AWESOME Video Autofocus Trick for SONY Cameras (a7 III, a7R III, & a9 Settings)

Settings guide to get the Sony a7 III to AF Lock while in video manual focus like the GH5. Quickly switch from autofocus (AF-C) to MF using the AEL button.
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#sony #a7iii #autofocus

[@NotJustBikes]

This is a 3 year old video, but it is _exactly_ what I needed. I just recently replaced my GH5 with the Sony a7s iii. I do mostly street videography for my channel, but the problem is that the autofocus would catch a passing cyclist and focus on them instead of the street, leaving the street out of focus until the cyclist passed. This now gives me the perfect balance of auto focus while also locking on to the subject. Thanks!

[@panicgames]

no, This is a 5 year old video, but it is exactly what I needed.

[@goinhigher]

Just make sure that your lens is set to autofocus and the camera to manual focus. If you set the lens to manual focus, this trick won’t work. Took me a solid hour to figure this out as I had the lens in manual focus. Thanks for the amazing tip Gerald! This truly is a lifesaver.

[@coadybrown6125]

I’ve been shooting sony for a couple years now, this is an incredibly simple tip that never crossed my mind. This is a huge help

[@geraldundone]

Great! I'm glad. Thanks for saying so. Cheers!

[@vidvoodoo]

Gerald Undone LOL 😂

[@royrodriguez4779]

Completely agree!! That just made my life a bit easier

[@JasmineApple]

This is perfect! Exactly what I was looking for! With funky eyesight, I honestly don't trust myself to get manual focus right. But I hate filming in AF, a bird flies into the shot, or a car drives by, or a breeze stirs the bokeh, foreground trees, and the focus starts shifting. This is exactly what I need to get the focus right & locked in!! Thank you!!

[@cwehden]

Very very useful, I set manual focus for live stream and have spent 15 mins focusing then zooming with peak and making it perfectly focused now it takes 2 seconds, THANK YOU!

[@geraldundone]

Glad to hear it. Thanks for the comment! Cheers!

[@austinbivens]

@@geraldundone I had the GH5 for a year and LOVED the manual focus with the back button to put a video into focus. I now have the Sony a6600 and can not get this to work. I watched this video and couldn't get it to work. Any suggestions for the 6600? I can't find any KZbin videos for it and this manual focus hack.

[@perseusarkouda]

I came here thinking OK, let's see another video for something I probably already know. I couldn't be more wrong. It's so simple but yet genius solution!

[@dfiefoeproductions]

Agree, this is something I have been looking for for 2 years, and although I love the a7riii, I could not belive it did not have this - thank you

[@patmat.]

All those focus controls have mushroomed into hundreds of ways to focus. Thanks for extracting a practical one and explaining it simply 👍👍👍

[@1lifeonearth]

Bro I have been stressing so hard about this issue, so simple on my old nikon d750 but i couldnt get it to work no matter what I did with the new sony a7iii. I was super sad and depressed about it, trying to figure it out for days. no one on any forum online or any video anywhere addresses this except for you here. I can't understand why no one else is talking about this or cares, back button focus during video is so incredibly useful and important. THANK YOU!!!

[@EduardoAgustin88]

This video was a lifesaver! Shooting people that are sitting with expressive hand gestures, the camera tended to wanna focus on their hands, especially if they moved closer towards the lens. This method lets me keep the focus back on their faces where it needs to very easily. (and have a use for the AEL button!) Thanks! Liked and subscribed!

[@dinbali]

It didn't work for me at first but it works now. If you have problems as well then here is what I did: 1. On Custom Keys (Tab 2, Page 8) for stills, set the AF-ON button to ''AF ON''. In stills mode I have the AEL button set to ''Eye AF'' for back button focus, so I leave that. 2. On Custom Keys for video, I have everything on ''Follow Custom'' except the AEL button (Page 3) which I set to AF/MF Control Hold. 3. Now I go into video Mode and switch to Manual Focus 4. When I press and hold down the AEL button now, it will switch to Auto Focus mode for as long as I hold the AEL button. While I am holding that button, I can half press the shutter button and it will work as in Geralds video. I don't know what I did wrong at first, but this is how it should be set up.

[@rjkral]

Gerald you've undone it again! Awesome! 👍👍

[@curiousart42]

Incredibly useful. This is the hallmark of valuable content: is it still relevant years later? Yes. Thanks for the great content.

[@GerrysDiy]

Thanks Gerald. My a6400 was driving me nuts for video. Had stopped using it but found your video and am all smiles again. Legend !!! Cheers Gerry👍👍

[@npinder2002]

Dude you just saved me from insanity. Coming into shooting video from doing sports stills for years, the sony AF is sooo brilliant but only really works for what I do with this setup, so that it works like I use it for stills. THAAAANK YOU!!!! Amazing. Been messing with this for weeks and not getting it quite right until now.

[@therealdante]

Two years later and this is still a great trick. Works well on Sony APS-Cs as well (just tried on my a6100). Thanks!

[@kkaradactyl]

I needed this desperately!!! I'm doing underwater filming school and I would have these awesome shots only to get ruined by the stupid AF and unfortunately once the camera is in the housing I can't change the manual focus because I don't have a focus ring for my lens for the underwater housing. UGGGG. Hopefully tomorrow's dive will be an alllll new experience. Thank you soooo much for taking the tine to think outside the Sony Box!!!

[@charlieross-BRM]

Absolutely right I wasn't using it for anything anyway. The guides just don't explain properly what the button labels mean or when you would want to, or not want to apply those buttons. This is why there will always be a place for people like Gerald who have the impetus and the patience to sort them out and share the know-how.

[@alit2693]

This tip has helped me a lot. My AEL button is permanently set as recommended. Thank you Gerald.

[@AndreNygen]

At work, we switched from the GH5S to the A7III and I was shocked when I went into the video focus and saw the AF-S was grayed out. It absolutely didn't make sense especially when we now know from your video that the function is technically there, Sony just didn't implement it.... Your tip is making my life at lot easier. Thank you.

[@youareawesome8]

just saw your comment now. I just post a easier way to do this. just my earlier post.

[@VinnieCamilleriMusic]

I'm starting to use man focus and this is exactly what I needed thanks so much!

[@corneliuganea]

2nd video in two days which directly helps me with my A7III. legend

[@bcrphoto7]

This video really helped me with my Sony. Now that I'm back with canon, I was having the same problem. I had this video bookmarked. Of course the menus are different, but because of your video I KNEW WHAT I was looking for. So now I can toggle focus when shooting video. THANKS A BUNCH.

[@diablopocket]

I had that problem with my Sony Zv-e10... but on Zv-e10 if in manual focus, I've found if you press the shutter button it will focus and lock, same as your button configuration. Congratulations, great to know and difficult to find.

[@GingerOnWheels]

Just came across this video now, its still relevant. The best part is, you sound like a smarter Dane Cook.

[@kalpanaa5605]

Amazing! My Sony Alpha was not focusing and I came across your video It tried the AEL button and it seemed to fix what I was looking for ... Thank u so much !!!

[@latifqureshi9821]

Absolutely brilliant. You've just solved the biggest problem I've had with my A7iii. Thank you so much for this brilliant tutorial.

[@alit2693]

This was a very helpful video for me because Gerald really takes time to explain in detail. Newbies really need someone to hold their hand and explain in detail hands-on and not just throw out some terms.

[@lucasblanc11]

I like having it on toggle, that way I can always have it in auto focus (since I usually use a gimbal) and can just press it once and it stays in manual. Great tip!

[@bobceffo]

Your tip is also good!

[@MagnumOpus7774]

OMG! Finally someone (you) explained this and also how to set it up!!!! Thank you!!!!!

[@denispetrov650]

That’s cool man! Very helpful! More videos like that for Sony pls

[@greek-freaks]

absolute top..thank you man..i am a canonshooter eos 5d mark 4 and bought the a6400 with the crane m2 for a little cityscape video. i am in venice now and with this tip from you i am ready to go :-) thanx a lot

[@maxrainwater]

This is so clever!!! Will definitely practice this technique!

[@millzmcbangy4413]

a year and a half later and im just finding this gem of info. You are the man!!!

[@cristiat]

Some time between this video and the present day videos, Gerald got his teeth done... Nice job!

[@robertch5896]

even after two years I can learn something new - great tip

[@jimbean532]

Who else but you would ever have figured this out? Brilliant! 🙏

[@allenfelix7382]

Really this is one, i am searching all over KZbin.. helps me a lot!! Thank u so much for ur tip 👍😊

[@jeeptds]

i missed the tap&drag focusing on my Canon 80D, now this trick does it for me on my A7III. awesome, thank you so much!

[@victorhlucas]

thanks - also coming from GH4 I was missing this feature. Now I have my A9 and A6500 this way for photo and video. thumbs up

[@gkochanowsky]

I liked your video so much, I hit the like button four times.

[@geraldundone]

I think five times would work a lot better! 😜

[@THEHIITCOMPANY]

Will these settings work on the A7sii?

[@PaulCoboPhoto]

Brilliant, I needed this! I shoot continuous all the time, but there are times I just want manual. Thank you Gerald!

[@rebeccageorge4662]

this is brilliant! Thanks so much. I'm just getting started in videography after years in photography. So helpful and clearly explained!

[@ForeverDansky]

Amazing trick, thanks so much for sharing!! :)

[@simpleserpent1337]

A little remark: if your lens have AF/MF toggle then you need to switch it on AF on the lens, and then switch focus mode to MF in camera settings. That way it will work just like in this vid! And if you switch to MF on lens and AF in settings, it will work opposite way. So it will change to MF while you hold the button and then return to AF. It also useful to correct AF.

[@Jordz711]

Thanks for this comment. The tip wasn't working and your comment cleared it up for me. Cheers!

[@simpleserpent1337]

@@Jordz711 Cheers!

[@drAndreLinoge]

@@Jordz711 Same here! Thx for the helpful comment and G.U. for the video in the first place.

[@cinegenies4651]

Great trick I've been looking for, for month. As a former Panasonic user like you, I'm feeling bad with that strange Sony continuous AF that never stops and can ruin your shots in video mode. Thanks a lot Gerald !!

[@fefinopfeffer2340]

This works also well for the Sony A6600 instead of the AEL button (it doesn’t have it) I used C2 - thanks again for this amazing video

[@krishaskin944]

Excellent tip!!! Easy to follow instructions. Love the picture in picture.

[@geraldundone]

Thanks, Kris! I'm glad. Thanks for the feedback. Cheers! 😃

[@mimoreque1805]

Had I seen this video 1 week ago..... Awesome, thanks so much Gerald.

[@shandeer1]

great trick I was trying to do the same on my a6400 but didn't know how now I did it it works just fine you are the man

[@geraldundone]

Awesome! Glad to hear it. Thanks for the comment.

[@mirkonobili8677]

...same problem from Lumix G7 to SONYA73...now fix it.Thank you so much!

[@fugitivephilo]

Brilliant. Thank you. Was going nuts with precisely this issue today. The only PITA is that I had AEL assigned to Centre Lock on AF. Now I need to ditch another button and reassign. Kind of ridiculous as the way the GH5 works would allow for more button presets!

[@AaronMarasigan]

went back to this video since I just got my A7III today. i think around months ago you only had abt 10k subs!! CHEERS GERALD! from the Philippines

[@ColeDeRuse]

Wow bro. I need to watch this a few more times to fully grasp it lol but I’m gonna set it up. Thank you

[@geraldundone]

Cheers, mate. Sorry if it was a little confusing the way I explained it. 😃

[@ColeDeRuse]

Gerald Undone I don’t think it’s confusing I just want to make sure I do it correctly lol. I listened though initially while driving home and was like “okay I need to listen through again” lol

[@GalZiv]

I jumped here to say that this tip you gave here I use it all the time = amazing

[@rananapier8424]

Glad I found this, extremely useful thing to know when filming yourself especially. So there's no hunting or loss of focus.

[@Fremen02]

That is brilliant. I really like that! Definitely a good idea. thanks for this video.

[@RonVelvet]

Is there a way to do this when trying to focus on yourself? I do so with the app for my Panasonic G7, but I don’t see the option with the Imaging Edge app for my Sony A7Riii so I have to resort to recording myself on autofocus which sucks cuz I move around and stuff 😞

[@mpsinghphotography1]

Great Tip and such useful information, not found in any manual. Thanks bud.

[@natasha7773]

THANNK YOU I cannot tell you how much I value this video and information. Thank you endlessly!!!!!!!!♥️♥️🍀🌱🧚🦋🥲

[@dailysalt]

This is so great! Just got an A7iii and this is exactly what i was looking for. Thanks so much for your time to make this video!

[@Orbitstudiostv]

Great video thank you very much , the way I'm doing this is a set af-on : af / am toggle , then it's just simple for switching between af and am

[@coloradovideochannel]

Felix Arias ... and that lets you keep AEL alive too, just be sure AF/MF lens switch is set to AF (if your lens has that switch)

[@ChristianGalt]

Currently picking my jaw off the ground.😧😱 I’ve totally been missing this feature on my old Panasonic Lumix, THANK YOU!! Now I just need to find a way to add a flip-screen to my A7S.... :)

[@therealdanthomas]

FINALLY I have a solution to this, it's been a nightmare trying to get A7RIII camera focussed on me and staying there when shooting my head to camera stuff. Brilliant tip, thanks :D

[@geraldundone]

Awesome, Dan! Happy it helps. Thanks for saying so. Cheers.

[@HeyThisIsAndrew]

It took me a few watches to fully understand this but I love it! Set my A7iii up to use it this way it will help so much

[@TheFotoloco]

Thanks man! this helps and solves a lot of things for me!

[@awakenedmind9553]

this is great advice! Will be using this :) thanks Gerald!!

[@boudewijnj.m.kegels5198]

On the Canon XL1 lens is a special button called ‘Push AF’ for that sole purpose- came in handy since its continuous AF is quite unreliable and slow.

[@WaitintheWings]

You're a hero!

[@shubhambhagat399]

Thank you so much dude ...! It's amazing trick ❤️❤️❤️❤️love it ...just subscribed 🤟

[@primaballerina84]

Very very good tip! Thank you 💯💯💯🤜🏻🤛🏻

[@glendevitt3945]

I just wandered to this video trying to fix a problem I had with shooting a dance video. I was shooting with my a7r3 in continuous focus mode and using the touch screen to select which dancer I would track. If that dancer left the view in the framing of the shot, the focus would "wander" back and find "something" to focus on. A few times it was the bleachers behind the dancers, or a large logo at center court. The footage was unusable until the autofocus found a new dancer in the frame. I'm shooting 4k video with auto ISO, 24fps, f/9.0 and 1/50th shutter speed. (I later sped up the shutter speed a little to make the dance moves a little crisper). Using the AEL button to pull sharp focus "automatically" and releasing it to be back in manual focus, I now never lose footage. Thanks for this tip.

[@mohammedashiqsafarullah8549]

Awesome trick mate. Subscribed ✌

[@towanda62]

Awesome! Really helpful!

[@MoviesSam]

This is extremely helpful. I just started using an a7riii for shooting sports video. What do you think is the best method for shooting team sports (lacrosse) with many players moving fast ? Does Sony AF-C work for that ?

[@kyleroberts6507]

Can you set it up so pulling the focus is used by the touch screen? I feel a lot of camera shaking will happen by having to hold a button on the camera.

[@63MacGuy]

Great video. I use mine on Toggle. So once it locks on to something I want that isn’t moving. I’ll press to go to manual so it stays in focus

[@robertaperrone1594]

Hi dear, do you have an idea about the reason that this amazing trick doesn't work on my sony a7III? maybe there is something that I have to setup in the focus mode? thanks

[@curt300s]

Outstanding explanation and demo. Thank you.

[@robertadams3666]

Very helpful, changed my A7III, love it

[@lomabola]

Excellent video, synthetic and clear, thanks!

[@MultiAmruth]

Recently shot a project on sony a7iii and i was wondering where the setting might be for it... didn't had it set so had to shoot in manual at times....Nikons mirrorless has af-f and af-c for the video and later one basically does the same when ever you press af button it goes on the continuous af when the button is pressed.... (nikon user) great to see finally someone figured it out....

[@arturnilov7905]

such an amazing feature Gerald! 10x

[@blackrock.studio]

Hi Gerald, there’s also another way to do it on the Sony a7iii without having to set any button as AF focus hold.

[@anushanruban]

Great vid. When I have mine on movie mode, MF, and use the settings and press AEL, it shifts to auto focus and doesn’t go back to manual..🧐

[@2010SLP]

Anushan Ruban I just realized what was happening. It will switch back to AF-C if you previously set your camera to manual focus using an AF/MF toggle button. If you first set your manual focus by going into the various focus options and setting it there, it will work properly and return to MF when you release the button. Annoying, but it definitely seems to be due to toggling MF.

[@anushanruban]

@@2010SLP Yeah, I Noticed that as well. 😊

[@AGS-8785-D1R]

Nice! Thanks Gerald. I'll have to consider this. I use the AEL button to toggle zebras on and off. I've remembered the black and white checker boxes on the AEL button reminds me of zebras. I don't think I can have enough custom buttons on this camera. lol.

[@geraldundone]

Haha. Yeah. I could probably use another button or two myself.

[@Ronbc000]

Both my GH5 bodies have AF priority from the AE/AF lock button in manual focus mode. The Sony A7 mk3 is set with custom key to AF-ON button from tab2 > Page 8/9 Custom Operation1 > Custom Key (Video Icon) > Video Custom Key Page 3 > AF-On Button set to AF/MF Control Hold. So same result as GH5, AF punch in when in manual focus. Cheers.

[@geraldundone]

I was going to do it that way, but the only thing I didn't like was you couldn't use AF-ON to get a focus lock indication anymore. So, I figured I'd use both. AF-ON for AF Lock, and AEL for AF/MF Control Hold.

[@Ronbc000]

Nice one, Gerald. At least we both have it sorted!

[@Guiviro]

Thank u! a life changer advice. I was looking for some feature like this one cause autofucus fails a lot sometimes I was shooting under sunlight and because of the light couldn´t control the autofocus and sometimes if a far object made the autofocus change. With this now I completly shoot on manual mode and I focus the area then I chill :D Thanks a lot Gerald.

[@julianmcintoshfilms]

Best tip ever! Thank you Mr. Undone! ;)

[@studiovitta]

fantastic tip . maybe that will be great for the wb also. because some time in location camera ...founds the perfect wb in a moment and you can't hold it

[@fefinopfeffer2340]

Great tutorial - instantly subscribed

[@cybrunel1016]

I tried this on my a7 and it works. Brilliant. Thanks for sharing. Thumbs.

[@TomasKvita]

Best tip I`ve ever seen! Thank you bro!

[@klorofill9632]

try using C3 for focus hold, that way your right thump will be free to make other adjustment of even click the record button.

[@BIMLounge]

Watching this in 2021 and just applied it to the A7c. Actually you can use it in photo mode as well. Very fast way to use focus peaking and magnification on the fly. Thanks!

[@DragosDeejay]

Very useful tutorial. Thank you! I will try on sony a6400.

[@DeonMitton]

Very cool tips - for my A9 as well - wrks perfect

[@D0b3rman68]

Great tip. Just getting into video and this is very useful. Thank you for the tutorial.

[@geraldundone]

I'm glad. Thanks for commenting!

[@lcgatesphotography2018]

This info is a game changer! Thank you SO much.

[@ptavera]

AMZING GERALD! Thanks for this awesome tip

[@geraldundone]

You're very welcome! Thanks for the comment. Glad I could help. 😃