A7III-Custom-Settings 05-2020 PDF

& R
The Ultimate Guide Firmware 3.10
FREE
by
eBook
Mark Galer
Sony Ambassador
Community Support
Patreon
YouTube
Facebook
Flickr
Instagram
website
www.markgaler.com
Donation Page
Contents
Meet the Author Camera Controls Focus Mode & Focus Area
Why customise your camera? Fn Menu Image Review
Learning Support Finder & Monitor Network Settings
Did I make the right choice? Touch Operation Making Movies
• Key Features SteadyShot Interval Shooting
• Full Frame Advantage
Multi-interface shoe Other Notable Features
• Sensor Design
• Sensor Stabilization Control Wheel & Custom Buttons Masterclass Movies
• Card Slot & Battery ISO eBooks
• DMF
High ISO Useful Sony Accessories
• Multi-Selector
• Eye-AF in Continuous Autofocus (AF-C) Drive Mode What’s in Mark’s Bag
• 4K Movies Captured using the Full Frame Memories Lens Recommendations
• Large Buffer for Shooting Action Portraiture Mark’s Custom Settings
• Fast Reliable Autofocus in Continuous AF Action
Firmware Updates
Landscape
Mirrorless Advantages Street Supporting Website
Astro Movie Link Index
Index
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 owns an

extensive range of Sony mirrorless cameras.
Mark Galer
4-Minute Profile Movie Sony Digital Imaging Ambassador
Why customise your A7III or A7RIII camera?
The Sony A7III and A7RIII are technically
advanced cameras that are 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 maximise your creative potential.
After extensive shooting with the Sony A7 and

A9 cameras 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.
If you would like to become a Patron you can R

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
Note > This movie is targeted
to you if you previously owned
a Canon camera. It is a way of
bringing you up to speed with
your new Alpha camera to
help in the migration process.
Play Now
www.youtube.com/c/AlphaCreativeSkills
A7RIII & A7III Playlist
Note > This book is supported

by a comprehensive Playlist of
movies specifically created for
the A7III and A7RIII cameras.
Play Now
www.youtube.com/c/AlphaCreativeSkills YouTube Paid Membership

Did I make the right choice?

Key Features
I consider these 10 features to be the ones that have
made the A7III and A7RIII cameras so successful for
Sony. Competing cameras are often lucky to have
half of these features.
1. Backlit Illuminated Full-Frame Sensor

2. Stabilized Sensor
3. Dual Card Slot
4. Extended Battery Life 10/10
5. Direct Manual Focus (DMF)
6. Multi-selector/Joystick
7. Eye AF in Continuous AF (AF-C) The A7III and A7RIII cameras have a number
of features that are both incredibly useful, but
8. 4K Movies captured using the Full Frame
also serve to set them apart from competing
9. Large Buffer for Shooting Sports cameras. The following pages will outline
10. Fast reliable AF in Continuous AF some of these key features.

A7A is the most popular independent reviewer and
voted the A7RIII as the product of the year in 2017 and
the A7III as the product of the year in 2018.
dpreview.com awarded the A7III its top prize for 2018

Full-Frame Advantage
Sony’s Full-Frame Mirrorless cameras were
launched in 2013 and big jumps in performance
have been achieved with each subsequent model.
The body has been redesigned for each
subsequent model release - first to accomodate
Sensor Stabilization and then again to accomodate
the larger Z-series battery and dual card slots.
The main advantages in performance have been to

the Autofocus and 4K movie capability. In the
R
following slides, however, we will look at the
performance advantages that photographers enjoy
for having chosen a camera with a Full-Frame
sensor rather than an APS-C or Micro Four-Thirds
sensor (often referred to as crop sensors).

Full Frame Versus Crop Sensor
www.camerasize.com
The Full Frame Sony A7III and A7RIII cameras are 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.
Full Frame
Figure/Ground
Separation
The size of the sensor in
a Full Frame camera
(when compared to crop
sensor formats) enables
the photographer to
separate the subject
from the background
more easily using
differential focussing or
FE 85 F/1.4 GM ‘shallow depth-of-field’.
Beautiful Bokeh
FE 100 F/2.8 STF GM

FE 85 F/1.4 GM
FE 85 F/1.8
A great lens that is
recommended for
photographers on a
tight budget
Sensor Design
Sony uses back-illuminated sensors (BIS) in the
A7III and A7RIII cameras. This modern sensor
design has added significant improvements to both
Image Quality and speed of data traffic to the CPU
or Bionz X processor.

Full Frame BIS
Conventional structure Back-illuminated structure
Gapless OCL Gapless OCL
Aluminum wiring layer Photodiode substrate
Copper wiring layer

Light receiving
surface Photodiode substrate
The advanced sensor design in the

A7III and A7RIII cameras leads to
significant advantages in terms of
image quality when compared to
cameras using conventional sensors.
A broad dynamic range enables the
camera to record rich detail in bright
Full Frame BIS Dynamic Range

highlights and dark shadows without
having to bracket exposures.
The quality of the recorded shadows
can be made lighter in camera
(when shooting JPEGs) by using a
feature called DRO (Dynamic Range
Optimizer) or in Post Production by
Full Frame BIS Dynamic Range

raising the Shadows slider when
shooting in the Raw file format.
ISO 5,000
High ISO Performance

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.
See the SteadyShot chapter

1/5 second @ f/11 (16mm)
You can select these slower apertures
in Manual Exposure Mode or Aperture
Priority and set the ISO Auto Min SS
setting to ‘Slower’.
FE 16-35 F/2.8 GM
1/5 second at f/11
Card Slot & Battery
The two cards may look the same, but it is worth
noting that Slot 1 is the lower of the two slots and is
also the fastest (by a long shot). You can set up how
you would like to manage the images and movies
being saved to these two slots by going to ‘Rec.
Media Settings’ in ‘Setup6’ (the Toolbox icon in the
Menus). If you choose ‘Simult.’ (simultaneous) instead
of ‘Standard’ you will effectively be working to the
limitations of the slower slot. As I often shoot Sports I
have mine set to ‘Slot 1 > Standard > Auto Switch
R
Media On’. A wedding photographer who needs
insurance against a card failure will choose Simult.

Z-series battery
NPFZ100
Batteries can be charged
in the camera but Sony’s
BC-QZ1 battery charger
means that you can
charge two batteries at
the same time (one in the
camera and the second in
the charger).
Dual SD Card Slots

Lower Slot is UHS-II (SDXC-II)*
*recommended if you shoot action sports

DMF
Focus Mode
DMF
Manual Focus Override + Magnified Live View

Override Focus to Here
DMF If Camera Focuses Here
Focus Assist + DMF

Recall Custom hold 1
Note > Consdider trying Animal Eye AF before resorting to DMF

If Eye-AF isn’t being your
friend, DMF is your next
best friend when you are
working at close range with
a wide aperture prime lens.
Play Now
Alternatively use AF-S or AF-C
and move a Flexible Spot AF
area to the desired focus point
using the Multi-selector.
The Multi-Selector has a
number of functions other
than moving the Focus
Point - discover what they
are in this movie
Play Now
Eye-AF
Eye-AF in Continuous AF
for when your subject won’t stay still

Eye-AF
Evolved Eye-AF in AF-C.
Accessed via a Firmware
Upgrade in April 2019. A
custom button will no longer
have to be held down to
activate Eye-AF in AF-C.
Animal
Eye-AF
Animal Eye-AF
Introduced with version
3.00 Firmware upgrade
in April 2019

Full Frame 4K Movie Capture
This is a still image taken from a full-frame
4K movie at high ISO. If you intend to take
stills from movies you may want to use a
9 Full Frame 4K Movie Capture

faster frame rate such as 50 or 60fps and
increase the shutter speed to 1/100 second.
Full Frame 4K Movie Capture
This is a still image taken from a full-frame
movie (not Super 35). The shallow depth of
field achieved from using a wide aperture
may require the use of an ND filter when
the ambient light is bright and the shutter
speed is slow (1/100 sec or less).
Large Buffer for Raw Images
The camera ‘buffer’ stores recently captured
images before writing them to the memory
card. A large buffer enables the camera to
shoot at high frame rates for extended periods
of time. The cowboy is dismounting from the
horse after he has successfully stayed on for 8
seconds. The camera was able to carry on
taking photos at 8 frames per second for an
additional 3 seconds to capture this image.
Fast & Reliable Continuous AF
Sony currently
makes the most
reliable Continuous
AF tracking of any
Mirrorless camera

Mirrorless Advantages
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.

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.

EVF ‘Live View’ Advantages
Live View provides a WYSIWYG view*

*Live depth-of-field and exposure preview
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.

Focus Here
Magnify View
Check Focus Here
This movie demonstrates how to find
the hyperlocal distance without using a
calculator when on location.
YouTube Paid Membership

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 :-)
Play Now
Live View: Exposure

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

The GOAL of…
The goal of adjusting the
Absolute Black
Absolute White
exposure, before you take an
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.

Live Exposure
Press the Display button until
you see the Histogram on the
monitor or in the Finder.

Exposure Review
When reviewing your images
you can press the Display
button a number of times until
you see the histogram view.

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
WYSIWYG
whatyouseeiswhatyouget
Exposure
Compensation
…if it doesn’t look right in the Finder then, odds on, it isn’t right
Scene with Dominant Dark Tones

Scene with Dominant Light Tones
Shadows Lightened Further in Post

Expose for the Highlights
Process for the Shadows
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
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
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 Lowe 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
Expose for the Highlights
Process for the Shadows
Watch the
Video Tutorial
Play Now
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

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
Note > This movie was made
using an A7RII but the
principles are the same for all
Sony Alpha E-Mount
cameras. Live View Display
is currently found on page 7
of the Camera Settings2 tab
Play Now
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.
Play Now
Camera Controls
This is an overview of the main dials and
buttons - where we get to take creative
control of the camera. If you have no interest
in these you may as well just leave the
camera in Auto - but given you have
downloaded this eBook I am guessing you
are a control freak and won’t be dictated to
by a lump of metal, silicon and glass. If the R
pages all seems a bit mundane and obvious
I would invite you to click on the multi-
selector movie - I bet there are a few things
about this joystick you didn’t know about :-)

Note > This movie is targeted
to you if you previously owned
a Canon camera. It is a way of
bringing you up to speed with
your new Alpha camera to
help in the migration process.
Play Now
Navigating Menus
To customise the settings of the

camera press the ‘Menu’ button (1) and
navigate the menus using the ‘Control
Wheel’ (2) or Multi-selector (3). Press
1
the ‘Center button’ (4) to select an
option and press the Menu button to
cancel or move back to the main menu.
3
The camera can be customised by

using the first two tabs and the last tab 2
of the Menus. These are: 4
Camera Settings1
Camera Settings2
Setup
Front Dial
White
Balance
…until you override it for something else
Rear Dial
Diopter Adjustment Dial

Movie button Multi-selector
Movies can also be started Move the focus point or
using the shutter release navigate menus - press to
button if the option is confirm a selection
selected in the Main menu.
If you are fussy about the Control wheel
quality of your movies you
will need to set up the Movie Scroll through menu items or
settings in the Menus (see move focus area
the Making Movies section).
Center button
Select menu items to modify
or confirm commands

… because there are
more things at play
than meets the eye!
Play Now
AEL button
Auto Exposure Lock - this is also a
Custom button and most people I
know have set it to do something
else, e.g., Eye-AF or Recall Custom
hold. Note that the button also serves
AF button to Zoom out in Review mode.
AF-ON Button can be setup for
Back-Button AF if ‘AF with Shutter’
is disabled in the Menu. Note that Fn Button
the button also serves to Zoom in Function button to access Fn or
when you are reviewing an image. ‘Quick’ menu. At least half of the
items in the Fn menu probably
don’t need to be there, but that is
Playback button OK - we can change them.
Review captured images/movies
C4 / Delete button
It is only a trash/delete button in
Playback mode so don’t get
Back to Contents Page paranoid about pressing it OK.
Vertical Menus
When a Fn option is selected with
a press of the Multi-selector, or a
Sub-menu (rear dial)
Custom Key, the main menus will
run vertically rather than
horizontally and the submenus
can still be accessed using the
Rear dial.
Submenus
After navigating to a menu using the
Front dial the submenus can then
be accessed using the Rear dial.

Fn Menu
The Fn or Function menu allows the user to
access and modify their 12 most-used camera
settings for quick control - 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 R
press the Fn button, navigate to the menu item
with the multi-selector and then use the front and
rear dials to change the setting.

Fn Key
Access and modify your 12 most used
camera settings for quick control - these
can be customised by going to Page 8 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

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 front and rear dials to
make changes to that setting.

Function (Fn) Menu: Stills
Fn Menu Upper1 Upper2 Upper3 Upper4 Upper5 Upper6
Upper Silent Shooting Live View Display Subject Detection Face/Eye Priority in AF Metering Mode Audio Signals
Lower Lower1 Lower2 Lower3 Lower4 Lower5 Lower6

APS-C Shoot Interval Shooting Touch Operation SteadyShot Prioritize Rec. Media Shoot Mode

Navigate Fn Menu
In the standard view of the Fn
menu you can access and modify
your 12 most used camera
Function (Fn) Menu settings for quick control by
navigating to the Fn item using
the Multi-selector. When the item
is highlighted you do NOT need
to press to select.

Use the Front Dial
to navigate the
main options on
the Fn menu you
have navigated to
Fn Heads-Up Display As viewed in EVF (Finder)
Front Dial Front Dial
This adjustment is called ISO Auto

Minimum Shutter Speed - As I shoot in
Aperture Priority most of the time I tend to
adjust this setting every time I encounter
a new subject.
Rear Dial Rear Dial
Note > Not all options above the line
have sub-options below the line.
Rear Dial
Navigation
Use the Rear Dial to navigate any
sub-menu options.
ISO Auto Min SS

ISO Auto Minimum Shutter Speed
cannot be switched Off. Standard is
the default position. Modified
settings only take effect if you have
selected ISO Auto and you are using
Aperture Priority or Program modes.

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
submenus can still be accessed
using the Rear dial.

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
R
Monitor. These modifications have zero effect
on Raw images being captured.

Electronic
ViewFinder / EVF Eye Sensor (keep clean - otherwise
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).

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

For Viewfinder
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.

Icons on the
Shooting Screen
A full breakdown of the icons that
can appear on the shooting
screen can be found by clicking
on the link below:
Shooting Icons
I wish the icon above would

appear in the Histogram view as it
would warn me that I am still
shooting in APS-C Mode!

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.

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.

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.

Aperture Preview &
Shot. Result Preview
For photographers who shoot
frequently using Flash it may be
worth assigning two Display
options to the C1 and AF-On
keys. These are Aperture Preview
and Shot Result preview and are
extremely useful when Live View
Display is switched Off.

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

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).

Aperture Preview
By Pressing the C1 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.

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.

RMT-P1BT
Bluetooth Remote
Aperture Preview
It is possible to use the C1 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.

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

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
In Sony’s Remote application
it is possible to monitor your
subject using a ‘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

Watch the
Video Tutorial
Play Now
Touch Operation
The touch screen function on the A7III and
A7RIII is used for assisting in Autofocus
operations. 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. It
is worth spending a little time understanding
these controls so that you can optimise the
operation for your own workflows.
R

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.

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.

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.

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.

Watch the
Video Tutorial
Play Now
SteadyShot
The A7III and RIII cameras feature 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.

R
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.

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

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

5-Axis In-Body When a lens has SteadyShot (OSS)
Image Stabilisation and it is switched on the two
SteadyShot mechanisms will work
IBIS together as a team to reduce the

risks of camera shake when slow
shutter speeds are being used
(slower than the reciprocal rule).
The lens looks after Yaw and Pitch

while the sensor looks after X & Y
and Roll.
Yaw & Pitch X&Y Roll

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

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.

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

SteadyShot for extremely low light
1/125 is a more realistic
setting for wildlife that is still
800 mm: 1/125 Second at F/11, ISO 5000

1/800 Second at ISO 3,200
or 1/125 Second at ISO 500
Subject is Motionless
124 mm: 2/5 Second at F/11, ISO 100
Tripod
SteadyShot does not eliminate the
need to use tripods when you want
to extend the shutter speed in order
to smooth water
SteadyShot no longer needs to be

turned off when shooting long
exposures with Sony lenses (with
the camera mounted on a tripod).
?
35 mm: 1/13 Second at F/7.1, ISO 100
Creative use of Slow Shutter Speeds

There are no benefits provided by
SteadyShot when the shutter
speeds are very fast. There are even
some negatives to leaving it on if
you intend to pan the camera.
No benefits when camera is static & shutter speeds are fast

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 SteadShot 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.
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
3
1
2
Play Now
Multi-interface Shoe
This may sound like a fancy word for what
most people call a ‘Hot-shoe’ but Sony’s
Multi-interface shoe does more than just
trigger a flash. I think I can count 21 little pins
at the leading edge of the shoe - this is all
about improving communication with a range
of compatible devices.
Sony flashes cannot compete on price with

the Chinese brands (did I really need to tell
R
your that) but the one thing that can be said
for their flashes is they work - you will not find
forums full of questions about HSS, banding,
sync failures and misfires.

Multi Interface Shoe
The latest Sony Flashes end with the

letters ‘RM’ - these can communicate
with Sony’s commander without needing
to purchase a separate receiver.
Sony FA-WRC1M Sony HVL-F45RM

Wireless Radio Commander Wireless Radio Flash
This is the Microphone you will see me ECM-W1M

wearing when I am recording many of
my movies for my YouTube channel Wireless Microphone
Control Wheel &
Custom Buttons
Before the arrival of the Multi-selector on the
MK III cameras, it was the Control Wheel and
the Dials that were our main form of
interaction with the camera. Old habits,
however, are often hard to break so if you
have upgraded from a previous Sony Alpha
model you may need to start using the Multi-
selector when you are navigating through the
R
menus. It is faster to use, compared to the
Control Wheel, and can be used while your
eye is at the Finder.

Level Display
repeatedly cycles through
different levels of information
(including the Histogram and
the Level (shown here).

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

Display
Check or uncheck the
options you want to see
or not see when you press
the Display button

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
R
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.

ISO
Adjust Parameters • Auto
• 100-204,800
(if required)
Note > Upper limit of Auto ISO

can be modified if required.
ISO Auto Min. SS
is located in the ISO Setting menu.
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. I personally recommend
assigning ISO Auto Min. SS to the
Fn menu or the C1 Custom Button.
ISO AUTO Min. SS

Setting the ISO Auto Minimum
shutter speed to 1/2000
second will freeze fast moving
action as it moves towards the
camera.

Freeze
ISO AUTO Min. SS
Adjusting the ISO Auto Min.
SS to a slow shutter speed
can be used to blur the
background behind your
subject when ‘panning’ the
camera or when you are
holding the camera very still
for a landscape shot in low
levels of ambient light. Select
either a specific shutter speed
or set the ISO Auto Min. SS to
Slow or Slower.

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

Blur
Aperture closed to f/8 (A7RIII) or f/11 (A7III) & ISO Auto Min. SS set to 1/250 Second
I have often described this as
my favourite custom setting -
I use it so often I have set the
C1 key to access it.
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.
Play Now
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
R
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.

+ 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
Lightroom Classic
This 2-hour post processing
masterclass looks at the powerful tools
we can use to develop our images
using Lightroom Classic. 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
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
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
R
options allow you to take multiple shots using
different exposures and merge these
exposures using post-production software.

Single Shooting
The Single Shooting Drive Mode
can be accessed by pressing the
left Side of the Control Wheel or
from the Fn menu (if you have not
modified the default Fn settings).
In Single Shooting Mode one
press of the shutter release will
take one image.
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.

Hi
for panning
Continuous Shooting (Drive Mode) - Continuous AF (Focus Mode)
To ensure you are
capturing the maximum
frames per second in the
Hi and Hi+ drive modes,
make sure you have the
e-Front Curtain switched
to On and the priority Set
in AF-C set to Release.
The camera will slow
down when the buffer is
full, so choose a fast
UHS-II memory card so
the buffer clears quickly.
Continuous Drive Mode Tips
1. Silent Shooting Off for fast action

2. Priority in AF-C: Release for
maximum frames per second
3. e-Front Curtain Shutter On for max. fps
Hi+
Use Hi+ when the camera is not
panning and when you want the
camera to capture the
maximum frames per second
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.
Bracket Type
Perhaps the most useful of the BRK
options is ‘BRK C 1.0EV5’, the
camera will take a series of images in
1-stop increments. This is a way of
ensuring you either have the optimum
exposure in a single frame or allow
you to create a High Dynamic Range
(HDR) image using post production
software.

BRK Selftimer
Setting the ‘Selftimer during
Bracket’ to 2 Seconds enables you
to take a series of images 2 seconds
after pressing the shutter release.
This will ensure the images captured
are free from vibration and are
perfectly aligned if using a tripod.

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
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.

Memory Recall
Note > The A7III has two Memory Recall options while
the A7RIII has three (plus a lock button in the center of
the dial). 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.

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

Memory Settings
Portrait Action Landscape
Single Head & Shoulder Freeze / Pan with Blur Wide-Angle : Hand-Held
Movie Link https://youtu.be/zPpelMC75lw https://youtu.be/ZNloKXpUOWA https://youtu.be/cdP2YcSBbL8
File Type RAW Compressed RAW Compressed RAW Uncompressed

Shoot Mode Aperture Priority Aperture Priority Aperture Priority
Aperture (Starting) f/4 (or wider) f/4 to freeze or f/8 to blur b/ground (panning) f/11
ISO AUTO AUTO AUTO
ISO Auto Min SS Fast 1/2000 to freeze or 1/250 to blur b/ground Slower
Shutter Speed N/A N/A N/A
Drive Mode Continuous Shooting (Lo) Continuous Shooting (Hi) Single Shooting
Focus Mode Continuous AF Continuous AF DMF
Focus Area Expand Flexible Spot or Zone Wide Expand Flexible Spot
Focal Length 85mm 100-400mm 16-35
Face Detect ON ON N/A
MF Assist ON N/A ON
Metering Mode Multi Multi Multi
SteadyShot ON OFF or Mode II ON
White Balance AUTO (or set to lighting) AUTO (or set to lighting) AUTO
You are not limited to
just 2 or 3 memory
settings - you can save 4
more to a memory card!
Play Now
A7III & A7RIII Watch the
Video Tutorial
Play Now
Portrait Memory Settings
Shoot Mode Aperture Priority
Aperture (Starting) f/4 (or wider)
ISO AUTO
ISO Auto Min SS Fast
Shutter Speed N/A
Drive Mode Continuous Shooting (Lo)
Focus Mode Continuous AF (AF-C)
Focus Area Zone or Expand Flexible Spot
Lens Choice 55-135 mm
Face Priority in AF ON
MF Assist ON
Metering Mode Multi + Face Priority in Multi Metering On
White Balance AUTO (or set to lighting)
Note: For Multiple Subjects or Group Shots start by stopping

the aperture down to f/8 and zooming out to a focal length of
between 24-50 mm.
Sony A7RIII + FE 55 F/1.8
Drummer Boy by Mark Galer
Sony A7III with Batis 2.8/135
1/640 sec at f/2.8, ISO 320
Teagan by Mark Galer
Sony A7RIII and FE 1.8/135mm GM
1/160 second at f/1.8, ISO 1000
See why I chose the
settings that I did…
Play Now
To reliably shoot subjects that move
it is important to consider the
following basic settings:
Focus Mode: Continuous AF (AF-C)

Shutter Speed: Fast to freeze or
slower to create movement blur (this
requires accurate panning of the
camera to keep the subject relatively
sharp). For sports consider using a
shutter speed of 1/1000 second or
faster if the subject is moving
towards the camera.
See Focus Mode & Focus Area for more info
1066 by Mark Galer

Sony A7III with FE 100-400 GM
1/1000 second at f/5.6, ISO 100
SteadyShot On or Off?
Switch SteadyShot OFF in the

camera, if not available on the
lens, when panning the camera
Action Memory Settings
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)
start with Wide
Focus Area Lock-on AF: 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/4.5 or wider
ON (for single subjects)
Face/Eye Priority in AF OFF (for multiple subjects or when
people will appear behind primary subject)
Sony A7RIII with FE 100-400 GM

Back to Contents Page 1/2000 sec at f/6.3, ISO 800
Choose a fast shutter speed to ‘freeze’
Barking Owl by Mark Galer action coming towards the camera.
Sony A7RIII with FE 400 F2.8 GM
1/2000 sec at f/2.8, ISO 2500 See Focus Mode & Focus Area for more info

Choose a slower shutter speed to
create movement blur behind your
subject when panning the camera
1/320 second at f/8, ISO 100
Note > Do not use apertures smaller than f/8 (A7RIII) or f/11 (A7III) when using PDAF to track focus
Sony A7III Back to Contents Page
1/4000 second at f/2.8, ISO 500
Triathlon by Mark Galer
Sony A7III with Batis 2.8/135mm
1/4000 sec at f/2.8, ISO 160 Back to Contents Page
Australian MotoGP by Mark Galer
Sony A7RIII with FE 400 F/2.8 GM + 1.4 TC
If you wanted to see what the future
had in store for your favourite A7
camera, then you probably need to
look no further than the sensor
design of the A9 & A9II.
The shape of things to come?
Welcome to the α9 Time Machine

Read all about why I voted this the best Imaging Technology from 2017

Takaaki Nakagami by Mark Galer
Sony A9 with FE 400 F/2.8 GM
1/500 second at f/6.3, ISO 100

Landscape (hand-held) Settings
File Type RAW
Aperture (Starting) f/11
ISO AUTO
ISO Auto Min SS Slower
Shutter Speed N/A
Drive Mode Single Shooting
Focus Mode DMF
Focus Area Expand Flexible Spot
Lens Choice 16-35 mm for wide coverage
Face Detect N/A
MF Assist ON
Metering Mode Multi
White Balance Daylight
SteadyShot ON

Sony A7RIII + Batis 2/25mm
1/30 second at f/11, ISO 100 Hand-Held Settings
1/5 Second Hand-Held

1/5 Second Hand-Held
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 :-)
Play Now
Landscape (tripod) Settings
File Type RAW
ISO 100
ISO Auto Min SS N/A
Shutter Speed N/A
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
SteadyShot OFF

St. Kilda Pier by Mark Galer
Sony A7RIII with FE 12-24 F/4 GM Tripod Settings
30 seconds at f/11, ISO 100
NiSi S5 Filter kit with 150mm Filters

The Spirit Returns by Mark Galer
Sony A7RIII with FE 100-400 GM
If you love Graduated
filters and ND filters then
these settings are the
ones you’ll probably be
wanting to take a look at.
Play Now
With ‘Street Photography’ 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 is
shining (my preferred ambient
conditions for Street).
STREET 222 Back to Contents Page

Street Memory Settings
Shoot Mode Manual
ISO 400 (sunny) 1600 (cloudy)
ISO Auto Min SS N/A
Shutter Speed 1/400 second
Focus Mode Manual
Focus Area N/A
Focal Length Approximately 24 mm
Face Detect N/A
MF Assist N/A
Metering Mode Expose for the Weather
Back to Contents Page 223

If the exposure on a Sunny
day is the same in Paris as
it is in Melbourne, then why
are we metering to find the
correct Aperture, Shutter
Speed and ISO? Take a
look at this ‘Sunny 16' way
of making photos. P. S. I
didn’t invent it. I learnt it
when I was 16!
Play Now
Astro Photography Settings
Shoot Mode Manual
Aperture (Starting) f/2.8 or Wider
ISO Start with1600 at f/2.8*
Shutter Speed Approx. 25 Seconds at 16mm*
Drive Mode Self-timer: 5 Seconds
Focus Mode Manual with Focus Magnifier
Focal Length Approximately 16mm
C4 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 24mm you will need to shorten the shutter
speed to 20 seconds or less to avoid stars dragging.
Back to Contents Page Back to Contents Page
Astro
Bright Monitoring
The biggest challenge with Astro
Photography is to accurately focus
on the stars. Setting the focus to
infinity will result in blurry stars. In
order to frame the view you can use
the Bright Monitoring feature (the
monitor will appear black if you do
not implement this feature). To enable
Bright Monitoring you first have to
assign it to a Custom Button.

Astro
Bright Monitoring
Pressing the Custom Button you
have assigned to Bright
Monitoring greatly increases the
brightness of the view and will
allow you to frame your image.
Make sure your aperture is set to
the widest setting, your shutter
speed is set to 25 seconds and
your ISO is set to 1600 - these
are starting settings only. Once
you have taken one test image
you can modify the exposure
accordingly.
Note > Your monitor will appear

very bright in the dark, so make
sure you do not underexpose as a
result of this bright view.

Focus Magnifier
When you have composed your
shot using the Bright
Monitoring feature you are then
free to use Focus Magnifier to
zoom the preview on the
Monitor so that you can
accurately focus. Move the
Magnified area to the brightest
star in the night sky. You will
find the best focus just a little
back from infinity (as strange as
this may sound).

Astro
Focus Magnifier
Pressing the Down Button brings
up the area that will be magnified
(if the Initial Focus Mag. area is
set to x 1.0 in the Focus Assist
menu). Use the Control Wheel to
move this box over the brightest
star in the sky and then press the
Center button to magnify the
view. Pressing the Center button
a second time will Magnify the
view even further. Move the
Focus ring on the lens until the
star appears as a pinpoint of
light. Press the Center Button a
third time to exit Focus Magnifier.

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
R
chooses, then it not longer appears to be
rocket science. You can master this skill - I
have confidence in you :-)

Focus Mode
Typically found in the Fn menu
and assigned to the C3 Key
Function (Fn) Menu • AF-C* : For Moving subjects
• AF-A : Automatic AF
• AF-S : For Static subjects
• DMF: Direct Manual Focus
• Manual Focus
*Note > AF-C (Continuous AF) is

referred to as ‘AI servo’ by Canon

DMF (Direct Manual Focus) is a powerful
Focus feature on Mirrorless cameras (as
outlined in the ‘Key Features’ section). To use
DMF you must first half-press press the
shutter release of press the AF-ON button and
then turn the focus ring on the lens. If You
have switched Focus Assist on in the Menus
(page 13 of the first Camera Setup tab) 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
FE 100-400 GM
or DMF at closest focusing distance

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.

Macro
DMF
DMF is especially useful
focus mode for Macro work
Custom Key
C3 is assigned to Focus Mode
by default. If you want to assign
it to a different custom key go
to the Custom Key menu on
page 8 (Custom Operation1).

Focus Area
Choosing AF-C and an appropriate Focus Area are

critical for success when subjects are moving.
The C2 Button is often used to gain fast access to
the Focus Area as it is one of the most frequently
changed settings for many photographers.
Quick Change
Change settings quickly
using the Front and rear
Front dial dials. Top row adjustments
Rear dial via Front Dial 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.

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
submenus can still be
accessed using the Rear dial.
If the Lock-on AF options are

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

Focus Area
Auto Selection AF* = Wide
*Auto Selection is terminology
Front dial used by Canon that refers to the
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
Marc Marques MotoGP World Champion Back to Contents Page

The A7III 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.

Zone
The Focus Area has been
changed to Zone before the
shooting sequence starts.
Excluding foreground
obstacles from the Focus
Area (the brown horse near
the centre of the frame)
ensures success. The subject ZONE
that is close and centre in the
Focus area is now selected
for tracking.
ZONE
Zone
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
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
SPOT
centre in the Focus area is
selected for tracking.
SPOT
Spot
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
changed to Lock-on AF
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.
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. If you
need Eye AF to be activated when the eye is not close
to the AF Area you can either press a custom key
assigned to Eye AF or move the focus area closer to
the face.
Eye AF can be your best
friend when working with
wide apertures. Make sure
you fully understand how to
keep Eye AF on your good
side by learning the
subtleties of this feature.
Play Now
https://www.youtube.com/c/AlphaCreativeSkills
Beware of using Face/
Eye Priority in AF
switched to ON with a
Zone or Wide AF Area
and multiple subjects.
Eye-AF or Face Priority
can cause the focus to
jump to a nearby face
when the face of your
primary subject is
momentarily obscured.
Using a Custom key
assigned to Eye AF with
Face Eye Priority turned
off may offer the best
workflow for team sports.
Face/Eye Prty in AF
To ensure you have quick
access to enable and disable
the Face/Eye Priority it is
recommended that you assign
both the Face/Eye Priority and
Subject Detection options to
the Fn menu.

Face/Eye Prty in AF
The Subject Detection allows
you to quickly switch between
Animal and Human subjects.
Highlight the Subject Detection
option in the Fn menu using
the Multi-Selector tool (joystick)
and then use the Front Dial to
switch subjects.

Animal Eye/AF & fast-moving subjects
I have found that Animal Eye-AF activates

intermittently, depending on the animal
and the ambient lighting. Although not
perfect, it is good not to have to rely solely
on putting a flexible spot on the eye of a
moving target. I am sure this feature will
become more reliable over time. If your
subject is moving rapidly towards the
camera at close range I would
recommend stopping down to f/8 as
Animal Eye-AF focus can occasionally be
a little behind the eyes (tested using the
A7RIII camera).
Note: You cannot use the Lock-On AF

Focus Areas when using Animal Eye AF
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).
FE 100-400 GM
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
Focus Point Link
When using Spot Metering
rather than Multi (Evaluative
Metering) you can link the
metering point to the Spot AF
point. This can present a useful
workflow for photographers at
concerts. It is perhaps the only
time I don’t use Multi Metering or
Manual Exposure.

I wont lie - this movie is
not short. But it is
everything you wanted to
know about focus - and
then a little bit more. One
of my best rated movies
on YouTube!
Play Now
Back Button Focus
A back button autofocus
workflow (BBAF) requires the
Autofocus with Shutter to be
switched off in the menu. The
shutter will now only release the
shutter and play no part in focus.
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.
Back Button Focus Setup
1 2
C3
3 AF-C Continuous AF
If you are NOT using a Back Button
AF workflow it is easy to stop the
focus in its tracks by holding either
the Focus Hold Button on the lens or
by switching the AF/MF button to MF
Easily Lock Focus & Switch between AF l l MF

Play Now
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
R
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.

Playback
you can specify which memory
card or ‘Media’ you are
accessing by going to the
Playback3 Menu. Unfortunately
this menu item cannot be
placed in the Fn menu or the
MyMenu feature so it is one the
very few menu items left that
takes time to navigate to.

Image Review
to change the level of
information you see with the
image. Use the Front Dial or
press the Left or Right side of
the Control Wheel to move
forwards or backwards through
your images.

Exposure Review
you see the histogram view.
This allows you to assess if the
exposure used to capture the
image was appropriate.

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.

Date Review
Press the AEL button to Zoom
out to the Grid View that is
organised by date of capture.
Use the Front Dial or 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.

Calendar Review
Press the AEL 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).

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).

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.

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.

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.

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 R
the GPS location information from your phone
to the images being captured by your camera.
When professional photographers are out on

location they often need to get their images
back to the picture editor as quickly as
possible. The A9 cameras can achieve this by
sending the images via FTP transfer directly
from the camera.
Imaging Edge Support:

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 C4 key.

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.

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 mist be
switched On but it is not possible to
use the Location Info Link service if
you have the Bluetooth Remote
Control switched on.

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

1 Go to FTP Transfer Func.
FTP Transfer
2 Select FTP Server 1 3 Enter a Display name for FTP1 4 Select Destination Settings
5 Enter Host Name & Directory 6 Select User Info Settings 7 Select your FTP Server
.xxx.xx
8 Go to Playback Custom Key 9 Assign a key to FTP Transfer 10 Review an image.

Press your Custom Key to start
the transfer.
Flash (Sony HVL RM Units)
With the Version 3.10 Firmware update Sony
added support for its HVL-F45RM and HVL-
F60RM flash units so that photographers
could 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 to
be switched off to prevent banding and this,
in turn, leads to a slight delay in the flash
firing. Sometimes the maximum sync speed
of the camera (1/250 second) has to be
lowered to 1/160 second when High Speed
Sync (HSS) is not being used. Sometimes the
user may run into focusing issues if the flash
they are using has no LED focus assist light.

External Flash Set.
To control your HVL-F45RM or HVL-
F60RM 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’.

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 1/250 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 the ‘CMD Flash
Firing’ option. Set Ratio values for up to
three individual or groups of flashes.

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-right side 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
R
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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Recommended
AutoFocus Settings
I recommend setting the Focus Mode
to ‘Continuous AF’ (AF-C) and the
Focus Area to ‘Wide’. I then
recommend turning the Touch
Operation to On. When touching a
subject on the Monitor it will result in
changing the focus from Wide and
AF-C to Spot Focus (disabling the
AF-C) and locking the focus on your
stationary subject. Pressing the
Center button or the cancel icon will
revert to AF-C and the Wide Focus
Area. The Lock-on AF Areas are not
available when shooting movies. To
track a moving subject across the
frame (without moving the focus
area) switch Center Lock-on AF to
ON. Add this option to the Fn menu
or program a custom key for quick
access to this feature.

This isn’t everything you
need to know about
recording pro quality
movies but it will set you
on the right path :-)
Play Now
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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

Picture Profiles Blog Post
Personally I wouldn’t even

dream about using a
Picture profile when
shooting movies until you
have read this blog post.
www.markgaler.com/using-picture-profiles-sony-alpha-cameras
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.
R
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.

Interval Shooting
The A7II and A7RII were the last
A7 series cameras that used the
‘PlayMemories Apps’. These Apps
could be purchased from Sony to
add specialised functions to the
camera. One of the most useful of
these was the TimeLapse App.
Sony have added this functionality
(via the version 3.00 firmware
upgrade) and is now called the
'Interval Shooting Function’.

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.
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

Playback
As well as the Interval Time Func.
settings we also have new 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.
Other Notable Features
When is Manual Exposure Mode not
Manual? Why have I relegated Exposure
Metering to ‘Other Notables’? Why would
you want to switch SteadyShot off when
you just upgraded to camera that has it?
What is all the fuss about the first curtain
shutter - will you join the ‘I must turn it off
for better bokeh’ club or will you just leave
it on - the way Sony thought was best for
you? Can you solve the mystery of the
disappearing Bulb setting? The answers
R
to all of these questions await you in the
pages that follow.

When manual is still auto?
This is not a custom setting but is a feature that can easily be overlooked
if you are new to professional Sony cameras.
Manual Mode on the A7III and A7RIII can

be used in conjunction with Auto ISO.
This means that the optimum shutter

speed and aperture is set by the
photographer and the ISO is adjusted
automatically by the camera, so that an
average auto-exposure is achieved. Use
the Exposure compensation dial to
increase or decrease the exposure. I
prefer to use ISO Auto Min SS in
conjunction with Aperture Priority in
preference to Manual with Auto ISO.

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

Silent Shooting
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
Drive shooting long exposures using the
Bulb setting. You may also
encounters banding problems
when shooting with certain lighting
systems.

e-Front Curtain Shut.
This may need to be turned to Off
when working with non-Sony
lenses at wide apertures and very
high shutter speeds. You may
hear some photographers telling
you to switch it off. Unless you
encounter a problem with uneven
exposure (when using a non-Sony
lens with a very fast shutter
speed) or banding (when using
flash) you are recommended to
leave it on.

The e-front Curtain shutter
reduces the lag between
pressing the shutter and the
camera taking an image. It
results in a quieter shutter
sound and removes the risk of
vibration ruining your slow
shutter speed images. It does,
however, change the look of the
bokeh and can cause issues
with adapted lenses. Find out
more by watching the movie.

Bulb
Bulb is selected when
the shutter speed passes
30 seconds
It can only be selected

if the Drive Mode is set
to Single Shooting and
Silent Shooting is OFF

Play Now
Mode
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 :-)

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.

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.

Sony has been at the forefront of imaging
innovation in the interchangeable lens camera
market since 2010 (with this introduction of their
SLT and Mirrorless cameras). The camera
releases in 2020 and beyond will, however, send
a strong signal to the industry as to whether they
intend to continue to release revolutionary new
products or slowly evolve /fine-tune exisiting
technologies. In this speculative discussion Mark
takes a look at possible new cameras Sony
camera will release in 2020 and beyond.
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.

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.

eBooks
If you have enjoyed this eBook and would
like to download additional eBooks just
head over to my website and take a look
at what is on offer.

Useful Sony Accessories
I don’t leave home without any of these products.
You may be able to find cheaper non-Sony items
but I would be wary of batteries and cards -
unless you know they are the genuine article. In
fact even if they are branded as being Sony I
would still advise buying from a reputable dealer
that is not selling look-alike clones.
R

Some accessories for your A7III or A7RIII
camera that you may like to consider is a
spare battery or two (NP-FZ100) and a
dedicated battery charger. Batteries can be
charged in the camera but Sony’s BC-QZ1 is
recommended.
As the megapixel count of both cameras is

generous it is worth considering moving up
to a larger class 10 SD XC card (95 MB/s)
for Slot 2 and a fast SD XC II card for Slot 1.
For photographers working with the camera

on a tripod, Sony’s RM-VPR1 remote release
is a perfect companion.
For photographers with larger hands or
working with heavier lenses Sony’s Grip
Extension (GPX 1EM) may be the perfect
solution to improve ergonomics.
344
RMT-P1BT
Bluetooth Remote
C1 (+AF-On) Options
Note > Zoom requires
TOGGLE OPTIONS PowerZoom (PZ) Lenses and
APS-C S35/Full Frame Select Focus requires the camera is
AF/MF Control Toggle first set to Manual Focus (MF).
AEL Toggle
AEL Toggle (Spot Metering)
Flash Exposure Lock Toggle
Focus Magnifier
Finder / Monitor Select
Live View Display Select
Touch Operation Select
Bright Monitoring
HOLD OPTIONS
Aperture Preview (when Live View is Off)
Shot Result Preview (when Live View is On)
RMT-P1BT
Bluetooth Remote
Hold for 7 Seconds

Get a Grip
For those who would like a bigger grip
extension
Grip Extension
A7III, A7RIII, A9
GPX1EM

If I had the time to record
this again I would stress that
Sony isn’t the only company
that make attachments to
make the grip more
comfortable for larger hands
- and yes I am aware that
Chinese companies can
make everything cheaper.
The main reason I made this
movie was to show that it
takes just 3 seconds to clear
this grip out of the way when
changing the battery.

Lens Adapters
Sony’s LA-EA4 and LA-EA3 lens
adapters will allow you to mount any
Sony A-Mount lens onto your E-Mount
camera. This effectively expands the
range of lenses that you can use with
your camera.If the A-Mount lens has a
focus motor in the lens choose the LA-
EA3 adapter for optimum AF
performance.
Lens adapters for other makes of lenses
are also available to use with the E-
Mount cameras such as Metabones and
Sigma’s MC-11 adapter.

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
R
gear, and what type of gear, I tend to
select for extended photographic trip.

The ‘Two-Bag’ solution for
traveling light
Bag 2: Travel Essentials
Bag 1: Camera Gear*

*Tripod is Packed in ‘Checked Luggage’
A7RIII
Primes
inc. battery & cards 674 g
Sony FE 20 F1.8 G 426 g
Sony FE 35 F1.8 326 g
Sony FE 55 F1.8 ZA 348 g
Sony FE 85 F1.8 436 g
Subtotal: 2.2 KG
Accessories + Bag 2000 g
Leofoto LS-223C Tripod 740 g
iPad Pro + Keyboard 740 g
Total: 5.7 KG
Zooms
A7RIII 674 g
inc. battery & cards
Sony FE 12-24 G 630 g

Sony FE 24-105 G 740 g
Sony FE 100-400 GM 1648 g
Sony FE 85 F1.8 prime 436 g
Subtotal: 4.1 KG
Accessories + Bag 2000 g
+ iPad Pro & Keyboard 740 g
Total: 6.7 KG
www.MarkGaler.com
Carbon Fibre Tripod and Monopod
[Pro]Master 525C Gaffa

Tape Jobi Strap
Charger
HVL-F45RM
FE
16-35 GM LaCie
External Rain Filter Pouch
Drive Cover
Peak
Design
Straps
ND Filter
SensorKlear II ND 64 &
FE Charger ND 200
85 f/1.8 Lead
Sony
Body
A9
+ Lens
Caps
Grip
Extension Lens Caps
Remote Release
Battery
Sony A7RIII
1.4 x Tele
Rocket
Converter
Blower
FE 100-400 GM
Peak Design
FE 24-105 G
Capture (clip)
Manfrotto & Allen Keys
Evo www.MarkGaler.com
www.MarkGaler.com
www.MarkGaler.com
International Driving Licence
+ Passport + Medical Insurance Liquids in Travel Case
Gaffa
Water Bottle
Tape
SD Card Reader
Batteries & Travel Case
USB Plugs
iPad Pro Camera

512 GB with keyboard USB Charger Battery
& Leads Travel Twin
Ear Adapter Adapter
Plugs
Pen for Immigration Cards Beanie Down Jacket
Mosquito
Repellant
64 GB
SD Cards
Spare Glasses
1 2 3 4 Cleaning Cloth
Fingerless
Gloves
5 6 7 8 Noise Cancelling Headphones

& Flight Adapter
Sleep Mask
Card Wallet & Small Items Compact Umbrella
1 Spare Multiport Covers 2 Band Aids 3 Spare Eye Cover 4 64 GB USB-3 5 Kwells & Immodium 6 Panadol 7 Glasses Strap 8 Calotherm Cloth
RX100
www.MarkGaler.com
A laptop bag must be
small enough to fit under
the seat in front of you
when travelling on a plane
Brixton Ona

www.MarkGaler.com
You may have noticed that I
sometimes use an iPad Pro
rather than a laptop computer to
help save on weight (nearly a
1KG or 2 pounds saving). If you
want to read how I use a
Lightroom CC workflow when I
am travelling then you can read
about it here.
Brixton Ona

www.MarkGaler.com
What’s in Mark’s Bag - full equipment overview
Brixton Ona

www.MarkGaler.com
Lens Recommendations
The advantage of purchasing an ILC (Interchangeable Lens Camera)
over a fixed-lens camera is you can optimise performance and
extend the creative possibilities by attaching specialist lenses. Sony’s
decision to work with one mount (E-Mount) for both their APS-C and
Full Frame Mirrorless cameras means that you have an extensive
range of lenses to choose from. In most instances I recommend
using Full Frame (FE) lenses over APS-C (E) lenses unless you are
recording movies in Super 35 mode or are happy to capture 18
megapixel images when using an A7RIII camera.
Mark’s Recommendations (Movie)
My favourite E-Mount lenses are:
• FE 12-24 F/4 G (Ultra Wide-Angle Zoom)
•
•
•
FE 16-35 F/2.8 GM (Wide-Angle Zoom)
FE 24-105 F/4 G (Standard Zoom)
FE 70-200 F/4 G (Telephoto Zoom)
R
• FE 100-400 GM (Telephoto Zoom) + 1.4x Teleconverter
• FE 200-600 G (Telephoto Zoom)
• FE 20 f/1.8 G
• FE 24 F/1.4 GM (Wide-Angle Prime)
• FE 35 F/2.8 ZA (Wide-Angle Prime)
• FE 55 F/1.8 ZA (Standard Prime)
• FE 85 F/1.8 (Short Telephoto Prime)
• FE 85 F/1.4 GM (Wide Aperture Prime)
• FE 100 F/2.8 STF GM (Smooth Trans Focus lens)
• FE 135 F/1.8 GM (Telephoto Prime)
Sony A7RIII with FE 12-24 F/4 GM
152 seconds at f/11, ISO 100
Bulb Mode Lens Review
NiSi S5 Filter kit with 150mm Filters
FE 12-24 F/4 G
FE 16-35 F/2.8 GM
FE 16-35 F/2.8 GM
Grand Tetons by Mark Galer
Sony A7RIII with FE 24-105mm F4 G
1/50 sec at f/16, ISO 100
My ‘table-top' tripods spend more time on the ground.

FE 24-105 F4 G
Lens Review
FE 70-200 F/4 G
Lens Review
FE 70-200 F/4 G
FE 100-400 GM
Lens Review
Lens Review FE 100-400 GM
FE 200-600 G Lens Review
Lens Review
FE 200-600 G
FE 24 F/1.4 GM
FE 35 F/2.8 ZA
FE 55 F/1.8 ZA
Lens Review
FE 85 F/1.8
A great lens that is
recommended for
photographers on a
tight budget
Lens Review
FE 85 F/1.4 GM
Lens Review
FE 85 F/1.4 GM
FE 100 F/2.8 STF GM
FE 135 F/1.8 GM
Lens Review
SONY JAPAN
FE 135 F/1.8 GM
Lens Review
FE 135 F/1.8 GM
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. Click on the Movie link (below each title on the
following slide) to see why I have chosen my settings. 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 priority that
can occasionally lead to underexposure in low ambient light and
overexposure when trying to capture movement but behind your
subject. It also ensures that the smallest pastures that prevent
focus tracking 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.
Front Dial
It is possible to modify/optimise most of the settings,
with the camera at your eye, by using the Custom
keys, Front & Rear dials, Fn Menu, Multiselector +
Exposure Compensation & Shoot Mode dials.
C1: ISO Auto Min SS

C2: Focus Area
Shoot Mode Dial
Exposure
Rear Comp Dial
Dial
C3: Focus Mode

Fn Menu &
Recall Custom Hold 1 & 2 Multiselector
Custom Keys (Stills)
C1 ISO Auto Min. SS

C2 Focus Area
C3 Focus Mode
C4 Bright Monitoring
Down Button Focus Magnifier
AEL Button Recall Custom Hold 1
AF-On Button Recall Custom Hold 2
Focus Hold Button Eye AF
Multi-Slc Focus Standard
Center Button Not Set
Custom Keys (Movies)
C1 Zoom
C2 Creative Style
C3 APS-C S35 / Full Frame Select
C4 Focus Magnifier
Down Button White Balance
AEL Button Audio Record Level
AF-On Button Zebra Display Level
Focus Hold Button Eye AF
Multi-Slc Focus Standard
Center Button Not Set
Function (Fn) Menu
Fn Menu Upper1 Upper2 Upper3 Upper4 Upper5 Upper6
Upper Silent Shooting Live View Display Subject Detection Face/Eye Priority in AF Audio Signals Metering Mode
Lower Lower1 Lower2 Lower3 Lower4 Lower5 Lower6

APS-C Shoot: Manual Center Lock-on AF Touch Operation SteadyShot Prioritize Rec. Media Shoot Mode

3
2
Modifying an Fn setting
1 If I need to quickly modify my
settings from the Fn menu I
first press the Fn key (1), then
navigate to the menu using
the Multiselector (2) and then
turn the front or rear dial. This
can all be completed while
using the finder.
Memory Recall
Memory Recall
PAL: Portrait (1) Action (2) Landscape (3)

Memory Settings
Portrait Action Landscape
Single Head & Shoulder Freeze / Pan with Blur Wide-Angle : Hand-Held
Movie Link https://youtu.be/zPpelMC75lw https://youtu.be/ZNloKXpUOWA https://youtu.be/cdP2YcSBbL8
File Type RAW Compressed RAW Compressed RAW Uncompressed

Shoot Mode Aperture Priority Aperture Priority Aperture Priority
Aperture (Starting) f/4 (or wider) f/4 to freeze or f/8 to blur b/ground (panning) f/11
ISO AUTO AUTO AUTO
ISO Auto Min SS Fast 1/2000 to freeze or 1/250 to blur b/ground Slower
Shutter Speed N/A N/A N/A
Drive Mode Single Shooting Continuous Shooting Hi Single Shooting
Focus Mode Continuous AF Continuous AF DMF
Focus Area Expand Flexible Spot or Zone Wide Expand Flexible Spot
Focal Length 85mm 100-400mm 16-35
Face Detect ON ON N/A
MF Assist ON N/A ON
Metering Mode Multi Multi Multi
SteadyShot ON OFF or Mode II ON
White Balance AUTO (or set to lighting) AUTO (or set to lighting) AUTO
M1, M2 and M3 Memory Settings
Landscape Street Movie
Wide Angle with Tripod ‘Sunny 16’ hand-held
Movie Link https://youtu.be/JQkS5fcXv6g https://youtu.be/XVcoGkYkfAw https://youtu.be/4NfqnTxpTOY
File Type RAW Uncompressed RAW Uncompressed XAVC S 4K - 25P100M

Shoot Mode Manual Manual Shutter Priority (or Manual)
Aperture (Starting) f/11 f/16 N/A
ISO 100 400 AUTO
ISO Auto Min SS N/A N/A N/A
Shutter Speed N/A 1/400sec 1/50 Second
Drive Mode Self-timer: 2 Sec Single Shooting N/A
Focus Mode Manual Manual Continuous AF
Focus Area N/A N/A Wide
Focal Length 12-24mm 35mm N/A
Face Detect N/A N/A ON
MF Assist OFF N/A ON
Metering Mode Expose to the right Expose for the weather Multi
SteadyShot OFF ON ON
White Balance AUTO Daylight Daylight (or set to lighting)
Reg Cust Shoot Set
Recall Custom Hold 1 Recall Custom Hold 2 Recall Custom Hold 3
Shoot Mode uncheck Shutter Priority Manual Mode

Aperture uncheck uncheck f/8
Shutter Speed uncheck 1/320sec 1/250sec
Drive Mode uncheck Single Shooting Single Shooting
Exposure Comp. uncheck uncheck uncheck
ISO uncheck uncheck Auto
Metering Mode uncheck uncheck uncheck
Focus Mode DMF Continuous AF Continuous AF
Focus Area Wide Center AF Wide
AF On On On On
Recall Custom Hold 1
DMF
WIDE
AF On
1/2000 Second
Drive: Continuous
Focus: Continuous
1/320sec
Single Shooting
Recall Custom Hold

1/320sec
Single Shooting
Recall Custom Hold

Release
Aperture Priority +
ISO Auto Min SS
1/2000 Second
Continuous Shooting
AF Mode: AF-C
Play Now
GENERAL- Page 1 STUDIO - Page 2 MOVIES - Page 3 ACTION - Page 4
Finder
Monitor Brightness Live View Display Audio Rec Level R

Frame Rate
Viewfinder Quality PC Remote Function Peaking Setting Touch Panel Pad
Format Wireless Flash Zebra Setting Touch Pad Settings
Cleaning Mode External Flash Set. Touch Operation Priority Set in AF-C
Anti-Flickr
AF Tracking
Custom Key R Zoom
Shoot. Sensitivity
Pixel Shift
Ctrl w/ Smartphone R Zoom Setting Function Ring (Lens)

Multi Shoot.
My Menu R
By using a combination of
Memories and Registered
camera settings, in conjunction
with the Custom Keys and Fn
menu, it should be possible to
avoid going into the main
menus, except for formatting
the memory card.
By adopting my PAL workflow

(Portrait, Action, Landscape)
you may find that you greatly
reduce the number of images
you miss because of
inappropriate or hastily chosen
camera settings.

Firmware Updates
The menu options of the Alpha 7 cameras have
seen many new features with the Version 3 and 3.1
firmware updates. It is highly recommended to
update your firmware to access these features if you
are running the version 2.00 firmware or earlier.

2
1
Before Updating Firmware Please Read:
https://briansmith.com/guide-to-sony-camera-firmware-updates/
IMPORTANT: Make a record of your previous Memory, Recall Custom Hold

Settings, Fn Menu and My Menu items before updating your Firmware.
Mac Users Please Note:

If you are running Mac OS 10.13 (High Sierra) or later you must first click on
UpdateSettingTool and follow the prompts to run it. UpdateSettingTool replaces the Mac
OS 10.13 Driver Loader from earlier firmware versions.
Did you ever wonder if you made
the right choice in choosing your
A7III or A7RIII camera?
Watch me NOW

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
R
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

www.markgaler.com
eBooks
If you have enjoyed this eBook and would
like to download additional eBooks just
head over to my website and take a look
at what is on offer.

Learning

Reviews
Use the Categories feature
to Filter for Reviews

Announcements
Use the Categories feature to
Filter for Announcements

Flickr Albums of Ultra HD Images
44 Support Movies Movie Index
Patreon Membership
Action Settings Fn Menu Picture Profiles

AF Area Registration ISO Pixel Shift Multi Shooting
APS-C/Super 35 ISO Auto Min. SS Portrait Settings
Back-button AF Landscape (Tripod) Power Save
Bulb Landscape (Hand-Held) Recall Custom Hold
Center Lock-on AF Lenses (Mark’s Remote (Bluetooth)
Colour Management (Science) recommendations)Live View Setting Effect
Commander (Radio Flash) Display Slow Focus in Low Light
DMF Lock Operation Parts Sports Settings
e-Front Curtain Shutter Memory Street Settings
Eye-AF Memory Mastermind SteadyShot
Finder & Monitor Metering Modes Switch V/H AF Area
Focus Area Movie Settings White Balance
Focus Peaking Multi-Selector Zebra
Flash - Sony HVL Radio RM One Mount

Alpha Creative Skills
Alpha Creative Skills
Index Patreon Membership
Accessories
Exmor
Movie Mode
Action Memory Settings

Animal Eye AF
Exposure Review
Multi Selector
Aperture Preview
Face/Eye Priority in AF
Network Settings
Audio Level
Finder
NTSC
Audio Recording
Fn Key
PAL
Astro Settings
Fn Menu
PASM
Battery
Focus Area
Playback
Bluetooth Remote
Focus Magnifier
Portrait Settings
Bluetooth Settings
Focus Mode
Picture Profiles
Bracket Settings
Focus Peaking
Rate
Bright Monitoring
Focus Point Link
Registering a Memory Setting
Bulb
Grip Extension
S&Q
Camera Controls
HDR
Saved Settings
Calendar Review
ISO
Send to Smartphone
Center Lock-on AF
ISO (High ISO)
Setting Effect
Clear Image Zoom

ISO Auto Min. SS
Shot Result Preview
Control with Smartphone

Jump
Silent Shooting
Control Wheel
Imaging Edge
Spot AF
Creative Style
Image Review
Stabilisation (SteadyShot)
Custom Buttons
Interval Shooting
SteadyShot
Database Error
Landscape Settings
Street Settings
Display
Live View
Touch Operation
Display as Group
Live View Display
Touch Pad
DMF
Memory Cards
White Balance
D-Range Optimizer
Metering Modes
Wind Noise Reduction
Drive Mode
Memory Settings
Zebra
E-Front Curtain Shutter

MF Assist
Zone
Eye-AF
Monitor
Community Support
Patreon
YouTube
Facebook
Flickr
Instagram
website
Donate
Please Donate to support content
creation for the Sony Alpha community
thank you

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 and receive
feedback on your photographs. In this way I
can become your personal Sony Alpha
Consultant for just a few dollars per month.
Mark Galer
Membership
& R
Custom Setup Support
Firmware 3.10
FREE
eBook
by Mark Galer Sony Ambassador

A7III-Custom-Settings 05-2020 PDF

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

A7III-Custom-Settings 05-2020 PDF

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

& R

The Ultimate Guide Firmware 3.10

Mark is using his wealth of experience as both a photographer

Mark owned the original Alpha 100 and currently owns an

After extensive shooting with the Sony A7 and

Note > The settings outlined in this guide are

Back to Contents Page

If you would like to become a Patron you can R

Note > This book is supported

www.youtube.com/c/AlphaCreativeSkills YouTube Paid Membership

Back to Contents Page

Back to Contents Page

1. Backlit Illuminated Full-Frame Sensor

Back to Contents Page

dpreview.com awarded the A7III its top prize for 2018

The main advantages in performance have been to

Back to Contents Page

FE 100 F/2.8 STF GM

Back to Contents Page

Gapless OCL Gapless OCL

Aluminum wiring layer Photodiode substrate

Copper wiring layer

The advanced sensor design in the

Full Frame BIS Dynamic Range

Full Frame BIS Dynamic Range

Back to Contents Page

Back to Contents Page

Back to Contents Page

Dual SD Card Slots

Back to Contents Page

Back to Contents Page

DMF If Camera Focuses Here

Focus Assist + DMF

Note > Consdider trying Animal Eye AF before resorting to DMF

Back to Contents Page

Back to Contents Page

9 Full Frame 4K Movie Capture

Back to Contents Page

Back to Contents Page

The Sensor provides a live

Back to Contents Page

Live View provides a WYSIWYG view*

Back to Contents Page

YouTube Paid Membership

Back to Contents Page

M: Manual with Auto ISO

This allows you to ‘fine tune’ the Auto Exposure

Back to Contents Page

Back to Contents Page

Back to Contents Page

Back to Contents Page

Overexposed Exposure Compensated

Exposure compensation is required to render a black swan black

Back to Contents Page

Back to Contents Page

The Live Histogram in the Finder and on the

The Zebra feature can act as a warning

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

Back to Contents Page

Back to Contents Page

To customise the settings of the

The camera can be customised by

Diopter Adjustment Dial