Sony A7 IV Autofocus Guide and Test. All autofocus settings for the Sony A7 IV explained

[@TymekStolarz]

Hope I was able to answer any questions you had in the video, but if not feel free to comment your question below and I will get back to you :)

[@TomatenDK]

Yeah makes sense. Think I just need more experience. Thanks 👌

[@AdventuresWithAnnieYT]

Tips for taking a timer photo? I press start when I am standing at the camera, but then I walk into the spot about 10 feet away and it has a hard time focusing on me

[@numbersix9477]

Of all of the KZbin video producers I've come across, you are the ONLY one who consistently produces such information dense content. A HUGE thumbs up - not only for this video but for your overall contributions as well!

[@jamessingleton9159]

Really appreciate how straight to the point this video is. You dive right into explaining things in a clear way, instead of wasting everyone's time with over the top VFX intros and cringey monologues. Subscribed.

[@YourDriverMike]

Just unboxed my a7IV and G Master 22mm 1.4 lens - first real camera after 1.1k videos! Thank you for this super helpful!

[@TymekStolarz]

Thats so awesome, congrats! and thank you so much for the tip. very much appreciated. i wish you the best of luck in your creative endeavours with your new camera :)

[@reed.k.h]

Excellent video. Clear, concise, to the point, no BS. I just upgraded from a Nikon D3300 to an A7IV and I’m blown away.

[@HaiPham_0507]

I'm from Vietnam ! Your videos are very easy to understand, even for people who are not good at English like me. The images in your videos are very intuitive. Thank you very much for your video. Hope your channel grows more and more!

[@OrionAon]

As a new Sony A7iv owner, I want to say your videos about this camera have been some of the most helpful, and I've watched a ton of them! Thanks!

[@TymekStolarz]

Thank you so much for watching :) and I am very glad I could help out. Let me know if you have any questions and i'll always try to answer them as best as i can. Take care :)

[@Hannah160494]

I thought exactly the same straight to the point and so clear compared to other videos! thank you! :)

[@TymekStolarz]

Thank you very much :) I appreciate the kind comment. I hope you have a great day

[@TomatenDK]

Video needs an update. Doesnt look like the auto focus shift sensitivity function is there any more.

[@patmat.]

00:28 I believe there are many more modes, incl. AF-S, AF-C, AF-A, DMF, etc...

[@TymekStolarz]

i may have specifically been talking about video modes. there are more autofocus modes in photo mode for sure.

[@bolivarrodriguez1436]

Great video, I hadn't found a video as perfect as this one where they explain in great detail each function of the Sony A7 IV's autofocus... Thanks for this type of content, continue like this with more videos like this.

[@TymekStolarz]

thats awesome :) i am glad i was able to help you out. i do have quite a few tutorials on the a7 IV !

[@andreasschmidt5185]

Just bought this camera coming from another system. I'm only amateur. Thank you for short cut explanations very useful indeed 😊

[@matthewshultz24]

Bro, for 1k subscribers, awesome video!!! Super professional and your audio levels were so clean!

[@TymekStolarz]

Thank you so much! that is very kind of you to say. Im glad to hear they sound good haha.

[@curt300s]

Nice job. This is the most comprehensive analysis of the Sony focusing system I’ve seen.

[@TymekStolarz]

:) thank you! Glad i could help you out

[@truthseeker6804]

checkout "mark galer - sony"

[@DIYEXPRESS]

Very well explained.. but I m struggling to choose focus settings for family portrait.. what focus setting do u recommend.

[@TymekStolarz]

for family portraits its probably best to use manual focus and focus on someone who is in the middle depth wise, and then make sure you have a high enough aperture to have the people closest, and farthest from the camera still be in focus. however if you want to be really safe and still use autofocus then just keep bumping that aperture so that it doesnt matter if the autofocus grabs the farthest, or closest person.

[@crackingtoast123]

Love your relaxed style Tymek. Not all 'Hi Guys and shouty'. It was really informative and helpful. I've learned some much more in 8 minutes than days reading the manual.

[@patmat.]

wow, I never thought I could know the Alpha camera AF options in under 10mn... thank you

[@TymekStolarz]

haha glad i could help :)

[@janpedersen7578]

Can you make a video show how to set The C1 button switching between Human, animal and bird. I have tried everything.

[@patmat.]

2:30 isn't there also a new AF Area mode at the end of that list, called 'Trackng' ? with sub-selection of any of the previous area modes.

[@TymekStolarz]

tracking i believe is part of the touch screen options, where you can press something on the screen and it will track it? it is available in all the modes yes

[@mialoca]

Thank you so much, this was very comprehensible! I'd be very happy, if you make a video about your recommended camera settings and button programming.. I'd like to program my new a7iv to make switching between different movie and s&q settings as easy and praktical as possible :)

[@TymekStolarz]

No problem :) Im glad i could help :). Honestly i personally havent customized my buttons as much as probably some other people. all the customization i did was mostly based off this A7S III video (kzbin.info/www/bejne/mXbKqIivgLKdbc0)

[@SilatShooter]

Was anticipating the tracking focus discussed here.

[@TymekStolarz]

I believe I discussed the focusing tracking in the video?

[@HitchCollections]

Bro. you should call yourself *(( Tymek The Reference ))* Thank you for all of your useful videos

[@TymekStolarz]

hahaha, Thank you! thats very kind of you to say. I guess thats what i was going for lol. im glad i was able to help you out :D

[@fluxcapacitor3273]

great video, thanks a lot but what you said at 00:40 is extremely annoying, sony should fix it by firmware.it's a good chance to do that. do you have any updated info about this failuremode? thanks

[@TymekStolarz]

it definitely would be, unfortunately it doesnt seem to be a very big deal for Sony as i havent heard anything about it.

[@lovetowardsmusic4189]

Great video And knowledgeful video Simplicity in your explanation was easy to understand

[@HviteVinger]

Great video. Could you please take a walkthrugh for the tracking as well?

[@TymekStolarz]

Thank you :) Do you mean using tap to track focus that i show at 1:19? All you have to do is make sure your touch screen operations is set to on (custom button C4 if you havent changed it from default) and then just tap the screen on the object you want to set tracking focus on.

[@Bruno-mv3zz]

On preview of pictures showing green squares , how to switch it off? Also possible to make changes of using this green square to make portraits so how to save with changes?

[@brianrudolph3594]

Thank you for a wonderful video of all the settings! Very helpful! Great job!

[@elizaporterphotography]

Thanks!

[@TymekStolarz]

Hey there, thank you so much ! i appreciate it. you are my first Super thanks ever. i hope you have a wonderful day!

[@LukeGeeTravels]

One of the best explanations I've come across! I'm a sony a7rIII used and this has been very helpful! thank you

[@TymekStolarz]

Thank you so much :) i really appreciate your kind words

[@Jim_Mundy]

Great video. Very helpful to this new A7iv owner. Thanks!

[@Eddiedellasiepe]

I just got my Sonay A7 IV to shoot my podcast. 2 person are in the shot. Im a newbie and i'm always in Autofocus. What's the best setting to shoot 2 people so they both are in focus? this tutorial is great btw and i just was wondering for this one application

[@kbaxterpackwood]

Thank you for this video, I recently bought my A7IV recently and this is my first time with a camera like this one, I upgrade from a Nikon F100, yep you read that correctly! What is this joy stick you are talking about in the video? TIA

[@JarosawKovacs]

Hi I have question what is Your opinion what is the best focus setup for cooking videos? Thanks Jarek

[@jer3006]

Tymek, thanks for this video. Along with the great AF in the a7IV comes great complexity/confusion. Your clarifications are appreciated.

[@AlexDelfont]

Thanks for this. Why in some of your shots do you see the eye AF go green, and in others not. I never see the green box in video? On an a7iv

[@TymekStolarz]

no problem :) so i just skimmed through the video and i cant seem to find any times that the focus box goes green when in video. it will in photo when focus gets locked on, and if you half press the shutter in video, but otherwise it should just stay grey.

[@IvanRayBalais]

does af-c mode also focuses automatically on photo mode or the shutter button has to be press half way too?

[@nixland]

This is what I am looking for. Thank you for sharing

[@mara1820]

How do you change the color of the focus spot? Great video!

[@TymekStolarz]

Thank you :) you can change the focus box color to i believe white or red, but the eye focus spot cant be changed. if you are referring to the green eye focus in the thumbnail, that is something i just added in photoshop.

[@driveintonaturewithjoy]

simple and awesome, thanks

[@Miguel_Angel_Duarte]

Great, mate. This is gold for many, including me. Greetings

[@natebombdiggitydawg]

Wow super helpful. Some stuff I learned just now. This video better than the camera manuals. Hope to learn more from your vids! Just subbed.

[@jirkalange3289]

OMG...what a great Video...explaning everything very well...i wish our german KZbinr make a movie like this...well done Tymek...Thanxs&Regards Ben

[@TymekStolarz]

Well thank you very much :) I really appreciate it!

[@dje7917]

Hi do you encouner any eye lash / front focus on the A7iv?

[@HELPINGHAND03]

Love this thank you! Just got my A7IV as a newbie to the mirror less world and this was a great help thank you … looking forward to more

[@TymekStolarz]

Thank you very much :D its a fantastic camera.

[@nixland]

On my new bought A7 IV there is Tracking option in Focus Area menu. What is the difference with tapping tracking option in lcd ?

[@letsgetlost2752]

I think I may have asked this before, but what if there are two faces in the area chosen? How do you stop it from going back and forth?

[@MoviesSam]

I have the focus point displaying in my playback, but it does not show on every picture. I took some group photos and there was a white box around the faces when I shot it but no focus point in the playback. Yet, when I shot a single person the focus point (on the eye usually) plays back fine. ? I dont get why some boxes are white and some are green when shooting. Great video - but can you help with this question ?

[@glenadinata6374]

Very nice detailed explanations. Great help for a beginner like me.

[@charlynow8153]

Great video and also your other videos of the A7IV are great also very unique, I only would like you to update this Autofocus video since I think that the newer firmware added new autofocus settings, I found the tracking autofocus very interesting. Also you have very few options in your menu, for example en the second submenu (focus area) you have 5 options I have 12 and so on

[@hitmanleo5378]

great content! you deserve 100x more subs and even more than that!

[@TymekStolarz]

Haha thank you! I really appreciate your kind comment, it means a lot :) I wish you the best of luck in your creative endeavours!

[@Charift]

Many thanks for sharing those great tips and information

[@TymekStolarz]

No problem :) glad I could help!

[@DD23-1]

Do you think thats still applicable today with the AF and MF having to switch it on both the camera and the lens cause ive never seen an issue that someone talked about in regards to that. I know they talked about it but I havent seen the issues.

[@Ant-mj5fk]

Great video man thanks!

[@TomatenDK]

Do we still have that "AF transition speed" setting ? I cant find it :(

[@TomatenDK]

What about the "tracking" focus mode ? When do I use that ? Should I use it if I want to shoot birds in flight and cars on race track ?

[@TymekStolarz]

It’s really a case by case basis. It’s tough because with cars and birds they go in and out of frame so quick. If the subject you press leaves the frame it stops working. I think in the video it works best when you press on something with a stationary camera that won’t leave the frame.

[@nkaujhnub86]

So which focal area should I use with a group picture? The Zone or Wide?

[@YOURMINDYOURWORLDOfficialBrand]

Thank you. Your video is very helpful.

[@TymekStolarz]

Glad to hear :)

[@persiansilkpavilion]

Thank you Tymek! Very helpful pointers. I have the a7RM4A now and was surprised it doesn't have articulated screen, nor CFexpress card slot.

[@TymekStolarz]

Cfexpress i think was first introduced in the A7S III, which was in 2020. the A7r4 is a little older i believe. they really are trying to make each camera better than the last.

[@jmartinianovlogging1482]

Thanks for making time creating this

[@TymekStolarz]

Not a problem :) glad it was of use for you!

[@kapilesh14]

Nice channel I have binging your videos though I may already have the information.

[@TymekStolarz]

You never know what info might come up next that you’ll find useful!

[@nicks231988]

Hi buddy. I need your help. I have the a7iv. I wanted to know. How to get the Focus box on the screen or view finder to focus a subject?. If I don't want to use the touch to focus feature.

[@TymekStolarz]

it does depend on if you are talking about video or photo. in video as long as you are in autofocus, you can move the focus box around the screen, and it will try to keep what ever is in that box focused. if you are in photo mode, you can once again move the focus box to where ever you want, but if you are in single focus mode you have to press the shutter for it to focus, but if you are in continious servo i beleive it will always keep what ever is in the box in focus.

[@nicks231988]

@@TymekStolarz ohh ok thanks so much for the kind reply. I really appreciate 🙏

[@SpiderboxFilms]

Excellent Video.

[@SuchetB]

Thank you for this - Its very useful

[@Kartheek]

Short and informative 😊 I feel good thumbnail on all your videos will get more viewers as content is good

[@TymekStolarz]

Thank you very much :) yes thumbnail is always one of the toughest part to finishing a video to ensure getting lots of views. i continue to try and improve. thank you for the comment :D

[@mrheng562]

Very well done with relevant b-rolls. Thank you! Keep up the good work!!!

[@TymekStolarz]

Thank you very much :D

[@milovanmilic]

I like your clear presentation. Subscribed.

[@TymekStolarz]

Thank you very much :) I really appreciate you taking the time to let me know.

[@JohnJones-xy9pg]

Hi Tymek, I’ve just purchased the A7iv and when I unboxed it and set it up it was on Version 1.01, however with the updates I’m on Version 2 now and looking at page 21 of the menu under ‘Focus Mode’ the transition speed and AF Subj: Shift Sensitivity seem to have disappeared. I’m just wondering if I’ve missed something somewhere or what 🤷‍♂️

[@TymekStolarz]

To be completely honest, i am currently running version 1.00 at the moment so i have no idea where they could have moved that option. if you reach out to Sony support, they have a live chat that i've found really helpful in the past. ca.esupport.sony.com/support/s/support-contact?language=en_US&cpint=spt-subfooter_contactsupport

[@archilious]

Amazing video, clear and to the point.

[@TymekStolarz]

Thank you very much :)

[@nirkarubi7373]

Hi, I have a Sony a7iv, do you know how to open a new folder so that I see the photos starting from 0 and not from the photos taken before??

[@TymekStolarz]

Hi there, if you go to the shooting menu, file - file settings, you can change the file number from series to reset. i believe every time the card is formated it will reset to the first number.

[@cyvidal10]

hi, i hope you're still active, i need help with the peaking. in my sony a7iii focus peaking only shows when i'm in manual mode, and i find it really helpful that way, but in my a7iv, focus peaking always shows even in AF mode and it is distracting. i hope you can help me with this one. thanks

[@TymekStolarz]

Hi there, I apologize about not responding sooner. Where you able to figure it out? if so do let me know because i am not quite sure of the solution.

[@cyvidal10]

​@@TymekStolarz yes, i think i figured it out. it seems the peaking is always showing up both in AF and MF when you're in Video Mode, but in photo mode, it only shows up in MF. (but maybe there's another way of setting things up)

[@akastardust]

Such a helpful to the point demo. Thank you!

[@texasdiver3171]

Excellent video, but.... my SONY A7iv version 1.0 menu appears to be different. The af/mf section has 55 pages where yours shows 52, and there is NO AF Transition speed setting on page 21 which I would like to adjust. Any clues or advice on where to find it?.

[@TymekStolarz]

That is very odd. transition speed should be right beside subject shift sensitivity. Im honestly not sure what version i am on right now. I am running the out of box software on the A7 IV. I am sorry i am a little late to answering this comment, and I wont have access to my camera until this weekend. Did you by chance figure this out?

[@jeremiahcheongwl]

I am also having the same issue. I do not see any focus transition speed..

[@life_in_gen]

Hi thanks for the video. I was wondering when you mentioned damaging the system when my lens is on af and I select mf on my body? When I do this the screen tells me that I cant do that so it wont let me af while on mf...

[@wadehoagland9188]

Can you please go over settings for group shots Like a class photo of students

[@TymekStolarz]

Hey there :) i think your best bet would probably be to use manual focus with a higher f number to make sure everyone is in focus. you could still use autofocus and as long as your area of focus is large enough to include all the rows of kids then it wont matter which face the camera focuses on. just quickly double check to make sure the shots are in focus where you want it to be.

[@sadashiva4906]

I have a doubt that, is it ok if i keep AF on lens while my camera is in M mode ????????

[@PascalPayantfilms]

Hi any luck making the AF ASSIST in the video menu work? I tried the sony lens and sigma and for some reason it only works in photo mode. any luck in video? IT's suposed to auto focus but when you touched the focus ring it override and becomes manual. then goes back to autofocus

[@TymekStolarz]

hi there and im very sorry about the late reply- It should be working in video. the example i showed was in video mode.

[@latifqureshi9821]

Hi, I am using Sony A7iv and I am having a problem. It's autofocus works fine but for the past few days I can't see the tracking box on the face or even eye... it has disappeared. Any idea how to bring it back?

[@MariaKarras]

Hi Tymek. Your videos are really clear and helpful. So, I have the A7 IV as well. When I'm in the AF/MF menu, I don't see the options AF Transition speed AF subj shift sensitivity or AF Assist below focus mode. What do you think is going on?

[@TymekStolarz]

Thank you, i really appreciate it :) that is extremely strange as all the menus should obviously be the exact same, and without fiddling around in your menu system myself its tough to know whats occurring. the best thing i can suggest is to try to go through every single menu and submenu, poke around into every folder, and if its truly missing and you cannot find what you are looking for, you might need to reach out to Sony directly through online support. if you are missing those menus there could potentially be an issue with the camera, or maybe a software update is required.

[@louisjulien8893]

There are different menus if you are in photo mode rather than video (or S&Q). Tymek was in video mode. I suspect that you had your camera in photo mode. You can switch selector lever located under the shooting mode dial.

[@MOOSAHASAN-e3k]

perfect video to learn from

[@martinhermann]

Many thanks for this great video! Now I understand a lot more of my new A 7IV!!

[@TymekStolarz]

Awesome! that was my goal haha. Im glad i was able to help you out :D

[@martinhermann]

@@TymekStolarz I still have one question about the A7 IV: How can I configure positions 1, 2 and 3 on the mode wheel?

[@TymekStolarz]

@@martinhermann That you will unfortunately have to find somewhere else as i have not done it myself. Sorry!

[@r.h.1693]

great video, perfect explained. thank you

[@TymekStolarz]

Glad I could help :) and thank you so much for the comment.

[@ashwinr7]

Great video. Very helpful

[@TymekStolarz]

Thank you so much :) i appreciate the kind comment

[@CHUCHOMERCHAN]

thank you so much...great video

[@fantomas6098]

Great video !!!

[@yassersaeed2010]

Great video .. thanks.

[@redstonemedia4410]

I can't see the focus box after the last update. Tracking works, but the box is gone. Any ideas?

[@eliasgottschlich]

Great video! This was really helpful! Could you do a overheating test with the A7iv using different codecs & settings? Since you seem to have a lot of knowledge when it comes to cameras and tech in general I tought maybe you could provide a little background information regarding the notorious 'auto power off temp‘ setting? Im just curious why Sony (as the only manufacturer) implements something like this? If it does not damage the camera set to high why do you have do enable it manually in order to shoot long format video? Thanks in advance & kind regards!

[@TymekStolarz]

Thank you very much :) I will definitely put it on my video idea list - I will say though that it definitely seems to be more prone to overheating. 24p 4k HS 50M at the very least had no issue running for over an hour but in 60 fps its a lot less. it overheated on me when i was just setting it up going through the menu (this was in the lower heat turn off though). Its a good question and honestly i wasnt able to find anything about it. The only thing i can think of is that excessive heat generally isnt great for some electronics over longer periods of time. its possible that having the A7 IV run at higher temperatures for longer periods of time could mess with the electronics somehow.

[@matrixmodulator]

What should i do if when tracking a subject that's moving fast, it lose the tracking even if the subject stays in front of the camera...?

[@4b494d]

This is like the best video example of sony focus modes. They should literally have video manuals like this in the ROM of sony cameras lol. Press the ?/trash button on a setting , and instead of a crude text it should up a video like this.

[@Jonny2won]

This video was super helpful!!!

[@TymekStolarz]

Glad I could help :) thanks for letting me know!

[@andrickrosannoramos8338]

Hi, Very informative video, just want to ask, does it mean that if a lens has a AF/MF toggle, the only way to change AF to MF or vice versa is on the lens toggle to avoid damaging the focus gear? or if the lens is in MF, there would be no problem? Thank you

[@TymekStolarz]

From what Sony told me. They said the “safer” way to do it would be to toggle af/mf on the lens, as that will automatically switch it from af to mf on the camera. If you switch mf on the camera and it stays as mf on the lens, there MIGHT be an issue but they couldn’t give me a definitive answer

[@bartik2002]

Hi, i have a problem with the AF asisst option. When i turn it on and then turn the focus ring on my lens nothing happens. Is there any other setting i need to change for it to work?

[@TymekStolarz]

So just to confirm when you have focus assist on and you try to manually pull focus on the lens the focus doesn’t change at all. Or is it just not properly moving eye focus from one subject to the other?

[@bartik2002]

@@TymekStolarz the focus doesnt change at all

[@Blacmao]

2:00 can anyone point me to the AF assist in the menu system?

[@TymekStolarz]

go to AF/MF settings, 21/52 should be AF/MF, last option in there is AF Assist.

[@Blacmao]

@@TymekStolarz thank you, will check that out!

[@TymekStolarz]

@@Blacmao No problem, best of luck :)

[@merrickhanna]

Really helpful thank you

[@TymekStolarz]

Glad I could help! :)

[@josiahpetermann]

Hey man, I am filming weddings and struggling to find a good way to have a wide shot completely in focus from the back of the ceremony. This serves as my b cam/oh crap angle haha. Seems like wide with face detect off would be best, so that it doesn’t catch a guest when they turn around, but it is still giving the blurry bokeh effect. Do I stop up my aperture pretty high (causing it to be dark but have more in focus) and then crank my iso to make up for it?

[@TymekStolarz]

Yea super wide shots like that from farther away are harder to get that bokeh. I think in that case, especially if it’s your b cam that you can’t monitor a lot would be to bump up the aperture just wide enough, and probably go Manual and set the area where bride groom and officiant are in focus, with some breathing room forward or back. If they are a little farther you shouldn’t have to have too wide of an aperture. Ans then yea just compensate exposure with iso

[@souleong8628]

How does the autofocus work with more than one subject. What setting would that be?

[@TymekStolarz]

i believe it'll prioritize the face closest to the camera - however there is a setting that you can program peoples faces in to prioritize those people.

[@wierdpocket]

Hey man, just trying out AF assist on my A7iv today with the Tampon 70-180, and it doesn't work. I'm guessing only Sony lenses work with this feature, but I couldn't find anything in the documentation about this.

[@TymekStolarz]

Unfortunately its hit or miss with third party lenses. Some will have all the features available that a sony lens will, and others wont.

[@olivierbornand7282]

Hi Tymek and thanks for this great video...I am not sure I understood the AF Assist function: as I understood, it has to be used in manual mode only. But if you zoom in the frame by using AF Assist and you are in a spot mode for instance, you will only magnify the point where AF area point is, right ? So can we only use it in the wide mode ?And if we have to use the joystick for that, I find it much too long...

[@TymekStolarz]

which AF assist are you referring to. Do you mean the magnification that punches in x4?

[@benjamindover4337]

Very helpful, thanks.

[@TymekStolarz]

Glad I was able to help :) I hope you have a great day!

[@rgazmuri]

Hi, you say that Sony states that the autofocus system can be damaged if one engages the AF button when the camera is in Manual focus mode and the lens is in AF. Can you tell me the reference? Thanks.

[@TymekStolarz]

Hey there, it was jus something sony support stated to be directly when i was chatting with them. but it didnt seem like he was very confident. so it may or may not actually be a risk.

[@rgazmuri]

@@TymekStolarz Looks very unlikely. They will get trillions of complains...Thanks

[@TymekStolarz]

Not a problem and best of luck in your creative endeavours :)

[@Akket85]

My A7 IV does not find the face/eye automatically. Eye AF and continuous AF are activated. If I let it track the object, it also finds the face/eye. However, the camera only does this if I specify it manually. What am I doing wrong?