Sony A7 III Fast Start

Sony A7 III Fast Start

John Greengo is a veteran instructor and an experienced photographer with over 50 Fast Start classes in the CreativeLive catalog. He has dove into the complex menu systems of multiple Sony cameras including the a6000, a6500, a9, and a7r III, as well as mirrorless and DSLRs from Panasonic, Nikon, and Canon. Besides being adept at dissecting new cameras, John works as a travel and outdoor photographer. With his experience in analyzing camera manuals, he will discuss the complete breakdown of your camera’s exposure, focus, metering, video and more. After this class, you’ll be able to use your new Sony A7 III with confidence.

Dip your feet into the world of Sony cameras with the class instruction. Walk through what to expect for the class and learn about how the camera compares to Canon and Nikon DSLRs. Note the differences with the Sony a7r III and learn camera care basics.
2
Photo Basics
Duration:04:38

New to photography? John covers the basics like what a mirrorless camera is and using an EVF. Learn basic terms like aperture, ISO, and shutter speed as well as factors like APS-C versus full frame sensors.
3
Camera Controls: Control Wheel & Shutter Release
Duration:04:08

Take your first picture (if you haven’t already) with the basic, most-used controls on the Sony camera body. Explore the control wheel and shutter release, as well as the joystick that’s new to the Sony a7 III (hint: the joystick also doubles as a button).
4
Camera Controls: Mode Dial
Duration:26:05

Learn the Sony a7 III’s available modes by exploring the mode dial. From why you shouldn’t use auto (and when you should) to how to use advanced modes like aperture priority mode and manual mode, dissect the different shooting modes on the camera.
5
Camera Controls: Top Deck
Duration:18:35

Navigate the remainder of the controls on the top of the camera, including the custom controls, like programming Sony’s excellent eye AF.
6
Camera Controls: Back Side Controls
Duration:15:00

Demystify the controls at the back of the camera body. Learn essentials from focusing the viewfinder to AF modes to using the LCD screen.
7
Back Side Controls: Function Button
Duration:25:35

Jump into that “Fn” button and the quick menu controls that it brings up. Here, you can find shortcuts to adjusting options like ISO, AF mode, continuous shooting mode, and white balance.
8
Back Side Controls: Wheel & Custom Buttons
Duration:10:58

Continuing the journey through the back of the camera, learn all the options for the multi-purpose wheel, from shortcut EVF options to ISO.
9
Left & Right Side Controls
Duration:07:02

Decipher all the doors and ports at the side of the camera, including what accessories work well with the Sony camera body, the camera’s NFC option, and the dual memory card slots.
10
Bottom Controls
Duration:04:59

The camera body doesn’t have a lot of pieces at the bottom, but here, John walks photographers through easy tricks like finding the serial number and adding the battery grip accessory.
11
Front Controls & Lenses
Duration:13:16

Sony cameras don’t often have a ton of controls at the front — but learn the essentials on the front, as well as how to safely swap lenses. Then, dive into EF E-Mount lenses. Learn the best zoom lens and prime lenses to use with the camera body, some with built-in image stabilization. Besides using lenses from Sony and Zeiss, dig into using Canon lenses on a Sony camera with an adapter.
12
Menu Page 1: Quality/Image Size 1
Duration:09:48

Sony camera menus can be confusing and long — start the trek through the a7 III’s menus in this lesson by looking at the first sections on image quality, image size, and RAW vs. JPEG.

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13
Menu Page 2: Quality/Image Size 2
Duration:03:56

Continuing diving through the image quality and size menus with features like ISO noise reduction, color space controls, and in-camera lens corrections.
14
Menu Pages 3-5: Shoot Mode/Drive 1/AF1
Duration:09:02

Adjust settings for multiple photos including burst mode settings and image bracketing by learning the shoot mode menu.
15
Menu Page 6: AF2
Duration:05:42

The Sony a7 III is often noted for the autofocus improvement over earlier models. Dig through the different AF options by digging into what all the features in the AF2 menu mean.
16
Menu Pages 7 & 8: AF3 & AF4
Duration:05:56

Continue digging into the AF menu and learn what features are a waste of battery and what features are actually useful like setting a second AF area.
17
Menu Pages 9-11: Exposure & Flash
Duration:06:33

Fine-tune your Sony camera’s exposure settings with advanced menu tools like choosing whether or not to leave settings intact when the camera powers off and setting limits for the auto ISO.
18
Menu Page 12: Color/WB/Img Processing
Duration:08:49

Color photos not looking so hot? John walks you through the Sony camera color menu, which contains controls for options like white balance. John walks through the menu options, explaining what tools like dynamic range optimizer and picture profiles entail.
19
Menu Page 13: Focus Assist
Duration:06:03

Ever get home from a shoot thinking you got a great shot only to see it on a bigger screen and realize it’s just a bit soft? Learn Sony’s built-in tools for making sure you nab a sharp shot, including focus magnification and focus peaking, available through that OLED Tru-Finder EVF. Walk through what the different focus assist tools do, how to use them, and how to customize them.
20
Menu Page 14: Shooting Assist
Duration:06:29

Dig into game-changing tools you may not even realize exist by exploring the shooting assist menu. Learn how to turn on anti-flicker to get consistent results with lights that are flickering. This often happens at a speed too fast for you to perceive, but can create shots that are too dark because of the timing of the flicker and the image. Discover how to tell the face AF who to prioritize and more in the shooting assist menu.
21
Camera Settings: Movie
Duration:07:43

Mirrorless cameras are often just as excellent when tasked with recording video. Learn how to adjust the video settings inside the menu, including choosing 4K video or HD, along with advanced options like wind noise reduction.
22
Camera Settings: Shutter & Steady Shot
Duration:08:37

On the Sony a7 III, users can adjust the way the shutter works. Learn what a second curtain shutter is. Dive into how to turn the Sony camera on silent mode using a global shutter, and when you should avoid using this feature.
23
Camera Settings: Zoom & Display Auto Review
Duration:07:13

The Sony camera menu has several zoom and display options. Digital zoom is available but should be avoided because of a loss in image quality, leaving the menu option set to optical zoom only. Inside this submenu, learn how to adjust the display options to review your images.
24
Camera Settings: Custom Operation
Duration:11:55

Still using the camera’s default set-up? The Sony a7 III, like many Sony cameras, can be custom programmed. Learn how to set the camera up for your shooting style for the easiest access to the most frequently used settings from customizing the control scheme to organizing your own function setting menu.
25
Network Menu
Duration:11:19

The Sony a7 III has both Wi-Fi and NFC. Dig into how to use the Wi-Fi to easily share images, including sending to a smartphone, sharing with a computer, or shooting with a tether.
26
Playback Menu
Duration:07:18

The playback menu contains all the options for working with images after you’ve shot them. Walk through the playback menu options, from deleting images and rating images to jumpstart the culling process.
27
Setup Menu
Duration:26:52

Dig into how to customize the setup of your camera, from the brightness of the LCD screen to turning down the camera’s beeps. This menu is one that contains a lot of features that are set once and forgotten, John says, but there are some essential revisited sections like the sensor cleaning mode and formatting the memory card.
28
My Menu Overview
Duration:08:13

Find the menu daunting? Sony’s My Menu allows photographers to save the most frequently used menu settings to quickly find the option without digging through pages of menu options. The custom menu idea has been around for a while on Nikon and Canon DSLRs, but it’s a relatively new feature for Sony cameras.
Show All 29 Lessons
29
Camera Operation
Duration:10:14

Now that you’ve covered the ins and outs of the cameras, work through a checklist to prep the camera for operation. Walk through a handful of different shooting scenarios from portraits to sports and how to choose the appropriate settings for that shot.