Camera Settings, E-Mount Cameras, E-Mount Lenses, Learn

Camera Settings for Shooting Landscapes – Sony Alpha

Posted on by Mark
Sony Alpha Camera Settings for Shooting Landscape-thumb
12
Dec

This movie uses the A7RIII menu system but the majority of menu items can also be found in most Alpha cameras. The movie covers the following settings:

Find out why Manual Focus is easier than Autofocus.

  • Optimum Focus Distance, Hyperfocal Distance, Focus Area and Focus Magnifier

Find out why these settings, normally associated with optimising JPEGs, can be used to a Raw shooters advantage.

  • White Balance, Dynamic Range Optimizer, Creative Style + does the Color Space (sRGB or Adobe RGB) make a difference.

Find out how to record all of the above settings to a memory and how to gain quick access to commonly changed settings.

  • Memory, Custom Key Setup and Function Menu Setup

Choosing a Lens for Landscape Photography

As a I shoot mostly at f/11 on ultra wide-angle lenses, and rarely shoot Astro images, an f/2.8 aperture is not a priority. If the f/2.8 aperture comes at a price of doubling the weight of the zoom I would personally choose the f/4 (so long as it performs well at f/11), e.g. The Sony’s 4/12-24 G is half the weight of the Nikkor 2.8/14-24 and is just as sharp. The FE 2.8/16-35 GM, however, is not that much heaver than the 4/16-35 ZA and is sharper across the range (although the f/4 is very sharp at f/11).

When weight is a primary consideration I often travel with my Batis 2.8/18 prime. This has the advantage of being even smaller and lighter than the f/4 zoom and it will take screw-on filters instead of a square filter kit that attaches to the lens hood (the FE 4/12-24 requires a filter kit). The Batis 18 also does a good job of stars when used wide open, if it were needed. The only down-side of the Batis 18 is that it is 18 mm and not 16 mm. If space was at a real premium I even have a manual focus Voigtlander 15mm with a maximum aperture of f/4.5 – the only down-side of the Voigtlander is the lack of filters available for this lens. The manual focus is not really a problem on this lens because you can set the hyperlocal distance on the distance scale that appears on the lens.

Mark Galer is a Global Imaging Ambassador for Sony, an experienced educator and an Imaging Ambassador for Adobe. As well as public speaking he offers training in the form of creative workshops and one-on-one training.