How to Set Up & Configure your Sony a7III
Shooting Sony as I have since 2014 has been a real joy and it makes me especially happy to see more and more people converting to Sony after shooting DSLRs for decades, as is the case with my friend and fellow Ladera Ranch Dad, Russell Davidson.
In this very long video I go over the a7III settings along with Russell in real time.
I hope you find this helpful and please ask any questions below. I will try to answer or find the answer for you.
Wrap Up to WPPI 2018
WPPI 2018 is in the rear view window and in this post I talk about several of the things that I noticed and saw and things that I believe are a value to photographers.
Back home from a hectic week in Vegas for WPPI and feeling glad to been there representing Sony, tired (these things always knock me out) and was anxious to get home to Nicki and the kids.
While I spent a LOT of time in the Sony booth, I did get a chance to browse the trade show floor and I saw a few things that I wanted to share.
1) Of course I have to start with the “Bell of the Ball”, and that is the announcement of The Sony a7III.
This is going to bring a ton of wedding and portrait shooters into the Sony fold if they have not come over already. For under $2k with dual slots, the fast battery, joystick controller, 10 fps, silent shooting, insane 4K video, it’s just the most value for dollar of any brand on the market. No doubt about it.
https://www.sony.com/electronics/interchangeable-lens-cameras/ilce-7m3-body-kit
Check out the article I wrote on my blog regarding this camera and it’s high ISO performance.
1a) Sony announced their new transceiver flash, the HVL-F60RM, which is a 60 Guide Number flash. It also features the companies unique swivel bounce feature and 3 LED lights which can also provide low light focus assist in AF-S mode of shooting which is perfect for wedding photographers. They’ve also added an external battery pack to help power hungry wedding shooters speed up recycle time. One of the small but very important upgrades is the addition of more metal around the foot of the hotshoe which should make the unit more robust than others that do not have that improved foot.
https://www.sony.com/electronics/interchangeable-lens-cameras-flashes-lights/hvl-f60rm
2) I spent some time in the Madera Books booth and was incredibly impressed with the quality of materials and workmanship in their products. The “flush-mounted” albums (the one that mount a complete sheet of photo paper to a board and then are bound) are thick and substantial and have a real boutique feel to them. They’re a smaller company that is creating some wonderful books.
It was also great to reconnect with Jessica Claire, who’s brother in law Michael Norwood is the principal with the company as well as Victor Sizemore, a destination wedding photographer. Both I have known for nearly 15 years and they are doing such wonderful work and nice to see them sharing their love of Madera at the show. (That is the thing about the WPPI experience. It is in Vegas and that is typically a Love/Hate thing for most folks but the best part of it is seeing old friends who consistently come here (and my friends in the photo equipment industry).
3) Speaking of books, I ventured over to my friends at Graphi Studio and saw their unique presentations. They are truly the most unique ways to present albums that I have ever seen. They’re not books in the classic sense, but instead they are pushing the boundaries of what people perceive of wedding albums and the results were astonishing. Very stylish yet timeless and with leathers that are quite wonderful to the touch. But the thing that knocked me out the most was the Amalfi Paper in a Japanese bounce book style that they displayed on a destination wedding by the talented husband and wife team of Two Mann Studios. The range and vibrancy of the prints. Lovely to see Maureen Neises with GraphiStudio who is in charge of their US office.
https://www.graphistudio.com/en_US/home
4) My tripod sponsor Sirui USA was on hand and they reported that sales were brisk (they were selling through retailer Samy’s Camera who had a booth). I’m glad to see folks starting to discover this gem of a company. Not only is Paul Zakrewski, their marketing director, on of the nicest people in the business, they make some insanely great tripods that hit a sweet spot for price and performance. I absolutely love using their Video Monopod and their Tripods for my stills and video work. They showed a prototype 3 way head which should be of interest to landscape and interior photographers.
Having breakfast with Paul and fellow Sirui Ambassador Marc Weisberg was a highlight of the day. If you are an interior photographer and want to learn from simply the best in the business, check out Marc’s seminars at: https://luxuryrealestateimages.com/mastering-luxury-real-estate-photography-3-day-intensive-palm-springs-ca/
5) Sigma announced that they are coming out with 9 new lenses (prime lenses from 14mm to 135mm!) in their highly acclaimed Art Series made natively for Sony E mount. This is huge because it shows that more and more companies are realizing that Sony is in it to win it. Sigma will also retrofit the mount of their Canon and Nikon glass for Sony E mount which is also a big deal since it saves photographers money.
https://www.sigmaphoto.com/article/art-primes-for-sony-e-mount-announcement
And I also got to put my hands on their new 14-24mm f2.8 Art Series wide angle and it is solid. The zoom mechanism and the manual focus mechanism are some of the smoothest that I have ever used on an auto focus lens. These really felt as if they were dampened like you would find with old school, helicoid manual focus lenses.
https://www.sigmaphoto.com/lenses/wide-angle-lenses/14-24mm-f2-8-dg-hsm-a
My first shots using the new Sony a7III -- street portraits in Las Vegas
The Sony a7III is the wedding photographer's dream camera and comes in at an incredible price of $1998. Availability in April 2018.
Sony announced the new a7III to the press in Las Vegas on Monday afternoon following the first day of the WPPI Trade Show.
Their timing, as usual, was impeccable, as this camera is aimed directly at the needs of the wedding photographers and is a broadside to the offerings in the similar price range from the Big Two of Canon and Nikon and created quite a buzz of activity in the booth.
With a full frame sensor that sports a 24 megapixel file (the "sweet spot") for wedding photographers who often shoot literally thousands of photographs during the course of a long day of coverage. The camera also boasts dual card slots, uses the new Z battery, adds a joystick controller, a snappy 10 fps in mechanical and electronic shutter and is, in essence, a scaled-down version of the a9 (and even includes the AF performance of that bigger sibling). Eye AF -- one of the most amazing features of Sony mirrorless cameras -- is on this camera and it does 4K video with oversampled 6K downsized to 4K, no pixel binning over the entire, full-frame sensor and has Cinema Profiles!!.
I wanted to take the camera out for a spin before I left Vegas and was able to do so (thank you Sony's Mark Weir and Sony Artisan of Imagery Director Kayla LIndquist) and push the ISO for on-the-street location portraits in the Linq Promenade.
For this shoot, I photographed model Carolin Feigs and was assisted by Enrique Malfavon.
For the gear, I traveled light using the a7III with the 24-70 f2.8 G Master lens, the 55 1.8 FE Zeiss and the 85mm f1.4 G Master prime. For light, I used the PRL Lighting's Lustra L50 and the small softbox. It gave the perfect amount of directional fill light and help clean up the foreground and helped balance the background illumination.
These are processed from the jpeg files and not the RAW files. RAW file support should begin around the time the cameras are shipped in April. These are NOT straight out of camera. The jpeg files were first processed in Capture One, further processed in Alien Skin Exposure, and finished in Photoshop CC and then resized with a slight bit of smart sharpening after that.
Sony a7III, 85mm f1.4 G Master, 1/800th at f1.4, 3200 ISO. Supplemental fill light from the PRL Lighting Lustra L50 and softbox.
Sony a7III, 85mm f1.4 G Master, 1/400th at f1.4, 3200 ISO. All natural light (no fill).
Sony a7III, 85mm f1.4 G Master, 1/800th at f1.4, 3200 ISO. Supplemental fill light from the PRL Lighting Lustra L50 and softbox.
Sony a7III, 24-70mm f2.8 GMaster, 1/100th at f2.8, 8000 ISO. Supplemental fill light from the PRL Lighting Lustra L50 and softbox.
Sony a7III, 24-70mm f2.8 GMaster, 1/320th at f2.8, 8000 ISO. Supplemental fill light from the PRL Lighting Lustra L50 and softbox (below) and main illumination from tower of screens.
Sony a7III, 24-70mm f2.8 GMaster, 1/160th at f2.8, 6400 ISO. Supplemental fill light from the PRL Lighting Lustra L50 and softbox.
Sony a7III, 24-70mm f2.8 GMaster, 1/60th at f4.5, 4000 ISO. Supplemental fill light from the PRL Lighting Lustra L50 and softbox.
Sony a7III, 85mm f1.4 G Master, 1/400th at f1.8, 1000 ISO. Supplemental fill light from the PRL Lighting Lustra L50 and softbox.
Sony a7III, 24-70mm f2.8 G Master, 1/400th at f2.8, 1000 ISO. All available light from large signs.
Sony a7III, 24-70mm f2.8 GMaster, 1/500th at f2.8, 10000 ISO. Supplemental fill light from the PRL Lighting Lustra L50 and softbox.
WPPI Speaking Schedule 2018 Sony Booth 520
WPPI is coming and I am pleased to be scheduled to speak in Sony's Booth on Monday February 26-Wednesday February 28, 2018! (Sony's Booth is #520)
During that presentation I will be showcasing simple portraits using studio lights and Sony speedlights!
Come join me on:
Monday, February 26, 2018
10 AM - 11 AM
NOON - 1 PM
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
11 AM - NOON
3 PM - 4 PM
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
10AM - 11 AM
NOON - 1 PM
Stick around at the booth -- there will be some amazing presentations by other Sony Artisans including Miguel Quiles, Me Rah Koh, Tony Gale, Scott Robert Lim, Robert Evans, as well as presentations from Sony pros Sara France, Garrette and Amber Baird from Eyenamics so come and join the fun!
Kando Trip 2.0 is coming this spring in Monterrey, CA!!! (May 9-12, 2018)
Sony's epic Kando Trip 2.0 is making it's way to Monterrey, CA and 200 attendees will have the incredible opportunity of visiting with 40 Sony Artisans of Imagery as well as taking a variety of classes.
Last year Kando Trip 1.0 took place at El Capitan Lodge just north of Santa Barbara and this year's event is sure to top that inaugural event.
Here's a bit more information!
SAN DIEGO, Jan 25, 2018 – Sony Electronics, a worldwide leader in digital imaging and the world’s largest image sensor manufacturer, has announced today that they are opening up their flagship “Kando Trip” photography experience to public applications.
The event will take place May 9-12th at beautiful oceanfront Asilomar Conference Grounds in Monterrey, CA. The 4 day, 3 night, all-inclusive experience will offer attendees a choice of over 20 interactive classes and workshops covering many different genres of photography, video storytelling, business and social media best practices, software and hardware tutorials from partner sponsors and more. Additionally, there will be shooting sessions at several iconic locations along the Monterey/Big Sur coastline, keynote speakers, product feedback sessions, contests, giveaways and many other fun activities. Throughout the event, attendees will have access to loaners and trials of all of Sony’s most popular cameras, lenses and accessories.
“‘Kando’, a term near and dear to our hearts at Sony, can be translated to ‘the power to stimulate an emotional response’, or ‘to make people say ‘Wow’’,” said Neal Manowitz, Vice President of Digital Imaging at Sony Electronics. “We are continually striving to deliver ‘Kando’ with everything that we do - every product, service, activity and campaign. ‘Kando Trip’ is the ultimate representation of this concept. It’s an event exclusively designed for our community - a chance to for us all to interact, learn and grow together, with ‘wow’ experiences waiting around every corner.”
The experience will feature a variety of classes led by many of Sony’s brand evangelists from the Artisans of Imagery and Alpha Imaging Collective programs, with a common goal of allowing attendees to develop both their photography and their careers. Throughout the event, there will also be opportunities to meet, share ideas and give feedback to Sony’s engineering, product planning, marketing, and business teams, all of which will be in attendance.
To apply for this event, please visit www.AlphaUniverse.com/kandotrip. Spaces are limited.
A variety of exclusive stories and exciting new content shot with Sony’s extensive lineup of α products can be found at www.alphauniverse.com , Sony’s community site built to educate and inspire the greater visual creator community, and showcase the work of fans and users of the Sony α brand. Please follow @SonyAlpha on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and visit Sony Alpha Universe on YouTube.