Custom Setup Support

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eBook by Mark Galer Ambassador
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Contents
Donation Page

Meet the Author Memories Focus Mode & Focus Area

Why customise your camera? Portrait Settings Eye AF
Learning Support Action Settings Animal Eye AF
Landscape Settings (Hand-Held) DMFFn Menu
What’s new to the A7C
Landscape Settings (Tripod)
Beyond the Basics Finder & Monitor
Street Settings
Traveling Light Touch Operation
4K Movie Settings
What’s in Mark’s Bag Astro Settings Back Button AF
Lens Recommendations Flash Settings (On-camera) Drive Mode
F/1.8 Primes Flash Settings (Off-camera) Network Settings
Compact Primes Flash
Telephoto and Macro
The Mirrorless Advantage
Making Movies
Wider Aperture Primes Exposure Post Production Workflows
Zeiss Batis Lenses Aperture High ISO
Shutter Speed Image Review
Mark’s Custom Settings Silent Shooting Interval Shooting
Bulb Supporting Website
SteadyShot Masterclass Movies
ISO eBooks
Exposure Compensation
MARK GALER is a photographer, educator and published author
(30 books for Focal Press). He has a commercial background in
editorial photography and was also a Digital Imaging Ambassador
for Adobe for a period of 14 years. He was a Program Director and
Senior Lecturer in Photography at RMIT University in Melbourne and
has circumnavigated the globe on a motorcycle.

Mark is using his wealth of experience as both a photographer and

educator to support the Sony Alpha Community and was appointed
a Sony Digital imaging Ambassador in 2012.

Mark owned the original Alpha 100 and currently uses an extensive
range of Sony mirrorless cameras.

Mark Galer
Sony Digital Imaging Ambassador
4-Minute Profile Movie 18-Minute Interview (podcast)
Disclosure
I am Sony Imaging Ambassador but not a full-time employee of Sony.

I receive some equipment from Sony each year to review and a small
annual retainer. I have not been asked or paid to create these learning
resources or promote products that I do not feel entirely comfortable
using in my own photographic workflows.

I fund the creation of these learning resources via donations, Google

advertising revenue derived from my YouTube tutorial videos + the
referral fees from the B&H Photo Store.

If you click on one of the many links in this guide and then purchase
the item from B&H Photo you do not pay anything extra, but I do
receive a small commission. If you do not want to purchase from B&H
please consider making a small donation to show your gratitude.

I believe the information in this digital guide is accurate, but if you feel I
have made any errors you can leave feedback on the Dropbox page
where you downloaded this guide. Thanks. Mark Galer
Sony Digital Imaging Ambassador
Mark Galer
Why customise your camera?
The Sony Alpha 7C is a technically advanced
camera that is highly customisable to meet the
demanding needs of a broad range of creative
photographers. This guide has been designed
to provide you with ideas and suggestions to
help you customise your own camera to help
you maximise your creative potential.

After extensive shooting with the Sony Alpha 7C

camera I have now settled on the custom
settings that enable me to work quickly and
intuitively in all shooting situations.

Note > The settings outlined in this guide are

suggestions only and are not intended as
definitive settings that will suit all photographers.

Back to Contents Page

Learning Support
This eBook would be more than a 1,000 pages long if I
mapped out all of the camera setups and technicalities of
working with these Mirrorless marvels. For this reason I have
built in numerous links to allow you to navigate to my Alpha
Creative Skills YouTube channel and/or website to learn more
on a particular topic I have raised in this eBook. All this
support is provided for FREE but I invite you to make a small
donation if you find the support helpful. Donation Link

Sony’s online Help Guide for the A7C can be accessed HERE

If you would like to become a Patron you can join my monthly

seminars and ask questions in the member only forums. In this
way I can become your personal Sony Alpha Consultant for
just a few dollars per month.

Patreon
Back to Contents Page
 Donate

www.markgaler.com
 FREE
eBook
This Guide has been designed to
help you resolve the most commonly
encountered problems when using
the Sony Alpha menus.

Many camera settings will impact on

the performance or availability of
other features. Sometimes your
camera will provide feedback as to
the setting conflict and sometimes it
won’t.

It has been compiled by pooling the

combined knowledge and experience
of Gary Friedman and Mark Galer.

DOWNLOAD

www.MarkGaler.com
Back to Contents Page
Sony Alpha A7C Playlist

Note > This book is supported

by a comprehensive Playlist of
movies that support the Sony
Alpha A7C camera.

Play Now

YouTube Paid Membership

www.youtube.com/c/AlphaCreativeSkills Back to Contents Page

Alpha Creative Skills
Alpha Creative Skills
Alpha Creative Skills
48 Support Movies Movie Index
Patreon Membership

Action Camera Settings Focus Area Metering Modes

AF Area Registration Focus Peaking One Mount
AF Tracking Flash - Sony HVL Radio RM Picture Profiles
Alpha 7C Review Fn Menu Portrait Settings
APS-C/Super 35 ISO Power Save
Back-button AF ISO Auto Min. SS Recall Custom Hold
Bluetooth Remote Landscape (Tripod) Remote (Bluetooth)
Bulb Landscape (Hand-Held) Setting Effect
Capture Powerful Portraits Landscape Masterclass Slow Focus in Low Light
Colour Management (Science) Lenses (recommendations) Sports Settings
Colour Space Live View Display Street Settings
Commander (Radio Flash) Lens Choice SteadyShot
DMF Lock Operation Parts Switch V/H AF Area
Drive Mode Memory Touch Operation
Exposure Compensation Memory Mastermind White Balance
Finder & Monitor Messenger Bag Review Zebra

Back to Contents Page

 What’s new to the A7C
A compact full-frame Interchangeable Lens Camera (ILC), is a
new concept for Sony, but the A7C shares much, including its
sensor, with the best-selling A7III Mirrorless camera. If you
have an experience with the A7III camera you will notice a few
new features made available for A7C users. These are
outlined on the following pages.

Back to Contents Page

Key Features
I consider these 10 features to be the ones that will
make the A7C so successful for Sony. Competing
cameras are often lucky to have half of these features.

1. Compact Size
2. Light Weight
3. Backlit Illuminated Full-Frame Sensor
4. Stabilized Sensor
5. Vari-angle LCD Monitor 10/10
6. Extended Battery Life
7. Eye-AF when capturing 4K Movies The A7C camera has a number of features
that are both incredibly useful, but also serve
8. AF Transition Speed & Shift Sensitivity (movies)
to set them apart from competing cameras.
9. Large Buffer for Shooting Sports (130 Raw) The following pages will outline some of these
10. Touch Tracking using the Monitor & Finder key features.

Back to Contents Page

 FOCUS
COMPARISON AF Tracking YES Lock-on AF
Touch Tracking YES NO

Focus Frame Color YES NO

Focus Sensitivity – 4 EV – 3 EV

Movie Button Easy to Use Difficult to Use

AF Transition Speed (movies) 7 Levels 3 Levels
MOVIES

AF Subject Shift Sensitivity YES NO

LCD Monitor Side Opening (Swivel & Tilt) Tilt Only

Eye AF in 4K Movies YES NO

Touch Tracking YES NO

Audio In Digital & Analog Analog

Recording Limit NO YES

Gyro-Data Stabilization YES NO

GENERAL Size & Weight

LCD Monitor
20% Lighter

Side Opening (Swivel & Tilt)

650g

Tilt Only

Multi-Selector NO YES

Finder Same Resolution but Smaller Larger

Custom Keys & Dials 1 C Key + Rear Dial 3 x C Keys + 2 Dials

Shoot Memories 3 2

External Flash Control (via Monitor) YES NO

Maximum Shutter Speed 1/4000 Sec Mechanical - 1/8000 Silent 1/8000 Second

Maximum Flash Sync Speed 1/160 Second 1/250 Second

Shutter Mechanism eFront Curtain Shutter + Silent Silent & Mechanical (Front & Rear)

WiFi 2.4 & 5GHz 2.4 GHz

Battery Life 680 Raw 610 Raw

Buffer 115+ Raw 89 Raw

Touch Shutter Yes No

COMPARISON
ZV-1 ZV-E10
Size & Weight Small & Light Smallest & Lightest Smaller & Lighter
Price Affordable Great Value for Money Great Value for Money
E-Mount YES Fixed Lens YES
Background Defocus Button NO YES YES
Easy Access Movie Button YES YES YES
Product Showcase Focus NO YES YES
UHS-II Card Slot YES NO NO
USB-C + USB 3.2 Cable YES NO USB-C Port (no cable supplied)
USB Streaming NO YES YES
Battery Life (Z series): 140 Minutes (NP-BX1): 45 Minutes OK (W-series): 75 Minutes
LCD Monitor Vari-Angle 921K dots Vari-Angle 921K dots Vari-Angle 921K dots
Recording Light on Front NO YES YES
Finder (EVF) YES NO NO
Built In ND Filter NO YES NO
4K 4K 25/30p 8bit 4K 25/30p 8bit 4K 25/30p 8bit
4K High Frame Rate NO NO NO
ISO Auto Minimum SS YES NO NO
Wi-Fi 5 GHz 2.4 GHz 2.4 GHz
Digital Mic & MI (Digital Hotshoe) MI Only YES YES
Headphone & Microphone Ports YES Microphone Only YES
In Body Image Stabilisation YES NO NO
Active SteadyShot NO YES YES
Gyro-Data Stabilization YES YES YES
It is COMPACT
 Vari-angle LCD monitor

The side-opening rotating screen

makes it easier to compose and
record selfies.

Top Tip: Set Pre-AF to On if you are

using the Self-timer or a Remote to
ensure sharp focus.
Back to Contents Page
 Movie Button

A new and improved Movie button on the

top of the camera can be reassigned to
become a Custom button when shooting
stills. The shutter release can start and stop
movie recording if this enabled in the menus
if the Shoot Mode dial is turned to Movies

Back to Contents Page

 Eye-AF in 4K movie recording

Eye AF is now available when recording 4K

movies with the A7C making accurate focus
that much easier when using wide aperture
prime lenses.
REC

1.04 Top Tip: Increase the size of the Focus Area

to Zone or Wide to ensure Eye AF can
always find the eye in the Frame.

Back to Contents Page

 Improved AF-On Button

Pressing the AF-On button will now initiate

and maintain Autofocus Tracking when the
button is depressed, even if the Focus Mode
is set to Single-shot AF.

Top Tip: The Default Focus Mode on the

A7C is AF-A (Automatic AF). It makes a lot of
sense to now change this default to AF-C
REC
(Continuous AF) to ensure the focus is
1.04
always able to follow a subject than
unexpectedly moves.

Back to Contents Page

 Touch Shutter & Tracking

With Touch Shutter you can touch your

subject to take picture or change the setting
to Touch Tracking and then have the
Autofocus stay with your subject - even if
you or your subject is moving. This function
is available in Stills and Movies.

Top Tip: Switch Touch Operation to On and

change the Function of Touch Operation on
Page 10 of the second camera setup tab
(Custom Operation2).

Back to Contents Page

 Action Settings

Fast & Reliable AF Tracking

1/2000 sec | F6.3 | ISO 160
Wide AF Coverage
The Alpha 7C has 693 Phase Detect
Autofocus points covering 93% of
the surface area of the sensor.
Animal Eye AF + Tracking
Touch Tracking: Finder

You can now use the Monitor as a Touch

Pad to target a moving subject you want
to track. This behaves very much like the
Multi-selector or joystick to be found on
the other Alpha full-frame cameras.

Top Tip: To ensure you don’t accidentally

start focus tracking when your nose
touches the monitor you can change the
Operation Area to Upper Right in the
Touch Pad Settings. To start tracking you
now simply move your thumb onto the
upper right hand corner of the monitor
and then drag the cross hair to the
subject you want to start tracking.
Big Buffer: 115+ Raw Images

Focus Frame Color

It is now possible to change the Focus

Color to White or Red rather than a dull
gray that used to be the default Focus
Color on previous model Alpha
cameras. This ensures that the position
of the Focus area can always be
located quickly.

Top Tip: To move the Focus Area press

the Center button and then use the Up,
Down, Left & Right buttons to move the
focus area. You can increase the
amount the focus area moves with
each press of the button in a new menu
called AF Frame Move Amt.
Audio
cutting-edge

ECM-B1M Shotgun Microphone

digital audio interface support
… for cleaner audio
The A7C, at the time of its release, is only the third
Alpha that can record digital, rather than covert
analog, Audio.

Back to Contents Page

 Sony Catalyst

gyro-data

Stabilization
VERY

The A7C records the gyroscopic data from the To enable this workflow download Sony Catalyst
sensor that allows movie files to be stabilised in and then record movies with Steady Shot switched
post production. This allows movie clips to appear off. The clips are best recorded with a higher
more stable compared to movie clips recorded shutter speed and then add the movement blur
with SteadyShot. back in post.
Beyond the Basics
The A7C is a sophisticated imaging tool that will allow
your to explore a broad range of creative options.
Over the following pages I have outlined some of the
creative genres you could consider undertaking and
the basic settings to consider if you are coming out of
Auto mode for the first time. On each page I will
provide a link to all of my favourite settings for each
genre and encourage you to register these settings so
they can be recalled quickly via 1, 2 and 3 on the
Shoot Mode dial.

This eBook will map out all of my recommended

custom settings in the second half of the book so you
will fully understand how to master your camera to
ensure successful outcomes each and every time you
take photographs.

Back to Contents Page

Beautiful Bokeh

1. Open the aperture wide

(f/5.6 rather than f/11)
2. Zoom in or use a longer focal
length lens, e.g.(60 mm
rather than 28 mm)
3. Step closer to your subject
4. Use a wide aperture prime
such as the FE 85 mm f/1.8 to
really make your subjects
‘pop’ from the background
and the image ‘bokehlicious’.

Portrait Settings
Fast Action

1. Use a fast shutter speed.

1/2000 second for fast subjects
2. Use Continuous AF (AF-C)
3. Select AF Tracking (press the AF-On
button to initiate tracking)
4. Use a longer focal length lens to get
closer to the action, e.g. Sony’s FE
70-200 f/4 G OSS

Action Settings
The Classic Landscape

1. Zoom out and use a wide focal length,

e.g., 28 mm or wider.
2. Stop the aperture down to f/16 on your
28-60 kit lens or f/11 on a wider focal-
length lens.
3. Focus on something in the foreground -
approximately 7 Meters (23 feet) from the
camera for a 28 mm focal length at f/16.
4. Choose a time of day when the shadows
are long to create drama with great colour.

Landscape Settings

HYPERFOCAL 24 mm: 7.5 Meters (24 ft)

DISTANCES F11 20 mm: 5 Meters (17 ft)

for wider focal lengths 16 mm: 3.3 Meters (11 ft)

 High-Quality 4K Movies

1. Choose XAVC S 4K
2. Choose the 25 P 100M Record Settings
3. Slow the shutter speed down using an
ND filter when the ambient light is
FE 20 F1.8 bright. 1/50 second is the optimum
shutter speed for 25p.
4. Lower the contrast of the movie in
sunny weather (harsh shadows) by
using Picture Profile 10 (HLG2) and
then fine-tune the contrast in editing.
5. Use an external microphone such as
Sony’s ECM-B1M digital shotgun
microphone and monitor the recording
levels while filming.
Traveling Light

Photographer or Pack Mule?

I normally start off these camera manuals by diving The second half of this guide will discuss how to get
straight into the camera features and the optimum the most out of creating images and videos with
settings required for shooting successfully. Because your A7C camera and how to register groups of
the A7C has been specifically designed by Sony to settings to the Shoot Mode dial so that your hit rate
be a ‘Compact’ full-frame camera, I will start by of shooting successful imagery increases. This is
discussing the lenses and accessories required to because you will have safe starting points that you
keep the overall size and weight of your camera kit can quickly recall and then modify slowly when you
to a minimum. The ‘what’s in my bag’ discussion feel comfortable with how to be a little more
has never been such an important topic when the creative. Make sure you take advantage of the links
camera bag you would like to carry is much smaller to the 45 video tutorials that will expand your
than many photographers insist on carrying. knowledge and help you master your A7C camera.

photograph by Mike O’Connor

Full Frame
I have always been a fan of the lighter full-frame camera, going all the way
back to my film days. The Olympus OM1, Nikon FM and FG cameras where
very light, but also very basic (unlike the modern Sony Alpha A7C).

1986
Film SLR

698 g

1.53 lbs
2020
Mirrorless

681 g

1.5 lbs
OM1 FM & FG
 6 grams lighter

71.1 mm [H]
69.3 mm [H]
120 mm [W] 124 mm [W]
Weight: 503 g (1.10 lb) Weight: 509 g (1.12 lb)

Back to Contents Page

APS-C
 7x zooms are popular for Full Frame & APS-C systems, but

Travel Lens Combo Full Frame

the compact nature of the A7C is slightly compromised when
using these larger lenses compared to using compact zooms
& lightweight primes
28-200 Travel Lens

APS-C
Sony’s A6600 & E 18-135 Zoom
is a much lighter single lens
system. The A7C can, however,
be very competitive in terms of
light weight with the right
choice of lens.

1,110 g (2 lbs 7oz) 765 g (1 lb 10 oz)

The Full-Frame Advantage
 Smartphone

Up to 30 times larger than a smartphone sensor, for stunning images with greater depth and detail

Back to Contents Page

More than 2.5 times the surface area of an APS-C sensor
& 4 times the surface area of a Micro Four Thirds sensor
Beautiful Bokeh

Camera’s with full-frame sensors can

blur the background more than
cameras with crop sensors at the
same aperture. This creates figure
and ground separation and helps to
remove distracting elements and
produce silky smooth ‘bokeh’ (blur).

To increase background blur employ

the following steps.
1. Open the aperture wide
2. Zoom-in
3. Step closer
4. Use a wide-aperture prime
 WIDE

Aperture, Focal Length

& Distance

Dynamic Range

Camera’s with full-frame sensors

have a larger dynamic range. Full
Frame cameras are able to record
rich detail in both the brightest
highlights and darkest shadows.

Light & Shade

Alpha 7C | FE 20mm F1.8 G | 1/400 sec | F9 | ISO 100
Dynamic Range

The shadow quality of the Alpha 7C camera is

exceptionally high and allows the photographer
to either fix underexposed images or restore
shadow detail when the exposure is lowered to
protect highlight detail.
High ISO Performance

When photographing in locations with low

ambient light the Alpha 7C camera can continue ISO 10000
to capture high quality images without the use of
a flash or a tripod. Alpha 7C | FE 28-60mm F4-5.6 | 28 mm | 1/125 sec | F8 | ISO 10000
Large sensor but small body

The size of the Alpha 7C camera is smaller than most

cameras with a cropped sensor.

APS-C Versus Full Frame

71.1 mm [H]
134.6 mm [W] 92.8 mm [H] 124 mm [W]
Weight: 607 g (1.33 lb) Weight: 509 g (1.12 lb)
It is important to consider what lenses you will use with your A7C
camera in order to embrace Sony’s concept of the ‘Full-Frame Compact’
 Sony understands that by reducing the size and
weight of the camera, they must also turn their
attention to their lenses & range of camera
accessories. The Kit lens embraces this concept.

167g (5.9 oz)

FE f/4-5.6/28-60
Back to Contents Page
 FE 28-60 F/4-5.6
509g (1lb 2oz.)

COMPACT
680g (1.5lb)
How does the A7C measure up

against the competition?

A7III vs A7C

Back to Contents Page

 Sigma fp (with no finder or SteadyShot) vs A7C
US $1799 (at time of A7C launch) US $1798

71.1 mm [H]
69.9 mm [H]
112.6 mm [W] 124 mm [W]

Full Frame Compacts

 RX1R (fixed lens full frame camera) vs

65.4 mm [H]

71.1 mm [H]
US $3,298 US $2,596

113.3 mm [W] 124 mm [W]

Full Frame Compacts

 RX1R (fixed lens full frame camera) vs

71.1 mm [H]
65.4 mm [H]

72 mm [W] 59.7 mm [W]

13.5 mm [W]
89 mm with FE 35 F2.8 ZA

Full Frame Compacts

 Micro Four Thirds Versus Full Frame

90.9 mm [H]

71.1 mm [H]
580 g (1.28 lb) 509 g (1.12 lb)

134.1 mm [W]
124 mm [W]
www.camerasize.com
The Full Frame Sony A7C camera is no bigger than many Micro Four-Thirds cameras, but the
differences in sensor size is significant and this directly leads to superior Image Quality (IQ) of these
cameras in terms of dynamic range and high ISO performance.
 APS-C Versus Full Frame

92.8 mm [H]

71.1 mm [H]
509 g (1.12 lb)
607 g (1.33 lb)

134.6 mm [W] 124 mm [W]

 Full Frame Versus Full Frame

71.1 mm [H]
100.5 mm [H]
675 g (1.49 lb) 509 g (1.12 lb)

134 mm [W] 124 mm [W]

What’s in Mark’s Bag
What gear goes in the bag, and which bag gets
chosen, can often change depending on the trip.
Most of the world’s airlines, however, are
becoming more stringent in regard to the carry-on
weight allowance carried by passengers. 7Kgs
(approximately 15.5lbs) is the standard allowance
and some airlines allow an additional handbag/
laptop bag so long as it fits under the seat in front.
The following examples demonstrate the amount
of gear, and what type of gear, I tend to select for
extended photographic trip.

Back to Contents Page

 Khaki & Charcoal

7L Pilot
Exterior (W x D x H): 35 x 15 x 24 cm
Main Compartment: 32 x 10 x 20
Weight: 1.85 lb (840 g)

10L
Exterior (W x D x H): 40 x 16 x 28 cm
Main Compartment: 38 x 11 x 24 cm
Weight: 2.5 lbs (1.15 Kg)
A camera bag that doubles as a laptop
bag must be small enough to fit under the
seat in front of you when travelling on a
plane. This type of stylish bag may be
preferred if you don’t want your camera
bag to look like a camera bag and you
would like a little extra room for an
umbrella and a sandwich ;-)

10L
 I sometimes divide my gear across 3

7L
bags. The Pilot 10L laptop bag is
carried on top of the wheelie bag.
Inside the Wheelie bag I have the Pilot
7L carrying the A7C + three primes and
a second messenger bag carrying my
A1 + FE 100-400 GM

10L
Pilot 7L Camera + Three Lenses
7L
Full Frame inc. battery & card 509 g
Sony FE 28-60 with lens cap 172 g
Sony FE 20 F1.8 G 419 g
Sony FE 85 F1.8 prime 430 g

Total: 1.53 KG
(3.37 lbs)

Back to Contents Page

 Three Lens Kit
Compact System
2.75 KG (6 lbs)
Peak Design Cuff Camera Wrist Strap

Ash Gray Black

Full Frame Sony FE 28-60
inc. battery & card

with lens cap

509 g
172 g
Sony FE 20 F1.8 G 419 g
Sony FE 85 F1.8 prime 430 g

Leofoto MT-03 Tripod + Mini Ball Head + Bag 270 g

SanDisk Extreme Pro SSD 80 g
Peak Design Wrist Strap & Belt Clip 50 g
Spare Battery + SD Card (including cases) 120 g
ND 8 & 64 Filters + Macro Extension Tubes 170 g

ThinkTank Mirrorless Mover 30i Camera Bag 536 g

Total: 2.75 KG Bag weight is 2 KG when the camera is in your hand

(6 lbs)
Back to Contents Page
 Accessories
Kit
SunwayFoto

Stills
LED Fill Light
FL-96 SanDisk
Extreme
Pro 1TB

Battery Charger & Cable

USB-C Cable
BC-QZ1

Z Series Battery
NP-FZ100

Tough SDXC G
SensorKlear II

Peak Design Clip + Case

The Extended Kit

SFG64T

Magnetic Quick Leofoto MT-03

Change Filters + MBC-18
ND 8 & ND 64

Bluetooth
Remote
RMT-P1BT

Peak Design Wrist Strap Giotto Rocket Blower

Full Frame + 3 Lenses 1.53 KG
Mirrorless Mover Bag (including rain cover)
Spare Battery + SD Card (including cases)
Peak Design Wrist Strap & Belt Clip
536 g
120 g
123 g
The
Leofoto MT-03 Tripod + Mini Ball Head + Bag
Bluetooth Remote
270g
38 g 4.0 KG (8.8 lb)
Bluetooth Lapel & Shotgun Microphone
Rocket Blower & SensorKlear II
155 g
88 g Kit
ND8 & 64 mm Filters + Macro Tube + Wallet 236 g
LED Fill Light 128 g
3.2 KG
USB-C Cable & Camera Adapter (Lightening) 57 g Without iPad
Battery Charger & Power Lead 175 g
SanDisk 1TB Extreme Pro SSD 80 g
USB adapter
iPad Pro (1 TB + 4G only) 480 g SSD Backup
& Battery Charger
Total 4 KG
Back to Contents Page
 Accessories
Shotgun Bluetooth
Microphone Microphone
(ECM-B1M) ECM-W1M

Movie
Magnetic 67 mm
ND 8 & ND 64

Bluetooth Grip
GP-VPT2BT

Z Series Battery Tough SDXC G

NP-FZ100 SFG34T
 Wireless Remote

RMT-P1BT
Weight: 35 g (1.3 oz)

Shooting Grip
Bluetooth with Wireless Remote Commander

GP-VPT2BT
Catalyst Weight: 215 g (7.6 oz)

ECM-W2BT

Wireless Microphone
 Shotgun Microphone
ECM-B1M
Weight: 77.3g (2.8 oz)

Catalyst

Shooting Grip
with Wireless Remote Commander

GP-VPT2BT
Weight: 215 g (7.6 oz)
 Organisers
Tripod Microphones Filters, Cables & Cards Power

Packing smaller accessories into soft bags will help protect your camera gear from scratches
 Tripods
708 g 243 g 193 g 212 g
1.56 lbs 8.5 oz 6.8 oz 7.5 oz

Tabletop
Manfrotto Pixi

GP-VPT2BT
LS-223C

MT-03
Tripods

LeoPhoto LS-223C

712 g Back to Contents Page

540 g
Tripods 290 g 334 g
Tabletop

MBC-18
83 g

LeoFoto MT-03 + MTB-19 LeoFoto MT-03 + LH-25

Compact Peak Design Arca Swiss Plate on Peak Design Strap

Standard Plate

SmallRig D-Ring 1/4 inch Thread

Dual Plate SKU 976 for Standard Plate V3
SKU 838 for Dual Plate V2 (extra washer needed)
This image was captured using a table-top tripod
weighing just 183 g (6.8 oz) because I wanted to
extend the shutter speed to 2-seconds to calm
the waters.
ND 64 + Tripod
This low angle of view for capturing wide-angle
landscape images is common in my work. The
low angle allows me to incorporate the
foreground in the image to build depth.
Creating a ‘Sense of Place’
Filters
I carry two 67 mm Freewell Quick Swap Magnetic Neutral
Density (ND) filters and a 10 mm extension tube to enable
Macro photography on my exisiting lenses. I may also carry
an additional 49 mm ND filter for my Zeiss 35 mm f/2.8 ZA
and 55 f/1.8 ZA lenses.

A Neutral Density filters allow me to extend the shutter

speed when the ambient light is too bright or use a wider
aperture when capturing movies in bright ambient
conditions while using a slower shutter speed.

My 20 mm and 85 mm prime lenses share the same 67 mm

diameter thread size so this allows me to carry filters that
can be attached to more than one lens. A step-down ring
will allow you to fit a filter of a larger diameter to a lens with
a smaller diameter. Freewell
ND8 + ND64

Back to Contents Page

Filters

2 x Magnetic Rings

Screw in filters are more portable

than the large and heavy square filter
systems used by many landscape photographers.
The slide-in graduated filters used by these square filter

Freewell systems can also be emulated in post-production editing.

ND8 + ND64
Back to Contents Page
 When traveling over an extended
period of time you may also have
to consider how you will be storing
the files you are capturing. Will you
Cloud: Adobe Cloud: Dropbox Extra SD Cards
purchase multiple cards (so that
you don’t need to format them until
your return home), will you upload
them to the cloud (if you have
access to an online storage
service) or will you back them up
to an external drive?

The ‘3-2-1’ Rule

3 copies of your data
2 on different media (SD Card + External Drive)
1 copy offsite*
*Cloud Storage or just a separate location to your camera or computer gear

Back to Contents Page

 Use a USB 3 card reader or transfer
directly from the camera’s USB-C port.
UHS-II

USB-C
300 MB/s Card Reader

USB 2 is limited to 60 MB/s & SDXC I is limited to 95 MB/s

USB-C or a fast card reader can transfer at speeds up to 299 MB/s
Back to Contents Page
 A significant weight-saving exercise
is to switch from editing images
(while travelling) on a laptop
computer to editing images on a
tablet and using a cloud based app
such as Lightroom CC.
Mobile Editing The app is now fully featured and
edits will sync back to the desktop
version of the app when you open up
your desktop computer.

See Post-Production Workflows

Back to Contents Page
 FLASH
219g

HVL-F28RM
This is Sony’s smallest flash that can act
as a commander for other off-camera
wireless RM flash units. It is powerful
enough to be a fill-flash to lower subject
contrast of backlit subjects.
Back to Contents Page
Back to Contents Page
Backlit Subject
An alternative to using a flash is to
lighten the shadow values in post
production, taking care not to
overexpose the highlights in camera.

Radial Fill
Balanced
Exposure
fill-light added in post
 Backlit
Subject

Radial Fill
Balanced
Exposure
fill-light added in post
Lens Recommendations Recommended E-Mount lenses:

The advantage of purchasing an ILC (Interchangeable Lens Zooms

Camera) over a fixed-lens camera is you can optimise • FE 28-60mm F/4-5.6 (Standard Zoom)
performance and extend the creative possibilities by • FE 70-200mm F/4 G (Telephoto Zoom)
attaching specialist lenses. Sony’s decision to work with one
mount (E-Mount) for both their APS-C and Full Frame Primes

Mirrorless cameras means that you have an extensive range • FE 14mm F/1.8 GM (Ultra Wide-Angle Prime)
of lenses to choose from. In most instances I recommend • NiSi 15mm F/4 Superstar (Manual Focus)
using Full Frame (FE) lenses over APS-C (E) lenses unless • FE 20mm F/1.8 G (Wide-Angle Prime)
you are recording movies in Super 35 mode or are happy to
capture 10 megapixel images when using an A7C camera. • FE 24mm F/2.8 G (Wide-Angle Prime)
• FE 35mm F/1.4 GM (Wide-Angle Prime)
Mark’s Recommendations (Movie)
• FE 35mm F/1.8 (Wide-Angle Prime)
Note > Clicking on a lens option above will take you to the B&H • FE 35mm F/2.8 ZA (Wide-Angle Prime)
store in the USA. These are affiliate links & a purchase will result in • FE 40mm F/2.5 G (Compact Prime)
a small referral commission being paid to me.
• FE 50mm F/2.8 (Macro Lens)
• FE 50mm F/2.5 G (Compact Prime)
• FE 55mm F/1.8 ZA (Standard Lens)
• FE 85mm F/1.8 (Short Telephoto Prime)
• FE 135mm F/1.8 GM (Telephoto Prime)
• Zeiss Batis 135mm F/2.8 (Telephoto Prime)

Back to Contents Page

 28-60 mm

The Kit Zoom

ISO 10000
FE f/4-5.6/28-60
 28-60 mm

The Kit Zoom

ISO 6400

The kit lens can achieve figure/

ground separation when you are
close to your subject but its f/5.6
maximum aperture at 60 mm will
increase the levels of noise due to
raised ISO levels. With an f/2.8
aperture the ISO could have been FE f/4-5.6/28-60
lowered from 6,400 to ISO 1600.
Back to Contents Page
 Sony’s Light-Weight F/1.8 Full-Frame Primes

FE 14 F1.8 FE 20 F1.8 FE 35 F1.8 FE 55 F1.8 ZA FE 85 F/1.8

460 g (1.01 lb.)
373 g (13.2 oz.)
280 g (9.9 oz.)
281g (10 oz.)
371g (13.1 oz.)

518 g with lens cap & lens hood 419 g with lens caps & lens hood 320 g with lens caps & lens hood 342 g with lens caps & lens hood 430 g with lens caps & lens hood
Angle of View 114°
Angle of View 94°
Angle of View 63°
Angle of View 43°
Angle of View 29°

Filter Cage Required

Filter Size 67 mm
Filter Size 49 mm
Filter Size 49 mm Filter Size 67 mm

Back to Contents Page

f/1.8 AF PRIMES
Sony FE Nikon Canon Sigma DG Sigma DG Tamron Zeiss Samyang
E-Mount Z Mount RF Mount L series Art E-Mount Batis E-Mount
E-Mount
$1599
14 mm $1598 _ _ _
1230 g
_ _ _
460g

$1274 $498.00
$898 $1046
20 mm 505g
_ _ _ _ 2.8/18 2.8/18
373g 145g
330g
3.5/24 $299 $1299
$448
28 mm 200g
_ _ $549 _ 2.8/24 2/25 _
230g 221g 373g
$847 2/35 $899 $349 $1299
$748 $499 $399
35 mm 280g
370g
Sharpness 30 305g
$639 1.4/35 2.8/35 2/40
210g
DXOMark 325g 755g 210g 361g

$597 $399.00
50 mm $248 / $998
415g
$199 $549.00
_ _ _ 1.8/45
55 mm 186g / 281g Sharpness 37 160g 2.8/45
DXOMark 162g
$699.00 $399.00
$598 $797 $599 $1,199 $1199
85 mm 2/65 _ 1.8/75
430g 470g 500g 1.4/85 1.8/85
Sharpness 26 DXO
Mark 625g 452g 230g

$1698 $549
135 mm $2098 _ _ _ $1398 _ 2/135
2.8/135
950g 1130g 840g
614g

Outstanding Performance
Excellent Performance Expensive &/or Heavy Cheaper & Lighter @ f/1.8
THE LAST STAND
Ned Kelly

F1.8
Figure / Ground Separation FE 14 F1.8 GM
Standard Wide-Angle
Ultra Wide-Angle One-Shot Wonder

FE 14 F1.8 GM
F1.8 30 Seconds at f/1.8, ISO 1250
Although I describe this as my
landscape lens I also use it for street
photography and times when I want
to document a story where the
location is as important as the
subjects I am photographing.

FE 20 F1.8
 20 mm

The Landscape Prime

FE 20 F1.8

For my ultra wide-angle lens I have

chosen to travel with Sony’s FE 20
mm f/1.8. It is pin sharp corner-to-
corner and is able to turn its hand to
Astro or hand-held landscape
photography in low ambient light.
 20 mm

ND 64 The Landscape Prime

FE 20mm F1.8 G

Alpha 7C | FE 20mm F1.8 G | 30 seconds | F11 | ISO 100

 Q: Wider than 20 mm?
WIDE A: Create a panorama

24 mm Lens
3 x vertical images
50% overlap
Angle of view is now 109°
(equivalent to a 16 mm lens)
Creating a 14mm Angle-of-View with a 20mm Lens
Rotate around
No Parallax Point

…using a Nodal Rail + L-Bracket 260g (9.1oz)

14mm Angle of View from a 20mm Lens
 FE 28 F/2
FE 28 F/2 Sony’s cheapest wide-angle prime 7.05 oz / 200 g
Alpha 7C | FE 35mm F1.4 GM | 1/500 sec | F1.4 | ISO 160
FE 35mm f/1.4 GM
35 Crop to 50
24 Megapixels to 10.9 Megapixels

Zoom with your feet or crop in

post production editing to
achieve a tighter composition
FE 16-35 F/4 ZA
518g (18.3oz.)

25% Lighter than the GM

Sony-Zeiss Lightweight Primes
Sometimes a landscape requires a
longer focal length for the perfect
framing. If you are shooting in very
low ambient light or want to blur
water using longer shutter speeds
you may need to consider carrying a
light tripod and an ND filter.

FE 55 F1.8 ZA + ND 64
30 Second Exposure
 The FE 55 f/1.8 ZA was one of the
first three lenses ever sold with the
first full-frame mirrorless cameras and
has proved a firm favourite amongst
Alpha owners. It is spectacularly
sharp and can be used in situations
where the 85 mm focal length is a
FE 55 F/1.8 ZA little too long, e.g., confined spaces.
I have used this lens for the last eight
years as a Sony Alpha Ambassador
and it is my go-to lens for 3/4 length
environmental portraits.
FE 55 F/1.8 ZA
The Sony FE 85 mm F/1.8 is a light
portable prime lens that is more
than three stops brighter than the
kit lens at its maximum aperture of
f/5.6 when zoomed. This allows the
ISO to tumble and the background
to blur significantly more creating
excellent figure/ground separation.

FE 85 F/1.8
Even when you are at a greater
distance from your subject the
background will still blur
significantly when used at its
maximum f/1.8 aperture.

85mm

The Portrait Prime

FE 85 F/1.8
Back to Contents Page
 The 85 mm f/1.8 is a fast focusing
lens and can even turn its hand to
action/sports photography if you can
get close enough to your subject
85mm

The Portrait Prime

FE 85 F/1.8
 The 85 mm f/1.8 is a fast focusing
lens and can even turn its hand to
action/sports photography if you can
get close enough to your subject
85mm

The Portrait Prime

FE 85 F/1.8
 85mm

The Portrait Prime

FE 85 F/1.8
 85mm

The Portrait Prime

FE 85 F/1.8
 I use the 85 mm lens whenever I want to
blur the background significantly. This is
because the three key contributing factors
to achieving shallow depth of field are to
use a wide aperture, get closer to your
subject and to use a longer focal length lens

85mm

The Portrait Prime

FE 85 F/1.8
 Moving to Smaller Primes
Less than 225 g (8 oz)

Tamron 20 F2.8 FE 24 F2.8 G FE 35 F2.8 ZA FE 40 F2.5 G FE 50 F2.5 G

221 g (7.8 oz) 162 g (5.71 oz.)
120 g (4.3 oz.)
173 g (6.1 oz.)
174 g (6.13 oz.)

COMPACT AF PRIMES
Sony FE Nikon Canon Sigma DG Tamron Zeiss Batis Samyang
RF Rokinon
E-Mount Z Mount
Mount L series E-Mount E-Mount E-Mount

2.8/18: 60mm 2.8/20: 63mm 2.8/18: 80mm 2.8/18: 60mm

18-20 mm _ _ _ _ $299 $249 $1274 $329.00
145 g 221 g 330 g 145 g

2.8/24: 37mm 2.8/24: 63mm 2/25: 78mm

2.8/24 G: 45mm 3.5/24: 49mm
24 mm $598
_ _
$549
$399 $299 $1299 _
120 g 221 g 373g
162 g 230 g

2/28: 60mm
28 mm $448 _ _ _ _ _
200 g

2.8/35: 33mm
2.8/35 ZA: 37mm 2/35: 67mm 2.8/35: 63mm
35 mm $798
_ _
$639
_
$349
_ $399
210 g
120 g 325 g 210 g

2.5/40 G: 45mm 2.8/45: 46mm 2/40: 93mm

40-45 mm $598
_ _
$549
_ _ $1299 _
173 g 215 g 361 g

2.5/50 G: 45mm
50 mm $598 _ _ _ _ _ _
174 g

Excellent Performance Expensive &/or Heavy Cheap, Small, Light or Wider Aperture
G Series Compact Primes
The compact ‘G Series’ primes offer excellent build quality, The lenses are weather-sealed and the addition of a focus
including a silent and fast linear focus motor + aperture hold button, which can be reprogrammed via the Custom
ring that can be ‘de-clicked’ when capturing movies. key menu, is a distinct advantage for A7C owners.
 Zoom vs Three Primes
FE 24mm f/2.8 G 162 g (5.7 oz.)
FE 50mm f/2.5 G 174 g (6.1 oz.)
FE 85mm f/1.8 371g (13 oz.)

TOTAL WEIGHT: 707 g (1.56 lb)

FE 24-70 F2.8 GM

886 g (1.95 lb)

Approximately the Same Price (1 Zoom = 3 Primes)
Traveling Light 24 24mm Wide-Angle Prime

Alpha 7C | FE 24mm F2.8 | 1/4 sec | F2.8 | ISO 500

Hand-Held
Traveling Light 24

Hand-Held Alpha 7C | FE 24mm F2.8 | 1/200 sec | F2.8 | ISO 100

Traveling Light

Hand-Held
24 24
Alpha 7C | FE 24mm F2.8 | 1/500 sec | F2.8 | ISO 125
 45 f/2.8 vs 40 f/2.5
20%
Heavier
than the
Sony 40mm

10%
Heavier
than the
A7SIII

Lumix S5 + Sigma 45mm F2.8 Sony Alpha 7C + FE 40mm F2.5

714 g (1 lb 9.1oz.) + 215 g (7.58 oz.) = 929g (2.04 lb.) 509g (1lb 2oz.) + 173g (6.1 oz.) = 682g (1.5 lb.)
55mm Filter Thread 49mm Filter Thread
 Traveling Light

Hand-Held
40
 45 vs 50
20%
Heavier
than the
Sony 50mm

Lumix S5 + Sigma 45mm F2.8 Sony Alpha 7C + FE 50mm F2.5

714 g (1 lb 9.1 oz.) + 227 g (7.58 oz.) = 941 g (2.07 lb.) 509 g (1lb 2oz.) + 174 g (6.1 oz.) = 682 g (1.5 lb.)
55mm Filter Thread 49mm Filter Thread
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Back to Contents Page
 Traveling Light

Hand-Held
50
 Traveling Light

Hand-Held
50
 Traveling Light

Hand-Held
50
 Traveling Light

Hand-Held
50
 Traveling Light

Hand-Held
50
 Sigma’s Light-Weight Full-Frame Primes

Sigma 24mm F3.5 DG DN Sigma 35mm F2 DG DN Sigma 65mm F2 DG DN

230 g (8.1 oz.)
325 g (11.5 oz.)
405 g (14.3 oz.)

Angle of View 84.1°

Angle of View 63.4°
Angle of View 36.8°

Filter Size 55 mm
Filter Size 58 mm
Filter Size 62 mm

15% Heavier than the FE 28mm F2

15% Heavier than the FE 35mm F1.8
40% Heavier than the FE 55mm F1.8 ZA

Back to Contents Page

 Sigma’s Light-Weight Full-Frame Primes

Sigma 24 F3.5 DG DN Sigma 35 F2 DG DN Sigma 45 F2.8 DG DN Sigma 65 F2 DG DN

230 g (8.1 oz.)
325 g (11.5 oz.)
215 g (7.58 oz.)
405 g (14.3 oz.)

Angle of View 84.1°

Angle of View 63.4°
Angle of View 51.3°
Angle of View 36.8°

Filter Size 55 mm
Filter Size 58 mm
Filter Size 55 mm Filter Size 62 mm

Back to Contents Page

STREET
FE 35 F/2.8 ZA

STREET
FE 35 F/2.8 ZA
Sony-Zeiss Lightweight Primes

FE 35 F/2.8 ZA

COMPACT
FE 35 F/2.8 ZA + ND 64
Back to Contents Page
 35 vs 40
NO Focus Hold Focus Hold
NO Aperture Ring Aperture Ring
NO De-Click Switch De-Click Switch
NO AF/MF Switch AF/MF Switch
15 fps AF Speed 30 fps AF Speed
Min Focus: 0.35m/1.15ft Min Focus: 0.28m/0.92ft
More Expensive Less Expensive

FE 35 F/2.8 ZA
FE 40mm F/2.5 G

 Techart PRO Leica M

Sony E AF Adapter

Voigtlander MF Full-Frame Primes

Autofocus is possible when using these Manual Focus lens if used with
an AF adapter. Autofocus will not, however, be as fast and reliable as
when using native E-Mount lenses.

15 F/4.5 35 F/1.4 50 F/1.5 75 F/1.5

Leica Mount Leica Mount Leica Mount
Leica Mount
247 g (8.7 oz) 189 g (6.67 oz.) 220 g (7.8 oz.) 350g (12.35 oz.)
Techart PRO
Leica M to Sony E Autofocus Adapter
SteadyShot can also be used with adapted
lenses if you switch to Manual adjustment and
then select the focal length of the lens.

15 F/4.5
247 g (8.7 oz)
In the absence of using a tilt-shift lens you can correct converging verticals
(a result of tilting an ultra-wide angle lens up or down) in post production.

15 F/4.5
Keystoning (correcting converging verticals) 247 g (8.7 oz)
The Voigtlander 15mm has a non-removable lens
hood which makes adding filters problematic so
a high quality E Mount alternative is NiSi’s 15mm
f/4 Sunstar which also offers superior sharpness
in the extreme corners of the image.

15mm f/4
The Voigtlander 15mm has a non-removable lens
hood which makes adding filters problematic so
a high quality E Mount alternative is NiSi’s 15mm
f/4 Sunstar which also offers superior sharpness
in the extreme corners of the image. 15mm f/4
15mm f/4
Telephoto Lenses
After 85mm it becomes more challenging to
choose lenses that are small and light in weight
and that are suited to the compact nature of the
A7C camera.

Choosing f/4 zoom lenses instead of f/2.8 zooms is

a way to ensure your camera bag is not overloaded
with excessive weight and choosing a 135mm
prime as an alternative to a telephoto zoom can
also ensure the lens will fit in a messenger bag

Zeiss 2.8/135

Sony FE 70-200 F/4 G

175 mm length
840 g (1.85 lb)
Back to Contents Page
Zeiss 2.8/135
Zeiss 2.8/135
Zeiss 2.8/135
Zeiss 2.8/135
Depth of field (zone of sharp
focus) gets narrower as you
get closer to your subject.
Lenses also have a minimum
focusing distance that prevent
you from getting too close.

Getting Closer FE 85 F/1.8

 Crop to get even closer

Macro Option

Minimum Focusing Distance of the FE 85mm F1.8 is 80 cm (31.5 inches) FE 50mm F2.8 Macro
236 g (8.32 oz)
 85mm
Macro Extension Tubes
bringing you closer to your subject

Closest Possible

85mm + 10mm Extension

85mm + 16mm Extension

5.5 cms

85mm + 26mm Extension

Extension Tubes
Reduces the minimum focusing distance of an
existing lens so that you can magnify small
subjects. Saves purchasing a Macro Lens.

Vello EXT-SFED2 Auto Focus Extension Tubes for Sony E-Mount Lenses
180 72 mm
Compact Long
Tele
160
Focal Length Lenses 67 mm
140
67 mm

120

100

80

60

40

20

Zeiss Batis 2.8/135

Sony FE 70-200 F/4 G
Tamron 70-300 F/4.5-6.3 Di lll

120 mm length 175 mm length 148 mm length

1.35 lb / 614 g
1.85 lb / 840 g 1.2 lb / 545 g
Telephoto Telephoto
Prime Zooms

Sony FE 135 F/1.8

Tamron 70-300 F/4.5-6.3
Tamron 28-200 F/2.8-5.6
Sony FE 70-200 F/4

127 mm length 148 mm length 116.8 mm length 175 mm length

2.1lb / 950 g 1.2 lb / 545 g 1.27 lb / 575.5 g 1.85 lb / 840 g
Does a 135 mm have enough reach?

Zeiss 2.8/135
 3840 x 2160
4K If you can’t zoom you can always crop tighter

135mm f/2.8 Prime

 630 g

with lens caps

& lens hood

Maximum Reach
Tamron 70-300 F/4.5-6.3 Di lll RXD
Minimum Weight
Back to Contents Page
The Tamron 70-300 Di lll RXD is
currently the lightest long telephoto
zoom designed for the Sony Full-
Frame cameras, but its optical
performance (AF speed and
sharpness) is not quite up to that of
the Sony FE 70-200 F/4 G zoom and
the FE 135 F/1.8 GM prime lenses.

Tamron 70-300 Di lll RXD

179 mm: 1/250 Second at f/6.3, ISO 160
Shooting in APS-C Mode 10 MP

APS-C Lens?
Shooting in APS-C Mode will result in
files that are 10 Megapixels but you
need to remember that the optimum
files size for a 4K monitor is 8.3
Megapixels. If you apply the 1.5 crop
factor to an APS-C lens the full frame
equivalent of the E 70-350 G lens
becomes 105-525 mm. E 70-350 G OSS
Cropping in camera rather than in post APS-C Lens?

E 70-350 G OSS

Although you will have plenty of reach

shooting with Sony’s 70-350 G OSS
lens (105-525 mm full-frame
equivalent) you will need to frame
quite tightly during capture as
cropping in post is limited to
straightening a slightly crooked image
if you intend to expose 4K images.
105-525 mm Full-Frame Equivalent

APS-C Lens?

E 70-350 G OSS
Back to Contents Page
Shooting in APS-C Mode

APS-C Lens?

E 70-350 G OSS

Sharp enough if you only need 4K images (3840 x 2160 px)

FE 135 F/1.8 GM Does a 135 mm have enough reach?
 3840 x 2160
4K

FE 135 mm f/1.8 GM
AF Tracking Zone: ISO Auto Minimum

Shutter Speed: 1/2000 Second at f/2.8

 SONY JAPAN

FE 135 F/1.8 GM
Lens Review
200 mm Reach
Wide f/4 Aperture

FE 70-200 F/4 G
840g (29.7oz.)
 200 mm Reach
Wide f/4 Aperture

FE 70-200 F/4 G
 200 mm Reach
Wide f/4 Aperture

FE 70-200 F/4 G
Full Frame
Sony FE 28-60
inc. battery & card

Sony FE 20 F/1.8 G
509 g
183 g (with lens cap & hood)
419 g (with lens cap & hood)
Sony FE 70-200 F/4 G 1048 g (with tripod collar, caps & lens hood)

Total: 2.16 KG (4.76 lbs)

Back to Contents Page

One Lens Although a range of lenses will
provide you with lots of creative
possibilities, I will often take
just one lens to an event and
then zoom with my feet.
 Wider Aperture Primes
Sony E-Mount Nikon Z Mount Canon RF Mount Sigma E-Mount Other E-Mount
Throat Diameter 46.1 mm 55 mm 54 mm
Flange Distance 18 mm 16 mm 20 mm
MF
< 24 mm _ _ _ 20mm F1.4 DG HSM Voigtlander 21mm f/1.4
950 g (2.09 lb) $899 480 g (1.06 lb) $1049

24mm F1.4 GM 24mm F1.4 DG HSM

24 mm _ _
665 g (1.46 lb) $849
445 g (15.7 oz) $1398

MF
35mm F1.4 GM 35mm F1.2 DG DN
35 mm _ _
755 g (1.66lb) $899
Voigtlander 1.2/40mm
525 g (1.39 lb) $1398 315 g (11.1 oz) $899

50mm F1.2 L MF
50mm F1.2 GM 58mm F0.95 S (Manual) 50mm F1.4 DG HSM
50 mm 2000 g (4.4 lb) $7997 950 g (2.09 lb) $2299 Voigtlander 1.2/50mm
778 g (1.7 lb) $1998 Sharpness 22 DXOMark 815g (1.79 lb) $949 434 g (15.31 oz) $1099

Sigma 105 F1.4 Art

50mm F1.2 S 35mm F1.2 DG DN
Other _
1090 g (2.4 lb) $2097
_
1090 g (38.45 oz) $1499
$1599
1.64 Kg (5.715 lb)

85mm F1.4 GM 85mm F1.2 85mm F1.4 DG DN Samyang 85mm f/1.4

85 mm _
1195 g (2.63 lb) $2699 568 g ( 1.25lb) $699
820 g (1.8 lb) $1798 625 g (1.38 lb) $1199
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f/1.4

FE 35mm f/1.4 GM
Alpha 7C | FE 35mm F1.4 GM | 1/4000 sec | F1.4 | ISO 100
35mm E Mount Primes

Sony 35 F/1.8 Sony 35 F/1.4 GM Sony 35 F/1.4 ZA Sigma 35 F/1.4 Sigma 35 F/1.2
The E Mount 35mm 1.4 Prime that Ticks all the Boxes
 I normally advocate the smaller, lighter &
cheaper f/1.8 primes for use with an A7C
compact full-frame camera, but there are
certain advantages to using an f/1.4 35mm
prime when you need to create figure /
ground separation (background blur).

FE 35mm f/1.4 GM
Alpha 7C | FE 35mm F1.4 GM | 1/250 sec | F1.4 | ISO 160
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100%
Fast & Sharp
FAST FIFTY

FE 50 F1.2 GM
FE 50 F1.2 GM

A better bit of…

Bokeh
Alpha Creative Skills
 Zeiss Batis E-Mount Primes

Batis 2.8/18 Batis 2/25 Batis 1.8/85 Batis 2.8/135

330 g (11.64 oz)
373 g (13.2 oz.)
452 g (15.94 oz)
614 g (1.35 lb)

Angle of View 94°

Angle of View 82°
Angle of View 29°
Angle of View 18°

Filter Size 77 mm Filter Size 67 mm Filter Size 67 mm

Filter Size 67 mm

Back to Contents Page

Batis 2.8/18
 Batis 2.8/18
Back to Contents Page
Batis 2/25
Batis 2/25 Back to Contents Page
Batis 1.8/85
Batis 1.8/85
Zeiss 2.8/135
Fast Focusing
non-Sony Lens
MY FOUR PRIMES

FE 20 F1.8 G FE 35 F1.4 GM FE 85 F/1.8 Zeiss Batis 2.8/135

373 g (13.2 oz.) 524 g (1.16 lb) 371g (13.1 oz.)

614 g (1.35 lb)
TWO from FOUR

FE 20 F1.8 G FE 35 F1.4 GM FE 85 F/1.8 Zeiss Batis 2.8/135

373 g (13.2 oz.) 524 g (1.16 lb) 371g (13.1 oz.)

614 g (1.35 lb)
20 & 85 20mm 85mm 20mm

85mm APS-C Crop

85mm
TWO from FOUR

FE 20 F1.8 G FE 35 F1.4 GM FE 85 F/1.8 Zeiss Batis 2.8/135

373 g (13.2 oz.) 524 g (1.16 lb) 371g (13.1 oz.)

614 g (1.35 lb)
35 & 135
135mm 35mm

35mm 135mm
35 & 135
 Bridging the 50mm Gap

85mm 35mm
1.5 steps forward
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Mark’s Custom Settings
These Settings are intended as Starting Settings only. They
should NOT be seen as prescriptive settings that are locked down
- other photographers may use different settings to achieve the
same outcome. My Starting Settings will most likely be changed
after I have started shooting - this may be influenced by changing
lighting or creative decisions.

Shutter Priority is a viable alternative to shooting Sports/Action but

I choose to shoot in Aperture Priority with ISO Auto Minimum
Shutter Speed as this prioritises exposure over shutter speed.
Prioritising the shutter can occasionally lead to underexposure in
low ambient light and overexposure when trying to capture
movement blur behind your subject. It also ensures that the
smallest apertures that prevent focus tracking (f/16 and f/22) are
not selected inadvertently.

Note that the Landscape settings change if the camera is on a

tripod (auto ISO becomes a fixed ISO value). Uncompressed RAW
is only really necessary for Landscape shooting but
Uncompressed files can have lossless compression when
imported as DNG files in Lightroom. Setting a fixed White Balance
setting is only really critical for JPEGs and Movies but some
photographers may prefer to set this in-camera rather than in post.
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a workflow that avoids ever missing a shot
Memories
Create a memory for groups of
your favourite Camera Settings
The ability to recall a group of saved camera
settings means a photographer can quickly
switch from shooting landscape with one
group of settings to shooting action with a
completely different group of settings with just
one turn of the shoot mode dial.

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Memory

Recall
Memory Recall

PAL: Portrait (1) Action (2) Landscape (3)

It is possible to modify/optimise most of the settings,
with the camera at your eye, by using the Custom On/Off Switch
keys, Rear dials, Fn Menu, Exposure Compensation
& Shoot Mode dials.

Movie Button or

Custom Button
Shoot Mode Dial

Rear

Dial Exposure

Comp Dial
 Registering a Memory
When the camera is setup
up with a group of settings
you can save these by going
to Memory on the third page
of the Camera Setup1 menu

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 Memory Recall

Note > The A7C has three Memory Recall options.

Setting up another group of settings in the PAS or M
Shoot Modes will give you an additional group of
settings in addition to the Memory Settings.

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Portrait Memory Settings
Shoot Mode Aperture Priority

Aperture (Starting) f/2.8 (or wider)

ISO AUTO

ISO Auto Min SS 1/250 Second

Drive Mode Continuous Shooting (Lo)

Focus Mode Continuous AF (AF-C)

Focus Area Zone or Expand Flexible Spot

Face Priority in AF ON

These are my portrait settings that I use when shallow depth of

field is the priority. I will stop down to f/5.6 or more if I am
photographing a group of people. I assign these settings to
position 1 on the Shoot Mode Dial.
If you select a Memory setting on the Shoot
Mode dial you can override any of the
default settings to suit the situation or scene
you are photographing in. When the Shoot
Mode dial is moved the default settings are
restored when you return to this memory
setting again. In this example I have elected
the Portrait setting but close the aperture to
f/5.5 so that all three monkeys are sharp.

memory override
85mm at f/5.6
PORTRAIT
To Isolate a Detail in the Landscape
Although I refer to this as my portrait setting
it is suitable for any subject that I want to
isolate from the background using shallow
depth of field. The shutter speed is fast
enough to freeze any slow moving subject.
STREET Street photography is often captured with the aperture

PORTRAIT
closed down to f/8 or f/11 so that everything in the scene
is rendered in sharp focus but I often use my portrait
setting to isolate subjects from their background.
1
Memory Mastermind
PAL 12 3 Memory Recall
Portrait

Register & Recall Settings

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 Action Memory Settings
Shoot Mode Aperture Priority
Aperture (Starting) f/4 to freeze or f/8 to blur b/ground (panning)
ISO AUTO
ISO Auto Min SS 1/2000 to freeze or 1/250 to blur b/ground
Shutter Speed N/A
Drive Mode Continuous Shooting: Hi (Not Hi+)
Focus Mode Continuous AF (AF-C)
Tracking: Wide

Focus Area Tracking: Zone or Expand Flexible Spot

if the target subject is amongst other obstacles

Pre AF OFF
Priority Set in AF-C Release (for maximum frames per second)
Lens Choice One with an aperture of F/4 or wider

ON (for single subjects)

Face Priority in AF OFF (for multiple subjects or when
people will appear behind primary subject)
Sony A7C + FE 135 GM
1/2000 sec at f/2.8, ISO 160
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 Memory Mastermind
PAL 12 3 Memory Recall

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2 Action
 My hand-held landscape settings prioritises a
smaller aperture to increase the depth of field and
a slower shutter speed to keep the ISO low. It is
common practice to use a wide angle lens in order
to create scenes with steep perspective and
strong leading lines. Landscape can, however, be
captured with any focal length of lens.

SMALL

Aperture, Focal Length

& Distance

Alpha 7C | FE 20mm F1.8 G | 1/8 sec | F8 | ISO 1600

Landscape (hand-held) Settings
Shoot Mode Aperture Priority

Aperture f/11

ISO AUTO

ISO Auto Min SS Slow

Drive Mode Single Shooting

Focus Mode AF-S

Focus Area Expand Flexible Spot

MF Assist ON

SteadyShot ON

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 Memory Mastermind
PAL 12 3 Memory Recall

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3 Landscape
Landscape (tripod) Settings
File Type RAW
Shoot Mode Aperture Priority
Aperture (Starting) f/11
ISO 100
ISO Auto Min SS N/A
Shutter Speed N/A
Drive Mode Single Shooting
Focus Mode Manual
Focus Area N/A
Lens Choice 16-35 mm for wide coverage
Face Detect N/A
MF Assist ON
Metering Mode Multi
White Balance Daylight
SteadyShot OFF

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 Many photographers put
their camera on a tripod
without any reason to. In this
movie I outline the perfect
settings for people who have
a love/hate relationship with
tripods :-)

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With the more traditional ‘Street
Photography’ style I use manual
camera settings that enable me to
capture decisive moments without
having to worry about focus or
exposure. These relate back to the
‘Sunny 16’ rule that, in turn, ensures
correct exposure so long as the sun

STREET
is shining (my preferred ambient
conditions for Street).

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Street Memory Settings
Shoot Mode Manual

Aperture (Starting) f/11

ISO 320

ISO Auto Min SS N/A

Shutter Speed 1/500 second

Drive Mode Single Shooting

Focus Mode Manual

Focus Area N/A

Focal Length Wide Angle

Face Detect N/A

MF Assist N/A

Metering Mode Expose for the Weather

White Balance Daylight

Back to Contents Page 236

With these settings your Exposure level
needs to be adjusted using ND filters
and White Balance must be adjusted
4K Movie Settings (sunny)
when the ambient conditions change.
If this sounds too complicated switch Exposure Mode (Movie) Manual Exposure
to Shutter Priority mode, select 1/50 Picture Profile PP10 (Hybrid Log Gamma or HLG)
second and use ND filters if you want
the aperture to be wider. Switch to f/8 with an ND 8 Filter
Aperture
Auto White balance if you think you f/2.8 with an ND 64 Filter
may forget to keep readjusting the ISO 100
white balance manually.
Shutter Speed 1/50 second
File Format XAVC S 4K
Record Setting 25p 100M (PAL) 24p 100M (NTSC)
Focus Mode Continuous AF
Focus Area Wide
Proxy Recording Off
Touch Operation On

Func. of Touch Oper… Touch Tracking & Touch Focus

(change when needed)
White Balance Daylight
Audio Recording On
Audio Level Display On
Wind Noise Reduction Off
Microphone Shotgun Microphone (ECM-B1M)
Audio Rec. Level (mic) 5
Audio Rec. Level (camera) 15

237
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Astro Photography Settings
Shoot Mode Manual

Aperture (Starting) f/2.8 or Wider

ISO Start with1600 at f/2.8*

Shutter Speed No more than 20 seconds

Drive Mode Self-timer: 5 Seconds

Focus Mode Manual with Focus Magnifier

Focal Length 20 mm or wider

Custom Button Bright Monitoring

Down Button Focus Magnifier

*Note > Exposure times are starting points only. Take a test image
and review before increasing or decreasing the exposure. If your
aperture only opens to f/4 you may need to raise the ISO. If your
widest focal length is 24 mm you will need to shorten the shutter
speed to 15 seconds or less to avoid stars dragging.
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Step-by-Step Astro Workflow
Adjust Monitor Brightness Lower Monitor Brightness
Research Time & Location A Moonless Clear Night away from City Lights
Assign Custom Keys Bright Monitoring & Focus Magnify
Select Aperture f/2.8 or Wider
Select ISO Start with 3200
Select Shutter Speed Approx. 15 Seconds at 20 mm
Select Drive Mode Self-timer: 5 Seconds
Set Focus Mode Manual
Frame Image Use Bright Monitoring to Frame Image
Focus on Brightest Star Use Magnify Focus to fine-tune focus

Capture the First Image will be used to

Capture & Review
Assess Focus and Exposure

Capture Hero Image Adjust Focus and/or Exposure & Capture again

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 On-Camera Fill-Flash Settings
Flash Control Mode (flash) TTL

Flash Zoom (flash) AUTO

HSS (flash) On

Flash Compensation (flash) – 1.00 (Adjust if required)

Flash Mode (camera) Fill-Flash

Wireless Flash Off

Shoot Mode (camera) Aperture Priority

Silent Shooting (camera) Off

Starting Aperture (camera) f/5.6

Starting ISO (camera) ISO 320

Drive Mode (camera) Single Shooting

Focus Mode (camera) AF-C (AF-S in low ambient light)

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Off-Camera Flash Settings
Flash Control Mode (flash) TTL
Flash Zoom (flash) 24 mm if using a Lighting Modifier
HSS (flash) On
Flash Compensation (flash) 0.0 (Adjust if required)
Flash Mode (camera) Fill-Flash
Wireless Flash (camera) On
Wireless Mode (flash) CMD (Command)
CMD Flash Firing (flash) Off if using off-camera flash only
Ratio Control (flash) On
Shoot Mode (camera) Aperture Priority
Silent Shooting (camera) Off
Starting Aperture (camera) f/5.6
Starting ISO (camera) ISO 320
Drive Mode (camera) Single Shooting
Focus Mode (camera) AF-C (AF-S in low ambient light)

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STILLS Upper1 Upper2 Upper3 Upper4 Upper5 Upper6
Upper Focus Mode Touch Operation Live View Display Anti-Flicker Silent Shooting Audio Signals

Lower Lower1 Lower2 Lower3 Lower4 Lower5 Lower6

Face/Eye Priority in AF Subject Detection APS-C/Super 35mm SteadyShot SteadyShot Adjust Interval Shooting

MOVIES Upper1 Upper2 Upper3 Upper4 Upper5 Upper6

Upper Audio Record Level Peaking Display Picture Profile Focus Mode Focus Area Zebra Display

Lower Lower1 Lower2 Lower3 Lower4 Lower5 Lower6

Face/Eye Priority in AF Subject Detection APS-C/Super 35mm SteadyShot Touch Operation Exposure Mode

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 Custom Key (Stills) Custom Key (Movies)
Movie Button (Stills) Focus Area Movie Button (Stills) Movie Shooting
C Button White Balance C Button White Balance

AF-On Button Tracking On + AF On AF-On Button Zoom (Clear Image)

Left Button Drive Mode Left Button Audio Record Level

Right Button ISO Right Button ISO

Down Button ISO Auto Min. SS Down Button APS-C/Full Frame Select

Focus Hold Button Eye AF Focus Hold Button Eye AF

Center Button Focus Standard Center Button Focus Standard

GENERAL- Page 1 STUDIO - Page 2 MOVIES - Page 3 ACTION - Page 4

Monitor Brightness Live View Display Audio Rec Level Finder Frame Rate

Format PC Remote Function Peaking Setting Touch Panel Pad

Touch Operation Wireless Flash Zebra Setting Touch Pad Settings

Function of Touch AF Transition Speed Priority Set in AF-C

External Flash Set.
Operation
AF Tracking
Cleaning Mode Anti-Flickr Shoot. AF Subj. Shift Sens.
Sensitivity

My Menu
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 You are not limited to
just 3 memory settings -
you can save 4 more to a
memory card!

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 Play Now

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The Mirrorless Advantage
Mirrorless cameras have significant
operating differences when compared
to DSLR cameras. Understanding
these differences will help you avoid
some pitfalls that are commonly
encountered by photographers who do
not adjust their workflows after leaving
their DSLRs.

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Shutter

The Sensor provides a live

view to the Finder &
Monitor. A mechanical
shutter is only used to time
the duration of the
Live View Display exposure, except when
‘silent shooting’ is enabled.

Sensor
A DSLR uses a mirror to
provide an optical view to
the Finder. This view,
however, may be
significantly different to the
one the sensor sees.

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 EVF ‘Live View’ Advantages

Live View provides a WYSIWYG view*

*Live depth-of-field and exposure preview
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In the vast majority of instances a live view from the
sensor is an advantage over using the optical
viewfinder of a DSLR - there is, however, a couple of
reasons we don’t want to preview the scene through
Live View: Depth of Field
a small aperture we have selected, e.g., f/11 or f/16.

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To master the craft of photography we need to master exposure.
Exposure is governed by three settings, aperture, shutter speed and ISO.

When we change one of these three settings, in order to change the

visual appearance of the image, we may need to modify one or both of
the other settings in order to maintain an appropriate exposure.

Exposure
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Aperture
Shutter speed controls the duration of time
that the sensor is exposed to the light. As
well as governing exposure it also
contributed to whether moving subjects
Shutter

appear frozen or exhibit movement blur.

Speed

Fast to Freeze
Silent Shooting
fast shutter speeds &

Silent Shooting is enabled from Menu

> Camera Settings 2. Silent shooting
is not recommended for shooting fast
action or sports (to avoid shutter
distortion). Silent Shooting is also not
available when shooting long
exposures using the Bulb setting.
You may also encounters banding
problems when shooting with certain
Drive lighting systems.

When it works it’s great, but in many

instances it can cause issues that
may convince you that it is more
trouble than it is worth.

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Shutter

Speed

Slow to Blur
1/30 Second
Minimum Shutter Speeds
When choosing a shutter speed in Program
or Aperture Priority Mode the camera will
choose a minimum shutter speed that is
the Reciprocal of the focal length of the
lens being used, e.g., a 50 mm lens will
result in a minimum shutter speed of 1/50
second (faster if ambient light permits).

135 mm: 1/160 Second at F/1.8, ISO 1000

Creative Shutter Speeds
You can override the reciprocal rule and use faster or slower shutter
speeds using Shutter Priority mode or ISO Auto Minimum Shutter Speed.

35 mm: 1/13 Second at F/7.1, ISO 100

Creative Panning 35 mm: 1/4 Second at F/16, ISO 50
 BULB
The longest shutter speed the
camera is able to achieve is 30
Seconds. For shutter speeds
longer than 30 seconds you
need to select BULB mode and
use a remote release and then
time the exposure yourself. The
only problem with this is that
BULB has a habit of
disappearing from view if one of
several other settings is
activated. Spoiler alert: The
Continuous Drive Mode and
Silent Shooting are the most
common culprits for BULB
going into hiding.

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SteadyShot
The A7C camera features In Body Image
Stabilisation (IBIS), or what Sony refer to as
SteadyShot INSIDE. SteadyShot gives an
advantage to photographers who need to hand-
hold the camera in low ambient light conditions
using shutter speeds slower than normally
recommended. This helps to avoid the effects of
‘camera shake’ that can blur images captured in
low light with slow shutter speeds.

Some lenses also have Image Stabilisation.

Sony’s lenses that feature this are identified with
the markings ‘Optical SteadyShot’ (OSS).
SteadShot can normally be left switched ‘On’
most of the time (whether it is needed or not),
but in some instances you may need to either
turn SteadyShot off or switch from Auto to
Manual when using a non-Sony lens and then
specify the Focal Length of the lens being used.

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Optical SteadyShot (OSS)
Slower shutter speeds can be used to create
sharp images without ‘camera shake’ by
ensuring SteadyShot is switched On.

Optical SteadyShot is available on some

Sony lenses and the sensor is also stabilised
(SteadyShot INSIDE or IBIS).
IBIS: In Body Image Stabilisation
1/125 at ISO 10,000 or 1/8 Second at ISO 400
4 Stop Advantage with OSS & IBIS

113 mm: 1/8 Second at F/5.6, ISO 400

66 mm: 1/8 Second at F/5.0, ISO 1,000
1/400 Second at ISO 6,400
or 1/25 Second at ISO 100
4 Stop Advantage with OSS & IBIS
Although SteadyShot can reduce
the risks of burred images created
by using slow shutter speeds,
something called ‘Camera Shake,'
the slow shutter speed may not be
fast enough to freeze a subject that
is moving. In this example, luck
plays a significant factor in
achieving a sharp image. If the bird
was to move slightly the image
would not be sharp.

Subject is Absolutely Motionless

If a lens is equipped with a
SteadyShot switch, the SteadyShot
menu on the camera will be greyed
out. Switching SteadyShot On or Off Greyed Out
on the lens will also switch
SteadyShot On or Off on the
camera. The two always work
together or not at all.

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 25mm @ f/11:1/5 second
Sensor Stabilization Sony’s IBIS or ‘SteadyShot
Inside’ allows the photographer
(with care) to shoot hand-held
using very slow shutter speeds.

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MODE 2

Turn to Mode 2 when panning

MODE 3 Turn to Mode 3 when camera
movements are erratic
E 70-350 G OSS

Turn SteadyShot Off when there is no Mode button

 When you intend to pan to follow a
moving subject and the lens does
not have a SteadyShot switch, turn
SteadyShot off on the camera.

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This image was captured with a non-Sony
lens without OSS. IBIS can, however,
stabilise non-Sony lenses that do not
communicate their focal length to the
camera. Setting SteadyShot to Manual in
the SteadyShot Settings and then selecting
the focal length of the lens being used will
effectively stabilise non-Sony lenses. 15 mm: 1/8 Second at F/11, ISO 100
SteadyShot Settings

1 2

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SteadyShot no longer needs to be
turned off when shooting long
exposures with Sony lenses (with
the camera mounted on a tripod).

?
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ISO
The default and most popular ISO setting is Auto. It is
usually only necessary to set the ISO manually to 100
when the camera is on a Tripod

ISO Auto Minimum Shutter Speed is used in conjunction

with ISO Auto and Aperture Priority as an alternative to
using Shutter Priority. Aperture Priority may seem like an
odd choice for capturing sport/action but it offers a way
to choose both your preferred aperture and shutter
speed while ensuring the most appropriate exposure in
extreme lighting conditions. This controls the minimum
shutter speed the camera will use — but only so long as
the camera can achieve an appropriate exposure. The
camera will ignore this setting if there is a risk of over or
under-exposure.

Note > In low ambient light you will not be able to

achieve very fast shutter speeds such as 1/2000 second.

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 ISO
ISO is the third settings that
governs exposure and most of the
time we just try to find ways of
keeping the ISO low so our images
do not appear ‘noisy’. Although
that may sound like a simple task,
it becomes quite problematic at
times, so it is best to get a full
understanding of this subject by
watching this video tutorial.

www.youtube.com/c/AlphaCreativeSkills
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If we shoot JPEGs we simply need to enable the High
ISO NR option in the menus (page 2). If we are a Raw
shooter, however, we will need to learn how to reduce
the noise in our post-production editing software. My
Lightroom Masterclass videos will show you how I
manage the noise captured when shooting at high ISO.

ISO 5,000
High ISO Performance

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 I have often described this as
my favourite custom setting -
I use it so often I set it to a
custom key and/or the Fn
menu to access it quickly.

Using Aperture Priority in

combination with ISO Auto
Min SS will prioritize
exposure and if the ambient
light is extreme the shutter
speed will be adjusted to
ensure appropriate exposure.

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 16mm at f/8
ISO Auto Min. SS: Slower

1/8 Second at ISO 100

This image was created using my Hand-Held Landscape Settings

Exposure Compensation
The GOAL of…
Exposure Compensation
The goal of adjusting the
Absolute Black

exposure, before you take an

Absolute White
image, is to put the brightest
highlights and darkest
shadows between the goal
posts of absolute black and
absolute white (clipping). If
you don’t, you will lose detail
in the highlights or shadows.

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 WYSIWYG

whatyouseeiswhatyouget

Exposure

Compensation

…if it doesn’t look right in the Finder then, odds on, it isn’t right
 If you are ready to come out of
AUTO the, P, A, S and M
settings on the Shoot Mode Dial
will enable you to gain a greater
degree of control over your
creative photography

PASM
P: Program
A: Aperture Priority
S: Shutter Priority
M: Manual with Auto ISO

Exposure Compensation
This allows you to ‘fine tune’ the Auto Exposure

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 Live Exposure

Press the Display button until

you see the Histogram on the
monitor or in the Finder.

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 Exposure Review

When reviewing your images

you can press the Display
button a number of times until
you see the histogram view.

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Light meters want to make things look ‘Average’, even when they are not

Overexposed Exposure Compensated

Exposure compensation is required to render a black swan black

Scene with Dominant Dark Tones

Over exposure
WYSIWYG

Exposure
Compensation
Scene with Dominant Light Tones
Shadows Lightened Further in Post

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Expose for the Highlights
Process for the Shadows
 This video tutorial goes into
more depth about the subject
of exposure compensation.
Eventually it becomes second
nature and as intuitive as
changing gears in a manual
shift car.

www.youtube.com/c/AlphaCreativeSkills Play Now

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 If you understand how the Light
meter works in your camera,
you will also learn when to use
Exposure Compensation for the
times it does not choose an
appropriate exposure. You need
a very good reason to change
the default Metering mode from
Multi to one of the other options.

www.youtube.com/c/AlphaCreativeSkills Play Now

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 Watch the

Video Tutorial

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JPEG
100+ Set to 100+ if you only want to see
the overexposed tones when
capturing JPEGs. Adjust the
Exposure Compensation dial to
remove the Zebras to restore detail
to these highlights
 Live Histogram

The Live Histogram in the Finder and on the

Monitor will alert you to overexposed tones
No Recovery These overexposed tones may not be able to
be recovered in Post Production editing. These
tones are referred to as being ‘Clipped’.
 Zebra
Live Histogram

The Zebra feature can act as a warning

for overexposure of the highlights
Create a Custom Zebra setting
when shooting in the Raw file
format. Set to ‘Lower Limit’ and
adjust the level to 109+

RAW
Lower Limit 109+
 Adjust the Std+Range setting
to Lower Limit and then set the
Level to 109+

For Raw
The optimum exposure when
shooting in the Raw file format is to
Expose to the Right (ETTR). Adjust
the exposure compensation dial
until the highlights are bright, but
not overexposed.
Exposing to the Right will provide
the maximum image quality to the
shadows in the file. You can then
fine-tune the exposure in your Raw
editing software.
 The Zebra feature can be useful when
setting the optimum Manual exposure for
capturing birds in flight. This is especially
useful when the background is constantly
changing and constant exposure
compensation is not an option.

Manual Exposure: f/6.3 at 1/2000 Second, ISO 320

Establish a manual exposure where the
brightest white clouds in the sky are
bright but not overexposed. When the
Zebras appear, lower the ISO setting until
the highlight tones are protected.
Increase ISO until Zebras Show & then Back Off
 Live View Display

You may need to switch this

to OFF when working with
off-camera non-Sony flash
in a darkened studio or
when the ambient light is
very low. Learn More here:
https://youtu.be/tPKjkbk09us

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Live View Display ON
Ambient Exposure -2.0

Flash Exposure +1.0

Flash Compensation required

because of light toned subject
Sony HVL-F45RM

Wireless Radio Flash

Sony FA-WRC1M

Wireless Radio Commander

Focus Mode & Focus Area
If you like taking photographs of subjects that
don’t stay still, these Focus skills are the
essential tools for success. When somebody
asks me what the best Focus Area is I know
they need help — because the answer is that
it depends on the subject and the
background and the presence of obstacles
that may momentarily obscure your subject.
Once you know why the camera chooses the
subject it chooses, then it not longer appears
to be rocket science. You can master this skill
- I have confidence in you :-)

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 Focus Mode
Typically found in the Fn menu
• AF-C* : For Moving subjects
Function (Fn) Menu • AF-A : Automatic AF (not great)
• AF-S : For Static subjects
• DMF: Direct Manual Focus
• Manual Focus

*Note > AF-C (Continuous AF) is

referred to as ‘AI servo’ by Canon

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 Focus Area

Choosing AF-C and an appropriate Focus Area are

critical for success when subjects are moving.

The movie Button can be reassigned to Focus Area

when shooting stills as it is one of the most frequently
changed settings for many stills photographers.

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 Quick Change

Change settings quickly

using the Rear dial and
Control
Control Wheel. Top row
Wheel adjustments via the Control
Rear dial Wheel and bottom row
adjustments via the Rear
Dial. The current ‘For
Viewfinder’ view was
accessed by pressing the
Display button on the
Control Wheel repeatedly.

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 Vertical Menus
When a Fn option is selected
with a press of the Multi-
selector, or a Custom Key,
the main menus will run
vertically rather than
horizontally and the
Sub-menu (rear dial) submenus can still be
accessed using the Rear dial.

If the Tracking options are

grayed out you need to
switch from the AF-S to the
AF-C Focus Mode.

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 Focus Area

Auto Selection AF* = Wide

*Auto Selection is terminology
used by Canon that refers to the
Control Wheel
camera picking an appropriate AF
point — most Canon, users,
however, choose a small cluster of
AF points to improve the reliability
of maintaining accurate focus. This
is not the case with Sony’s AF
systems — do not be afraid to
choose Wide as your AF Area.
Wide Prioritizes

Center & Close

The A7C has 693 Phase Detect
Autofocus points covering 93% of
the surface area of the sensor -
unlike some cameras Sony Alpha’s
have incredibly reliable AF when the
Focus Area is set to Wide. There is
no need to use a smaller Focus Area
unless the need arises.

Watch the Focus Area movie to learn

how to choose the most appropriate
Focus Area for your subject.

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 ZONE
Zone

The Focus Area has been

changed to Zone, before the
shooting starts, to exclude
the foreground obstacles
from the Focus Area (the tall
grass in the foreground). This
ensures the subject that is
close and centre in the Focus
area is selected for tracking.
 SPOT

Spot

The Focus Area has been

changed to spot to exclude
the foreground obstacles
from the Focus Area (the
man's head and shoulders
that are closer to the
camera). This ensures the
subject that is close and
centre in the Focus area is
selected for tracking.
 SPOT

Spot

The Focus Area has been

changed to spot to lock onto
a specific area of the subject
as the depth of field is
insufficient to capture all of
the subject in sharp focus.
Spot

The Focus Area has been

changed to Tracking: Expand
Flexible Spot to ensure
foreground obstacles such as
branches or posts are not
included in the focus area. The
spot has been moved to the
edge of Phase Detect AF area
in anticipation of the bird flying
towards the centre of the
frame. If AF Tracking: Spot is
selected the focus will track
across the frame before the
photographer starts panning.
 If you like action and you
click on one movie link in
this eBook - make it this
one. In fact, watch it twice!

Play Now

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Back to Contents Page
Eye-AF
Eye-AF in Continuous AF

for when your subject won’t stay still

 Face/Priority in AF

Face/Eye Priority in AF will override all Focus Areas.

A Flexible Spot can, however, be used in conjunction with

Eye-AF. When multiple faces appear in the frame, Eye AF will
choose the eye in the face that is nearer the spot AF point.

Eye AF will automatically be activated when Face/Eye Priority

in AF is switched On and the Focus Area is over or inside the
Frame Display of the Face.

Eye AF may struggle if the face is partly

obscured but in this image the eye AF did
engage. In situations where it does no
engage it is worth practicing a backup
strategy such as DMF (Direct Manual Focus)
or switching to a Flexible Spot AF area.

Tamron 70-300 Di lll RXD

179 mm: 1/250 Second at f/6.3, ISO 160
Animal Eye AF

1 The Subject Detection allows you to

quickly switch between Animal and
Human subjects. Highlight the Subject
2 Detection option in the Fn menu using
the Up, Down, Left & Right buttons and
then use the Control Wheel to switch
subjects.This can all be completed while
using the finder.

Back to Contents Page

Animal
Eye-AF

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Face/Eye Prty in AF

Animal Eye AF is especially

useful when the subject is close
to the camera and the depth of
field is insufficient to cover the
entire head of the animal (often
found with wide aperture
telephoto lenses and close
proximity to your subject).
Animal Eye/AF & fast-moving subjects

Animal Eye AF and AF Tracking can be

used together to help track rapidly moving
animals coming towards the camera. At
the time of the A7C release, only the A9
cameras could use Animal Eye AF and AF
Tracking together.

1/2000 Second at f/5.6, ISO 800

Animal Eye AF Woes
Sometimes Animal Eye-AF is not
the miracle worker you hoped it
would be and the camera doesn’t
recognise the animal or can’t find
its eyes. In these instances it is
great to have a ‘Plan B’. A Plan B
could include switching to DMF for
Stationary subjects or switching the
Focus Area to Expand Flexible Spot
and manually placing the spot over
where you think the eye should be.

DMF
Focus Mode
DMF
Manual Focus Override + Magnified Live View
 Override Focus to Here

DMF If Camera Focuses Here

Focus Assist + DMF

Note > Consider trying Animal Eye AF before resorting to DMF

DMF (Direct Manual Focus) is a powerful
Focus feature on Mirrorless cameras. To use
DMF you must first half-press press the
shutter release or press the AF-ON button and
then turn the focus ring on the lens (with your
finger still half-pressing the shutter release).

If you have switched Focus Assist on in the

Menus the view will be magnified to help you
achieve critical focus.
Push Focus using DMF to Here

If Lens Focuses Here (Wide or Zone AF Area)

Manual Focus

or DMF
Back to Contents Page
 Macro

DMF

DMF is an especially useful

focus mode for Macro work
Back to Contents Page
 MF Assist
Consider turning on MF
Assist & Focus peaking when
working in Manual Focus or Direct
Manual Focus (DMF). DMF is a
very powerful tool on Mirrorless
cameras for fine-tuning focus
after it has first locked on to your
subject in Autofocus.

Back to Contents Page

 If Eye-AF isn’t being your
friend, DMF may be your
next best friend when you
are working at close range
with a wide aperture prime.

Play Now
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 Play Now
www.youtube.com/c/AlphaCreativeSkills
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Fn Menu
The Fn or Function menu allows the user to
access and modify their 24 most-used camera
settings for quick control (12 for movies and 12
for stills) - these can be customised (reassigned)
by going to Custom Operation1 in the main
menus. When changing a camera setting that is
in the Fn menu there is no need to lower the
camera from your eye - simply press the Fn
button, navigate to the menu item with the up,
down left and right buttons and then use the
Control Wheel or Rear Dial to change the setting.

Back to Contents Page

 Fn Key
Access and modify your 12 most used
camera settings for quick control - these
can be customised by going to Page 9 of
the Camera Settings2 tab. You will
Function (Fn) Menu probably notice that mine looks nothing
like yours! Drive Mode and ISO are
usually in the Fn menu by default, but as
we can also access these via the left and
right buttons on the Control Wheel, there
is no problem with replacing them with
something more useful.

Custom Fn Menu

Back to Contents Page

 Navigate Fn Menu
In the Fn menu you can
Press the left, right, up and down
access and modify your 12
buttons to navigate to an Fn menu
item you want to change. Rotate the most used camera settings
Control Dial to navigate the main quickly by navigating to the
options for the Fn menu you have setting using the up, down,
Rotate
navigated to.the Control Dial left and right buttons on the
to navigate the main Control Wheel. When the
options for the Fn menu item is highlighted you do
you have navigated to. NOT need to press to select.
 Fn Menu

This is an alternative view of the Fn

menu that can be accessed by
pressing the Display button, just
below it, several times (before you
press the Fn key).

After pressing the Fn key you can

navigate to anything you want to
change using the Multi-selector.

You don’t have to press the Center

button or Multi-selector in to select
the setting — you can simply start
turning the Control Wheel and Rear
Dial to make changes to that setting.

Back to Contents Page

Finder & Monitor
The finder is often referred to as the EVF or
Electronic ViewFinder. It is advisable to
spend some time setting these up just the
way you like them. Brightness may appear to
be the only option at first glance (page 1 of
the Setup1 menu) but the Creative Styles
(Contrast, Saturation and Sharpness) can
also be adjusted. The DRO setting (Dynamic
Range Optimizer) also has an impact on the
image presented in the Finder and on the
Monitor. These modifications have zero effect
on Raw images being captured.

Back to Contents Page

Electronic
Eye Sensor (keep clean - otherwise
ViewFinder / EVF Monitor may be disabled)

Diopter-adjustment dial

Monitor
If the Monitor is tilted the
view will not switch to the
Finder. The monitor’s
brightness can be set to
‘Sunny Weather’ when the
ambient light is very bright
(Setup 1 Menu).

Back to Contents Page

 Brightness
The Brightness of the Monitor or
EVF can be raised when the
ambient light is very bright. I will
typically set it to either +2 or the
‘Sunny Weather’ setting when
using the monitor on sunny days.
It is recommended that you lower
it to Zero or a negative value when
photographing in low ambient
light, e.g., Dusk or Night.

Back to Contents Page

 Creative Style & DRO

The Creative Style and DRO

(Dynamic Range Optimizer)
settings will modify the
appearance of the scene in the
monitor and finder, as well as
modifying the JPEGs and Movies
captured with the camera.

Back to Contents Page

 Display Quality
In the Setup2 Menu it is possible
to set the Display Quality to High.
Battery consumption will also be
higher when ‘High’ is set.

IMPORTANT > The Anti-flicker

Shoot feature, that assists in
avoiding uneven exposures when
working with artificial lights, will
lower the quality of the view on
the Monitor and in the Finder. It
should be switched Off when it is
not needed.

Back to Contents Page

 Display
You can decide what
display options are
displayed by going to
the DISP Button in the
Main Menu

Back to Contents Page

 Display
Check or uncheck the options
you want to see or not see
when you press the Display
button. Make sure you ‘Enter’
any changes you have made
before exiting this menu.

Back to Contents Page

Level Display
Pressing the Display button
repeatedly cycles through
different levels of information
including the Histogram view and
the Level (shown here). The Level
will ensure that you architectural
or landscape images are not
captured crooked.

Back to Contents Page

 For Viewfinder
Pressing the Display button
repeatedly will bring you to the
‘For Viewfinder’ view. Pressing
the Fn key will then give you
access to a broad range of
menu settings without having
to go into the Main Menu.

Back to Contents Page

 Gamma Disp. Assist
When shooting movies with the S-
Log or HLG Picture Profiles it is
possible to view the recording
without the profile being applied
to the Monitor and Finder. Select
Auto in the Gamma Disp. Assist
menu or choose the specific
Picture profile you are using.

Back to Contents Page

 Live View Display
One of the major advantages of
using a Mirrorless camera is the
Live View Display. When set to On
you will see a real-time display of
the exposure and depth of field
that will be captured using the
current camera settings. This is
sometimes referred to as a ‘What
You See Is What You Get’ view. In
some instances, however, the
Setting Effect needs to be
switched to Off. In a darkened
studio you will not be able to see
your subject if you have set the
camera up with the appropriate
settings for Flash photography.

Back to Contents Page

 Live View Display
If you need to quickly switch Live
View Display On and Off
frequently it is worth assigning the
option to the Fn Menu.

Back to Contents Page

 Aperture Preview &
Shot. Result Preview
For photographers who shoot
frequently using Flash it may be
worth assigning two Display
options to the Custom key and
AF-On keys. These are Aperture
Preview and Shot Result preview
and are extremely useful when
Live View Display is switched Off.

Back to Contents Page

 Setting Effect
When the ISO, Shutter Speed
and Aperture has been set up in a
Studio for Flash, there may not
be enough ambient light to
compose or frame your subject.

Flash Settings

Back to Contents Page

 Setting Effect
Switching the Setting Effect to
OFF will reveal a bright view on
the camera Monitor and in the
Finder. Exposure and Depth of
Field, however, can no longer
be determined using this view.
You may need to capture one
image and review the image to
assess exposure and focus (a
similar workflow to that of using
a DSLR camera).

Back to Contents Page

 Aperture Preview
By Pressing the C button, that has
been assigned to Aperture
Preview in the Custom Key
settings we can view the scene at
the selected aperture rather the
wide open aperture. This allows us
to assess the depth of field prior
to taking the photo. The
brightness of the scene, however,
is maintained.

Back to Contents Page

 Shot. Result Preview
Pressing the AF-On button, that
has been assigned to Shot. Result
Preview in the Custom Key
settings, allows us to quickly see
the image with the Live View
Display turned back On. This
allows us to determine how the
ambient light will contribute to the
overall lighting when flash is used
as the primary light source.

Back to Contents Page

 RMT-P1BT
Bluetooth Remote

Aperture Preview

Shot. Result Preview

It is possible to use the C and AF-On buttons on

Sony’s Bluetooth Remote to access the Aperture
and Shot. Result previews without having to touch
the camera. The AF-On can also be used as a
Custom key if you want to access both preview
options instead of accessing the focus.

Back to Contents Page

 Bright Monitoring
In extremely dark locations, and
with the Live View Display
switched to On, you may still not
be able to see the subject your are
trying to frame clearly. In these
situations it is recommended to
assign a Custom Key to ‘Bright
Monitoring’. This feature can only
be used if the camera is set to
Manual Focus.

Astro Camera Settings

Back to Contents Page

 Touch Pad Settings
Operation Area
By moving your thumb on the
monitor (when using the EVF)
you will be able to move the
spot AF Area around the
viewfinder (an alternative to
using the Multi-Selector or
‘joystick’). The ‘Operation Area’
restricts the area of the monitor
that can be used to start the
AF selection process.
Restricting the operational area
can avoid accidental
movements of the AF Area.

Back to Contents Page

 Touch Position Mode
Absolute Position means that
your thumb needs to be able to
move across the entire Monitor
area to move the AF point to
every side and corner of the
frame. Choosing ‘Relative
Position’ means that you can
make a series of shorter strokes
to move the AF area to the
subject you want to target, e.g.,
you don’t need to move your
thumb to the extreme left side
of the monitor to move the AF
target to this side of the frame.

Back to Contents Page

 Watch the

Video Tutorial

Play Now

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Touch Operation
The touch screen function on the A7C is used for
assisting in Autofocus operations and can also be
used to take a photo. There are several menu
items that control the Touch Operation (it’s not just
a case of switching it ON or OFF). The Touch
operation can also be used when using the
Finder (EVF) to move a spot AF focus area or to
initiate Focus Tracking. It is worth spending a little
time understanding these controls so that you can
optimise the operation for your own workflows.

Back to Contents Page

 Touch Operation
The Monitor can be used as a
Touch Screen to select and
move focus. Start by switching
the Touch Operation to On in
the Setup2 menu.

Back to Contents Page

 Touch Panel/Pad
The Touch Panel can be used
to touch focus when using the
rear monitor to compose your
subject. The Touch Pad is
used to assist focusing when
the Finder (EVF) is being used
to compose your subject. You
can disable either the Pad or
the Panel if you don’t want to
accidentally start AF, e.g.,
your nose touching the screen
when the Pad is active can
move the Spot AF point.

Back to Contents Page

 Function of
Touch Operation
The function of the Touch
Operation can be changed from
Touch Focus to Touch Tracking or
Touch Shutter. Touch AF can be
used to ‘pull focus’ between one
subject and another, while Touch
Tracking is useful to nominate the
subject that you want the camera
to follow around the screen
without having to move the AF
point after the AF Tracking has
started.

I am not sure why Sony chose to

position this menu option so far
from the other Touch Operation
items, which are located in the
Camera Setup menus.

Back to Contents Page

Enable Touch tracking when using the finder (EVF) and then
move your thumb across the monitor to bring the orange AF
Tracking target into view

Touch Tracking
If Touch Tracking is enabled it
will override the current AF Area.
This is especially useful when
you may have selected Wide or
Zone as the AF area but you
want to select a subject to track
that is not front and centre
inside your wider AF Area.
Taking your thumb off the monitor will start the tracking
process, as indicated by the AF tracking icon

Cancel Tracking
Tracking is canceled by
either touching the cancel
icon on the monitor or by
pressing the Center Button in
the Control Wheel.

Tracking Cancel
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 There is no performance
advantage to disabling the
shutter release from focusing
and adopting an entirely Back
Button AF workflow when
using the A7C camera. It is,
however, a popular choice by
some photographers who will
try to convert you as if it is a
new religion. If you want to
learn more about this workflow
then you may find it interesting
to watch this video tutorial.

www.youtube.com/c/AlphaCreativeSkills
 Back Button Focus Setup

There are no performance advantages

to BBAF when using modern AF
systems on Sony Mirrorless cameras,
but some photographers may prefer this
workflow to the standard setup.

1 2
Fn Menu
3 AF-C Continuous AF
 Note > There are a handful
of lenses in Sony’s E-Mount
lens lineup where the camera
does not momentarily open
the aperture wider to assist
focus in AF-S. Learn how to
overcome this if you own one
of these lenses.

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Drive Mode
The Drive Mode gives you access to change
from Single Shooting Mode (taking one shot
each time your press the shutter release) to
Continuous Shooting (taking multiple shots at
varying speeds when your press the Shutter
release button). The Drive Modes also include
the Self-timer and Bracket options. The Self-
timer is useful for times where you do not want
to use a remote release and the Bracket
options allow you to take multiple shots using
different exposures and merge these
exposures using post-production software.

Back to Contents Page

Single Shooting (Drive Mode)
Single-shot AF (Focus Mode)

X
Not AF-A

Focus & Audio Confirmation

 Drive Mode
• Lo
• Mid
• Hi (recommended for live-view panning)
• Hi+ (fastest frames per second)
• Self-Timer Options
• Bracket Options
Lo, Mid, Hi & Hi+
NOTE > Avoid Hi+ if you need
live view ‘real-time’ panning
Drive
NOTE 2 > Some menu options
can slow the drive mode down
so be sure to check out the
action settings in this guide.

Back to Contents Page

Hi
for panning
Continuous Shooting (Drive Mode) - Continuous AF (Focus Mode)
 Continuous Drive Mode Tips

1. Silent Shooting Off for fast action

2. Priority in AF-C: Release for
maximum frames per second
Hi+
Use Hi+ when the camera is not
panning and when you want the
camera to capture the maximum
frames per second

Tamron 70-300 Di lll RXD

236 mm: 1/2000 Second at f/5.6, ISO 800
Hi+
Self-timer

Use the Self-timer when the camera

is on a tripod and you are using
extended shutter speeds. The delay
will allow vibrations from pressing
the shutter release button to
disappear before the exposure starts
Bracket Settings
The BRK or ‘Bracket' Setting
has multiple options that can
be set in the ‘Bracket Settings’
menu on page 3 of the Camera
Setup1 menu. Bracketing
involves taking a series of
images while adjusting the
exposure, white balance or
DRO (Dynamic Range
Optimizer) for each image.
 BRK HDR
This image was created in
Adobe Lightroom from five
Raw images captured in
Bracket Mode and then
merged by going to:
Photo > Photo Merge > HDR

Transformer Building: Hong Kong

 Watch the

Video Tutorial

Play Now

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Network Settings
It is possible to connect your smartphone to
your camera using both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
connections.

With a local Wi-Fi connection you can transfer

images from your camera to your smartphone
using Sony’s free ‘Imaging Edge’ App so you
can quickly share images to social media.

With a Bluetooth connection you can control

the settings of your camera, use the
smartphone as a remote release and transfer
the GPS location information from your phone
to the images being captured by your camera.

Imaging Edge Support:

https://support.d-imaging.sony.co.jp/app/iemobile/en/

Back to Contents Page

Ctrl w/ Smartphone
Your Smartphone or Tablet can be used to control the camera
settings and capture the images without touching the camera.
Unfortunately the ability to touch focus is not one of these
options. The workflow to pair your smartphone with your camera
is outlined on the next page. To start the process you will need
to download the Imaging Edge App to your Smartphone.
Connect to your Smartphone

Imaging

Edge
 Ctrl w/
1 Smartphone 2
Ctrl w/
Smartphone

Ctrl w/
Smartphone 3 4
Having issues connecting your Smartphone to your Camera? Go to: Connect to your Smartphone
 Tethered Shooting
Switch Ctrl w/ Smartphone to Off
and PC Remote On in the PC
Remote Function menu. Connect
the camera to your computer using
a USB-C compatible cable and then
launch Sony’s ‘Remote’ application
which is part of Sony’s Imaging
Edge desktop applications.

Back to Contents Page

 Tethered Shooting
In Sony’s Remote application
it is possible to monitor your
subject using ‘Live view’ and
modify any of the shooting
settings. You can also modify
the location that the photos
are saved to on the
computer. Sony’s ‘View’ and
‘Edit’ applications can help
organise and edit the images
captured via the Remote
application. Alternatively the
location you save to can be a
‘watched folder’ for the
Lightroom Classic
application.

Sony Imaging Edge Desktop

Imaging Edge Support: https://support.d-imaging.sony.co.jp/app/iemobile/en/

Send to Smartphone

Download the Sony Imaging Edge

App to your mobile phone. Make a
local Wi-Fi connection between
your Phone and the Camera.
Choose ‘Select on This Device’ or
‘Select on Smartphone’ to start
transferring images from your
camera to your Smartphone.

Back to Contents Page

 Send to Smartphone

When reviewing an image you also

have the option to press the Fn
button which will start the transfer
to smartphone process. With the
Imaging Edge App already open
you will be given the option to scan
the QR code. If this option does not
appear you can connect to the
camera in the Wi-Fi settings of your
smartphone.

Back to Contents Page

 Ctrl w/ Smartphone

You can use your smartphone to

control the operations of your
camera (often useful when the
camera is on a tripod). See Finder
& Monitor for further information.

Back to Contents Page

 Ctrl w/ Smartphone

After choosing ‘Connection’ in the

‘Ctrl w/ Smartphone’ menu you will
be given the option to scan the QR
code using the Imaging Edge app
or enter a Password by pressing
the C key.

Back to Contents Page

 Bluetooth Settings

Switching the Bluetooth Settings to

on will allow you to connect the
Bluetooth remote or add the GPS
Location Information from your
smartphone to the images being
captured by the camera.

Back to Contents Page

 Location Info Link

This function allows you to embed

the GPS data from your mobile
phone into the photos you take with
your camera. Bluetooth must be
switched On but it is not possible to
use the Location Info Link service if
you have the Bluetooth Remote
Control switched on.

Back to Contents Page

 FTP Transfer

FTP Transfer is a quick and easy

way for a professional photographer
to get images back to their picture
editor. It does require an FTP server
to be set up on a remote computer
before this is possible. The
photographer can then transfer the
images via Wi-Fi or Wired LAN. I
have outlined just one of the
workflows over the next three slides.
If you are a professional
photographer and you want to look
at all of your options you will need to
look at Sony’s FTP Help Guide

Back to Contents Page

1 Go to FTP Transfer Func.

2 Select Server Setting FTP Transfer

3 Select FTP Server 1 4 Enter a Display name for FTP1 5 Select Destination Settings
6 Enter Host Name & Directory 7 Select User Info Settings 8 Select your FTP Server
.xxx.xx

9 Go to Playback Custom Key 10 Assign a key to FTP Transfer 11 Review an image.

Press your Custom Key to start

the transfer.
Flash (Sony HVL RM Units)
Sony have added support for its HVL-F28RM,
HVL-F45RM and HVL-F60RM flash units so that
photographers can control up to three groups
of flash units directly from the camera itself.

Many photographers choose to use Flash units

NOT made by Sony, e.g., Godox.
Although this may prove to be a cost-effective
exercise, some photographers may run into
certain issues that may have to be overcome.
Sometimes the ‘e-front curtain shutter’ has had
to be switched off on other Alpha cameras to
prevent banding and this, in turn, leads to a
slight delay in the flash firing. Turning off the e-
front curtain shutter is not an option on the A7C
…only time will tell if this causes issues for
Godox owners. Sony HVL-F28RM

Wireless Radio Flash

Back to Contents Page

 External Flash Set.

To control your HVL-F28, 45 or

60RM flash units directly from the
camera’s Finder or Monitor go to the
External Flash Set. menu.

Note : If you intend to use the Flash

or Commander to control off-camera
flash units you will also need to set
the Wireless Flash option to ‘On’.

Back to Contents Page

 External Flash Set.

Most photographers will probably choose

TTL (through the lens) as the Flash Mode
and then choose Auto Zoom (or a
specific wider zoom angle if using lighting
modifiers), HSS if shutter speeds are
likely to be faster than 1/160 second and
then adjust Flash exposure by fine-tuning
the Flash Compensation.

If you are using the Flash on the camera

to control other off-camera flash units
turn Wireless Mode to CMD (command).
You can choose to switch the on-camera
flash to On or Off via the ‘CMD Flash
Firing’ option. Set Ratio values for up to
three individual or groups of flashes.

Back to Contents Page

Sony Flash Workflow

Ambient Exposure -2.0

Flash Exposure +1.0

Flash Compensation required

because of light toned subject
Sony HVL-F45RM

Wireless Radio Flash

Sony FA-WRC1M

Wireless Radio Commander

Making Movies
If you just press the red recording button on
the top of the camera you will, by default,
start capturing movies in Program Mode (P).
It is worth going into the menus and setting
up the Mode, Format and Record Settings if
you value the quality of your movies so the
next time you start recording a Movie you will
be using your own custom settings. The
greatest control over your movie settings is
to be had by setting the Shoot Mode to
Movies on the Shoot Mode dial so that you
can change your movie mode in the Fn
menu when required, e.g., from Shutter
Priority to fully Manual.

Back to Contents Page

 Movie Mode

Exposure mode when capturing

movies can be set in the Main menu.
I prefer to set the Shoot Mode dial to
the Movie icon and then you can
adjust the shooting mode in the Fn
menu (bottom right). I also use the
Shutter release to Start and Stop the
movie recording (activated in the
Movie3 menu).

Note > Shutter Speed is seen as the

priority when shooting movies so
shoot in Manual Mode or Shutter
Priority. The 180-degree Shutter
Rule states that whatever the frame
rate is, the shutter speed should be
double, e.g., choose a shutter speed
of 1/50 second if filming at 25
frames per second or 1/60 second if
shooting at 30 frames per second.

Back to Contents Page

 Movie Mode

Set the Shoot Mode dial on the

top of the camera to the Movie
icon and then you can adjust the
movie shooting mode in the Fn
menu (bottom right). Most
advanced amateurs and
professional will choose to
shooting Manual or Shutter
Priority and set the shutter speed
to 1/50 second when filming in
24 and 25 frames per second
and 1/60 Second when filming in
30 frames per second

Back to Contents Page

 File Format

Use the XAVC S movie codec for

the highest quality movie
recording. XAVC S prefers SD-
XC cards to SD-HC. 4K is great
but I wouldn’t use it for shooting
extended clips — the camera will
get hot, the files will be huge and
you lose some features that are
available to you when shooting in
HD.

XAVC S Movie Files are saved

as MP4 files to the CLIP folder
found in the ‘PRIVATE >
M4ROOT’ directory.

Back to Contents Page

 Record Settings

Use the settings with the highest

‘M-number’ (2nd number) for the
highest quality movie recording,
e.g.100M

Note > Due to differences in

regional ‘Power Frequencies’ you
will notice I shoot in Australia
using 25 and 50p while in the
USA you will have options for 24,
30 and 60p.

Back to Contents Page

 Monitor
The Monitor can be used as a
Touch Screen to select and
move focus. This setting is
accessed via the Setup2 menu.

Back to Contents Page

 Recommended
AutoFocus Settings
I recommend setting the Focus Mode to
‘Continuous AF’ (AF-C) and the Focus
Area to ‘Wide’. I then recommend turning
Touch Operation to On.

When touching a subject on the Monitor it

will result in one of two different
outcomes. The outcome depends on what
you have set up in Function of Touch
Operation menu. It will either lock focus
on your stationary subject (Touch Focus)
or start tracking your moving subject
(Touch Tracking). Pressing the Center
button or the cancel icon will revert to AF-
C and the Wide Focus Area.

Back to Contents Page

 AF Transition Speed
& Subj. Shift Sens.
A slower transition speed will slow
down the shift of focus from one
subject to another as you touch
different subjects within the frame.
This comes into play when using
Touch Focus option. The Subject
Shift Sensitivity decides how quickly
the focus will jump to another
subject if your primary subject is
momentarily obscure from view
when using Touch Tracking.

Back to Contents Page

 PAL or NTSC

NTSC displays pictures at nearly

30 fps—the actual number is
29.97. PAL/SECAM uses exactly
25 fps. These frame rates are
based on the local frequency of
alternating current (AC) electrical
power: 60 Hz in the States; 50 Hz
in most of the rest of the world.

You can change between PAL and

NTSC using the PAL/NTSC menu.

Back to Contents Page

 Focus Peaking

When using Manual Focus the

Focus Peaking options
(Peaking Level and Peaking
Colour) will assist you to find
focus while filming by outlining
the edges of your subject that
are in sharp focus with the
colour Red, Yellow or White.

Back to Contents Page

 Focus Peaking

Peaking should be used a

rough guide to what is in focus.
For an accurate idea of precise
sharpness it is strongly
recommended to use Focus
Magnify and/or MF Assist.

Back to Contents Page

 MF Assist
Focus peaking provides the
photographer with approximate
focus. It is strongly recommended
when using wide apertures to use
the Focus Magnifier to achieve
critical focus. Focus Magnifier can
be automatically initiated when
you turn the focus ring on the lens
by switching MF Assist to On.

Back to Contents Page

 Creative Style

When filming in High Contrast

lighting (full sun) it may be
necessary to lower the contrast
of the movie being recorded to
protect the highlights from
becoming overexposed. This
can be achieved by lowering
the Contrast in the Creative
Style menu settings.

Back to Contents Page

 D-Range Optimizer

Another way of lowering the

contrast of the movie file being
recorded is to increase the
DRO setting from Auto to either
LV2 or LV3. Monitor the
histogram during recording and
lower the exposure if necessary
to protect the highlights.

Back to Contents Page

 Zebra Setting

An alternative approach to
monitoring the Histogram during
100+ the movie recording (in order to
protect the highlights) is to use
the Zebra function. Select 100+
to be alerted to overexposed
highlights or between 70 and 80
to monitor caucasian skin tones
are being correctly exposed.

Back to Contents Page

Confirmation of

Correct Exposure
 White Balance

To avoid unnecessary colour

changes during movie recording
many photographers will choose to
create a custom white balance prior
to recording.

Back to Contents Page

 White Balance

Custom White Balance settings

cannot be saved to the memories
so it is advisable to assign White
Balance to a Custom Key for
quick access.

Back to Contents Page

 Audio Recording

Switch Audio Recording to On in the

menu and turn Wind Noise Reduction to
Off (unless absolutely necessary). Use
a Sony compatible external microphone
whenever possible. Use a Sony
microphone that is compatible with the
Multi Interface shoe on the top of the
camera for optimum audio quality.

Back to Contents Page

 Audio Level

It is recommended to monitor the

level or volume of the audio
recording during filming by switching
the ‘Audio Level Display’ to On.
Audio Record Levels can be
assigned to a Custom key for quick
access to adjusting the audio levels.
It is worth noting that different
functions can be assigned to
Custom keys depending on whether
you are capturing stills or movies

Back to Contents Page

 ClearImage Zoom

ClearImage Zoom will enable you

to zoom in and out without using
the zoom ring on the lens. This is
made possible by the 6K sensor
that is being used to record HD or
4K movies. Enabling ClearImage
Zoom will also allow you to use
the zoom function on remote
devices such as Sony’s Bluetooth
Remote.

Back to Contents Page

 ClearImage Zoom

To access ClearImage Zoom

while capturing a movie you need
to first assign a Custom Key to
Zoom.

Back to Contents Page

 S&Q
The Slow and Quick shoot mode
allows you to create slow-motion
movies or time-lapse movies
without having to modify your
standard movie settings in the
menus. If you choose to record at
100 frames per second, and play
back the movie at 25 frames per
second, subjects will appear to
move four times slower than
normal. If you choose a frame rate
of 1 frame per second and play the
movie back at 25 frames per
second, time will accelerate 25x
and clouds will race across the sky.
Note > The number of ‘Frames per
second’ may vary depending on
your country.

Back to Contents Page

 Personally I wouldn’t even
advise using a Picture Profile
when shooting movies until you
have done a little research into
the subject, such as reading
this blog post.

www.markgaler.com/using-picture-profiles-sony-alpha-cameras
Back to Contents Page
 Light & Portable
Post Production workflows
 Lightroom CC on a mobile device is
a viable alternative to using
Lightroom Classic on a laptop
computer. External drives may need
to be connected via a powered USB
hub or Camera adapter that supports
Tablet Mobile Editing power before they can be used on
tablets such as an iPad or iPhone
that uses a Lightening connector.

Lightning to USB 3

Camera Adapter
 to iPhone/SSD Connection: Workflow 1
USB3 to USB-C

Camera
Power

SSD Smartphone
Adapter Bank

The camera and/or SSD may need to be connected via a

Camera adapter that supports power before they can be
‘discovered’ using some mobile devices (such as an iPad or
iPhone that use a Lightening connector).
 iPhone to SSD
Powered USB Hub Workflow
Connection
Powered

USB 3 Hub

USB C SSD

Lightening to USB

If you cannot connect your camera or

Camera Adapter
an external drive directly to your mobile
(no power input) device, you may need to use a powered
Powered

USB hub to ensure your device can be

accessible, as is the case with Apple’s USB 3 Hub
mobile devices using a Lightening
connector.
 Lightroom Classic and Capture One
are the most popular software
programs for managing and editing
image files. As data storage is
limited on most laptop computers a
portable SSD is usually required to
store large numbers of Raw files.

Lightroom Classic
 Lightning to USB 3

Camera Adapter

for Apple Devices

UHS-II

USB-C
300 MB/s Card Reader

USB 2 is limited to 60 MB/s & SDXC I is limited to 95 MB/s

A USB-C or fast card reader can transfer at speeds up to 299 MB/s
 When traveling over an extended
period of time you may also have
to consider how you will be storing
the files you are capturing. Will you
Cloud: Adobe Cloud: Dropbox Extra SD Cards
purchase multiple cards (so that
you don’t need to format them until
your return home), will you upload
them to the cloud (if you have
access to an online storage
service) or will you back them up
to an external drive?

The ‘3-2-1’ Rule

3 copies of your data
2 on different media (SD Card + External Drive)
1 copy offsite*
*Cloud Storage or just a separate location to your camera or computer gear

Back to Contents Page

1 TB 8 x 128 GB (1 TB )
 5,000 Raw files (128 GB) transferred
to the SanDisk Extreme Pro in just over

Extreme Pro 10-mins

Note > In this instance the SD card is the
limiting factor in the transfer of data
 Extreme Pro

128 GB (5,0000) Raw files transferred from a computer, via USB-C

to the SanDisk Extreme Pro in 3-mins 40-Secs (818 MB/s)
1 x 9.5 GB Video file in 9.5 seconds (1024 MB/s)
 A. Make the SSD visible to Lightroom
Lightroom
1

2 3

1 Add Folder 2 Create a New Folder 3 Choose New Folder

B.Transfer (Move not Copy) Pictures to your External Drive
Files now moved (not copied) to Extreme Pro
Lightroom Classic Catalog Settings

Frequency of Backup

Set Backup Options

Choose Location of Catalog Backup Folder when Quitting

Note > Old catalog backups have to be manually deleted from the external drive
Folder Structure on External Drive

Photos + Catalog

Backup
 Import Direct to External Drive
via computer or tablet

Temporary Storage Limited Storage 1TB or 2TB Storage

 Create an Import Preset

Camera to SSD via Computer

 Make a Second Copy To:

Note > If images are stored on the laptop a second copy can be copied to the SSD
Need for Speed

Speed of editing maintained

 Building Smart Previews for Offline Editing

Note > Images can now be edited even when the external drive is not connected
 Offline

?
Smart Preview Editing
 Saving Metadata (editing/keywords/rating) back to files
Ctrl+S (PC) Command + S (Mac)

Note > Information about how the photos have been edited can be saved with
the photos if the master images are ‘online’.
 Export Catalog SSD

Note > After returning home you can export the catalog from your laptop to your external drive
 Import Location Catalog to Desktop Catalog

Note > Import the location catalog on the SSD into your master catalog on your desktop computer
High ISO
One of the main advantages of using the
Sony full-frame cameras is their excellent
High ISO performance. As photographers we
should endeavour to keep the ISO as low as
possible. Using a low ISO value increases
the dynamic range (the ability of the sensor
to record details in bright highlights and dark
shadows) while keeping noise to a minimum.
There are, however, occasions when we
need to raise the ISO in order to use very fast
shutter speeds to freeze rapidly moving
subjects or avoid camera shake when
photographing with the camera hand-held
when the ambient light is very low (dim). The
answer to retaining quality is to avoid
underexposure in camera and employ
sensitive post-production editing techniques
when editing high ISO images.

Back to Contents Page

 + 80 Masking (Sharpening)
+15 Luminance Noise Reduction
Post-Production

Full Frame BIS High ISO Performance

+ 80 Local Noise Reduction
Protect the in-focus detail,
Red Mask indicates where local
Noise Reduction has been applied.

Full Frame BIS High ISO Performance

ISO 8000

Unprocessed Raw file

Avoid underexposure
Processed Raw file
Apply Noise Reduction primarily
to the out-of-focus areas and
mask any sharpening
Unprocessed
I typically export a 4K
image (3840 pixels) from
Lightroom for processing
in Topaz DeNoise AI

ISO 12800

Click to Purchase Topaz DeNoise AI

Raise the Remove Noise
slider until the noise is
suppressed in all areas of
the background bokeh.

Notice the texture on the

girls’ top on the right has
been mistaken for Noise
and has been removed.

Click to Purchase Topaz DeNoise AI

Use the Mask option set
to Subtract and then paint
over any areas that you
want to restore detail.

Click to Purchase Topaz DeNoise AI

Select Apply Mask and
then Save the processed
image.

Click to Purchase Topaz DeNoise AI

 This 2-hour post processing
masterclass looks at the powerful
tools we can use to develop our
images. These skills enable us to
express what we want to say and
how we feel about the subjects
we are photographing. Mark
draws on his extensive
experience as an Adobe
Ambassador, Beta tester and
Professional Educator to present
this illustrated guide to help put
you in control of your post
production workflows. This movie
is available to watch in 4K.

www.youtube.com/c/AlphaCreativeSkills Play Now

Back to Contents Page
 Lightroom CC (mobile)
This 2-hour post processing masterclass
looks at the powerful tools we can use to
edit our images in Lightroom CC (for mobile
devices). These skills enable us to express
what we want to say and how we feel about
the subjects we are photographing. Mark
draws on his extensive experience as an
Adobe Ambassador, Beta tester and
Professional Educator to present this
illustrated guide to help put you in control of
your post production workflows. This movie
is available to watch in 4K.

Play Now

www.youtube.com/c/AlphaCreativeSkills
Back to Contents Page
Image Review (Playback)
It is a valuable exercise to be able to review an
image we have just captured to check if it is
sharp and well exposed. This gives us the
opportunity to modify focus and/or exposure
settings to perfect image capture. The review
process also allows us to rate and delete
images. I personally like to rate images with a
star so that they appear in my post-production
software with the ratings intact (Lightroom
Classic). This also allows me to share just my
rated images without having to cycle through
all images. Although it is possible to delete
images in-camera I personally like to do this in
my editing software.

Back to Contents Page

 Image Review

When reviewing your images

you can press the Display
button a number of times until
to change the level of
information you see with the
image. Turn the Control Wheel
or press the left and right sides
of the Control Wheel to move
forwards or backwards through
your images.

Back to Contents Page

 Exposure Review

When reviewing your images

you can press the Display
button a number of times until
you see the histogram view.
This allows you to assess if the
exposure used to capture the
image was appropriate.

Back to Contents Page

 Magnify Review

Press the AF-On button to

Zoom in to check if the image is
sharp. The image will, by
default, zoom to the Focus point
used when taking the image.

Back to Contents Page

 Date Review

Press the Down button to

Zoom out to the Grid View that
is organised by date of capture.
Use the Control Wheel to move
through the captured images.
Press the AF-ON button to
return to reviewing a single
image or navigate left to
access the Calendar view.

Back to Contents Page

 Calendar Review

Press the Center button to

Zoom out further to the
Calendar View that is
organised by date of capture.
Press the AF/MF button to
return to reviewing a single
image.

Note > If you move from Date

view to Folder view (the icon
below the calendar) you will no
longer be able to view by group
(see following page).

Back to Contents Page

 Display as Group
When shooting bursts of images in
Continuous Shooting it is possible
during playback to see the groups
of images rather than all images.
When cycling through the groups
you can see individual images in
that group by pressing the Center
Button in the Control Wheel.

Not available when reviewing

images in folder view rather than
date view (see previous page).

Back to Contents Page

 Image Rating

Custom keys can be assigned to

different functions in Playback
Mode - such as rate your images.
These image ratings will be
visible in Post Production
software such as Imaging Edge
and Adobe Lightroom.

Back to Contents Page

 Jump Setting

Image Jump Settings allows you

to choose which images you
choose to see when reviewing
them in Playback, e.g., you can
choose only to see your rated
images. This will be useful to
implement when you want to
show somebody just your hero
images from the day’s shoot.

You can see all images by using

the dial you have NOT assigned
to see only the rated images.

Back to Contents Page

 Database Error
Sony provide the following warning
associated to this error screen in
their online support.

WARNING: There is a risk of data

loss. The following information
requires the memory card to be
formatted. Make sure all picture
and movie files are backed up on a
computer before proceeding.

I have encountered this only once

and the files were NOT deleted
after pressing ‘Enter’. If, however,
the files are important you may
want to run a data recovery
software such as Disk Drill before
proceeding.

Back to Contents Page

 Send to Smartphone

You can transfer multiple images

by choosing either the ‘All with this
date' or ‘Multiple Images’ options.
Check the images you want to
transfer (by pressing the center
button) and then press the menu
button to start the transfer process.

Back to Contents Page

 Full Resolution

You can transfer full resolution

images to your phone (the default
is 2 Megapixels) by changing the
Copy Image Size setting in the
phone App to ‘Original’. This is only
possible if you have first selected
JPEG or RAW & JPEG as the ‘File
Format’ in the camera prior to
taking photos of your subject.

Back to Contents Page

 Full Resolution

The full resolution image that is

transferred to the phone will be the
JPEG and not the Raw file. For
Raw shooters, it is therefore
important to ensure appropriate
Creative Style and DRO settings
have been set up so that the JPEG
file being transferred is of an
appropriate quality.

Back to Contents Page

Interval Shooting
The ‘Interval Shooting Function’ allows us
to capture the still images required to
create TimeLapse Movies using post
production software.

Movies are typically captured between 24

and 60 frames per second.

If we increase the interval between each

frame captured, but play the movie back at
normal speed, we will accelerate time or
cause time to lapse.

Example > if we capture one frame per

second for 4 minutes, and then play the
movie back at 24 frames per second, four
minutes of ‘normal’ time will be
compressed into just 10 seconds…people
will move as fast as cars and clouds will
race across the sky.

Back to Contents Page

 Interval Shooting
The Alpha 7C camera has an in-
built Interval Timer or
Intervalometer that allows you to
capture a sequence of stills over
an extended period of time. You
can then use post production
software to create a time-lapse
movie.

Back to Contents Page

 Interval Shooting
The Interval Shooting Function is
a built-in ‘Intervalometer’ that can
be setup up to take images at a
regular intervals. Using Sony’s
‘Imaging Edge’ edit application
these still images can be used to
create a Time Lapse movie. On
the second page of options you
will see that there is an option for
Silent Shooting which will save the
wear and tear on your camera
when shooting thousands of
images. If you would prefer the
camera to make a movie so that
you don’t have to process the files
you can use the S&Q feature.

Back to Contents Page

Tips for image capture

1. Format your card and charge your battery

2. Set the capture Aspect Ratio to 16:9

3. Choose 1/50 Second Shutter Speed or longer

4. Use an aperture wider than f/8*

5. Capture in Raw when the dynamic range is high

6. Ensure the camera and tripod are free from vibration

*Reduces the visibility of any dust that may be on your sensor.

Why is Raw the preferred Quality setting?

1. Increased Dynamic Range (less likely to clip highlights).

2. Increased flexibility for post-processing.

Before Processing After Processing

Choosing a Shutter Speed

Most movies you see in the cinemas are captured at 24 frames per second.
The shutter speed most often used is 1/50 second. This shutter speed captures
a 50% slice of ‘real time’.

Fast action results in a small amount of motion blur. The 50% slice & blur
ensures action flows smoothly. Action can appear ‘choppy’ with fast shutter
speeds …as there is no blur and less ‘real time’ is sampled.
Choosing a Shutter Speed

With time-lapse we can choose either

1/50 second to capture motion blur or
choose a shutter speed that captures
50% of the interval to ensure a smoothly
flowing movie, e.g., 1 second exposures
when the interval is 2 seconds.

Choosing long shutter speeds may

require the use of a Neutral Density (ND)
filter (sunglasses for your lens).
Choosing an Exposure Mode
Mode 1
Fully Manual

For scenes where the level of light is constant

Set Focus, White Balance, Exposure & ISO to

Manual.

Mode 2

Aperture Priority & Auto White Balance

For scenes where the level of light is changing,

e.g., for sunset and sunrise set only the Focus
setting to Manual.
Possible issues with using Auto exposure

Sudden changes in exposure or white balance settings can lead to a

visible ‘flicker’ in the final movie. Changing the ‘AE Tracking Sensitivity’
to ‘Low’ may help reduce sudden changes in exposure.

Aperture Priority - Frame 74 Aperture Priority - Frame 75

 Sony’s Imaging Edge
Free Software Program
can create a 4K movie from the
still images captured in-camera
using the Interval Shooting
Feature. It is also possible in
Photoshop. For advanced users
the program LR/Timelapse is
recommended

Back to Contents Page

 Playback
As well as the Interval Time Func.
settings we also have menu items
to choose how we would like to
review the stills we have captured
‘in-camera’ before the movie is
made in the post-post-processing
software.

Note: If you would like the camera

to create a time lapse movie you
can use the S&Q feature.

Back to Contents Page

 Did you ever wonder if you made
the right choice in choosing your
A7C camera?
Watch me NOW

Back to Contents Page

Supporting website
This eBook only scratches the surface of what
is available on www.markgaler.com.
You will find the website a rich resource for
Photoshop actions, Photoshop Tutorials with
links to download the Raw images used in the
tutorials, Lightroom Tutorials, Lightroom
Presets, additional eBooks, an active blog,
equipment reviews and news about my
speaking engagements for Sony and the
occasional photo adventure/workshop/tour that
I run in conjunction with World Photo
Adventures. Everything except the Photo Tours
are free ;-). If you find the learning resources
valuable I would value your support to help
cover my web-hosting costs and the creation
of ongoing learning resources to support the
Sony Alpha Community. Thank you.

Mark Galer

Donation Link

Back to Contents Page

www.markgaler.com
 Learning

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 Reviews
Use the Categories feature

to Filter for Reviews

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 Announcements
Use the Categories feature to
Filter for Announcements

Back to Contents Page

Flickr Albums of Ultra HD Images
Masterclass Movies
Hungry for more? Well, join the Masterclass
series — designed for photographers with
serious stamina for extra learning. I have
cherry-picked four of my presentations for you
to watch. Just get comfortable I have been
known to talk for a while on subjects I am
passionate about :-)

Back to Contents Page

 In this presentation I take a look at the
technological developments that have had an
impact on my own 38-year career in
photography. From Tri-X and Kodachrome
film, and the advent of the first DSLR
camera, right through to the Full-Frame
Backlit-Illuminated Stacked CMOS Sensors I
use today. I suggest that, although the
photographic eye is important, the gear does
make a difference to what and how I make
my images.

In this 72-minute movie I explore the

equipment I have chosen and the additional
travel items I pack when I travel light with my
mirrorless cameras. Although it focusses on
Sony equipment it would be suitable for
anyone thinking of moving from a DSLR to a
lighter and more compact camera kit. The
movie also explores some of my basic
camera settings and some advice on
shooting styles when traveling.

Back to Contents Page

 In this one-hour seminar style movie I introduce
you to the tips and techniques for capturing
powerful portraits on location. I take an editorial
approach to creating portraits of family, friends
and complete strangers that I have only just met.
I explain the camera settings I use, and also how
I frame my images. I complete the presentation
by taking a look at some simple lighting on
location techniques.

In this 90-minute presentation for Adobe at the

Make-it conference in Sydney I outline my
complete workflow from capture to output. It
includes Colour Management, optimising
software and hardware for speed, creating a new
‘Custom Default’ for Lightroom, optimising and
automating import workflows, incorporating a
‘Mirrored RAID’ drive into my imaging workflows
+ incorporating Develop presets and Smart
workflows in Adobe CC imaging products.

Back to Contents Page

 In this masterclass I discuss how I have
managed to keep my passion for photography
alive over a 40-year career. I provide ideas and
make suggestions how you can fuel your own
passion and motivation to capture photographs
that tell a story (narrative) to express your own
personal vision. I suggest that photography can
be much more than capturing hero shots driven
by the need to collect likes on social media.

In this movie I outline how I can jump between

registered camera settings to ensure I never
miss an image. I don't need to hunt for
appropriate settings as I can start with one of my
memory defaults, and then make minor
adjustments to shutter speed, aperture and focus
with the camera at my eye if, and when, I feel the
need to fine-tune my settings. The important
things is I don't miss the shot with my starting
settings. This workflow may just completely
change the way you shoot.

Back to Contents Page

eBooks
If you have enjoyed this eBook and would
like to download additional eBooks just
head over to my Patreon site and click on
the eBooks link.

Back to Contents Page

Community Support

Patreon

YouTube
Facebook
Flickr
Instagram
website
 Donate
Please Donate to support content
creation for the Sony Alpha community

thank you

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Become a Patron
Due to the volume of requests I
receive for support I am unfortunately
not able to answer all questions on
social media and cannot answer
questions via email and Facebook
Messenger. If, however, you would
like to become a Patron you can join
my live monthly Seminars, ask
questions in the member only Q&A
forums. In this way I can become
your personal Sony Alpha Consultant
for just a few dollars per month.

Mark Galer www.patreon.com/markgaler

48 Support Movies Movie Index
Patreon Membership

Action Camera Settings Focus Area Metering Modes

AF Area Registration Focus Peaking One Mount
AF Tracking Flash - Sony HVL Radio RM Picture Profiles
Alpha 7C Review Fn Menu Portrait Settings
APS-C/Super 35 ISO Power Save
Back-button AF ISO Auto Min. SS Recall Custom Hold
Bluetooth Remote Landscape (Tripod) Remote (Bluetooth)
Bulb Landscape (Hand-Held) Setting Effect
Capture Powerful Portraits Landscape Masterclass Slow Focus in Low Light
Colour Management (Science) Lenses (recommendations) Sports Settings
Colour Space Live View Display Street Settings
Commander (Radio Flash) Lens Choice SteadyShot
DMF Lock Operation Parts Switch V/H AF Area
Drive Mode Memory Touch Operation
Exposure Compensation Memory Mastermind White Balance
Finder & Monitor Messenger Bag Review Zebra

Back to Contents Page

Custom Setup Support

FREE
eBook by Mark Galer Ambassador