Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Sony A7RIII & A6500 Custom functions' options.  (Read 1247 times)

ski542002

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 57
Sony A7RIII & A6500 Custom functions' options.
« on: January 02, 2018, 11:01:26 am »

Happy New Year!  Took delivery of my A7RIII & A6500 a few days ago and feel like I've just gone to Heaven; migrated from another mirrorless system. 

Some pertinent information for the readers of this post... While daunting the Sony menu structure is becoming more familiar.  BUT I am a bit interested in how/why other users are implementing quick-access to the Sony custom functions.  My needs are simple. I usually shoot full manual exposure and use MF lenses about 30% of the time (Voigtlanders), the Sony 24-70 2.8 GM, and will be using for now, my Canon L zooms as well. IF I shoot AE (not often), I am ALWAYS on aperture priority, and spin the top dial on the Sony to execute AE compensation while my eye is in the EVF.   Have not touched video yet, but will do so after I'm comfortable with the still settings of the Sony system.

I don't ever shoot fast acting sports. When I shoot PR, grip & grins, events, etc. I look at the environment I'm in, or walking into, preset my camera and have at it. When I shoot a corporate job (with strobes), or architecture, I'm full manual, camera tethered and usually on tripod.

The way I shoot & use my cameras, I would like input into determining why/how or IF I'd even bother with setting up the custom function menus on these amazing, but complex cameras.  My apologies in-advance for being long-winded.
Logged

pegelli

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1664
    • http://pegelli.smugmug.com/
Re: Sony A7RIII & A6500 Custom functions' options.
« Reply #1 on: January 02, 2018, 11:10:10 am »

Here's a thread from GetDPI on this topic. It's officially about the A7rii, but still might be helpful for the iii as well.

https://www.getdpi.com/forum/sony/55809-a7rii-custom-buttons-function-settings.html
Logged
pieter, aka pegelli

Martin Kristiansen

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1527
    • Martin Kristiansen
Re: Sony A7RIII & A6500 Custom functions' options.
« Reply #2 on: January 02, 2018, 11:58:57 am »

I am using a A7Rii. A6000 and A6300.next week I take delivery of a 6500. I do a lot of studio work. Clothing catalogues, corporate gift catalogues. Office furniture, catalogues for Polo bags and such. I don’t do PR or corporate events. I do a lot of personal work. A hell of a lot.

The Sony system was a bit of an eye opener for me. I come from quite a traditional background. Food and products and so on. Large format and the like.  Never got into auto modes at all and never used auto focus. Went fully digital n 1995. Turns out auto focus and the like was a bit more complicated to get right than I expected. I spent a lot of time figuring it out. Now I actually use it a lot. You are most likely miles ahead of me on that.

Anyway this is how I work now.

I have set buttons to give me rapid access to drive modes, focus areas, focus modes, iso, silent shooting, display changes, face detect. Was daunting to start with but now the fingers know where to go. I am constantly switching focus modes, iso and drive modes.

Commercially I am almost always tethered. I shoot manual focus mostly with focus assist enabled. Clothing catalogues with models, and I do months of that stuff, I now shoot auto focus with face detect, so much easier than two years ago with the 80MP leaf. That thing was an absolute bastard to focus. The Sony’s nail it and yes the models are moving, walking into shot and so on. Makes life so much easier. I still check but I might miss 2 or three frames in a thousand.

I turn off the lcd shooting products. I use it exclusively shooting models. With the 6300 a battery lasts all day. I figure it must be charging while I’m shooting.

Personal photography I use the full automatic functionality that I am able to use. Street photography I often set limits for ISO and set it to auto while using manual exposure picking the settings that suit me. I am OK with the menus. I guess I must have memorized a lot of where stuff goes. It made little sense to start with. I don’t use live effect with auto focus, it cripples it, no problem with manual focus of course.

To be honest I never wanted to be a photographer but after a stint working in Europe and Florida I returned home as my chosen career working in photo labs ceased to exist and all I knew was photography. Cameras rarely excite me apart from a few notable exceptions such as my first Linhoff Super Technica, Kodak DCS560, Canon 1DS ii and my first SLR a Minolta SRT101. The Sony’s I am in love with. A bit eccentric, slightly challenging, sometimes frustrating but always fun. Actually I guess I could be talking about my girlfriend.
Logged
Commercial photography is 10% inspiration and 90% moving furniture around.
Pages: [1]   Go Up