Customised dial settings on Sony A7 III

[Antonio Correia]

At the moment I use dial positions 1 and 2 as "Defaults" for what I want in general. Nothing specific. Aperture priority, f/1.4 etc.
I can detail more if you are interested.

I noticed that when I change the parameters like for example, exposure compensation and / or f/5.6 and / or focus mode even if I switch off the camera, the settings are kept. Great.

The camera remembers my last changes until I rotate the dial to 2 and back to 1, which means I am again to my "default" settings whichever they are.

Did I explain myself correctly ?

[pschlute]

Did I explain myself correctly ?

I think so

USER settings like your 1/2 should ideally snap all settings back to those that were current when the setting 1/2 were saved. Your camera will also have a general memory setting menu where you should be able to tell the camera what to remember (ISO/exp comp/bracketing/WB etc) each time it is switched on. But the User specific 1/2 setting should override this.

[Antonio Correia]

Thank you Peter for commenting.
I love your shots of the dogs !
In the house we love logs. We do not have a dog now because we are already a bit old and the animal could/would survive us...

[pschlute]

In the house we love logs. We do not have a dog now because we are already a bit old and the animal could/would survive us...

You sound like perfect dog owners.......you have big hearts.... woof woof !!

[Antonio Correia]

We love logs !!!!! Logs instead of dogs !!!!
Oh Gosh !
woof, woof !

[Antonio Correia]

You know, we had 3 of them. All strand dogs, not breed...
Auuuu....
Look here Peter, please !

[pschlute]

You know, we had 3 of them. All strand dogs, not breed...
Auuuu....
Look here Peter, please !

Oh yes .... my two dogs Rio and Ripley own me..... !!

[rpcrowe]

Thank you Peter for commenting.
I love your shots of the dogs !
In the house we love logs. We do not have a dog now because we are already a bit old and the animal could/would survive us...

Antonio, having one's dog or dogs survive you is certainly a factor to consider. We are fortunate that our daughter and son in law are dog lovers, They will be happy to care for our dogs after we pass away. However, we will not be getting any more dogs... Our home is large and well set up for dogs and our daughter being our only child will inherit the home along with the dogs when we pass away.

However, as dog lovers the possibility of fostering dogs for a rescue group until permanent homes are found could be a way to have a dog in your home without the responsibility of caring for the dog all of its life - which might exceed yours.

Different subject but, still in line with this thread...

I now have an A7iii and will be selling my A6500. I plan on using the A7iii in tandem with my A6400.

I have the Kindle Edition of Douglas Klostermann's book, Sony Alpha a7 III Menu Setup Guide which is a no-nonsense guide to setting up the A7iii. It costs $5.99 U.S. Dollars from a Amazon and I highly recommend it. I read it both on my desktop computer or on my small Chromebook. There are also dedicated Kindle readers which have the advantage of being set up for vertical reading.
https://smile.amazon.com/Sony-Alpha-...gateway&sr=8-1

I am also in the process of making up a series of "cheat sheet" cards with information on how to access certain parameters using the A7iii, A6400 and NEX-7 (which I have set up for full-time infrared photography). Many of the parameter commands are the same across all three cameras but, there are some differences.

Additionally I make use of the "My Menu" for the A6400 and A7iii to keep some parameters handy. Two things that I have on My Menu are the "FORMAT" command and controlling Eye-AF, especially shifting from human to animal Eye-AF...

I also make extensive use of the Fn (function) button which allows me to store a dozen parameters for ready change as well as making use of the custom buttons...

Some folks complain that the Sony menus are difficult to use. I will admit that they are complicated and comprehensive but the ability to individualize the camera controls make these cameras enjoyable for me to use. However, I am not crazy about the Sony menus for the NEX-7 and other cameras prior to the A6500 and A7iii/A7Riii...

[Antonio Correia]

Thank you Richard for your extensive comment.
The "cheat sheet" cards is something that I consider quite curious, interesting, attractive. It' is a way to quickly learn something about the camera... but I am so stingy that I would not pay an Euro for such a thing.
Ebooks or books on cameras... no.
I have progressed quite a bit seeing over and over, Mark Galer's videos starting from his Excel table !
It is a fantastic way to quickly try to learn something. Yes, I said try because as often happens, the information is not around the corner.
His eBook is also a massive source of informations. He sells Sony quite efficiently !

At the moment I have customised these buttons:

The Fn button returns this screen:

Slowly I am trying to understand the Zebra Display. It looks awful to me when those tripes appear !

Enough said for now. Your turn, Richard or any one else, of course...

[rpcrowe]

The Zebra Pattern is a highlight warning indicator that is more common in video cameras butm is available in some still cameras (especially those with video capability). It does not control exposure but just warns you that your highlights are blown out. It is not recorded into the image. Zebra Pattern is a camera feature that overlays some stripes into the image that indicate exposure levels.

On Sony cameras, you can, I believe, adjust the level at which the Zebra Patterns appear...
SEE: https://www.sony.com/electronics/sup...icles/00077788

BTW: I don't plan on purchasing cheat sheets or sheet cards. I plan on making my own. As soon as I can figure out how to print out multiple small card size images on a standard sheet of card stock. I looked up making "flash cards" which would probably be the same size as my planned cheat sheets but, I am working with an older edition of Microsoft Word which, apparently doesn't suppot a layout of that type.

[Antonio Correia]

Thank you Richard for the explanation on the zebra. I rarely make video so, in photography I find it to be very annoying, disturbing. I would rather use the flash lights ON/OFF when areas are over/under exposed like those we see on the preview. But then the photo is done.
I keeping the zebra settings until I find a use for them in photography and learn more about it.

From your link
NOTE: It is recommended that you adjust the setting according to the photo subject, or to the brightness you want to capture.
So... it is also good for photography. Oh how much more I do have to learn...

Olympus has this ON/OFF flash lights which I do like. They allow me to balance the exposition through the compensation dial.
However, in Sony we can see the histogram and adjust this same setting accordingly.

More opinions, please !
Have a nice week-end !

[rpcrowe]

I have just purchased a Kindle Paper White Electronic Reader. This little item weighs just over 7-ounces (205 Grams) and it can store hundreds of books without needing Internet access to read them.

I like to read books on electronic devices so I can adjust the size ad font of the text along with brightness and background color. An additional plus is that the little reader is so small and so light that I can just toss it into my photo vest or camera bag and I hardly know it is there.

What does all this have to do with the topic of this thread?

Often, I need to get to a photo opportunity early in order to get the best seat or photo position. This sometimes means a period of boredom while I am waiting for the activity to begin. Having the little e-reader will allow me to fill those boring periods. I also have loaded a book on each one of my cameras to use as a ready reference Additionally, I have travel books and a great book on posing loaded onto the Paper White; a ready reference library that I can take on shoots...

Some folks have operator manuals on their cell phones but, I just cannot effectively handle reading a book on my tiny cell phone screen...

[Antonio Correia]

Thank Richard for letting us know about your experience
I don’t like to read on electronic devices whichever they are
👍😃
Tell us which settings have you changed in your 7lll