Sony a7iii Camera Workshop 1 of 2

2nd Edition, Revision 1, Revised October 30, 2024

by David Tamés

How to use these slides: These slides are designed for use during a hands-on instructor-led camera workshop and for subsequent review. They can also be used as a guide to camera configuration and use, as well as a reference. 

As you go through these slides, make your own configuration and usage checklist with notes and carry them when you when you are working with the camera. There are many things to remember, and you can’t assume the camera is set-up properly when you check it out from the CAMD Media Center, so always go through the camera configuration steps and do a test before going out on a shoot.

Sony a7iii Camera Workshop 2 of 2 dives deeper into manual exposure, lenses, frame rate, and creative image control.

This slide deck is updated periodically; if you have any comments or suggestions for improvement, please use this contact form: https://davidtames.com/contact/

© 2024 by David Tamés, some rights reserved, shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/legalcode.en

(1) What’s in the Kit?

(2) Setup and configuration

(3) Using the a7iii as a video camera

(4) Reference and resources

Sony a7iii Camera Workshop 2 of 2 dives deeper into exposure, lenses, frame rate, and creative image control

Reserve the “Sony Video Kit” in WebCheckout (link in Canvas). The complete kit is provided in a backpack; reserve the kit online through WebCheckout. Pick-up and return at the CAMD Media Center, 3rd Floor, Ryder Hall. Always review the kit and ensure it is complete and functional before leaving the Media Center. Doing a camera test before shooting is recommended (shoot something with it, make sure everything is functioning correctly). 

There are three tripods currently available from the media center:

(1) Manfrotto Video Tripod System Medium, smaller and easier to transport than other options; (2) Sachtler Flowtech is is a professional fluid head and sticks combination that is larger and more stable than the medium video tripod; these are the best tripods we have in house, a tripod w/ good fluid heads provide a stable base for the camera and offer drag adjustment for tilt and pan for silky pan and tilts; (3) Manfrotto Video Tripod large, not as nice to use as the Sachtler Flowtech but it will do in a pinch.

24.2 MP 35mm Full-frame CMOS sensor; Sony E-Mount (wide selection of lenses available); ISO sensitivity up to 51,200 (6,400 usable limit);  Excellent auto focus including touch AF; HD or 4K video recording; 8 bit color linear or log recording, picture profiles; Dual media slots (one slot is UHS-II compatible); 5-axis in-body image stabilization; USB Type-C (USB 3.1) for power and control; HDMI video out (micro connector); 3.5mm microphone input w/ plug-in power; 3.5mm headphone output.

Sony a7iii full frame camera — with 2  SDHC Cards (32GB or 64GB), 2  Sony camera batteries, USB-C to USB-A Cable, USB AC adapter, Camera shoulder strap, Body Cap

Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom lens — with Lens cap, Lens hood, UV filter (82mm), Rear cap

Filter kit (Tiffen Circular Polarizer, URTH ND8 (3 Stop), URTH ND64 (6 Stop), URTH ND1000 (10 Stop))

Lens cleaning kit

Rode Lavalier GO microphone

Sennheiser MKE200 microphone w/ windjammer (with 3.5mm cable and windjammer)

Sony MDR-7506 headphones (with storage bag and 3.5mm to 1/4-in. adapter, DO NOT WRAP COILED CABLE AROUND THE HEADPHONES, just drop it in the bag, wrapping the cable around the headphones damages the coiled cable!)

microphone extension cable

Keep anything you are not using in the bag to avoid losing it!  Return all components to their original location (and pouch if applicable) when you are done using the kit.

The backpack has a rain cover in the bottom outside pouch, this pulls out and slides over the bag to protect the contents in the event you have to carry the gear in the rain. 

(this is also available in the online manual)

(this is also available in the online manual)

1 - Insert SD Card*

2 - Insert Battery* 

3 - Power on

Camera comes with two SD cards, but if you want to use your own, the a7iii requires SDHC/SDXC cards, Class 10 or U1 or better for 4K 60 Mbps video; U3 card required for 4K or HD 100 Mbps video 

4 - Check battery level (make sure you have at least 50% left on the battery, otherwise charge it or try using the second battery; it’s a good idea to charge the batteries before your shoot)

Power to charge the battery is provided by connecting the USB-A to Micro-USB cable between the AC adapter (both included in the kit) and the camera. Charging may also be done via the USB-C connection (a USB-C cable is not included in the kit). LED indicates charging in progress. 

5 — Set mode to “M” for MOVIE MODE (this ensures all of the video functions work properly)

6 - Press “Menu” to enter menu mode

7 - Use the multi-function dial to navigate and make selections with the multi-function button

8 — Reset to “Factory Defaults” so we’re all working with the same configuration (Setup 7 => Settings Reset)

#todo Add slides on saving and recalling settings and saving settings to disk and putting settings on disk for easy setup each time you use the camera

9 — Set the date and time
(Setup 5 => Date/Time Setup)

9 — Set the date and time
(Setup 5 => Date/Time Setup)

10 — Format the SD card
(Setup => Setup5 (5/7) => Format), it will give you a choice of formatting Slot 1 or Slot 2

Note: If you have two cards installed, format both
Note: If using your own SD card, make sure whatever was on it before has been backed up
Note: You can configure the camera to save still images onto one card and videos on the other card (see manual)

11 — Choose the File Format For Video: (Camera 2 => Movie1 (1/9) => File Format)

12 — Choose the File Format For Video: (Camera 2 => Movie1 (1/9) => File Format) 

HD (1920 x 1080) —  1. Baseline production standard; 2. Less processor intensive than 4K; 3. Smaller files compared to 4K; 4. Less flexibility in post-production.

UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) —  1. Higher end production standard; 2. More processor intensive than HD; 3. Larger files compared to HD; 4. More flexibility in post-production.

13 — Choose the Record Settings  For Video: (Camera 2 => Movie1 (1/9) => File Format) 

13 — Choose the Record Settings  For Video: (Camera 2 => Movie1 (1/9) => File Format) 

When shooting HD, choose XAVC S HD File Format, 24p 50M means that the FRAME RATE is 24 fps, progressive scan, and the DATA RATE is 50M

Frame rate (designated in frames per second or FPS) is the rate (frequency) at which consecutive frames (images) are captured by a camera or displayed by a playback system. While temporal sensitivity and resolution of human vision varies between individuals and depends on the characteristics of the visual stimulus, roughly, a frame rate above 12 or fps are required to perceive the individual frames as movement, and a frame rate above 24 or so fps are required for the movement to appear smooth.

Frame rate (designated in frames per second or FPS) is the rate (frequency) at which consecutive frames (images) are captured by a camera or displayed by a playback system. While temporal sensitivity and resolution of human vision varies between individuals and depends on the characteristics of the visual stimulus, roughly, a frame rate above 12 or fps are required to perceive the individual frames as movement, and a frame rate above 24 or so fps are required for the movement to appear smooth.

The cinema standard of 24 fps was a trade-off between smooth motion and film consumption. The standard 1/48 shutter speed is the result of a 180º rotating shutter. While the shutter blade covers the gate, the camera advances the film to the next frame. The frame is exposed while the shutter does not cover the gate. Higher shutter speeds are achieved by adjusting the shutter angle, with an effect on both exposure and motion blur, however, 180º became the standard and along with it motion blur of moving objects and/or camera movement due to 1/48 shutter speed, resulting in a major factor of the “film look.” See animation by Joram van Hartingsveldt: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotary_disc_shutter#/media/File:Moviecam_schematic_animation.gif

13 — Choose the Record Settings For Video: (Camera 2 => Movie1 (1/9) => File Format) 

24p gives a “film look” with characteristic motion blur, on the a7iii use 1/50 shutter* (a7iii can’t do 1/48)

30p gives a “video look” with less motion blur than 24p but similar,  use 1/60 shutter*

60p gives a “real look” with less motion blur, use 1/125 shutter* (a7iii can’t do 1/120)

120p gives a “hyper-real look” with very little motion blur, use 1/250 shutter* (a7iii can’t do 1/240)

*  P mode will adjust the shutter speed as needed to maintain proper exposure without considering standard shutter speeds for each frame rate, that’s why we eventually want to work in movie mode, we will cover that in the second camera workshop, we have enough in our hands this first time with the camera

A recording format (or file format) is a scheme for storing digital video and audio data. This almost always involves some form of compression to reduce the file size. The data file is structured with a container format (e.g. MP4) with the video data encoded using a coding format (e.g. H.264) along with the audio data encoded using an audio coding format (e.g. AAC). The container may also contain metadata such as title, date, and production data.  The coded video and audio inside the container (not the metadata) is called the essence.

What is a video recording format? —  Codec. Software or hardware that can decode and encode compressed video or audio. Two major flavors: lossy or lossless (no loss of quality). Two key approaches: intra-frame (works on a per-frame basis, a.k.a. i-frame) and inter-frame (works across groups of frames, more efficient but with more artifacts). H.264 is a lossy inter-frame codec widely-used for both acquisition and distribution (streaming). Apple ProRes is a virtually lossless intra-frame codec widely used in postproduction.

Bottom line: choose the highest quality codec your camera offers for acquisition of important work. 

What is a video recording format? —  Data rate (a.k.a. bit-rate): The quantity of data per second of video or audio, often expressed megabits per second, or Mb/sec or simply M. For example, when using the XAVC S HD codec on the Sony a7iii at 24fps, the data rate is 50Mb/sec. This means that every minute of video will require 375.00 MB (megabytes) of storage (a byte is 8 bits).

Bottom line: choose the codec with the highest data rate for better quality if that is a priority for your work.

What is a video recording format? —  Resolution: The size of an image, usually in pixels, e.g. high definition frame consists of 1920 pixels horizontally and 1080 pixels vertically. The term is also used to describe the amount of detail in an image, higher pixel resolution equals more detail.

Bottom line: choose the highest resolution your camera offers for the acquisition of important work. Shooting 4K when editing in HD provides flexibility in reframing shots. 

What is a video recording format? —  Frame Rate: The number of individual frames per second (fps) recorded by the camera. 24p, 30p, 60p each provide a distinctive look due to the image refresh rate and motion blur, they offer creative options, it’s not that one is better than the other (on the a7iii, use 24p w/ 1/50 shutter speed for a cinematic look, 30p w/ 1/60 shutter speed for a video look, and 60p w/ 1/125 shutter speed for a hyper-real look). 

Bottom line: Choose the frame rate based on the look you want to achieve. For assignment in this class use 24p w/ 1/50 shutter speed unless you specifically want a different look based on creative choices.

What is a video recording format? — Scan:  The scan may be progressive or interlaced. Progressive scan refers to recording or displaying lines (rows) of pixels progressively (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ...) in contrast to interlaced scanning, consisting of two fields: the first field (lines 1, 3, 5, 7 … ) and then a second field (lines 2, 4, 6, 8, …), this Interlaced video method with 60 fields per second (30 frames per second) is referred to as 60i and has lost dominance as progressive formats like 24p, 30p, and 60p offer higher image quality without interlaced artifacts. If your camera is capable of interlaced scanning, avoid it! The problem with interlaced scanning is illustrated in the CD / Interlacing video by Captain Disillusion, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eu_KjKsnpM

Bottom line: choose a progressive scan format if you have a choice between interlaced and progressive. 

What is a video recording format? — Color sampling: The reduction of color resolution in digital video in order to save storage and bandwidth. The color components are compressed by sampling them at a lower rate than the brightness (luminance). Since color information is discarded, processing the image during postproduction will reveal subsampling artifacts that include color noise and banding. In addition, the bit-depth is often reduced (e.g. the camera may perform 12-bit color processing internally, but will store color data using 8 bits in the recorded output).

Bottom line: If your camera offers a choice, select the best color quality settings in order to have have more flexibility when color correcting and color grading in postproduction. 

14 — Set the lens to Auto Focus using the switch on the side of the lens, make sure AF is enabled if you want to use touch focus and the AF tracking feature

15 — Enable continuous auto-focus 
(Camera 1 =>  AF1 => Focus Mode: Continuous AF)*

Pushing the shutter button half-way will trigger focusing if the scene is not focused as you would like it to be.

*  This is just for starters, you will want to investigate the many auto-function options of the a7iii, but for now, we’ll configure the camera for continuous auto-focus (this slide) and touch operation (next slide)

16 — Enable Touch Focus (Setup =>  Setup2 => Touch Operation: ON)

During recording you can touch the area of the screen you want in focus, this will engage touch focus mode

Make sure camera is in AF-C mode (Auto Focus, Continuous) this will track the object you selected.

During recording you can touch the area of the screen you want in focus, this will engage touch focus mode

Press the multi-function select button to disengage touch focus and return to continuous AF mode

Press Fn Button to bring up
the Function Menu

(a)  Change Focus Mode
keep in AF-C for most
shooting)

(b) Adjust Focus Area

The Sony a7III offers a variety of Focus Area options:

Wide: This mode covers a wide focus area and automatically selects a focus point from a wide area of the frame. It’s ideal for general-purpose shooting and capturing subjects that move unpredictably.

Zone: Zone focusing lets you choose a specific area of the frame to focus on. The camera will automatically choose the optimal focus point within that selected zone, making it useful for tracking moving subjects in a designated area.

Center: This mode focuses only on the center of the frame. It’s effective when your subject is consistently in the middle of the frame.

Flexible Spot: This mode allows you to manually select a single, small, medium, or large focus point within the frame. It’s useful when you want precise control over the focus point, especially for portraits or detailed subjects.

Expand Flexible Spot: If the camera loses focus on the point you selected in Flexible Spot mode, it will use the surrounding focus points to help maintain the focus. This is useful for slightly moving subjects.

Tracking (Flexible Spot): This mode allows you to lock onto a subject and track it continuously across the frame, using a flexible spot as the initial point. This is particularly useful for capturing subjects in motion. NOTE: This works in Movie Mode but some nuances to be aware of: The camera uses Continuous AF (AF-C) during movie recording, which is essential for smooth focus transitions. When using Tracking (Flexible Spot), the initial focus point is set manually, and then the camera tracks the subject as it moves, adjusting focus continuously. Subject Tracking: The feature helps maintain focus on a subject within the chosen flexible spot, making it effective for subjects that move within the frame. This is particularly useful for video recording, as it helps to achieve smooth, cinematic focus transitions without losing track of the subject. Face/Eye Detection: If Face Detection or Eye AF is enabled, these features will complement the tracking in movie mode, prioritizing detected faces or eyes within the flexible spot area. Tracking (Flexible Spot) in Movie Mode allows for efficient and accurate focusing on a specific subject while recording, especially if you want to manually indicat the object you want the camera to track.

Lock-on AF: Similar to Tracking mode, Lock-on AF automatically locks onto and follows a moving subject once you half-press the shutter button. It can be combined with other focus areas like Wide, Zone, or Flexible Spot.

19 — Set white balance to automatic (AWB) (Camera 1 => Color/WB/Img. Processing (12/14) => White Balance: Auto)*

*  This is just for starters, you will want to manually adjust white balance or set the white balance using a reference card in the scene whenever accurate color is required.

(Camera 2 => Movie1 (1/9) => Exposure Mode: Manual Exposure)

Exposure modes: 

Manual — Aperture and shutter speed are set manually for complete creative control over the image — this is the mode we want to use for VIDEO

Program Auto — Aperture and shutter speed set automatically by the a7iii, while other settings can be adjusted manually

Aperture Priority  — Adjust aperture manually (to control both exposure and focus range or background blur) and the a7iii will select the shutter speed automatically.

Shutter Priority  — Adjust shutter manually (to control both exposure and motion blur) and the a7iii will select the shutter speed automatically.

21 — Adjust the ISO by pressing the multi-function select button where it is marked “ISO” and then scrolling up and down*

*  try to shoot with lower ISO ratings whenever possible since lower ISO settings exhibit less noise

Zebras aid in exposure adjustment  (Camera 2 => Display/Auto Review1 (6/9) => Zebra Setting)

Enable Zebras to aid in exposure adjustment (Camera 2 => Display/Auto Review1 (6/9) => Zebra Setting)

Areas that exceed the exposure threshold you’ve set will have zebra stripes over them (in this case 90 IRE).  Zebras are a visual overlay that appears as diagonal stripes on overexposed or brightly lit areas of the image (they will not appear on the final image). Zebras serve as a tool for setting proper exposure. They appear on parts of the image that are brighter than a threshold you have set (90 percent in this example). Areas of the image that are above 90 percent will appear white without textural detail.  50% corresponds to middle grey in the tonal scale from 0 black to 100 white. Zebras do not indicate underexposure; they only highlight areas where the exposure is ABOVE the threshold you set.

Zebras aid in exposure adjustment (Camera 2 => Display/Auto Review1 (6/9) => Zebra Setting)

In this example, the Zebra is set to 85, and no zebras are showing, therefore, all elements of the scene are below 85 on the 0 (black) to 100 (white) luminance scale.

100 -  White, no textural detail

90 - Brightest highlight area with some textural detail

70 - Highlight areas with textural detail

50 - Middle of the tonal scale (e.g. 18% grey)

10 - Darkest areas that are safe from the noise inherent in the shadow areas

0 - Black, no exposure (noise)

24 — Adjust the focal length of the lens as desired

25 — Take a photo or shoot video / a. Fully press to take photo, press half-way to engage single-shot focus with the shutter button button / b. Start and stop video recording with the video record button (Note: We have not discussed Photo settings, also you can configure the camera in the Menu to use the photo shutter button to shoot video)

26 — Review your video recordings with the Play button

#todo add Shutter button change for video shooting

27 — Record photos, video, review, experiment, and keep notes!

Camera may be powered via USB-C as well as battery

Video recording in progress indicated by REC on the LCD, otherwise it is STBY

Turn off the camera when not shooting to conserve battery power

#todo Add a slide about putting on and taking off filters

Refer to the handout for shot list and instructions; interpret the prompts any way you like, preserving their spirit, have fun!

For this workshop shoot HD/24p VIDEO in Movie (manual) mode w/ auto-focus ; experiment with touch focus and manual focus and exposure adjustments.

28 — Preparing to transfer your video files from the SD card to a computer (if connected to a computer when powered on, the camera will come up in USB Mass Storage Mode)

Note: You may also remove the SD card and use an SD card reader (this may be faster)

IMPORTANT: Always make a backup of important work.

29 — Transfer your video files from the SD card to a folder on your computer or a folder on the Shared Media Server

STEPS:  

1 - Connect to Server…  

2 - Enter the server location:  If connecting with MacOS: smb://media.camd.northeastern.edu/Media   If connecting with Windows: \media.camd.northeastern.edu\Media 

3 - Connect and authenticate with username and password listed in Canvas  

4 - volume will appear on your desktop and/or appear as a mounted volume 

5 - The class has its own folder, create your own folder inside this folder 

NOTE: It is a best practice is to copy the entire card to a folder in your folder on the shared server (in other words, make an exact copy of the card) 

NOTE: If you are not on a computer that is in the Shillman 205 classroom or Shillman 225 lab, you will have to connect using the Northeastern VPN, instructions are available in Canvas.

30 — It’s a wrap! Now:

-  Power off the camera (format the cards before returning to the CAMD Media Center if you don't want someone else coming upon your work)

-  Return all equipment and accessories to their respective pouch or compartment in the backpack

-  Wrap any cables using the over-under technique (refer to the tutorial video)

 Double-check against kit inventory before closing the bag kit is complete

Treat all gear with care as as if it was animate and it will return the favor

IMPORTANT — DO NOT WRAP THE COILED CABLE around the MDR-7506 headphones, simply fold the headphones, drop them into the pouch, and then drop the coiled cable on top of the headphones. Wrapping the cable around the headphones damages the cable!

Sony a7iii Camera Help Guide : https://helpguide.sony.net/ilc/1720/v1/en/index.html (website)

Sony Help Guide for Creators :  https://helpguide.sony.net/di/pp/v1/en/index.html. (website, Covers Picture Profiles)

Sony a7iii Instruction Manual :  https://tinyurl.com/sony-a7iii-manual (PDF)

Sony a7iii Camera Settings : https://connect2.shu.ac.uk/self-help/cmcbookings/forms/Sony_A7III_Settings_Guide.pdf (PDF, Sheffield Hallam University)

Sony A7 III - Beginners Guide, How-To Use the Camera (Jason Hermann) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L8j4FkxDTw

SONY A7III SETUP ALL CINEMATIC FUNCTIONS (MAKE. ART. NOW.) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wa5voIxwsPI

Best AUTOFOCUS Settings for Sony A7IV, A7sIII, FX3, A7III, FX30, A6600, A7c Camera (Jacques Crafford) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGgUSVkHcCM&t=394s

Stop wasting your time with Picture Profiles (Sony A7SIII + A7III) (Chris Brockhurst) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXdrhprZTHQ