus is fairly straightforward. Sony A7 and A9 Resources, Check price of the Sony A7 III on:Amazon | Amazon UK | B&H Photo | eBay, Check the price of the Sony A7R III on:Amazon | Amazon UK | B&H Photo | eBay, Check price of the Sony A7R IV onAmazon | Amazon UK | B&H Photo | eBay, Check price of the Sony A9 onAmazon | Amazon UK | B&H Photo | eBay, Check price of the Sony A7 II on:Amazon | Amazon UK | B&H Photo | eBay, Check price of the Sony A7R II on:Amazon | Amazon UK | B&H Photo | eBay. If you plan to do a lot of post production on your image, choose uncompressed. Make sure to have image stabilisation enabled, try to be as still as possible and be aware of shots that have a slower shutter speed than 1/10s. I’m not going to dig into a long explanation of what these three settings are and how to use them. HLG3: Gamma curve for HDR recording. But the new Sony Alpha A7 III matches it in practically every respect except resolution, has a better autofocus system and buffer capacity in continuous shooting mode, and sells for less than two-thirds the price. One of the often ignored settings found on many digital cameras these days is the ability to save a specific set of camera modes, settings, and features on your camera, allowing you to quickly switch your favorite settings to capture a movie as well as shooting landscape still images in a matter of a second or two. If you shoot RAW, it matters less because white balance can be adjusted seamlessly in post. 3. Find out more about the best settings for this genre in our article below. Check the list below! Fortunately for many of you,  I have put together this extensive guide to getting the most of your brand new a7R III. The files have the .arw extension and can be opened with all popular photo editing softwares. By separating these two functionalities, the idea is that you are able to react in a much quicker manner to capture the moment at the exact right time, rather than accidentally refocus your shot by pressing your shutter button halfway down by accident. For my a7R III, Memory 1 is set for shooting landscapes, Memory 2 for shooting portraits and Memory 3 for shooting HDR 4k video at 24p. To measure the ambient light: White Balance AdjustmentFor every white balance setting, you can fine tune colours with the White Balance Adjustment. Historically photographers would use the app while also trickle charging their battery via the USB port on the side of the camera so that they can capture a long timelapse without running out of battery life. Camera Settings 2 / Movie 1 (page 1/9) / File Format Your A7 III features three video recording formats: XAVC S 4K, XAVC S HD and AVCHD. On your phone, you will want to open up the “Sony Play Memories” app and select “Location Information Linkage”. If you like the idea of having an image ready to use and share, then JPG is the easiest option. The bracket runs the length of the bottom as well as the left side of your camera, allowing you to quickly and easily switch from shooting horizontal to vertical without forcing your camera to hang off one side of your tripod. SS”. One of the most common uses of image stabilisation is low light photography. are not present in the A7 I and A7 II series. Once you have more experience, you can choose the colour temperature manually with C.Temp./Filter. I know I was! To select the RAW file type on your A7 III & co.: Uncompressed gives you the best quality the camera has to offer, but results in a larger file. What is a RAW file?A RAW file contains more information than the JPG file so we can consider it a high quality file format. Additionally, you can also customize the C1 or C2 button to allow you to rate your images from a 1-5 star rating. By default, the center button found in the middle of your rear control wheel is set for Eye AF, but I don’t feel that is a very natural place for you to access it. The answer is: yes you can! Media” to Slot 1, set “Recording Mode” to Standard and turn on “Auto Switch Media”, you won’t have to worry about switching to a new card when you run out of space in the middle of a shoot. While the new Sony Z100 batteries are much better than the older NP-FW50 batteries found in nearly all previous Sony mirrorless cameras, it doesn’t hurt to pick up a few extras just in case. If the contrast is not too strong, it can give you good results, but in other situations it can render a less natural look, especially if you use it at the highest level.   One of the most sought-after feature requests from Sony mirror-less camera users has been multi SD card support. & My Menu options there are a ton of ways to customize your a7R III. It is incredible just how good your average mirrorless or DSLR camera has gotten at video. Colby is a photographer, photo educator and author based out of Eastern Pennsylvania. With the mark II generation or lower, you can buy the Multiple Exposure app from the PlayMemories app store. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have options. By default, it is assigned to the AEL button on the rear of your camera, but you can change that if you want. While I have always customized a button on my Sony mirrorless cameras to have this feature with previous models, the addition of a large dedicated button for back button focus is a welcomed change. Wider dynamic range than [HLG2]. (from 2500K to 9000K). The drawback is that it takes twice as long to capture one photograph, but you will have a cleaner file. You have more room to adjust highlights and shadows, correct the exposure and white balance and edit the colours precisely. These ratings will carry over into your preferred Photo Editing/Organizing app of choice, allowing you to easily get a head start on sorting through what you feel are some of your best images from a given shoot.