Sony A7 Mark II, A7RII and A7SII Tips

[@davidstage907]

I know this is an older post. I just bought the A7ii. This video for me was the simplest explaination of how to set up back button focus. Thanks for solving my frustration!

[@photorectoby]

Glad I could help!

[@TomatenDK]

@@photorectoby Im getting no focus at all after assigning back botton to focus like the video shows :( I did disable the shutter botton first ofc. Might just go back to shutter botton focus if I dont find a fix :(

[@TomatenDK]

Edit : forgot to switch to manual focus - DOH ! Thanks :)

[@JerryOz9er]

Just got the a7sii, so this is really helpful too

[@drlau9]

Hi I have the older A7r Mk 1 and agree with you on these points, I've added a few more power saving settings for the camera; - Powersave time to 10 sec (Start up from sleep is faster than cold start from switch) - Screen off assigned to down button key - Although the backlight is on, pixels stay black. - Monitor Brightness set to Manual and lowest possible as the View Finder can be used under any light conditions - Display Quality set to standard as I cannot see much of a difference between the two. Hope this is of help to anybody.

[@grotesquesd]

+Derek Lau You sir, is awesome!

[@drlau9]

+Mo ntag (Mocityle) Thanks I do try to be :)

[@nicoh848]

I’d be curious to know if setting the screen brightness lower actually helps: the view finder uses more battery (not sure why), so if you used to use the monitor, and now saw that tip, you might be better off just using your monitor, but I’m just spitballing

[@doctormarazanvose4373]

just buy another spare battery and save yourself the hassle and worry.

[@drlau9]

@@doctormarazanvose4373 This is very true, I’ve gone the expensive way and got the A7R4 now. Films likes a dream, sadly it’s met beer and the thumb wheel is sticky.

[@pancakelens75]

Still have and love my A7rii. Almost sold it to upgrade to A7rIV but decided instead to spend less and pick up the 24mm 1.4 GM and I’m SO glad I did!

[@danpiso4900]

I just got myself a second hand a7ii. Im so happy as I believe in 2023 this is still a great camera and will be aid for my photography journey. Such a solid camera and still great full frame option without breaking the bank.

[@chesadjanelle778]

I've had this camera for a month and it's freaking amazing!!

[@hndb1993]

If i may give you 1 tip, turn off "LiveViewDisplay" It will help to find the right focussing spot in darker area's. And to increase batterylife change Finder/Monitor to Manuel, it will save a lot off battery

[@70mjc]

That Sony Guy manual***

[@looku4883]

I rarely use the rear monitor on my Sony A7 Mk1 unless I record on Gimball. The viewfinder of the A7 is very good and if you configure it in the menu we can save a lot of battery, besides that when we unhook the eye from the viewfinder it turns off, and turn on again when we touch our eye to the eyepiece. This can be very useful also when we do timelapse. I bought sony batteries (NP-F980 8700mAh 7.4V) with mains adapter and solved this problem. With this battery the camera can operate between 8 to 12 hours without recharging!

[@TypicalJacques]

@@70mjc shush

[@chuck90504]

I suggest the center button be "Standard". Focus settings needs to activate movement, so you miss one step of movement. When using standard, it moves right away. Secondly, when using wide area, with Standard, it allows you to lock on AF, which is handy, kind of like two modes in one.

[@spardamustdie47]

Agreed with you, changing to "Standard" is much better for me, thanks for the tips!

[@b1odin39]

I just bought this camera, it still amazing how good this one if after its release in 2014!

[@antistiolabeo8950]

It's truly a great camera. I bought it in 2015 and am still using it every day for macro work and other genres. Just broke 250k shutter actuations wall about 2 weeks ago and it neve skipped I beat. Sincerely recommended if you can't or simply won't afford some of the later models.

[@Dadbros420]

This video is extremely helpful, thank you. I just bought an a7ii coming from Nikon and I’ve got soooo much to learn about its capabilities.

[@ghoward54]

Hey Tony thanks for the heads up on the Sony A7. I just purchased a Sony A711+28-70 from Amazon black Friday sale here in UK for £769, average price £1200 just for a walk about camera

[@JionniCastillo]

Today i got my very first full frame camera that is the Sony a7ii. After watching a lot of your videos about the Sony alpha lineup, you convinced me and I decided to get mine with the 28-70mm kit included. Can't wait to use it to my trip to Munich, Germany!

[@AniketRajPhotographySpring]

you are awesome! 18 months with my a7s and I finally get it the way I wanted it... thanks to you!

[@DanteBellin]

Just wanna say thank you. Your reviews and tipps are very helpful and the way you articulate is very symphatic to me.

[@Pogomix]

This saved my ass. That Pre AF made me think my Metabones adapter was buggered. Thank you SO much! Loving that back button focus too.

[@photorectoby]

Excellent!

[@vicchandler6963]

Q

[@VipulDK]

Using the center button of the wheel for focus is brilliant! I have asked how to do this to so many people and no one knew...until now!

[@victorcarmelo8606]

I use C1 and the AF and Shutter wheels for moving the flexible spot.

[@viaduckvideo]

This is the best explanation of A7 focus settings I have found on youtube. Thank you!

[@pinoymysteryman]

This is very informative. I am getting my first Sony A7ii. Thank you so much.

[@misterkoolworld7664]

Great video, been looking for tips on my A7ii setup..Thanks!

[@annewong2715]

best tips I have found yet. Definitely will try the back button focusing.

[@nlspots]

The battery and pre AF tips really helped me

[@ParyatakParag]

I'm a crop sensor camera user.. I want to upgrade to SONY a7 Mark II . Will this be a good option?

[@850slash]

Yes

[@JGM_Visuals]

This is 4 years later but I mean, I just upgraded to it from a canon T6 and I don’t think I’ll ever go back to Crop sensor

[@Maktheblade]

@@JGM_Visuals I just did the same, and there's no way I'd buy an APS-C camera with an A7ii available.

[@derrick3181]

@@Maktheblade Funny how the a7ii is still completely relevant in 2020. Can you find room for both? Some people overlook crop sensor cameras and underestimate the quality of image that can be produced. I own the a7ii and also the x-t2, I use them both all the time - In some ways I prefer the crop sensor and Fuji's user experience over the Sony's. There are just so many quality of life benefits on the Fuji that aren't quite there on the Sony. I really enjoy vintage lenses though and playing with those on the full frame Sony.

[@Dmolina3715]

Just got my a7ii and you solved a good amount of my annoyances with this video. Thanks!

[@Tr4bant]

Would the SEL24-70 Zeiss be a good choice for this camera too?

[@exploregadgets]

great video :) which lens would you suggest for videos keeping autofocus in mind for sony A7II?

[@photorectoby]

That 16 to 70 f/4 is fantastic

[@bmadran]

PhotoRec Toby isn't it a crop sensor lens. more suited to a6000?

[@CliffLoehr]

Barış Madran Bans, Sony makes two 35mm lenses... The "SEL35F18" for APS-C sensors and the "Sonnar T* FE 35mm F2.8" which is for full frame cameras.

[@hflips]

Check out the 24mm-70mm f4 Sony Zeiss. It goes on sale for 600 or 700. If you pick it up used maybe 450-500. Great lens!

[@zneyvan]

Thank you for making this video, i'm going to buy this camera for my 1st full frame camera.

[@isadoracarneiro1669]

Hey! I was wondering how we can avoid having noise, shotting in low light with A7S2. I do Birth still images and I’m having a hard time with getting them clear. It is not always that we cross into a room that has lights on, sometimes there are none. Thank u!

[@MrTupeloFlash]

Great help .. thanks ... is it possible to add a custom button for a ‘ focus’ spot or a ‘ zone’ ?

[@lee-nus]

Which lens would you suggest for portrait for this camera A7ii

[@xpresscrew]

Sony 28mm f2.0 prime is the best walk around and affordable lens currently in my opinion.

[@vinnanrao6175]

+dataviva ya

[@photorectoby]

It is fantastic!

[@NotOfThisWar]

You people have a weird way of calling things Expensive "Affordable" I consider Under $200 to be affordable...anything above is pushing it. But I am odd when it comes to spending my money, I might make an okay amount to where i have about 1k a month of free roam but at the same time..idk. I got this camera though, going to take me a month or so to pay it off, but getting a lense...while i need one.....at the price sony has them at it kinda stinks

[@doctormarazanvose4373]

major distortion with that lens. I know cos I have it. Auto correction in post doesn't work 100% - unless the lighthouse on the coast 3 miles away from where I live is naturally banana shaped

[@LA-pz1qe]

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge of this wonderful camera. You literally answered every question I had about the settings that was not pleasing. New subscriber! Can’t wait to learn more!

[@NighthunterNyx]

You can turn the wheel when in focus settings to change the size of the focus area.

[@izusia946]

Is there any option to turn it off? I don't want to change the size of the focus area when turning the wheel - during choicing the focus point. I mean, that it's easy to turn the wheel instead of clicking and choicing the focus point.

[@musoforhire]

Big fan of the channel, thanks Toby! Here's an issue I encountered when using the 'Bracket Pro' app: when attempting to use back button focusing in Bracket Pro on A7ii, upon hitting back button the app gives error 'Function Disabled'. Am I correct in assuming this app does not support back button focusing? I guess it's not a big deal - the apps seem like they're aimed more at the consumer market rather than professional users. It's an interesting detail though. Cheers.

[@ac3photography]

2020 Still A Great Help

[@jackcox3265]

Thanks for your informative videos. One question. Is the Sony a7ii equipped with high speed sysc? If so, how do you turn it on? Trying to image hummingbirds using short duration flash.

[@silvioalessi]

I did it as described in this video and now I have a new A7II - Thank you for sharing this video !!!

[@bactran3714]

Hi Toby: I watch your video Sony A7 Mark II, A7RII and A7SII Tips. I like it. Thanks. You also mentioned the power bank to charge the battery. My question is any power bank (usually for the smartphone with out put 1A, 2.4A) OK to use or with specific power bank. And charging with 2.4A, is it too strong that can break A7M2? Thank you. Photorec.tv

[@DmitryBrodsky007]

I think it is beneficial to turn on the Phase Detection Box feature on A7 and A7mark2. That way you don't need to guess in low light and you know where exactly the Phase AF Points are, and you would know you need to stay in that area for better af.

[@photorectoby]

Dmitry Brodsky Which is the center and similar to my suggestion of staying in the center :)

[@srir7645]

Dmitry Brodsky Think I am quite late to this party but - I can enable the Phase Detection option only when an autofocus lens (Sony FE kit lens in my case) is connected. I tried doing this with a vintage (Flektogon 35mm/2.4) and the camera complains that no lens is attached... On a different note, once I choose manual focus and identify to the camera that I am using a 35mm lens, is there a way to have this information show up in metadata?

[@andrewdewar8159]

Isnt focus settings already defaulted to custon button 2 so you could choose your focus area from C2 ? I think its default C1 let you choose your white balance, C 2 is focus settings, C3 is focus type like continuous/single shot/manual/Direct manual. So you have a lot of key settings at finger tips. Rightt key of control wheel is ISO so if you use manual you have all the exposure controls right there, front dial is aaperture, rear is shutter speed, iso right there on the control wheel right key.

[@kateparova4727]

the best video to understand everything about the focus! thank you!

[@sultanalghamdi3941]

i like this camera becuse of you ..i already have nikon d810 but i need small camera with good image qulity for street photography so i think this cam is very good for me ..but i dont know whish lens is good in the rang 24-70 ?

[@photorectoby]

sultan alghamdi Check out the www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1008126-REG/sony_sel2470z_vario_tessar_t_fe_24_70mm.html?BI=4773&KBID=5287 or the 35mm f/2.8 prime (I have a review coming)

[@RobertDettmanImages]

sultan alghamdi, for versatility and great performance I suggest you start with the 24-70 f4. But I am probably a bit late coming into this discussion.

[@msningy4933]

Which lens would you recommend for street photography? My 55mm lens sometimes doesn’t work great for the object that is too close.

[@Mashot]

Thank you for the precious information and tips you are sharing. Great content and clarity in your explanation!

[@pixelphotographyByPrasad]

Nicely explained. What is an Eye AF in it? How it works? It really focus on Eye? As far as I know A7 ii does not have an Eye AF..

[@antistiolabeo8950]

It does have it, actually. Not great and lightning fast as in later models but totally usable in any normal portrait scenario. It can be easily set to a custom button for those time it is needed. No Animal AF though.

[@giangvu7902]

Center button to move focusing point is a great tip! Thanks!

[@douglasbey2852]

Nice video, these tips are very helpful as I plan to make this my next camera. I use BB focus all the time on my D610, again many thanks for passing this on.

[@RichardALee]

Thank you excellent video. I heard that if I wanted to use my Nikon Lenses on the Sony I could use a Canon adapter to the Sony and a Nikon adapter to the Canon adapter and the Nikon lenses would work good to fine. Is this true? If it is then what brand works? Hope someone was not pulling my leg. Thanks

[@karographixphotography7811]

great tips! have you done any for the NEX7?

[@joshelias8472]

Thank for this video! Very helpful for the focus situation. I have a quick question: what is the best app I can use for transferring images to my iPhone?

[@HOOLIGAN077]

Can I charge it while taking time-lapse or taking photos and videos

[@hasmyrifani7485]

thank you so much sir , i would like to thanks to you ... and i applied most all your tips ... but i would like ask you one thing , do i need to turn off all thing relation with af setting for manual lens ?

[@scottjamison7010]

i rarely comment on youtube videos but this one is extremely informative. thank you, great job.

[@foorichard1712]

Hi do you have to press the back focus while pressing shutter, or press back focus once than press shutter

[@photorectoby]

Foo Richard Back focus once then shutter button. You do not have to press the back button focus simultaneous unless trying to keep focus on a moving subject.

[@DanielM1224]

Just got mine today :) thank you for video!!!

[@DaveMcIroy]

Is there a way to select a focus point? Not focus area. These areas are HUGE. What good are a couple of hundred focus points if I can't select them? On my 50D I had a small spot in the middle and that thing had 9 focus points.

[@charruaporelmundo]

Thank you , very useful, I actually got the primes first (55 and 35), would you recomend that lens are you holding for,..."standard" casual shoting?

[@JoinMax]

Great video and my A7ii actually is set (almost) exactly like that! My Focus settings are on the scrollwheel "down" button though, and i left the EyeAF where it is, in the center. Bought 3extra Batteries, and the External powerbank charger is always in the camerabag as well, together with an external batterycharger (Powerbank has 2USB outputs, so i can charge the Battery in the Cam, and the one in the external charger if needed!) I'd love to know what you set your four C-Buttons to though! For me its: C1: Focus Magnifier for MF; C2: FocusMode; C3: HDR settings; C4: Picture effect. Thanks for sharing your thought, love all your videos, and my A7ii ;) haha, Cheers, JoinMax (Germany)

[@photorectoby]

JoinMax You are good to go with power! Which external charger did you pick up? For the C buttons - I never settled on a set that I really liked, I need to use the camera longer to decide. I did have c3 as focus magnifier and c2 as focus mode for most of my review. Not sure what to do with C1 and C4 though. Enjoy your a7ii, really sweet camera.

[@JoinMax]

Thanks Toby! Ive had a charger from "Anker" for quite a while now to charge my phone or GoPro's on my Trips. i believe it has 11000mAh..!? Had a Problem once and they immediately sent a new one within 3days

[@amandaevans518]

Thank you! I have so much better focus control over my Sony. Yay!

[@ObelixCMM]

Great tips PhotoRec Toby I use all of them on my A6000 On AF point selection, once you pressed center button you can use dials (aperture/shutter) to move point around. Much faster than 4-way directional pad

[@photorectoby]

ObelixCMM I think I disagree here on dials vs pad but maybe I didn't give myself enough time to get used to it and probably I am stuck in the thinking that similar to my 5D Mark III, as you use the little directional joystick to move the point around.

[@ObelixCMM]

Give it a try, if you still have A7 II. It was unusual for me when I started using it, but now it's much faster. When you get FS point where you want it you don't have to change grip to shoot, with D pad I had to regrip than shoot

[@TomZolyomiFilmproduktion]

not only the sony-home-lenses are stabilized, nearly everyone with af are supported. even my sigma that's adapted from an A-mount does a great job for AF and stabilizing

[@bobtpapa]

What creative style do you recommend? Standard, Clear, Neutral, etc.

[@photorectoby]

Most of the time I leave mine on Standard. if you shoot RAW it doesn’t matter but it will give you some idea when you look on the back of the camera of what the final, edited file could look like.

[@StuWright]

thanks for this,i havnt had my a7 for long, do you have any tips on taking sunsets with the a7 please ?

[@oines9650]

Hi !Thank you for your explications. I would like to know how to activate the AF-C mode on the back button focus. What is the difference between the AEL and AF/MF button please? thank ou !

[@PDevoLi]

Would you still recommend the a7ii in 2019 for a person just getting into photography?

[@fabriciosanchez2778]

I have the same question :)

[@850slash]

100%

[@TtoTheOmarse]

Absolutely would recommend. IMO, it's the best value out there. Full frame and in body stabilisation doesn't come much cheaper. I've had mine for 18 months and I'm so happy with it.

[@iSabier]

I really appreciate this review. Thanks for sharing. I'm slowly warming up to Sony cameras.

[@adrianfaulkner1353]

Which lens do you recommend for the A7ii, i mostly take photos of my children and family portraits, the SEL35F28Z or SEL55F18Z ??? A lot of reviews say that the SEL55F18Z is a lot sharper but would the SEL35F28Z be a better focal distance???

[@MrNikolayPenev]

+adrian faulkner EL55F18Z

[@benlzicar7628]

+adrian faulkner The 35 is plenty sharp, I would pick it because it a more versatile lens; if you were to focus on portrait shooting then go with the 55.

[@jayal-awar6601]

Excellent thank you

[@danielthomas7747]

As usual you make really nice review. I just move from the G9 to this camera....

[@roysteraero]

Dude loved the tips! Super helpful

[@photorectoby]

Really glad you found that helpful! Thanks!

[@JohnRobertsTV]

Great tips, thanks and I'm using them now, but I had to set Focus Area to Zone (was at default value of Wide) or I just got an error dialog when I assigned the center button to Focus Settings. I agree with pretty much everything you said about the A7II (which is what I'm using).

[@jimmysgameclips]

Thankyou! You've saved me some headaches :)

[@Lucky72er]

Great video and very helpful tips! Thank you!

[@JasonSputnik]

Very good tips, thanks!

[@JerryWoo96]

Is it possible to charge by usb when taking pictures?

[@khondker2008]

great tips. Does crop sensor lens works in Sony a7r Mark 2?

[@roebie17able]

I have a sony 1711 and i i am looking fore a way to fotograf birds, does the camera have a bird botton

[@lindenwatson846]

Very explanations thanks.

[@2easydesigns]

Interesting tips, but don't think they would work for me. Thanks for sharing!

[@TimberCODE]

Amazing tips (and review as well) for the Sony a7ii. Just a quick question Toby, have you tried the a7ii with Canon lenses (and either a metabones or a cheap AF capable adaptor)? I would really love to see if it worths to invest into those adaptors to have access to some of the Canon lenses as well "withhout a compromise".

[@photorectoby]

Peter Zalabai I did not try this Sony with adapters. In the past I was less than impressed - focus was slow. For landscapes or still life the speed and performance is fine but for anything moving its frustrating. The new Sony a7R II kzbin.info/www/bejne/d56VoKyBqd9ogpY is mentioned as MUCH improved. Not hearing that much from the A7 II so I doubt there is a significant difference.

[@CliffLoehr]

Peter Zalabai Perter, I switched from Canon 6D to the s7ii and really wanted to keep my canon "L" glass. The auto focus was so slow, i sold all 6 of them! I purchased the 35mm f/2.8 and a 24-70 f/4 for quick auto-focus needs. But the a7ii has focus peaking and an 11x zoom option which gives new life to old vintage manual lenses. I picked up a 50mm f1/4 for $40 and a 200mm 3.5 prime for $60 off ebay and they are awesome!

[@TimberCODE]

Thank you for the answer, I saw Jason Lanier's video about the Metabones and he has the same experience on the Autofocus. Well the advantage of Aperture control is still there tho' :D Cliff: I am using Sonys for a few years now (A77, NEX6, a6000 and now a7ii) and I always loved the focus peaking + focus magnification feature. It's just amazing! Recently I got a Porst 50mm f1.2 (Fuji rebrand) and all my CaNikon friends are jealous :) That lens with the a7ii is a monster combo and I really feel like Sony was thinking of the legacy lens possibilities when designed the latest MILC cameras (especially the a7ii) and IMHO this makes them a great company for being such customer needs oriented (I never understood why Canon and Nikon users must use a chipped adapter to have all the functionalities that a Sony or Pentax user can get any time...)

[@srir7645]

Cliff Loehr I too have a few SMC Takumar and Zeiss primes, all with an M42 mount. I hear conflicting stories about the Fotodiox adapter, some good and some bad. Can you suggest a good adapter for A7II? Thanks in advance...

[@adriengonzales1914]

I'm going o try the back button focus tip but why do you call it a Mark ii when that is not part of the product name?

[@kathyrobinson1975]

Amazing!!! Thank you so much:)

[@DemSilverLight]

Hey, great video! How does turning off pre-af affect video in terms of focusing in sony a7?

[@CliffLoehr]

DemSilverLight Good point... I just tried it and do not see any difference in video focusing.

[@DemSilverLight]

Cliff Loehr Okay, thanks.

[@interstink]

Love your sony a7 videos! Very informative!!

[@chauie]

Is there a difference between setting your center button to "standard" rather than "focus settings"?

[@Arctis34]

great video! love this channel

[@edgarrincon3481]

Great tutorial on focus for beginners like me!

[@DouglasEkermark]

I wish I could dislike the 9 dislikes... I've never been disappointed with any video by PhotoRec Toby, they're terrific, def my go-to channel for camera tips and reviews! Keep it up!

[@NMalteC]

Do you have any tip for using the "back button" for both AEL and AF? I find myself using the AE lock more often than the AF lock (for which I can always focus and recompose). I use spot metering most of the time.

[@partha3205]

can suggest for a radio or normal cheap flash light for this cam

[@srt8speed]

Thanks for the tips, loving the A7 ll !!

[@rajan.studios]

HI, Saw your video on A 7II sony. I wonder if you could comment on the change in technology from Mirror to Mirrorless in coming years, as well hoe much do you think its successful for professionals.

[@SocyQueen2012]

great video. Thanks!

[@JOJOROB55]

Great Tips have switched my A7mk2 to these. Cheers Rob

[@Cjaejr]

Can I ask a question ?

[@photorectoby]

Yes.

[@polievets1]

Great video ,make sense tips Thanks!

[@rkjelseth]

just switched to sony from Canon! Thanks for the tips!

[@cybrunel1016]

Yep same here, saved me from insanity.Thank you, very helpful.

[@haroldjohnson7588]

After assigning the Center Wheel Button to select the focus area, what button do you assign for activating the Eye Autofocus feature? This might have been asked and answered so please let me know.

[@photorectoby]

C4- delete button.

[@coutsss2]

C3 is better, faster and closer to natural grip... ;)

[@victorcarmelo8606]

I assigned mine to C2.

[@Andrewxs83]

exactly what I was looking!! Thank you!

[@WengTeow]

for those who is familiar with shutter auto focus .. if you'd like to back button focus.. you can assign to the af/mf button but don't have to disable the shutter autofocus.. can have it both ways..

[@MohammadAssad88]

Great tips thanks a million from Kuwait