{"id":3666,"date":"2018-05-25T14:58:02","date_gmt":"2018-05-25T13:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jamiebrightmore.com\/?p=3666"},"modified":"2018-12-05T09:36:45","modified_gmt":"2018-12-05T09:36:45","slug":"sony-a7sii-settings-guide-useful-info-and-hacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jamiebrightmore.com\/filmmaking\/sony-a7sii-settings-guide-useful-info-and-hacks\/","title":{"rendered":"SONY A7Sii Settings Guide, Useful Info and Hacks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Quickly navigating the camera’s menu<\/h2>\n

The menu system on SONY A7 cameras can be somewhat awkward and fiddly to traverse, making it tricky to quickly find what you need. I wish SONY would redesign the UI. How about; adding some colour coding (ala Canon), better default groupings, and a customisable ‘Favourites’ tab you could shove right at the start for easy access. It could be so much better.<\/p>\n

Here’s a quick access chart showing the locations of useful settings:<\/p>\n

Nb<\/strong>. Menu location column: first number is the tabbed menu, second is the sub menu number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
SETTING<\/th>\nMENU LOCATION<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
File Format \/ Bitrate<\/td>\n1 : 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Zoom<\/td>\n1 : 6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Audio Recording ON\/OFF<\/td>\n1 : 8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
SteadyShot<\/td>\n1 : 8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Memory Recall \/\u00a0Memory<\/td>\n1 : 9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Finder (EVF) \/ Monitor toggle<\/td>\n2 : 3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Zoom Setting (Optical \/ ClearImage \/ Digital)<\/td>\n2 : 3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Function Menu Set<\/td>\n2 : 6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Custom Key Settings<\/td>\n2 : 6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Audio signals (beeps)<\/td>\n6 : 1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Power Save Start Time<\/td>\n6 : 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
NTSC \/ PAL<\/td>\n6 : 3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
HDMI Settings<\/td>\n6 : 3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Memory Recall setup<\/h2>\n

Setting up the memory recall functions is handy for run-and-gun situations. I have mine set to 4K and HFR respectively. To customise the mode dial [1, 2]:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Set your camera exactly how you’d like it, shutter seed, aperture, all settings, etc.<\/li>\n
  2. From the menu locate and click ‘Memory’ [1 : 9<\/strong>]<\/li>\n
  3. Choose either ‘1<\/strong>‘ or ‘2<\/strong>‘ and click the control wheel center button to save<\/li>\n
  4. Test the mode dial recalls your desired settings<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    You can also add x4 more presets, M1<\/strong>, M2<\/strong>, M3<\/strong>, M4<\/strong> using the same steps as above, but by selecting one of those at step 3<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    Nb<\/strong>. a quick way to access all the presets is to spin toggle<\/strong> the mode dial 1<\/strong> and 2<\/strong> which brings up the Memory Recall page. To access these, I also have the ‘Shoot Mode’ set in my custom Function Menu \u2013 but this way is far quicker.<\/p>\n

      \n
    • \n
      \"SONY
      Menu System<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n
    • \n
      \"SONY
      Mode Dials<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n
    • \n
      \"SONY
      Log Curves<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Record 4K with APS-C lenses (Digital Zoom ‘hack’)<\/h2>\n

      This is a really nice hack for shooting 4K using APS-C lenses:<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Set ‘File Format’ [menu 1 : 2<\/strong>]\u00a0to 4K<\/li>\n
      2. Switch ‘Zoom Setting’ [menu 2 : 3<\/strong>] to ‘On:ClearImage Zoom’<\/li>\n
      3. Set ‘Zoom’\u00a0[menu 1 : 6<\/strong>] to the desired amount using the rear dial<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        I use either x1.3 or x1.4. The later completely eliminates the vignetting. I also have the ‘Zoom’ function allocated to the C1 button for quick access. You can assign this in the ‘Custom Key Settings’ [menu 2 : 6<\/strong>].<\/p>\n

        The ClearZoom feature is great, I’ve not noticed any loss of image clarity.<\/p>\n

        Shutter speed for HFR<\/h2>\n

        Using a shutter speed of at least\u00a0250<\/strong>\u00a0will reduce the motion blur giving cleaner slow motion.<\/p>\n

        Exposing SLOG 2 \/ 3<\/h2>\n

        When shooting in strong light using a log profile, an ND<\/strong> filter is crucial. This is because the lowest ISO<\/strong> will be 1600 <\/strong>and the light will be uncontrollable without one.<\/p>\n

        Alternatively, you can use a profile which allows a lower ISO, like Cine4<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/strong>but this will sacrifice dynamic range.<\/p>\n

        When\u00a0measuring exposure with the A7Sii it’s best to keep your IRE levels above 40 to avoid noise in the shadows. A good method is to set custom Zebras\u00a0[menu 2 : 1<\/strong>] rather than using the histogram, which is not very accurate for exposing video. I have mine set to 107<\/strong> IRE and 40<\/strong> IRE, this way I can quickly find a good balance between high \/ mids \/ lows.<\/p>\n

        Tweaks for using the A7Sii with a gimbal<\/h2>\n

        Always turn off SteadyShot<\/strong> (in camera stabilisation) when using a gimbal. If you leave it on you can expect glitchy results.<\/p>\n

        If your setup requires more clearance near the gimbal’s tilt motor, you can physically remove the EVF eyepiece which should help.<\/p>\n

        Custom White Balance<\/h2>\n

        Firstly, you can only set a custom white balance in manual ‘M’ mode. Secondly, if you have a Picture Profile set the camera will throw an error, so you need to temporarily turn this off before setting a custom white balance.<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Set mode dial to ‘M’<\/li>\n
        2. Change ‘Picture Profile’ [menu 1 : 5<\/strong>] to ‘None’<\/li>\n
        3. Under White Balance\u00a0choose ‘Set’<\/li>\n
        4. Capture your grey card, etc. by clicking the control wheel center button<\/li>\n
        5. Choose a register slot\u00a0by clicking the control wheel center button again<\/li>\n
        6. Switch back to desired Picture Profile, PP7, etc.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Lastly, if you have Memory Recall set up (as described above), the only way to store a custom white balance is to do the steps above, then re-save the Memory position with the camera set to ‘M’ and your custom white balance register selected.<\/p>\n

          This is not only a ballache, but means you get stuck in ‘M’ mode. If anyone knows of a workaround please drop a comment below.<\/p>\n

          Conclusion<\/h2>\n

          Hopefully this is useful for anyone starting out, or maybe you already use an A7Sii and learnt something new or have more to add? Let me know down below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A useful settings guide for the SONY A7Sii including help with menu items, some tricks, and hacks.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3707,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[81],"tags":[130,383,391,390,392,389,200,388,261,262,10],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSONY A7Sii Settings Guide, Useful Info and Hacks - Jaybee Productions UK<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/jamiebrightmore.com\/filmmaking\/sony-a7sii-settings-guide-useful-info-and-hacks\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"SONY A7Sii Settings Guide, Useful Info and Hacks - Jaybee Productions UK\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A useful settings guide for the SONY A7Sii including help with menu items, some tricks, and hacks.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/jamiebrightmore.com\/filmmaking\/sony-a7sii-settings-guide-useful-info-and-hacks\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Jaybee Productions UK\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-05-25T13:58:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-12-05T09:36:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cdn.4muladesign.com\/clients\/jb\/assets\/uploads\/2018\/04\/sony-a7sii-hero.01.02.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1105\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"jaybee\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"jaybee\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/jamiebrightmore.com\/filmmaking\/sony-a7sii-settings-guide-useful-info-and-hacks\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/jamiebrightmore.com\/filmmaking\/sony-a7sii-settings-guide-useful-info-and-hacks\/\",\"name\":\"SONY A7Sii Settings Guide, Useful Info and Hacks - 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