This is the best setup roundup I've come accross to this day! I've been a Sony user for 6 years now and even though I know and use most of the tweaks, you brought some new light to them. The ability to use focus peaking and 5.9x zoom in AF-C is AWSOME! Can't find words to express my gratitude!
You are a gift from the universe. My camera was lost/stolen for the last few weeks. Opted to purchase the a7iv because I needed a machine to get me through the rest of my work. Through divine intervention and a lot of persistence my a7riv was recovered. The main reason I was frustrated with the a7riv was I never quite dialed in the af functions to be reliable while shooting otf. I ran across your video and out of respect for my darling camera making it back into my hands I decided to configure the settings... why? Well, I believe the thief realized how complex the camera was, performed a factory reset and quickly realized the learning curve was going to be a hurdle for giants. Chimp driving a Ferrari. Anyways, thank you so much. the camera feels better in my hands than it did before and I look forward to jumping back and forth between models to optimize the video and af for crowds and action with the a7iv and getting those magnificent print worthy shots while minimizing my shot loss count with the a7riv. For me, inadvertently, the thief put the dream team of cameras in my hand and then this video came along to add the cherry on top. You are great! Will most definitely support!
Hey Mark! I can not thank you enough. This has been night and day for me. After watching this video about 4 times through out the last 2 weeks. I upgraded from the a7r3 to the a7r4. I followed your settings exactly with some slight changes to the custom dial functions. I went back out to a local park that's notorious for having Eastern Bluebirds and Thrashers. I've been trying for weeks to try to photograph one as Bluebirds are fidgety and fast. With your help...I managed to photograph quite a few...and their TACK sharp! Focus Peaking, Crop sensor "spotting scope", back button focusing, registered AF area - they all played together seamlessly. I'm combing through the photos now and I'm really happy and, again, super thankful you made this video!!
I went through this vid 2 years ago when I first bought the A7r IV. I havent used it much recently and needed your wisdom for a full reset and refresh, some settings were not what I thought they should be. This is still an outstanding and very useful piece of work. Thanks so much!
Switched my gear from Nikon to Sony in the last month. A7Riv is my body and 200-600 Sony is my wildlife lens, with the Sony GM 70-200, Zeiss 16-35, and the Sigmas 24-70 f/2.8 & 20mm f/1.4. This video really helped me out getting started with the wildlife settings. Thanks!
Your quote that the A7RIV “is brutal in its honesty” in that it will reveal poor technique, poor glass and poor aperture and shutter choices .. is so true .. when I stepped up from the A7RIII, I had to force myself to become a better photographer as this camera will not hide your mistakes or protect you from yourself.. but I am happy the camera is challenging me to be better.. it’s a sniper rifle.. not a machine gun
Jeez, that's a great way to put it--between you and Mark. I'm feeling the exact same sentiment. This camera really rewards impeccable technique. But it severely punishes sloppiness.
@@sdijnfpo0jaisf Absolllutly. I do not know where you have been before the A7r3 but the same is said stepping up from a 21mp to a 36 mp camera. 61 mp, It will definitely test your skills.
I upgraded to the A7RIV and 200-600mm from the A99II and 70-400mm and wholeheartedly agree. The 600mm and 61mp combo is really unforgiving with motion blur from camera shake, especially hand-holding. I remember seeing a lot of reviews for the A7RIV saying the auto focus system was terrible and it would miss focus a lot. I honestly thought the same thing when I first got it until I realized it was slight motion blur in a lot of my photos. Once I improved my hand-holding techniques and forced myself to use faster shutter speeds more often, BOOM everything was sharp. I wonder if that's what was happening in those other reviews too. The A7RIV's focusing system and tracking is leaps and bounds over the A99II, so I'm really happy with my upgrade. Even my A mount lenses with the EA3 adapter nail focus better on the A7RIV! And thanks for this in-depth video Mark! Love these settings. Especially how to turn the back screen off. Since I hike around with my camera at my side a lot, I'm always bumping my focus hold buttons so mine never really likes to stay asleep. That trick has saved me so much juice! I love the quick switching between small and zone focus with the back buttons too! I did the reverse since I usually photograph perched birds, but this is a life saver for when they take off. I just crank my shutter speed and press the zone/AF button and I'm ready for them!
I haven’t even finished the video yet but this may be one of the most informative and intuitive videos for all the things that I need. I’m super appreciative 🙏🏾
I've been using your setup of the A7R!V for several months now and love it. I recently purchased the A7RV and hoping you will do a setup video similar to the one you did for the A7RIV. Thanks so much for the work you do!
I’m only about halfway through, but this has been so helpful in setting up my week old A9. Your breakdown and step by step guide is so easy to follow. Thanks for all your wonderful videos!!
Mark, I have an A7Riii, not the best camera for bird photography, and I had been feeling really frustrated with it. After watching your video on A7RIV, I have made the changes in settings that you recommended, and I am feeling so hopeful again. You have a great ability to explain counterintuitive concepts really well, like why AF responsiveness set to 5 makes more sense, or shooting in Zone mode while trying to track something so small. Really appreciate you and it goes without saying that I am a new subscriber, and will recommend your channel to all my photography friends. Thank you 🙏🏼
Great Video/Tutorial Mark! When it comes to wildlife photography, Sony has the best "Ambassador" they could ever ask for. If anyone (like me) with a moderate amount of experience is willing to spend the time to learn from you, they will gain another level of appreciation for this amazing Sony Camera! Thanks for Sharing.
Mark, I am so glad to have found your videos. Grateful to find someone who can explain it so simply to this old guy. I am putting some of your suggestions to work already. Thank you
Don´t even own a Sony, still I watched the whole thing! Great work Mark of putting together a really great setup guide, the way you explain things are superb!
Same here. I wanted to see what the Sony menu was all about since some complain about them coming from other systems. All future cameras will force you to dig into their menu set ups if you want to get the most out of their features. Superb vid as most of your vids always are. Most likely the most advance slr camera out their rite now!
Aloha Mark. Chuck Burke here....I"m 19:13 into your video and I think you have answered all of my questions LOL...between this and the previous video where B&H sent you the A7R4 to test...I am pretty convinced it is time for me to step away from my D850....Thank you for all the effort and work you put into your incredible videos...always entertaining and more importantly always extremely informative. Thank you.
Thanks Mark for this setup guide. Been hesitant to use the back button focus but I gave it another go on my A7iii. Set it all up last night and today managed to get so many keepers of a Rainbow bee eater tossing it's prey in the air. Plan to get A7R IV when the prices go down. Thanks again
I have the A7iii with the 200 to 600 and this video was very informative. I like the option of switching between focus area with one press of a button. I set mine to C1. Thanks good stuff.
I am so grateful to have found this video. I have finally assigned custom buttons thanks to your wonderful video! I am super excited to start practicing capturing birds with all of these new settings. Hitting the function key to get back to the main tabs of the menu button is something I never knew! (much I did not know) I can't wait to share this feature with my Sony friends. Thanks for making this video.
Thanks I came here after struggling with birds with my A7RIV, you're a great help thanks. A note on e-front curtain shutter if it's on it reduces the quality of background blur.
Thanks Mark for this detailed video. This has been very helpful since I just received the new Sony A7 IV this week. The menus are different on the A7 IV but I could follow your setup just fine. I have been a lifelong Nikon user (selling all my gear now). I was comfortable with the Nikon D500 & 200-500mm lens for wildlife. Great camera, but I wanted to do more with video and the D500 was not great for video (especially auto-focus). I had previously watched your D500 System Setup and finally got the nerve to watch your “Why I moved from Nikon to Sony” video. The Sony A7 IV seems to be a perfect hybrid. This is certainly going to be a transition, but very impressed thus far. I purchased a Sony kit lens for now (28-60mm) along with the 200-600mm lens. Again, as always thanks for your videos. Long time follower.
This was very helpful and well explained, Mark - thanks. I have a suggestion for you, which you might find useful. For the lens's Focus Hold Button you have assigned AF/MF Control Toggle, which is good, but perhaps slightly more useful (because it's a tiny bit quicker) would be to set up a Recall Custom hold function with the following settings - Focus Mode = DMF, Focus Area = Flexible Spot M, AF On = On - and assign that to the Focus Hold Button instead. With your setup, when the Focus Hold Button is pressed it just switches to MF (with an out-of-focus image, possibly) and waits for you to focus manually. With my setup, when the Focus Hold Button is pressed, it _auto-focuses first_ which then gives you something to punch into and fine tune with MF. Hope this makes sense.
@@smhoer8640 That's what recall custom hold is for, you overwrite the AFC with DMF (among other things) as long as you hold down the button. Probably my favourite feature on the Sony cameras.
Hey Mark! As a followup to yesterday’s comment regarding the Focus Hold Button (MF option) on the lens, it should be noted the magnification range for manual focus is 5.9X to 11.9X (toggling the Center Control Wheel button) when in full frame sensor mode and 3.9X to 7.8X when in crop mode.
Thanks Mark for another great video. Just wanted to let you know with the Focus Hold Button (MF option) on the lens, whenever you depress the Lens Focus Hold Button to go into MF you can then press the Center Control Wheel button to toggle between 5.9X and 11.9X magnifications. Great for fine-tuning your focus on still objects and expanding your “spotting scope option”. Keep up the great work and your Osprey action images are awesome!
Thank you.I did all your suggestions on my A7R4 which I bought today. I will start to use it with 200-600 tomorrow. I hope my A7R4 and 200-600 will love each other:)
Thank you so much for the time and effort on this guide! You're not kidding when you say this camera has a whole lot of options and this really helps focus in on the main points important for wildlife. I've played around with a few variations based on your recommendations but have found myself settling on a nearly identical setup as in this video. The written guide is also excellent for quick reference. Fantastic work!
THANK YOU, Mark. I swiched from another camera to this a7r4 just a few days ago because I was overwhelmed with the idea of (61 mega p) but when I turned it on I paniced. But your above film is absolutely great you explained things in a calm and understandable way. I have set up my camera now and am going out for a few days to take some shots in my lake country. I will buy the manual and your book on bird photography. Thank you one more time. Great film.
I love the way you setup your camera and your two easy buttons to autofocus. I actually use the stick to have the third eye AF autofocus, so I have 3 ways to quickly autofocus with my thumb. Pretty useful, thanks for sharing !
Thank you for your insight and sharing of your settings, the custom key setup is a lot more intuitive than the custom options I had used. First weekend out and it made shooting more pleasurable!
Thank You! Thank You!! Thank You!!! I finally understand how to use this awesome new camera of mine. Your video was exactly what I needed to try to navigate the HUGE menu of this super intelligent camera that I love. You do it in a way that anyone can follow and understand. Thank You soooo much!
I didn't get the 600 f4, just the 200-600 zoom with the 1.4x teleconverter. Tried a few trial shots today and I'm suitably impressed. Hopefully after changing some (not all) of my settings to reflect yours, I will slowly improve my bird images. Spring migration will be starting soon so I'm aiming to be at least reasonably proficient for when the rarity appears :-)
Mark don’t know if you realise that setting the display quality to high increases the resolution from 60fps to 120fps but also lowers the resolution of the screen so in effect setting it to high quality actually reduces the quality and it also increase battery consumption. It can be handy to have it set to high when shooting fast action as it reduces the tiny lag when displaying images in continuous burst mode, for viewing the maximum resolution of an image the display quality needs to be set to standard.
I have watched many of your videos, and you sir are an impressive photographer. And to date you are the only persons video I have subscribed to. Thank you for your Awesome photos.
@@MarkSmithphotography Please send me a link to the E-book for the sony a7rm2 set-up. And, I am left handed do you have any suggestions on setting custom buttons on this camera for us southpaws?
Your A7R4 setup tutorial is very useful so thanks for that. However, in your section about focus areas I was hoping you could go into the differences between the tracking and regular focus area types and why you only select the non-tracking ones? What are pro's and con's of the other ones for wildlife/bird photography?
Excellent video Mark! Watched it twice to pick up anything I may have missed. Also bought the guide and the setting file just in case I miss something while setting it up. This camera is definitely a challenge to my skillset, I've been a photographer for 55+ years, and still learning :), and this camera definitely can and will point out the personal deficiencies one may have. And that's good!
A7iii here - the method to toggle focus modes/register is slightly different in my camera. "Switch focus area" is not listed in my menu as an option when choosing a custom key setup on my A7iii. It's called "Regist AF Area tggl" and you need to turn ON "AF Area Regist." on page 7/14 in MENU 1 to be able to hold down the Fn button to register the mode. Took me a bit to figure out what what going on differently. Thanks for this tip, Mark!
Hands on the BEST instructional video about this amazing camera. I can't wait to get mine! Just a query though...is the "my menu" feature like the "Fn" button? In my old camera, the Fn button brings up 12 menu items on the back screen which you can customise and are easily accessible. 😊😊
This is a great video, just what I needed. But I’m confused about 1 thing: You didn’t register any focus modes w/tracking but your lens is tracking the bird. So what are the tracking modes for? (I use mostly center-tracking for portraits). Thanks!
Just got my Sony A7r iv and 200-600 lens today. I appreciate you putting this out and look forward to trying out your settings and tweaking anything (if at all) once I get used to the camera and lens. Thanks again! 👍🏽
14:15, you may also switch directly the main categories (I stuck to your terminology, hope it’s OK for you 😉) always by the front dial, independent of the position of horizontal selector bar 🖖
Thank you for explaining everything. I haven’t been all that happy with the amount of sharp images that I’ve been getting using my current settings. I was wondering why you do not use any of the tracking modes when you’re primarily shooting wildlife?
Wish there’s a place to shoot BIF in my area but sadly there isnt.your videos really makes me want to be a wildlife photographer.the way you tell a story along with the shooting is really amazing and addicting! Keep up the good work Sir!
Hi Mark. Many thanks for highly informative videos. Could you please give me name and brand of Contraption holding your camera on your tripod.. It looks like some kind of gimble. Thanks
I've watching this again and Mark says something critical twice - these settings are designed so you don't have to take your eye off your subject. That is so key to any camera set up. Know your camera inside and out so you can maximize all the time, money and energy you've spent going into the field. I know I'm personally tired of missing shots here and there because I wasn't properly prepared. Well, no more of that! ( at least I hope not! )
Mark, I have a question. I am using a Sony 200-600 on an a6400. I am happy with the Auto Focus for Birds in Flight, it is not 100%, but every good. I am thinking of getting an a7RIII for the resolution upgrade ( a1and a7RIV are total out of reach at this point.a7RIII used 1800 2000) Will I be disappointed with the Auto Focus on the a7RIII for birds in flight photography.
What mode do you advise I use for a bird in flight ? Sony a7 IV and sony 200-600. Im new to bird shooting. Tried expand spot and wide. But they are just too fast for me to catch focus on :( Am I simply too close (20 meters ish) - or too close zoomed in ?
Excellent video!. Thank you very much for the effort, for the patience to explain things in detail, always with clear explanations... ...and for sharing it! Regards from Spain.
Thanks i just learned some tricks about the Sony that i did not know (pop the screen to always let it on and the fn to switch tabs on the menu) Stil don’t understand.. would it be easier and faster if you make one of these buttons focus hold? Then if your (in my case) wife uses the camera it still works easily... it is just an otherway of doing the same (oh and standard the button on (some) lenses does this). What would be the benefit? I have the previous version (3) and on my canon i use back button focus but i had to switch everytime when i put the camera away. My wife sometimes uses it to make photos of the kids and she was always calling what happened if i forgot to change it back. I now work the other way around...
The AF tracking options you disabled (lower row) is Tracking, or Lock-On on older cameras. You mentioned when tracking birds and a wave gets in front that the camera might focus on the wave. If you set Tracking: Zone or Flexible Spot, AF Sensitivity to 1 (Lock ON), this won't happen. But I'm not a bird shooter, I was just interested in the camera settings :-) You seem to have AF Tracking Sensitivity set to 5 which means it will change subject as soon as focus is lost. This setting doesn't matter when focus is acquired and locked in. But if a bird get behind some trees for a second or so, 1 would still try to find and hold focus on the bird/subject, while 5 would try to find a new subject to lock on to. Thank Filip Bloom for that info! One interesting thing, Tracking on my A7RV is quite a lot better than the similar Lock-On function on my A7iii, so this is a completely new function, not just a new camera/function name. I tend to use Flexible Spot to hold focus on my older camera, generally Flexible M / S and expand flexible spot. On my newer camera the Tracking just seem to hold to whatever I locked on to, even if situation changes completely. I always default back to Flexible Spot if I'm in doubt. Why do you choose such a small flexible spot as S? Isn't this making things more difficult especially when bird is in flight? I hope to go bird shooting when the season is on again, just got my Sigma 150-600 DG DN Sport! 🙂 Best regards, Aleksander
Hey Mark. Absolutely fantastic video. I have watched it twice! Not sure I still need the digital guide but just bought it anyway. Haven't opened it yet but already got my money's worth from the video alone. Recently switched from my canon systems to the A7RIV and this video was tremendously helpful. My camera is set up similarly but not quite the same as yours. Definitely understand many of the features a lot better. I have been using the 100-400GM with or without the 1.4 tele. Unfortunately 400 or 600 are not realistic options for me. I had been considering the 200-600 G as it seems to zoom across its range much easier than the 100-400. I appreciate your comments non the 200-600 with he A7RIV but still am on the fence so please talk me out of it :). Looking forward to tracking some Eagles this weekend. Keep up the great work. Greatly appreciated. All the best.
Mark, excellent guide! I have the A7III and can apply a lot of your techniques to my camera. I loved this so much that I just bought the digital book on your website. Looking forward to learning more from you! This is the wildlife guide I have been looking for! Thanks so much!
Incredibly useful video Mark, as a long time Nikon shooter I have decided to pick up one of these A7RivA bodies as discounted at the moment. Thought I would give Sony a try as heard good things about Sony .🙏🙏🙏
Hi Mark, you're using regular/non-tracking zone and expand flexible spot. Instead of the tracking options. From the bird photos I've done, I've had decent luck using the tracking, but on an a9. I've recently switched to the a7r iv, and I'm wondering why you picked the focus modes you picked. Not trying to stir up trouble, but more so trying to learn. Thanks
They worked better in my experience. I don't use the tracking modes on the a9 either. Zone works very well for me and it seems to track even better in my experience.
simonellavirus IMHO, the AF tracking modes work better depending on the subjects you are tracking and the lens focal lengths and depth of field you have them set to.. Mark is using a 600mm f4 constant aperture and is mostly shooting fast (usually one) birds in flight.. the AF tracking modes have to perform more calculations per microsecond than the zone or flexible spot modes in continuous AF or AF-C mode. So it makes sense that he is getting a higher focus hit rate especially when in high+ burst rate and at the widest aperture of f4 on that lens .. On the other hand if I was using say.. the Sony 135 f1.8 GM and tracking sports action at a basketball game or using it for portraiture at a event or wedding.. (especially anything with human eyes since animal eye AF works with only a few birds like owls and not at all if they are moving in flight) ..then I’m set to AF tracking mode all day.. as the AF tracking box will stick and RE-acquire the spot you marked for focus even if something moves in front of the subject you are tracking.. it also lets you quickly focus and recompose by only moving the lens without having to move the focus point with the joystick.. in short, tracking AF has a lot of processor chip clock cycles to execute and will perform better in some situations but not all.. high speed birds in flight is probably not one of them. Sony has provided so many AF options, it’s our job to figure out which ones work best for the given job.. best of luck!!
I really appreciate you making theses videos, I recently switched over to the A7riv from Nikon and still adjusting. Do you have better results shooting birds in flight in mechanical mode? Looking forward to future post Thanks Charles from Punta Gorda
Thanks heaps for this very informative video and all your practical tips - these are very much appreciated. I have the A7R4 and have just purchased the sony 200-600mm lens and have set my camera according to your settings and it's a great great improvement over how I previously had my camera set. Many many thanks!!!
Superb. I have played around with every possible combination of settings. I have one doubt. Which stabilization mode do you use for taking birds in flight handheld and which mode do you use when on a monopod and on a tripod? I am asking this particular query with regards to the 200-600 G OSS lens
Thanks for the tips! Do you prefer the A7r IV or A9? I have the a9 and been thinking of swapping it for the R IV because I miss the resolution of R series. I love A9, but it lacks the ability to crop and when you zoom in, the photos look soft compared to R series.
not everyone would take the time and/or would be willing to make such video and share settings. Thank you for that. I think I'll order an A7RIV pretty soon.
Great video, Mark! Definitely worth the wait. Quick question, will you consider an A9II in the near future? I’m just curious if your a9 is collecting dust at this point. Thanks for all you do!
I am looking forward to a set up video like this wonderful in depth video for the Sony a1 when it is really available and which I intend to purchase as soon as I can. I love your excellent teaching style.
Hi Mark. Really love the video! I've just swapped from Canon to Sony and just getting to grips with everything. Can u pls help me on the custom key page 4 (holding focus button on side of lens). What is the title of the assigned action (manual focus with the peaking) as for the life of me I can't find it in the 27 pages on offer. Thanks mate.
Great video!! I setup my camera very similar before I stumbled upon your video. I learned quite a few useful tips and have since tricked my setting. One question: what tripod and mount/gimbal is that? would it work well for Astrophotography and longer exposures?
Mark, on your setup for the a9 you set the camera to 1 for locked on and use the tracking L setting. Why the difference on the a7r4? Have you changed your opinion on the a9?
It definitely is. The Lock-On function you find in the Sony cameras is such a great help in bird photography. You focus on the bird an lock it, the Autofocus system of the A7r4 is doing then an outstanding job in tracking the bird across the viewfinder. Absolutely stunning. Never look back to the time with my Nikon D850. This is a different league now.
I've just thought of this hobby, bought the old a7ii. It was pretty expensive for my budget even after all these years price is still high, Sony hold its price so well.
Mark - Im trying to decide if I need to jump to either the A7R4 or A9 for my birds and wildlife. Looking into buying used, is the A9 plus Topaz programs going to give me any substitute for the A7R4 61 MP? I love the 20 FPS and no black out of the A9, but you seem very very animate about the A7R4 for your BIF shooting and I cant decide. The A7R4 seems to have some better ergonomics too like the locking aperture adjustment and better handgrip, but the A9 has the frame rate and insane AF. HELP! Plus the A9 used I can find for 2500 compared to still 3000 for the R4. Thanks Mark, Seth
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This is the best setup roundup I've come accross to this day! I've been a Sony user for 6 years now and even though I know and use most of the tweaks, you brought some new light to them. The ability to use focus peaking and 5.9x zoom in AF-C is AWSOME! Can't find words to express my gratitude!
Awesome glad you liked it
You are a gift from the universe. My camera was lost/stolen for the last few weeks. Opted to purchase the a7iv because I needed a machine to get me through the rest of my work. Through divine intervention and a lot of persistence my a7riv was recovered. The main reason I was frustrated with the a7riv was I never quite dialed in the af functions to be reliable while shooting otf. I ran across your video and out of respect for my darling camera making it back into my hands I decided to configure the settings... why? Well, I believe the thief realized how complex the camera was, performed a factory reset and quickly realized the learning curve was going to be a hurdle for giants. Chimp driving a Ferrari.
Anyways, thank you so much. the camera feels better in my hands than it did before and I look forward to jumping back and forth between models to optimize the video and af for crowds and action with the a7iv and getting those magnificent print worthy shots while minimizing my shot loss count with the a7riv. For me, inadvertently, the thief put the dream team of cameras in my hand and then this video came along to add the cherry on top. You are great! Will most definitely support!
Hey Mark! I can not thank you enough. This has been night and day for me. After watching this video about 4 times through out the last 2 weeks. I upgraded from the a7r3 to the a7r4. I followed your settings exactly with some slight changes to the custom dial functions. I went back out to a local park that's notorious for having Eastern Bluebirds and Thrashers. I've been trying for weeks to try to photograph one as Bluebirds are fidgety and fast. With your help...I managed to photograph quite a few...and their TACK sharp! Focus Peaking, Crop sensor "spotting scope", back button focusing, registered AF area - they all played together seamlessly. I'm combing through the photos now and I'm really happy and, again, super thankful you made this video!!
I went through this vid 2 years ago when I first bought the A7r IV. I havent used it much recently and needed your wisdom for a full reset and refresh, some settings were not what I thought they should be. This is still an outstanding and very useful piece of work. Thanks so much!
Switched my gear from Nikon to Sony in the last month. A7Riv is my body and 200-600 Sony is my wildlife lens, with the Sony GM 70-200, Zeiss 16-35, and the Sigmas 24-70 f/2.8 & 20mm f/1.4. This video really helped me out getting started with the wildlife settings. Thanks!
Your quote that the A7RIV “is brutal in its honesty” in that it will reveal poor technique, poor glass and poor aperture and shutter choices .. is so true .. when I stepped up from the A7RIII, I had to force myself to become a better photographer as this camera will not hide your mistakes or protect you from yourself.. but I am happy the camera is challenging me to be better.. it’s a sniper rifle.. not a machine gun
Exactly
Jeez, that's a great way to put it--between you and Mark. I'm feeling the exact same sentiment. This camera really rewards impeccable technique. But it severely punishes sloppiness.
@@sdijnfpo0jaisf Absolllutly. I do not know where you have been before the A7r3 but the same is said stepping up from a 21mp to a 36 mp camera. 61 mp, It will definitely test your skills.
I upgraded to the A7RIV and 200-600mm from the A99II and 70-400mm and wholeheartedly agree. The 600mm and 61mp combo is really unforgiving with motion blur from camera shake, especially hand-holding.
I remember seeing a lot of reviews for the A7RIV saying the auto focus system was terrible and it would miss focus a lot. I honestly thought the same thing when I first got it until I realized it was slight motion blur in a lot of my photos. Once I improved my hand-holding techniques and forced myself to use faster shutter speeds more often, BOOM everything was sharp. I wonder if that's what was happening in those other reviews too. The A7RIV's focusing system and tracking is leaps and bounds over the A99II, so I'm really happy with my upgrade. Even my A mount lenses with the EA3 adapter nail focus better on the A7RIV!
And thanks for this in-depth video Mark! Love these settings. Especially how to turn the back screen off. Since I hike around with my camera at my side a lot, I'm always bumping my focus hold buttons so mine never really likes to stay asleep. That trick has saved me so much juice! I love the quick switching between small and zone focus with the back buttons too! I did the reverse since I usually photograph perched birds, but this is a life saver for when they take off. I just crank my shutter speed and press the zone/AF button and I'm ready for them!
I haven’t even finished the video yet but this may be one of the most informative and intuitive videos for all the things that I need. I’m super appreciative 🙏🏾
I've been using your setup of the A7R!V for several months now and love it. I recently purchased the A7RV and hoping you will do a setup video similar to the one you did for the A7RIV. Thanks so much for the work you do!
This was fantastic, great overview!! I've been on the fence about this camera for a bit and this was a wonderful overview.
Woahhh I never would expect to find you on a photography channel! That’s so rad man 👊🏽👋🏽
I’m only about halfway through, but this has been so helpful in setting up my week old A9. Your breakdown and step by step guide is so easy to follow. Thanks for all your wonderful videos!!
Mark, I have an A7Riii, not the best camera for bird photography, and I had been feeling really frustrated with it. After watching your video on A7RIV, I have made the changes in settings that you recommended, and I am feeling so hopeful again. You have a great ability to explain counterintuitive concepts really well, like why AF responsiveness set to 5 makes more sense, or shooting in Zone mode while trying to track something so small. Really appreciate you and it goes without saying that I am a new subscriber, and will recommend your channel to all my photography friends. Thank you 🙏🏼
Great Video/Tutorial Mark!
When it comes to wildlife photography, Sony has the best "Ambassador" they could ever ask for. If anyone (like me) with a moderate amount of experience is willing to spend the time to learn from you, they will gain another level of appreciation for this amazing Sony Camera!
Thanks for Sharing.
That's awesome! Thanks
Buy the e-book! Great way to thank the best of all the camera-lens reviewers on RUclips.
Mark, I am so glad to have found your videos. Grateful to find someone who can explain it so simply to this old guy. I am putting some of your suggestions to work already. Thank you
Don´t even own a Sony, still I watched the whole thing!
Great work Mark of putting together a really great setup guide, the way you explain things are superb!
That's awesome. Thank you!
Same here. I wanted to see what the Sony menu was all about since some complain about them coming from other systems. All future cameras will force you to dig into their menu set ups if you want to get the most out of their features. Superb vid as most of your vids always are. Most likely the most advance slr camera out their rite now!
Aloha Mark. Chuck Burke here....I"m 19:13 into your video and I think you have answered all of my questions LOL...between this and the previous video where B&H sent you the A7R4 to test...I am pretty convinced it is time for me to step away from my D850....Thank you for all the effort and work you put into your incredible videos...always entertaining and more importantly always extremely informative. Thank you.
Thanks Mark for this setup guide. Been hesitant to use the back button focus but I gave it another go on my A7iii. Set it all up last night and today managed to get so many keepers of a Rainbow bee eater tossing it's prey in the air. Plan to get A7R IV when the prices go down. Thanks again
I have the a7r3, but I found this guide helpful, anyway. Bought it to support your work. Great job, Mark.
I have the A7iii with the 200 to 600 and this video was very informative. I like the option of switching between focus area with one press of a button. I set mine to C1. Thanks good stuff.
I am so grateful to have found this video. I have finally assigned custom buttons thanks to your wonderful video! I am super excited to start practicing capturing birds with all of these new settings. Hitting the function key to get back to the main tabs of the menu button is something I never knew! (much I did not know) I can't wait to share this feature with my Sony friends. Thanks for making this video.
Thanks I came here after struggling with birds with my A7RIV, you're a great help thanks. A note on e-front curtain shutter if it's on it reduces the quality of background blur.
Thanks Mark for this detailed video. This has been very helpful since I just received the new Sony A7 IV this week. The menus are different on the A7 IV but I could follow your setup just fine. I have been a lifelong Nikon user (selling all my gear now). I was comfortable with the Nikon D500 & 200-500mm lens for wildlife. Great camera, but I wanted to do more with video and the D500 was not great for video (especially auto-focus). I had previously watched your D500 System Setup and finally got the nerve to watch your “Why I moved from Nikon to Sony” video. The Sony A7 IV seems to be a perfect hybrid.
This is certainly going to be a transition, but very impressed thus far. I purchased a Sony kit lens for now (28-60mm) along with the 200-600mm lens.
Again, as always thanks for your videos. Long time follower.
Glad it was helpful!
This was very helpful and well explained, Mark - thanks. I have a suggestion for you, which you might find useful.
For the lens's Focus Hold Button you have assigned AF/MF Control Toggle, which is good, but perhaps slightly more useful (because it's a tiny bit quicker) would be to set up a Recall Custom hold function with the following settings - Focus Mode = DMF, Focus Area = Flexible Spot M, AF On = On - and assign that to the Focus Hold Button instead.
With your setup, when the Focus Hold Button is pressed it just switches to MF (with an out-of-focus image, possibly) and waits for you to focus manually. With my setup, when the Focus Hold Button is pressed, it _auto-focuses first_ which then gives you something to punch into and fine tune with MF. Hope this makes sense.
Makes total sense but I always prefocus before using the spotting scope idea. I'll look into your suggestion. Sounds like a great setup.
I am not sure DMF will operate when the camera autofocus is set for AFC
@@smhoer8640 That's what recall custom hold is for, you overwrite the AFC with DMF (among other things) as long as you hold down the button. Probably my favourite feature on the Sony cameras.
Hey Mark! As a followup to yesterday’s comment regarding the Focus Hold Button (MF option) on the lens, it should be noted the magnification range for manual focus is 5.9X to 11.9X (toggling the Center Control Wheel button) when in full frame sensor mode and 3.9X to 7.8X when in crop mode.
Thanks Mark for another great video. Just wanted to let you know with the Focus Hold Button (MF option) on the lens, whenever you depress the Lens Focus Hold Button to go into MF you can then press the Center Control Wheel button to toggle between 5.9X and 11.9X magnifications. Great for fine-tuning your focus on still objects and expanding your “spotting scope option”. Keep up the great work and your Osprey action images are awesome!
Woah! I'll have to give that a try! Thanks
That is very helpful. Thank you!
Oh my, that's so good to know. Thank you.
Thank you.I did all your suggestions on my A7R4 which I bought today. I will start to use it with 200-600 tomorrow. I hope my A7R4 and 200-600 will love each other:)
Thank you so much, after changing all these settings on my a7iv I feel more confident over the controls that I can actually control. Thank you!
Thank you so much for the time and effort on this guide! You're not kidding when you say this camera has a whole lot of options and this really helps focus in on the main points important for wildlife. I've played around with a few variations based on your recommendations but have found myself settling on a nearly identical setup as in this video. The written guide is also excellent for quick reference. Fantastic work!
Superb! I watched every second, stopped many times, back again ... So cool with huge thanks for sharing, Mark.
THANK YOU, Mark.
I swiched from another camera to this a7r4 just a few days ago because I was overwhelmed with the idea of (61 mega p) but when I turned it on I paniced. But your above film is absolutely great you explained things in a calm and understandable way. I have set up my camera now and am going out for a few days to take some shots in my lake country. I will buy the manual and your book on bird photography. Thank you one more time. Great film.
I love the way you setup your camera and your two easy buttons to autofocus. I actually use the stick to have the third eye AF autofocus, so I have 3 ways to quickly autofocus with my thumb. Pretty useful, thanks for sharing !
Thank you for your insight and sharing of your settings, the custom key setup is a lot more intuitive than the custom options I had used. First weekend out and it made shooting more pleasurable!
New to Sony menu’s and your video has helped enormously
Thanks Mark, i just received my a7 iii and you helped me a lot .
Thank you. First help for my A9 and now my A7RIV. Nice🙏
Thank You! Thank You!! Thank You!!! I finally understand how to use this awesome new camera of mine. Your video was exactly what I needed to try to navigate the HUGE menu of this super intelligent camera that I love. You do it in a way that anyone can follow and understand. Thank You soooo much!
Very good. Just got my A7R iv for bird photography and this has been a great help. Thanks.
I didn't get the 600 f4, just the 200-600 zoom with the 1.4x teleconverter. Tried a few trial shots today and I'm suitably impressed. Hopefully after changing some (not all) of my settings to reflect yours, I will slowly improve my bird images. Spring migration will be starting soon so I'm aiming to be at least reasonably proficient for when the rarity appears :-)
Used this settings for my a7iii. Thank you works great so far
Hello, how is your A7iii going with wildlife / BIF photography? Which lens do you use? Thanks for sharing
I have a 7iii and 100-400mm. Watching this still, in the hope that the lessons generally apply.
Mark don’t know if you realise that setting the display quality to high increases the resolution from 60fps to 120fps but also lowers the resolution of the screen so in effect setting it to high quality actually reduces the quality and it also increase battery consumption. It can be handy to have it set to high when shooting fast action as it reduces the tiny lag when displaying images in continuous burst mode, for viewing the maximum resolution of an image the display quality needs to be set to standard.
Thanks Mark I have the A7III but still found the information fantastic. 👍🏿
I have watched many of your videos, and you sir are an impressive photographer. And to date you are the only persons video I have subscribed to. Thank you for your Awesome photos.
Thank you!
@@MarkSmithphotography Please send me a link to the E-book for the sony a7rm2 set-up. And, I am left handed do you have any suggestions on setting custom buttons on this camera for us southpaws?
Your A7R4 setup tutorial is very useful so thanks for that. However, in your section about focus areas I was hoping you could go into the differences between the tracking and regular focus area types and why you only select the non-tracking ones? What are pro's and con's of the other ones for wildlife/bird photography?
Excellent video Mark! Watched it twice to pick up anything I may have missed. Also bought the guide and the setting file just in case I miss something while setting it up. This camera is definitely a challenge to my skillset, I've been a photographer for 55+ years, and still learning :), and this camera definitely can and will point out the personal deficiencies one may have. And that's good!
Excellent video. Very thorough and clear explanations. Happy shooting
Thanks
A7iii here - the method to toggle focus modes/register is slightly different in my camera. "Switch focus area" is not listed in my menu as an option when choosing a custom key setup on my A7iii. It's called "Regist AF Area tggl" and you need to turn ON "AF Area Regist." on page 7/14 in MENU 1 to be able to hold down the Fn button to register the mode. Took me a bit to figure out what what going on differently. Thanks for this tip, Mark!
Thanks for sharing this, Tim!
Hands on the BEST instructional video about this amazing camera. I can't wait to get mine!
Just a query though...is the "my menu" feature like the "Fn" button? In my old camera, the Fn button brings up 12 menu items on the back screen which you can customise and are easily accessible.
😊😊
This is a great video, just what I needed. But I’m confused about 1 thing: You didn’t register any focus modes w/tracking but your lens is tracking the bird. So what are the tracking modes for? (I use mostly center-tracking for portraits). Thanks!
Thank you very much for your good and patient teaching.
Serious gear. Your totos are amazing.
Just got my Sony A7r iv and 200-600 lens today. I appreciate you putting this out and look forward to trying out your settings and tweaking anything (if at all) once I get used to the camera and lens. Thanks again! 👍🏽
14:15, you may also switch directly the main categories (I stuck to your terminology, hope it’s OK for you 😉) always by the front dial, independent of the position of horizontal selector bar 🖖
Really appreciate this video, coming over from Nikon things were a tad foreign helped so much!
Glad you liked itb
Thanks for sharing , Mark. Good shooting with you last week.
Always great shooting with you! See you in Washington!
Thank you for explaining everything. I haven’t been all that happy with the amount of sharp images that I’ve been getting using my current settings. I was wondering why you do not use any of the tracking modes when you’re primarily shooting wildlife?
Wish there’s a place to shoot BIF in my area but sadly there isnt.your videos really makes me want to be a wildlife photographer.the way you tell a story along with the shooting is really amazing and addicting! Keep up the good work Sir!
Excellent! I just bought this camera about 2 months ago. This was extremely helpful. Thx U
I just discovered your channel, very very informative, I am subscribing.
Hi Mark. Many thanks for highly informative videos. Could you please give me name and brand of Contraption holding your camera on your tripod.. It looks like some kind of gimble. Thanks
coming from Hong Kong, your set up guide is very useful to me
I've watching this again and Mark says something critical twice - these settings are designed so you don't have to take your eye off your subject. That is so key to any camera set up. Know your camera inside and out so you can maximize all the time, money and energy you've spent going into the field. I know I'm personally tired of missing shots here and there because I wasn't properly prepared. Well, no more of that! ( at least I hope not! )
Exactly
Best menu setup guide for this camera...EVER! Thank you sir.
Mark, I have a question. I am using a Sony 200-600 on an a6400. I am happy with the Auto Focus for Birds in Flight, it is not 100%, but every good. I am thinking of getting an a7RIII for the resolution upgrade ( a1and a7RIV are total out of reach at this point.a7RIII used 1800 2000) Will I be disappointed with the Auto Focus on the a7RIII for birds in flight photography.
Nice job Mark. I read somewhere to leave AF illuminator off and have it set off on my camera. Thanks Mark
What mode do you advise I use for a bird in flight ? Sony a7 IV and sony 200-600.
Im new to bird shooting. Tried expand spot and wide. But they are just too fast for me to catch focus on :(
Am I simply too close (20 meters ish) - or too close zoomed in ?
Excellent video!.
Thank you very much for the effort, for the patience to explain things in detail, always with clear explanations...
...and for sharing it!
Regards from Spain.
This one was hard to watch but so well done. I love the new setup. It looks great!!!
Thanks i just learned some tricks about the Sony that i did not know (pop the screen to always let it on and the fn to switch tabs on the menu)
Stil don’t understand.. would it be easier and faster if you make one of these buttons focus hold? Then if your (in my case) wife uses the camera it still works easily... it is just an otherway of doing the same (oh and standard the button on (some) lenses does this). What would be the benefit? I have the previous version (3) and on my canon i use back button focus but i had to switch everytime when i put the camera away. My wife sometimes uses it to make photos of the kids and she was always calling what happened if i forgot to change it back. I now work the other way around...
The AF tracking options you disabled (lower row) is Tracking, or Lock-On on older cameras. You mentioned when tracking birds and a wave gets in front that the camera might focus on the wave. If you set Tracking: Zone or Flexible Spot, AF Sensitivity to 1 (Lock ON), this won't happen. But I'm not a bird shooter, I was just interested in the camera settings :-) You seem to have AF Tracking Sensitivity set to 5 which means it will change subject as soon as focus is lost. This setting doesn't matter when focus is acquired and locked in. But if a bird get behind some trees for a second or so, 1 would still try to find and hold focus on the bird/subject, while 5 would try to find a new subject to lock on to. Thank Filip Bloom for that info! One interesting thing, Tracking on my A7RV is quite a lot better than the similar Lock-On function on my A7iii, so this is a completely new function, not just a new camera/function name. I tend to use Flexible Spot to hold focus on my older camera, generally Flexible M / S and expand flexible spot. On my newer camera the Tracking just seem to hold to whatever I locked on to, even if situation changes completely. I always default back to Flexible Spot if I'm in doubt. Why do you choose such a small flexible spot as S? Isn't this making things more difficult especially when bird is in flight? I hope to go bird shooting when the season is on again, just got my Sigma 150-600 DG DN Sport! 🙂 Best regards, Aleksander
Mark purchased your A7RIV guide...well worth it. Thank you!
Really learned something very helpful from this clip, like AEL button to quick change focus area. Thanks a lot!!!
Hey Mark. Absolutely fantastic video. I have watched it twice! Not sure I still need the digital guide but just bought it anyway. Haven't opened it yet but already got my money's worth from the video alone. Recently switched from my canon systems to the A7RIV and this video was tremendously helpful. My camera is set up similarly but not quite the same as yours. Definitely understand many of the features a lot better. I have been using the 100-400GM with or without the 1.4 tele. Unfortunately 400 or 600 are not realistic options for me. I had been considering the 200-600 G as it seems to zoom across its range much easier than the 100-400. I appreciate your comments non the 200-600 with he A7RIV but still am on the fence so please talk me out of it :). Looking forward to tracking some Eagles this weekend. Keep up the great work. Greatly appreciated. All the best.
Mark, excellent guide! I have the A7III and can apply a lot of your techniques to my camera. I loved this so much that I just bought the digital book on your website. Looking forward to learning more from you! This is the wildlife guide I have been looking for! Thanks so much!
Incredibly useful video Mark, as a long time Nikon shooter I have decided to pick up one of these A7RivA bodies as discounted at the moment. Thought I would give Sony a try as heard good things about Sony .🙏🙏🙏
Can you do a menu set for the R7V, thanks...
Hi Mark, you're using regular/non-tracking zone and expand flexible spot. Instead of the tracking options. From the bird photos I've done, I've had decent luck using the tracking, but on an a9. I've recently switched to the a7r iv, and I'm wondering why you picked the focus modes you picked. Not trying to stir up trouble, but more so trying to learn. Thanks
They worked better in my experience. I don't use the tracking modes on the a9 either. Zone works very well for me and it seems to track even better in my experience.
Thanks. I cede to your far greater experience level than mine. So I'll try it out.
simonellavirus IMHO, the AF tracking modes work better depending on the subjects you are tracking and the lens focal lengths and depth of field you have them set to.. Mark is using a 600mm f4 constant aperture and is mostly shooting fast (usually one) birds in flight.. the AF tracking modes have to perform more calculations per microsecond than the zone or flexible spot modes in continuous AF or AF-C mode. So it makes sense that he is getting a higher focus hit rate especially when in high+ burst rate and at the widest aperture of f4 on that lens ..
On the other hand if I was using say.. the Sony 135 f1.8 GM and tracking sports action at a basketball game or using it for portraiture at a event or wedding.. (especially anything with human eyes since animal eye AF works with only a few birds like owls and not at all if they are moving in flight) ..then I’m set to AF tracking mode all day.. as the AF tracking box will stick and RE-acquire the spot you marked for focus even if something moves in front of the subject you are tracking.. it also lets you quickly focus and recompose by only moving the lens without having to move the focus point with the joystick.. in short, tracking AF has a lot of processor chip clock cycles to execute and will perform better in some situations but not all.. high speed birds in flight is probably not one of them. Sony has provided so many AF options, it’s our job to figure out which ones work best for the given job.. best of luck!!
Hey Mark. Another great video. You're one of the best out here on the tube. Keep up the great work.
I really appreciate you making theses videos, I recently switched over to the A7riv from Nikon and still adjusting. Do you have better results shooting birds in flight in mechanical mode?
Looking forward to future post
Thanks Charles from Punta Gorda
Thanks heaps for this very informative video and all your practical tips - these are very much appreciated. I have the A7R4 and have just purchased the sony 200-600mm lens and have set my camera according to your settings and it's a great great improvement over how I previously had my camera set. Many many thanks!!!
Loved this tutorial! Thank you for all of the tips and tricks! I really appreciate what you do.
Superb. I have played around with every possible combination of settings. I have one doubt. Which stabilization mode do you use for taking birds in flight handheld and which mode do you use when on a monopod and on a tripod? I am asking this particular query with regards to the 200-600 G OSS lens
Wonderful stuff as usual Mark. Hopefully you will have an A1 to test on your Florida shoot in March. Cheers
Thanks for the tips! Do you prefer the A7r IV or A9? I have the a9 and been thinking of swapping it for the R IV because I miss the resolution of R series. I love A9, but it lacks the ability to crop and when you zoom in, the photos look soft compared to R series.
wonder where he got the shirt?beautiful photos.makes me want to go to the marsh and shoot
not everyone would take the time and/or would be willing to make such video and share settings. Thank you for that. I think I'll order an A7RIV pretty soon.
Bit late to the party but this is the best and most useful video, Just purchased the mkiv having come from panasonic . super helpful 👍
Reall great class Mark, I’ve got a much better understanding of my A7R4
Great video, Mark! Definitely worth the wait. Quick question, will you consider an A9II in the near future? I’m just curious if your a9 is collecting dust at this point. Thanks for all you do!
Mark thanks so much for this video - I use it all the time!!!
I am looking forward to a set up video like this wonderful in depth video for the Sony a1 when it is really available and which I intend to purchase as soon as I can. I love your excellent teaching style.
Hi Mark. Really love the video! I've just swapped from Canon to Sony and just getting to grips with everything. Can u pls help me on the custom key page 4 (holding focus button on side of lens). What is the title of the assigned action (manual focus with the peaking) as for the life of me I can't find it in the 27 pages on offer. Thanks mate.
Great video! Just bought your PDF to support the work you're doing. :)
Great video!! I setup my camera very similar before I stumbled upon your video. I learned quite a few useful tips and have since tricked my setting.
One question: what tripod and mount/gimbal is that? would it work well for Astrophotography and longer exposures?
Great job Mark. Very informative.
Thanks
51:20 why my camera when turn the wheel shows the ISO in big numbers? Why my wheel does not shows in blue color in the display?
Mark, on your setup for the a9 you set the camera to 1 for locked on and use the tracking L setting. Why the difference on the a7r4? Have you changed your opinion on the a9?
5 have me better results on the r4. You can't treat the r4 like the a9. Two very different cameras
Mark do you think this is a better rig than a Nikon 850 and a Nikon 500mm f4 for what you do? Sounds like you do from the video.
Yep!
I wondered how it compared to D850 in ease of use *I am a beginner* and learning Both Great Cameras / great lenses. (cost matters to me as well)
It definitely is. The Lock-On function you find in the Sony cameras is such a great help in bird photography. You focus on the bird an lock it, the Autofocus system of the A7r4 is doing then an outstanding job in tracking the bird across the viewfinder. Absolutely stunning. Never look back to the time with my Nikon D850. This is a different league now.
you suggest that the a7riv is better than the a9ii because of the resolution and cropping issue?
I've just thought of this hobby, bought the old a7ii. It was pretty expensive for my budget even after all these years price is still high, Sony hold its price so well.
Mark - Im trying to decide if I need to jump to either the A7R4 or A9 for my birds and wildlife. Looking into buying used, is the A9 plus Topaz programs going to give me any substitute for the A7R4 61 MP? I love the 20 FPS and no black out of the A9, but you seem very very animate about the A7R4 for your BIF shooting and I cant decide. The A7R4 seems to have some better ergonomics too like the locking aperture adjustment and better handgrip, but the A9 has the frame rate and insane AF. HELP!
Plus the A9 used I can find for 2500 compared to still 3000 for the R4.
Thanks Mark,
Seth