Setting up Sony A7iii

After Unboxing your Sony A7iii

Setting up Sony A7iii, set up guide Sony A7iii

For many new purchasers of the Sony A7iii, this may be their first Sony camera or their first full frame camera.   The $2000 price point makes the camera accessible to professionals as well as enthusiast amateurs.  It’s feature set makes it a wonderful all-purpose camera for everything from portraits to travel to landscapes to sports to video.

You’ve now unboxed your Sony A7iiii (and there are plenty of unboxing videos), you’ve put in the battery and turned it on…..   And if you’re a newcomer to Sony or to Sony full frame, you may be a bit overwhelmed.

Setting up the Sony A7iii

Get out of Auto!!!

Maybe you’re already well versed in the exposure triangle, adjusting aperture, etc.   If you’re not, you are wasting your new camera’s potential if you are just relying on full auto modes.   The Sony A7iii is a powerhouse but to unlock its full power you need to be able to get into the settings.

Eye AF

Eye-AF is one of the most powerful features you will find in the Sony A7iii and it is one of the advantages Sony has over Nikon and Canon.  If you aren’t using it, it is like owning a convertible but never taking the top down.

Learn about Eye-AF and how to set it up here.

Customized Settings/Buttons/Menus

One major negative of Sony cameras, the menu system is awful.  You may become frustrated looking for various features.   The good news is that the camera is extremely customizable.   After spending a bit of time customizing it to your needs, it becomes a much more efficient tool.

My discussion of back button AF and my custom button settings can be found here.

UPDATE 5/16/2018:   One annoyance of the Sony system is that while the EVF previews exposure normally, the exposure preview ceases when you use a flash.  I shoot often with off-camera flash.  I end up turning off the flash, in order to best judge the exposure, set it manually, and then turn back on the flash.   With the flash (or trigger) on, you just get a bright viewfinder, no ability to judge the ambient exposure.  Photographer Robert Hall found a great workaround, explained in this video.  I now set by AEL button to “Shot Result Preview.”   This allows me to get an instant preview of the ambient light exposure even with flash, without having to turn off and on the flash.   When using a flash or trigger for off-camera flash, I try to have the background just a bit darker than my subject.  So I can use this setting to judge my background and ambient light, knowing my flash will properly illuminate my subject.

Why do I use the AEL button?  I had been using the button for APS-C mode, essentially automatically giving me a 1.5 crop (or digital zoom).  But the placement of the button led to it getting pushed accidentally at times.  Then I’d be shooting in crop mode without even realizing it.   No harm if the “Shot Result Preview” button gets pressed accidentally.

I highly recommend setting up an “Instant Reaction Button,” a powerful customization feature.  Learn about it here.  

And fine tune your white balance settings here, with priority WB.  

Set up FN Menu and MyMenu

For years, Sony cameras have had a FN menu allowing for quick access to certain functions.   What you include in the FN menu will largely depend on whether you are primarily shooting video or stills.   I’m primarily a stills shooter, this is my FN menu:

Sony A7iii/A7riii FN menu
Sony A7iii FN menu

ISO Auto Min SS allows you to set a minimum shutter speed threshold when using Aperture priority mode or program mode

  • Self timer during bracket:  I take tripod landscape HDR shots.  Self timer allows me to take a hands free bracket
  • Center lock-on AF:  As noted below, I don’t usually use it.  But here it is for easy access
  • Face Priority:  I almost always leave it on.  But if I’m taking a landscape shot and faces are getting in the way, I need to be able to turn it off quickly
  • Silent shooting:  In most cases, you are better off leaving this off.  But it comes in handy sometimes.
  • Pixel shift:  ***Only for those with the Sony A7riii
  • Flash mode:  Self explanatory for when using an external flash.
  • Flash compensation:   Quickly adjust the power of the flash
  • File Format:  I’m typically Raw + JPEG to different cards
  • Creative style:  Really just for jpeg shooting
  • SteadyShot:  You should turn this off if you are using a tripod.  Leave it on the rest of the time
  • Shoot Mode:  Yes, you can change it with the mode dial.  But if you are in a movie mode, then you need another way to change to aperture priority, shutter priority, etc.

In the current generation of full frame cameras, Sony has also added “MyMenu.”   This is a great place to keep some menu items that you may use irregularly but you don’t want to hunt for them when you need them.

For example, I usually shoot in compressed RAW to reduce file size.  There is very little difference in quality between compression and uncompressed RAW while there is a big file size difference.  Still, there are times (especially night landscapes, star scapes, etc), where RAW compression can reduce the quality of the image file.  Accordingly, I have the file compression within MyMenu, so I can find it quickly when I need it.

My MyMenus:

Sony A7iii mymenu
Sony A7iii Mymeny
Sony A7iiii mymenu

File Format and Raw file type:  Switch to uncompressed raw when warranted

  • Bracket settings: Bracket order and whether to use self timer
  • ISO Auto Min (see above, duplicated here)
  • Wireless flash:  If you are using off camera flash
  • Creative Style and Picture style:  For jpegs
  • Anti flicker shooting:  Detects the flicker of artificial light to time the shot to avoid some types of banding
  • S&Q settings:  Movie settings for slow motion or fast motion (time lapse movies)
  • e Front Curtain:  Typically kept on, but reportedly can cause issues in some situations with high shutter speed, so present in case I want to turn it off.
  • Finder Frame Rate (Sony A7riii only, not A7iii):  Kept on high to fast refresh of the EVF.
  • Airplane mode:  Turns off all networking
  • Format:  Format memory cards
  • Loc Link Set:  The camera does not have a GPS but can link to your phone GPS to import location data
  • Lens compensation:  Turns on and off automatic lens corrections, primarily for jpegs.  It is unclear whether it affects RAW files.
  • Live view display: Setting effect.  When it is on, the aperture stops down to always preview your depth of field.  At times, this could give less light for autofocus.  So when focusing in low light, I like the ability to turn this off.

While these are my custom settings, you should set up your settings based on your own needs.  If you utilize video extensively, you will probably have very different needs than me.  

Set Up Networking

Download the Sony Play Memories App on your phone and go through the set up on your camera.  This will allow for easy downloading of jpeg files to your phone and also allow for a bluetooth connection that can import GPS data into your files.

Sony A7iii networking

Set up the Touch Screen

The capability of the Sony A7iii touch screen is somewhat limited.  When turned on, it can be set as a touch screen, touch pad, or both.

As a touch screen, it is only active when using the LCD.  You can assign the focus point with touch.  It is not used with the EVF.

With touch pad, you can use with your eye to the viewfinder, to drag the focus point across the screen.  It essentially duplicates the thumb stick but with use of the touch screen.  I find this redundant and also runs the risk of accidentally moving the AF point with your face against the screen.

Set up your Autofocus

I’ve been meaning to write an entire blog post on the Sony AF system.  If you are coming to the Sony A7iii from Canon or Nikon, you may want to completely re-think how you set up autofocus.

I shot with the Nikon D750 for 3+ years.  Most of my photography was landscape and posed portraits.  For these uses, I mostly used AF-S mode, and the classic “focus and recompose” method.

With your Sony A7iii, you have focus points covering 90% of the frame:  You should never have to focus and re-compose.   Therefore, it makes sense to keep the camera in AF-C almost all of the time.  (AF-S can still add a bit more precision and can work better in very low light).

These two photographs came from a recent session.  With a traditional dSLR, I would have used AF-S, focused on the face/eye and then recomposed.  With the Sony system, I just use eye-AF or a flexible spot over the eye.  My entire workflow is faster, more efficient and easier.

For most of your shooting, use AF-C and Flexible Spot small, along with eye-AF when appropriate.  This gives you the greatest amount of control in the easiest fashion.   When using flexible spot with eye-AF, in frames where there are multiple faces, you can use the flexible spot to determine which face the camera will use for location of the eye.

Generally Avoid Lock-On AF:

When you use lock-on AF, the camera will attempt to identify the entire subject.   Unfortunately, sometimes the camera strays from the subject. Furthermore, even when the camera gets the right subject, it may not focus on the right part of the subject.  You have limited control over the ability to identify the part of the subject to place the focus.

Thus, I’d generally avoid lock-on AF.  Instead, use Flexible spot and expanded flexible spot, keeping your focus point over the subject yourself.  For unpredictable action, I sometimes find that “wide” actually works better than lock-on AF.

Accessorize!

Camera Strap:

The included neck straps are not the most ergonomic way to carry your camera.   There are much better straps that allow for much better distribution of the weight and more comfortable camera carrying.

Some recommended strap options:

Memory Cards:

This isn’t your first camera, you almost certainly already have compatible SD cards.  But this might be your first camera that is UHS-II compatible and your first camera with two card slots.

Only 1 slot is compatible, but if you want to maximize the speed of your camera, make sure to purchase at least 1 UHS-II card.  (At least 64gb)

Sony A7iii Flash Options

The Sony A7iii does not have a built-in flash.   Of course, you may have correctly realized that photos taken with pop-up flashes look absolutely horrible.  Maybe that was part of the reason you are upgrading to full frame:  To get better high ISO photos without flash.

 

But a flash used properly is still an essential tool.  There are two very affordable flashes that I can highly recommend:

 

I own both of these flashes.  I can even use them together wirelessly for great off camera lighting situations.  They are much cheaper than the Sony branded flashes but actually are more powerful with more features.

Tripod

The Sony A7iii is capable of fantastic landscapes with amazing dynamic range.  But if you want to maximize that dynamic range, you want to keep the ISO low.  If you’re shooting in the evening or night, you will need a tripod with reduced shutter speeds in order to get that low ISO.  Tripods are affordable tools that really open up this type of photography.

Read my article on how to use tripods for night landscapes.  

Tripods can be very cheap or run hundreds of dollars.  Balancing price, durability, portability and size, I’m a big fan of the Manfrotto BeFree Tripod.

Sony A7iii tripod The 2 second shutter speed for this image required a tripod

Lenses

If you own an interchangeable lens camera, then you should interchange the lenses!

If this is your first Sony full frame camera, you should avoid the temptation to run out and purchase 10 different lenses, which will never give you the chance to really learn and master any of them.  But at the same time,  you shouldn’t treat the camera like a convenient point and shoot.  Different lenses have different features and advantages.

Read my article on Zoom lenses vs Prime lenses

Some beginner kits are recommended here. 

Sticking to one lens exclusively with the Sony A7iii would be like subscribing to the most expensive cable television package but only watching a single channel all of the time.

Every full frame photographer should own at least one prime lens to maximize the low light capabilities and image quality of the camera.  It may not be a lens that you need to use all of the time, but there will be moments you will be glad you have it in the bag.  In terms of pure bang for buck, at a minimum, get yourself the Sony FE 50mm F/1.8.   (Review here)

You can read my article on how to expand your lens collection based on your needs here (What Lens Should I Buy?)

Learn Photography

I don’t care how experienced, every photographer can always learn more and continue to develop their skills.  There is no shortage of resources including free resources on the internet, books, classes.  If you are in the New York/Westchester area, feel free to contact me as I teach classes in the Spring and Fall.  While not an exhaustive list, some great resources:

Post Process

You should shoot RAW, at least some of the time.  The Sony A7iii does produce some very nice jpegs but optimal image quality requires processing images yourself.  Learn how to use Lightroom or another good raw processing software.   I prefer Lightroom as it is intuitive to use and very powerful when used in conjunction with Photoshop.  Lightroom and Photoshop are available as an affordable monthly package.

Now Go Enjoy Your Camera… Shoot Lots!

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