13/04/2024 1:28 pm
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I just purchased the new Sony a6700 mirrorless camera and am looking for some guidance on the best settings to use to get the most out of this camera. I'm an enthusiast photographer and mostly shoot landscapes, cityscapes, and portraits. I'd appreciate any tips from more experienced Sony shooters on how to optimally configure the a6700.
Specifically, I'm wondering about:
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Best image quality settings - I want maximum sharpness and detail. Should I always shoot in RAW or are there times when JPEG is sufficient? What Creative Style gives the best general results - Standard, Vivid, Neutral, Portrait, etc.?
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Ideal auto-focus settings - The a6700 has so many AF options with real-time tracking, eye AF, animal eye AF, etc. What AF-area and AF-C settings work best for landscapes vs portraits vs action shots? Any other AF tweaks to consider?
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Exposure and metering - What metering mode is best for each shooting scenario (multi, center, spot, highlight)? Any exposure compensation to dial in by default?
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Video settings - I'm also excited to shoot some 4K video with this camera. What picture profile is best for video (S-Log, Cine, HLG, etc.)? What focusing method works best for video? Any other video settings to optimize?
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Other tips - I'm open to any other suggestions on things like zebra patterns, focus peaking, D-range optimizer, etc. that you've found helpful in setting up the a6700.
I know a lot comes down to personal preference, but I'd love to hear what settings more seasoned Sony shooters have landed on for this powerful camera. Thanks in advance for sharing your expertise and helping me get up to speed with my new a6700!
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13/04/2024 1:30 pm
I've been shooting with the a6700 for a few years now, so let me try to provide some recommendations on the optimal settings.
For image quality, I always have my camera set to shoot RAW+JPEG so I have the most flexibility in post-processing. As for Creative Styles, I use Standard for normal shooting as I find it provides a good balance. For landscapes specifically, I like the vividness of the Landscape style. For portraits, Portrait style adds nice skin tone rendering.
On auto-focus, I leverage the powerful real-time tracking a lot for moving subjects like people, animals, cars, etc. For more static shots, flexible spot focus often works well so I can precisely place the focus point. For landscapes, wide focus area works great to maintain sharpness throughout. Face/eye detection is awesome for portraits. I'd play around with the various modes to get a feel for what works for different scenarios.
For metering, I use multi-pattern mode for most shooting situations and spot metering if I'm photographing a backlit scene with a strong light/dark contrast. I often dial in +0.7 EV compensation to add a bit of brightness to my photos.
For video, I highly recommend setting the picture profile to S-Log2 as it captures more dynamic range for greater flexibility in post-production. Use touch tracking for smoother focus transitions while filming. Make sure to set your project settings to match your desired delivery format (4K, 1080p, frame rate, etc.)
Some other helpful settings are zebra patterns at 100% and 105% to gauge overexposure and enable focus peaking to confirm your shots are tack sharp through the EVF or LCD.
It can be overwhelming with the vast array of options on the a6700 but once you spend some time shooting in different scenarios, you'll figure out the best settings that align with your style. Feel free to post sample images as you get going!
