Lessons
Class Introduction
05:40 2Sony A7 Mark II: Overview
15:53 3Photography Basics
07:36 4Basic Controls
08:12 5Panorama Controls
04:44 6Mode Dial and Exposure Compensation
10:47 7Custom Key Settings
06:27 8Focus Area
08:45Multi Interface Shoe
02:31 10Back Side: Navigation
11:02 11Function Button: Modes
22:40 12Display Options
10:18 13Left and Right Side: Navigation
15:26 14Bottom and Front: Navigation
03:45 15Sony Lens Options
15:37 16Camera Menu: 1
09:29 17Camera Menu: 2
06:01 18Camera Menu: 3
02:42 19Camera Menu: 4
05:02 20Camera Menu: 5
08:31 21Camera Menu: 6
08:46 22Camera Menu: 7
11:32 23Camera Menu: 8
05:39 24Camera Menu: 9
07:16 25Custom Set-Up: 1
04:42 26Custom Set-Up: 2
05:33 27Custom Set-Up: 3
09:19 28Custom Set-Up: 4
04:24 29Custom Set-Up: 5
09:35 30Custom Set-Up: 6
03:53 31Custom Set-Up: 7
07:12 32Custom Set-Up: 8
02:41 33Wireless Options
03:44 34Application and Play Menus
17:42 35Set-Up Menu: 1-6
16:01 36Camera Operation
09:21Lesson Info
Custom Set-Up: 5
All right, so we are muddling our way through the menu system we are upon to page five the customs set menu, and if you are interested in back button focusing, perk up and listen to this this is where you turn the auto focusing option of the shutter release off, and so if you are interested in back button focusing here, this is where you would turn this off. If you prefer the traditional style of an auto focus camera where you focus halfway by pressing halfway down on the shutters release, you can keep it on for anyone who has not tried back button focusing, let me just let you know that it is something that once you try and you get used to, you will probably use for the rest of your life. I have not met a photographer yet who has tried back button focusing given it an ample opportunity to take, take hold and then gone back. I've seen some people who've tried it and said, oh, I don't like that and then they switch back, but it's something, if you give it a try a good, thorough try figu...
re it out you'll really appreciate for all that it could do for you, and so that is how you would do it by just turning off the auto focus of the shutter next up, we have the option of locking the exposure with the shutter so when we pressed halfway down, I think you remember earlier in the class I had the camera, I was panning back and forth and the shutter speeds and apertures were changing and you we were using the a l lock button in the back of the camera. Most people prefer a separate button to do this, but if you want to be able to do it on the shutter, you can do it. And I think for maybe a basic photographer auto section is fine, but I know for the more advanced photographer they're not going to have one toe have that locked off in all cases and there's a good chance that you want to have that turned off. Okay, now we're going to get to some really interesting stuff, so this is the silent shooting option on the camera and we need to talk a little bit about how that works on the variety of cameras is here and so this is not on the a seven mark too, but it is on the others and they need to explain a little bit what's going on on the internal workings of the camera so let's go to this slide here, so on all of the cameras the normal shutter operation is, as I described at the beginning of the class, there is a first shuter curtain any second shutter. Kurt so when you take a photo, what has to happen is the first curtain has to close, and then it opens to take the exposure. And when it opens there's a little bit of vibration because the shutters have moves so quickly they've caused a vibration in the camera, and then to end the shutter or the exposure, the second shutter will come in and block the light off, and so that's what happens during each exposure. So the problem with this system is, is that the first shutter opens up very quickly and causes a vibration in the camera. So this camera has a way of solving the problem with an electron ic shudder on the r and the s model, and so well, actually, on all three of the models they have what's called an elektronik front curtain shudder. So what happens in this case is the front or the top shutter, and this visual example does not operate it all. What happens is the pixels just themselves turn on and kind of mimic what happens with the shutter. And that way, as soon as it does that there is no movement in the camera at all, so there is zero vibration. No movement means very sharp pictures, and so using the front curtain shudder means that you are more likely to get sharp pictures. When you might otherwise have a little bit of vibration and where that would mostly take place is if you were on a tripod at a relatively slow shutter speed like an eighth of a second now we can take this one step further on the r and the s model and use a completely silent shutter and what happens in this case is the camera doesn't electronic first curtain and second curtain at the same time. Now the problem is is you can see in this visual example is it scanning one line at a time and there's going to be a problem with moving subjects? We call this the jello effect, so I took it into the studio I was doing a test chart and I was moving the camera back and forth at different shutter speeds and so the mechanical shutter and leo the elektronik front curtain worked very much the same, but when we get into the silent shudder you khun cia's, I'm moving the camera it's scanning the lines in at different times and they're now becoming uneven and it doesn't matter how fast your shutter speed is it it's still scanning those lines one line at a time now what this looks like out in the real world, when you are panning with a car from right to left down the street, you'll notice the building in the background no longer look straight and that's because of the jello effect of this camera now, if you were to leave the camera on a tripod and let a bicyclist run past you or ride past you, you'll notice that the wheels don't look exactly round there a little ob long and that's because it is scanning and recording part of the image before another part of the image it's not doing it as evenly as a normal shutter would work and so it reduces the vibration it makes things extremely quiet in its operation, but it has a problem with moving subjects and so if you're shooting stationary subjects, this can work out quite well now there is a long list of items that do not work well when you have silent shooting enable and so there are certain things that just are not going to work we're gonna be great out on the menu options and they are going toe have additional issues that rolling shutter that we talked about and so there is other issues that you may not want to keep it in silent shutter all the time so in here, normally this is something we're going to turn off and I would selectively turn it on in certain circumstances where it's appropriate the elektronik front uh curtain shudder does not have nearly as many problems lms with it so it's something that I think that you can probably leave on all the time and be safe in using but if you do need to turn it off you can turn it off and just in case you don't own this camera and you're just watching this class to learn about it let me do a little live demo and I am going to actually going to turn around and I'm gonna point the camera directly at our camera here now I'm going to go in and let's just take a normal photo and so I'm gonna hold my microphone kind of close so you can hear this and so what I'm going to do now is I am going to put it into the elektronik first curtain shudder and find out where we are so let's do e front curtain shudder oh actually that was on let me turn that off for a moment here's what a normal shutter sounds like and let's I'm going to change this around just a bit we just make a couple of changes here I want to change it to a slow enough shutter speed so that we can hear the first shuter curtain and the second so I'm going to do a one second exposure and here is what a normal sound is like so the first part is the mere going up and then it's coming the shutters coming or not the mere the first shuttle going up and then coming down so let me do an electronic front curtain shudder I'm going to turn it on right now listen, you didn't hear the first one at all it's completely silent again I'm just pressing you can watch my finger and so it's completely silent let me put it in to the silent mode and so I'm gonna go full silent and now you're not gonna hear anything and if I wanted to, I could turn off the beat. But you can hear the beat that's just doing the focusing and so if you wanted one hundred percent silent focusing in a courtroom in, uh, a stage play or any other environment where you wanted it absolutely quiet, you can shoot photos without any noise at all. Granted, there are a lot of other implications that go along with it, but it is possible I'm gonna flip it out of that mode because by having silent mode on it kind of limits the number of the other options on the camera and so silent mode is something that I might use an environment potentially even in travel photography. I was leading a tour in turkey and we were in a mosque and I just really wanted to keep the volume as quiet as possible, and I would have liked to views this mode on that at that time s auto image extraction okay, what this is is in the auto mode if you are shooting in the mode where it shoots multiple photos in order to gather and make one good photo, will this allow you to extract and save all the individual photos from that group of photos and sew it on? Ly matters. When you are in the auto mode and it's shooting in multiple of photos, it will actually save additional photos along with it. I have a feeling that most of the people that watch this class are going to be a couple steps beyond that auto mode and it's. Probably not something you're going to use so I would leave. It turned off.
Class Materials
Bonus Materials with Purchase
Ratings and Reviews
Diane Schulman
INCREDIBLE Class! I couldn't find anything on the internet that truly explained this camera, explained what it can and can't do and what accessories would work with it. I have had my Sony A7II for awhile now, but was so overwhelmed by it, I rarely even took it out of its case. It was just easier to use my Canon 5D III. After this class, I am so excited to finally practice with and use my Sony. John is an incredible teacher. He is thorough, professional, fun and knowledgeable! Buying this class was the best investment!!! I feel like I just got the gift of a new camera because I can finally use my Sony!!! Thanks John and Thanks Creative Live!!!
Enrique Vega es
I stored my Sony A7II for more than a year since I've been Canon's user for 7 years and I felt unsure of taking this new camera which implied a different menu system, different functions, a little bit intimidating. Finally, I took a bit of valor, put my camera next to the computer monitor for then start watching this guide and I spent a great time actually. I'm amazed at how helpful and clear is the sequence of the chapters. It was enough to get to chapter ten to know all the basic controls and start taking pictures with an equivalent confidence of my good old Canon, or even better since in the chapter 8th I learned how accurate and easy to use is the focusing system, either, manual or auto (For stills I've always used manual focusing). Very informative, enjoyable and now I became a new fan of the mirrorless cameras, at the point that I'm considering to buy another two :D
Madgardener
Was so grateful to find this class introducing the operation of my first mirrorless camera. The Sony a7 series is quite different from my Canon DSLRs and I am confident that John gave me a good head start. Without this comprehensive intro it would have been VERY frustrating and I would not be making full use of the camera's many abilities! Thanks for a great course at a fair price.
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