If you’re new to Sony cameras, here are eight key tips that can save you a lot of frustration and help you harness your camera’s full potential.
Coming to you from Jason Vong, this informative video teaches you helpful Sony camera tips, starting with a critical point about the silent shutter feature. While it's excellent for quiet environments, it can cause problems under certain indoor lighting, leading to weird banding lines in your photos. Vong advises against using silent shutter indoors and suggests testing it in natural light or taking a few test shots first. Silent shutter is only truly beneficial on higher-end models like the a1 or sports cameras like the a9. If your goal is simply to turn off the focus beep, that’s an audio signal found in the menu.
The next tip is to enable the subject frame display, a feature often off by default. This is crucial as it shows which face or eye your camera is focusing on, preventing unwanted focal points instead of eyes in portraits. It also helps when toggling between human and animal eye autofocus, ensuring you capture the right subject. This setting is found under the AF/MF tab for subject recognition.
Displaying the focus spot in playback is another handy feature. It allows you to see where your camera focused in each shot, helping you troubleshoot and improve focus accuracy. Found in the playback options, this feature is especially useful when you’re trying to perfect your technique and need to understand where your focus may have gone awry.
Organizing your photos by date form rather than the standard folder structure can save a lot of hassle. This method automatically sorts photos by the date taken, making it easier to find specific shots later. Ensure your camera’s date and time are set correctly to avoid issues with metadata.
Lastly, using the rating feature can streamline your workflow. By rating photos on the spot, you can quickly identify your best shots and separate them for editing later. Program one of your camera’s buttons for rating, which you can then use to easily sort and edit your top photos. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Vong.
