The way someone sets up their camera is a very individual thing
Personally, the way the camera is setup in the diagrams wouldn’t suit the way I shoot. I would also never expect anyone to setup their camera exactly like I do
That’s one of the strengths of the Sony bodies though. The customization options to suit your style of photography are nearly limitless!
Although it may not be the advice you’re looking for. My advice would be to try different things and see what works best for you
robert614 wrote:
The way someone sets up their camera is a very individual thing
Personally, the way the camera is setup in the diagrams wouldn’t suit the way I shoot. I would also never expect anyone to setup their camera exactly like I do
That’s one of the strengths of the Sony bodies though. The customization options to suit your style of photography are nearly limitless!
Although it may not be the advice you’re looking for. My advice would be to try different things and see what works best for you
What do you shoot and how do you set up your camera?
I looked at Duncan’s settings and realized there were some things I could use that improved the workflow to some extent. The diagram is the result of the iteration
I suspect there are still improvements that can be made but I’m not sure what they are yet
aCuria wrote:
What do you shoot and how do you set up your camera?
I looked at Duncan’s settings and realized there were some things I could use that improved the workflow to some extent. The diagram is the result of the iteration
I suspect there are still improvements that can be made but I’m not sure what they are yet
I don’t have my camera in front of me, but I’ll try to post some of my settings later
I photograph a wide variety of things. Family, airshows, motorsports, etc
My settings are pretty standard. Aperture, shutter speed, exposure compensation on the top three dials. With ISO on the rear wheel. C1 and C2 are focus mode and subject detection selection.
I use both AF on the shutter and AF-On button. AEL I usually setup at a specific Shutter speed + AF-On depending on what I’m photographing. Slowish shutter speed for prop planes. Higher SS for motorsports. In case something dramatic happens in front of me.
In playback, I have the rear wheel and surrounding buttons set so I can chimp with my eye to the viewfinder.
Play button - review images
Fn button - zoom to focus point
Rear wheel - zoom in and out
Trash can - double click to delete
AEL - protect image
I can go on but I won bore everyone. Nothing special. Pretty standard stuff
robert614 wrote:
I photograph a wide variety of things. Family, airshows, motorsports, etc
My settings are pretty standard. Aperture, shutter speed, exposure compensation on the top three dials. With ISO on the rear wheel. C1 and C2 are focus mode and subject detection selection.
I use both AF on the shutter and AF-On button. AEL I usually setup at a specific Shutter speed + AF-On depending on what I’m photographing. Slowish shutter speed for prop planes. Higher SS for motorsports. In case something dramatic happens in front of me.
In playback, I have the rear wheel and surrounding buttons set so I can chimp with my eye to the viewfinder.
Play button - review images
Fn button - zoom to focus point
Rear wheel - zoom in and out
Trash can - double click to delete
AEL - protect image
I can go on but I won bore everyone. Nothing special. Pretty standard stuff ...Show more →
Hmm you have a custom button setup as your “fast” shutter speed
I have it reversed, my “fast” shutter speed is manually set as the “current” shutter speed, and custom buttons hold the “slow shutter speed” + AF on.
My thinking was that the fast shutter speed changes depending on subject (kids = 1/500, birds = 1/8000) while the slow shutter is more fixed. I have one slow shutter that’s just “iso=base iso” and the second is “iso auto min SS = faster”
That said, the fast shutter speed is also quite fixed… I suppose the 2 extremes can be fixed (birds = 1/8000++) + (iso = base iso) and the “center” shutter speed should be manually set.
I don’t think the camera can actually be setup this way though
aCuria wrote:
Hmm you have a custom button setup as your “fast” shutter speed
I have it reversed, my “fast” shutter speed is manually set as the “current” shutter speed, and custom buttons hold the “slow shutter speed” + AF on.
My thinking was that the fast shutter speed changes depending on subject (kids = 1/500, birds = 1/8000) while the slow shutter is more fixed. I have one slow shutter that’s just “iso=base iso” and the second is “iso auto min SS = faster”
That said, the fast shutter speed is also quite fixed… I suppose the 2 extremes can be fixed (birds = 1/8000++) + (iso = base iso) and the “center” shutter speed should be manually set.
I don’t think the camera can actually be setup this way though ...Show more →
I often tweak my setup depending on what I’m photographing. I use that particular configuration for motorsports. Where I’m usually at a slowish shutter speeds the majority of the time
That way, I can maintain some blur in the wheels. But sometimes a driver can go off the track or crash in front of you. In those moments, I use the high shutter speed to get the shot. Because you’re more likely to get a bunch of soft shots with a slow shutter speed
I’m don’t photograph wildlife often, but your setup makes perfect sense for that. I believe many of the guys on the forum setup up their camera similarly
As I said before, it’s great to see how other people set up their cameras. You may even get a few ideas. But ultimately, it’s very personal and highly dependent on what you’re photographing
robert614 wrote:
I often tweak my setup depending on what I’m photographing. I use that particular configuration for motorsports. Where I’m usually at a slowish shutter speeds the majority of the time
That way, I can maintain some blur in the wheels. But sometimes a driver can go off the track or crash in front of you. In those moments, I use the high shutter speed to get the shot. Because you’re more likely to get a bunch of soft shots with a slow shutter speed
I’m don’t photograph wildlife often, but your setup makes perfect sense for that. I believe many of the guys on the forum setup up their camera similarly
As I said before, it’s great to see how other people set up their cameras. You may even get a few ideas. But ultimately, it’s very personal and highly dependent on what you’re photographing ...Show more →
Yes, you are exactly right that the settings ultimately depend on the subject.
Sometimes seeing other people’s settings can lead me to improve my own, it’s actually very helpful.
Unfortunately this topic is not discussed much. Maybe the effort in transcribing the settings is too high
robert614 wrote:
In playback, I have the rear wheel and surrounding buttons set so I can chimp with my eye to the viewfinder.
Fn button - zoom to focus point
I have a similar playback configuration. Zoom to focus point is standard behaviour for the AF On button in playback, which I find easier to find/press with the camera at my eye.
I love how configurable these cameras are, except when I'm trying to help someone with their camera and I don't know how it's set up!
As others have said, it all depends on what you shoot and how you shoot, so it's difficult to recommend settings to someone else. I would just start off with the default settings then let it change organically as you see fit. That's what I've done and then tweaked things based on what I kept digging into the menus for to make things easier to access. Also, don't forget the Fn Menu which you can also customize.
