sony a700 photography

Transcription

Cover
AA30470C
A Short Course
in
Sony A700
Photography
Dennis P. Curtin
ShortCourses.com
h t t p :// w w w . s h o r t c o u r s e s . c o m
Short Courses Publishing Company
Short Courses Books
and
Web Site
S
hort Courses is the leading publisher of digital photography books,
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iii
Preface
Preface
A
great photograph begins when you recognize a great scene or
subject. But recognizing a great opportunity isn’t enough to capture
it; you also have to be prepared. A large part of being prepared involves understanding your camera well enough to capture what you see. Getting you prepared to see and capture great photographs is what this book is
all about. It doesn’t matter if you are taking pictures for business or pleasure,
there’s a lot here to help you get better results and more satisfaction from
your photography.
To get better, and possibly even great photographs, you need to understand
both concepts and procedures; the “whys” and “hows” of photography.
• Concepts of photography are the underlying principles that apply regardless
of the camera you are using. They include such things as how sharpness and
exposure affect your images and the way they are perceived by viewers. Understanding concepts answers the “why” kinds of questions you might have
about photography.
The Sony A700 is a
full-featured SLR with
a built-in flash and
interchangeable lenses.
The camera is
compatible with a wide
range of accessories.
The logo for Sony’s
Alpha digital SLR
cameras and
accessories.
• Procedures are those things specific to one kind of camera, and explain
step-by-step how you set your camera’s controls to capture an image just the
way you want to. Understanding procedures gives you the answers to the
“how” kinds of questions you might have.
This book is organized around the concepts of digital photography because
that’s how photographers think. We think about scenes and subjects, highlights and shadows, softness and sharpness, color and tone. The procedures
you use with the Sony A700 camera are integrated throughout the concepts,
appearing in those places where they apply. This integrated approach lets you
first understand the concepts of photography and then see step by step how
to use the A700 in all kinds of photographic situations.
To get more effective, interesting, and creative photographs, you only need
to understand how and when to use a few simple controls on your camera
such as focus, exposure controls, and flash. If you’ve previously avoided
understanding these controls and the profound impact they can have on your
images, you’ll be pleased to know that you can learn them on a weekend.
You can then spend the rest of your life marveling at how the infinite variety
of combinations they provide make it possible to convey your own personal
view of the world. You’ll be ready to keep everything in a scene sharp for
maximum detail or to blur some or all of it for an impressionistic portrayal.
You’ll be able to get dramatic close-ups, freeze fast action, create wonderful
panoramas, and capture the beauty and wonder of rainbows, sunsets, fireworks, and nighttime scenes.
As you explore your camera, be sure to have fun. There are no “rules” or
“best” way to make a picture. Great photographs come from using what you
know to experiment and try new approaches. Digital cameras make this especially easy because there are no film costs or delays. Every experiment is free
and you see the results immediately so you can learn step by step.
This book is about getting great pictures, not about connecting your camera
to your computer and using your software. That information is well presented
in the user guide that came with your camera. Be sure to visit our Web site at
www.shortcourses.com for even more digital photography information.
iv
Contents
Contents
Cover...i
Short Courses Books and Web Site...ii
Note on the ShortCourses.com Web Site—ii
Preface...iv
Contents...v
Chapter 1
Camera Controls and Creativity...7
The A700 Camera...8
Jump Start—Using Auto Adjustment Mode...9
Good Things to Know...10
Using the Viewfinder...12
Eye-start AF—12
Information Display—12
AF Areas and Focus Indicator—12
Diopter Adjustment—12
Using Buttons and Dials...13
Top View —13
Rear View—14
Using Monitor Information and Quick Navi Screen...15
Information Display—15
Quick Navi Screen—15
Using Menus to Change Settings...16
Playing Back & Managing Your Images...18
Auto Review—18
Image Playback—18
Image Information Display—18
Using Folders—18
Using the Playback 1 Menu...20
Using the Playback 2 Menu...21
Selecting Image Quality and Size...22
Number of Pixels—22
How An Image is Captured—24
The Exposure—24
It’s All Black and White After All—24
Select an Image Quality—25
Selecting an Image Size—26
Selecting an Aspect Ratio—26
Selecting an Image Quality—27
Choosing a Format—27
Chapter 2
Controlling Exposure...29
Understanding Exposure...30
The Shutter Controls Light and Motion...31
The Aperture Controls Light and Depth of Field...33
Using Shutter Speed and Aperture Together...35
Exposure—Faucets & Buckets Analogy—36
Exposure—Seesaw Analogy—37
Retaining Highlight and Shadow Details ...38
Choosing Recording Modes...39
Using Scene Selection Modes...40
Using Program AE (P) Mode & Program Shift...41
Using Shutter-Priority (S) Mode...42
Using Aperture-Priority (A) Mode...43
Using Manual (M) Mode & Manual Shift...44
How Your Exposure System Works...45
Meter Averaging and Middle Gray—45
Types of Metering—47
When Automatic Exposure Works Well...48
When to Override Automatic Exposure...49
Scenes Lighter than Middle Gray—49
Scenes Darker than Middle Gray—50
Subject Against a Very Light Background—50
Subject Against a Very Dark Background—51
Scenes with High Contrast—51
Hard to Meter Scenes—52
How Overriding Autoexposure Works...53
How to Override Automatic Exposure...54
Exposure Compensation—54
Autoexposure (AE) Lock—54
Autoexposure Bracketing (AEB)—56
Using Histograms...58
Displaying Histograms—58
Evaluating Histograms —58
Clipped Pixels—60
Sample Histograms—61
Chapter 3
Controlling Sharpness...62
Getting Sharper Pictures...63
Supporting the Camera—63
Using the Self-timer/Remote Commander—63
Super SteadyShot—64
Camera Shake Warning Indicator—65
Changing the ISO—65
Sharpness Isn’t Everything...66
How to Photograph Motion Sharply...67
Speed of Subject—67
Direction of Movement—67
Distance to Subject and Focal Length of
Lens—68
Focus and Depth of Field...69
Focus—69
Depth of Field—69
Checking Depth of Field—70
Focusing Techniques...71
The AF Illuminator—71
Selecting an Autofocus Mode—72
Selecting the AF Area—72
Using Focus Lock—73
Manual Focus—74
Using the AF/MF Button—74
Other Focusing Choices—74
Controlling Depth of Field...75
Using Deep Depth of Field...76
Using Shallow Depth of Field...78
Conveying the Feeling of Motion...79
Contents
Chapter 4Capturing Light & Color...80
Where Does Color Come From?...81
White Balance and Color...82
Using Preset White Balance Settings—82
Creating and Using a Custom White Balance
Setting—83
Using a Specific Color Temperature—84
Using White Balance Bracketing—84
Color and Time of Day...85
Sunsets and Sunrises...86
Weather...88
Photographing at Night...90
The Direction of Light...92
The Quality of Light...94
Chapter 5
Understanding Lenses...95
Sony Lenses...96
Focal Length...98
Zoom Lenses...99
Normal Lenses...100
Wide-Angle Lenses...101
Telephoto Lenses...103
Macro Lenses and Accessories...105
Lens Accessories...107
Perspective in a Photograph...108
Chapter 6
Using Flash and Studio Lighting...109
How Flash Works...110
Using Autoflash...111
Flash Coverage and Range—111
Flash and Shutter Speeds—111
Flash Modes—111
Portraits with Flash...113
Positioning the Flash and Subjects—113
Red-eye—114
Using Fill Flash...115
Using Slow Sync Flash...116
Using Available Light...117
Controlling Flash Exposures...118
Flash Control Modes—118
Flash Exposure Compensation—118
Flash Exposure Bracketing (FEB)—119
Using an External Flash...120
High-speed Sync (FP)—120
Wireless Flash—121
Stroboscopic Flash—121
Flash Sync Terminal—121
Using Flash in Close-ups...122
Studio Lighting...123
Candidates for Studio Lighting—123
Lighting—123
Backgrounds—125
Focus and Exposure—125
Tips and Tricks—125
Portrait and Product Photography—Introduction...126
The Main Light...127
The Fill Light...128
The Background Light...129
The Rim Light...130
vi
Chapter 7
Other Features and Commands...131
Continuous Photography...132
Using the D-Range Optimizer...133
Using Noise Reduction...134
Long Exposure Noise Reduction—134
High ISO Noise Reduction—134
Using Creative Styles...135
Basic Styles—135
Style Boxes—135
Adjustments—136
Selecting and Adjusting Creative Styles—136
Using MR (Memory Recall) Mode...138
Using the Custom Button...139
Using the Custom Menu...140
Custom 1 Menu—140
Custom 2 Menu—140
Custom 3 Menu—141
Custom 4 Menu—141
Using the Setup Menu...142
Setup 1 Menu—142
Setup 2 Menu—142
Setup 3 Menu—143
Entering a Print Order...144
Resetting Settings...145
Caring for Your Camera...146
Cleaning the Image Sensor—146
Cleaning the Camera and Lens—146
Protecting your Camera from the Elements—
147
Protecting when Traveling—147
Storing a Camera—148
Caring for yourself—148
Chapter 1. Camera Controls
and
Creativity
Chapter 1
Camera Controls and Creativity
Contents
• The A700 Camera
• Jump Start: Using
Auto Mode • Good
Things to Know •
Using the Viewfinder
• Using Buttons and
Dials • Using Monitor
Information & Quick
Navi Screen • Using
Menus to Change
Settings • Playing
Back & Managing
Your Images • Using
the Playback 1 Menu
• Using the Playback
2 Menu • Selecting
Image Quality and
Size
For
S
erious digital cameras give you creative control over your images. They
do so by allowing you to control the light and motion in photographs
as well as what’s sharp and what isn’t. Although most consumer digital
cameras are fully automatic, some allow you to make minor adjustments that
affect your images. The best ones such as the Sony A700 offer interchangeable lenses, external flash connections, and a wide range of controls—more
than you’d find on a 35mm SLR. However, regardless of what controls your
camera has, the same basic principles are at work “under the hood.” Your automatic exposure and focusing systems are having a profound affect on your
images. Even with your camera on fully automatic, you can indirectly control,
or at least take advantage of the effects these systems have on your images.
In this chapter, we’ll first explore your camera and how you use it on fully automatic mode. We’ll also see how you use menus and buttons to operate the
camera, manage your images and control image quality. In the chapters that
follow, we’ll explore in greater depth how you take control of these settings,
and others, to get the effects you want.
more on digital photography, visit http://www.shortcourses.com
and
Creativity
The A700 Camera
Sony’s A700 camera’s lightweight, magnesium alloy body is dust and moisture resistant. It houses a 12.2 megapixel CMOS sensor capable of capturing
4272 x 2848 pixel images—large enough to make sharp 21 x 14 inch prints.
The 3-inch LCD screen with 921K pixels not only lets you review your images
but also lets you change settings. To help ensure sharp images, the camera
has Super SteadyShot® built into the camera body so all compatible lenses
are automatically image-stabilized. This allows you to use smaller apertures
and faster shutter speeds without a tripod.
The Sony DSLR-A700
is an SLR (singlelens reflex) camera
so when you look in
the viewfinder you
are seeing the scene
through the lens.Here
the camera is attached
to the optional vertical
handgrip.
The autofocus system has 11 sensors metering areas of the viewfinder called
AF areas. You can manually select which of these areas is used for focusing,
or let the camera select one automatically. Because the APS-C size image sensor is smaller than a frame of 35mm film, the camera has a 1.5x focal length
conversion factor (a 100 mm lens will act like a 150mm lens when mounted
on the camera) and is compatible with all Sony and most Minolta lenses.
The camera captures images in the universal JPEG format but also offers
the higher-quality RAW format. The maximum shutter speed is 1/8,000th
of a second and you can shoot at up to five frames per second. In JPEG fine
or standard mode, continuous shooting is limited only by the capacity of the
media card (sold separately), while up to 18 frames can be captured in the
http://www.photocourse.com/itext/SLR/
RAW format.
Click this button to play
an animation that shows
how an SLR works when
you compose an image
and press the shutter
button.
In the Box
• The A700 is available as a body only
and in a kit with a
lens. All versions
include the camera
body as well as a
rechargeable battery
pack (NP-FM500H),
charger (BC-VM10),
power cord, Wireless Remote Commander, USB cable,
video cable, shoulder
strap with eyepiece
cover and Remote
Commander clip,
body cap, accessory
shoe cap, eyecup,
CD-ROM applications
software, “Read this
First” and “User’s
Guide/Troubleshooting” booklets.
The camera features fourteen creative styles, including night view, autumn
leaves or vivid, which can be selected to enhance images. These effects can
then be fine-tuned by adjusting contrast, saturation, sharpness, brightness
and zone matching.
Sony’s Dynamic Range Optimizer (DRO) function lets you choose the desired
level of detail captured in areas of highlights and shadows. The advanced
mode offers five levels of correction and DRO bracketing creates three images
from a single capture with three different levels of optimization.
There is an extensive array of customization options to personalize the
camera to match shooting styles. The camera’s Quick Navi (quick navigation)
display lets you change settings using a joy stick-like multi-selector and front
or rear control dials.
For additional customization you can store up to 28 camera settings in one of
three user memories for instant recall and assign any one of 15 frequently-accessed functions to the Custom (C) button.
The camera accepts Memory Stick and CompactFlash Type I/II cards compatible with the new Ultra Direct Memory Access standard for up to 300x
write speeds. Using the supplied remote capture application, you can control
the camera from a compatible PC via USB without even touching the camera,
and files can be stored on the computer instead of the camera’s memory card.
The camera includes an HDMI output for connection to HDTV sets, bringing
the display of your images into the twenty-first century.
The camera is sold as a body only or in the DSLR-A700K kit with an 18-70
mm lens and the DSLR-A700P kit with the 16-105 mm lens.
For
Jump Start—Using Auto Adjustment Mode
Jump Start—Using Auto Adjustment Mode
The A700’s Auto adjustment mode sets everything for you. All you have to
do is frame the image and push the shutter button. This is a good mode to
use in most situations because it lets you focus on the subject rather than the
camera.
• Selecting the mode. Slide the power switch on the back of the camera to
ON and set the Mode Dial to AUTO.
The Mode Dial with the
Auto mode setting.
• Framing the image. The viewfinder shows about 95% of the scene you
are going to capture. If the image in the viewfinder is fuzzy, turn the diopter
adjustment dial next to the viewfinder to adjust it (page 12).
• Autofocus. The viewfinder displays 10 small bars and 1 small square
called AF areas, which are used for focusing. (AF stands for autofocus.)
When the AF area is set to Wide (the default) on the Recording 2 menu
(page 72), the camera focuses on the closest subject covered by one or more
of these areas. How close you can get to a subject depends on the minimum
focusing distance of the lens you are using.
The Power Switch set
to ON.
AF areas in the
viewfinder
Keep your eye on the
focus indicator in the
viewfinder.
• Autoexposure. Multi segment metering (the default) divides the scene
in the viewfinder into 40 segments and meters each of them to determine
the best exposure for the scene (page 45). The shutter speed and aperture
that will be used to take the picture are displayed in the viewfinder when the
display is activated (page 12).
• Autoflash. When the light is too dim in AUTO mode, you can raise the
flash and it will fire only when needed. Press it down to close it when finished
(page 111). The range of the flash varies depending on the aperture being
used (page 111) but it’s maximum range is 40 feet (6.6 m).
• Automatic white balance. The color cast in a photograph is affected by
the color of the light illuminating the scene. The camera adjusts white balance so white objects in the scene look white in the photo (page 82).
Taking a Picture in Auto Mode
1. With the Power Switch on the back of the camera set to ON, set the
Mode Dial to AUTO and remove any lens cap. Check the positions of
the Metering and Focus Mode Levers (left).
2. Compose the image in the viewfinder, making sure the area that you
want sharpest is covered by one of the eleven AF areas.
Turn the Metering Mode
Lever to the icon shown
here.
3. Press the shutter button halfway down and pause so the camera can
automatically set focus and exposure. When its done so, it beeps, the
round green focus indicator in the viewfinder glows, and the AF area
used to set focus briefly flashes red.
4. Press the shutter button all the way down to take the picture.
● The shutter sounds, and the red access lamp on the back of the
camera glows while the image is being stored. You can take another
photo at any time.
● The image is displayed on the monitor for 2 seconds so you can review it, press Delete to delete it, or press DISP to change the display.
Turn the Focus Mode
Lever to S.
For
5. When finished, slide the Power Switch to OFF and replace any lens
cap.
Good Things
to
and
Creativity
Know
When you first start taking photos with a new camera, it sometimes seems
that there is too much to learn all at once. To simplify your getting started,
here are some of the things you may want to know right off.
• The first time you turn on the camera you are prompted to enter the date
and time (page 142). It’s important that you do so, otherwise your images
won’t be properly date and time stamped.
The Focus Mode Lever
selects one of three
kinds of autofocus and
manual focus.
An icon on the monitor
indicates which card
is being used to store
images.
• If your camera is right out of the box you have to mount a lens (page 96),
insert a charged battery pack, and insert a memory card on which to store
your images. No memory card is included with the camera, and there may be
no lens as part of the package.
• The camera accepts Memory Stick, CompactFlash and Microdrive memory
cards for image storage. When you use one or the other, you need to tell the
camera where to save files by setting the Memory card setting on the Setup
2 menu to Memory Stick or CompactFlash (the default). To insert a memory
card open the memory card cover on the side of the camera, insert the card
with the label facing the back of the camera and the connectors facing inward
then gently press it down to seat it. To remove a card, press and release a
Memory Stick or press the CF eject lever. It’s a good idea to format a card
(page 20) before you use it since every device that writes to disks has slight
variations.
• Never open the memory card cover when the access lamp is lit to indicate
data is being written to it or read from the card. Doing so can corrupt image
files.
• When charging the battery, the charger’s light goes out when it’s fully
charged, a process that can take up to 4 hours. Recharge batteries immediately before using them because they gradually loose their charge over time.
• To insert a battery pack (use only NP-FM500H), press the battery cover
open lever on the bottom of the camera, slide the battery in and close the
cover. To remove a battery already in the camera, turn off the camera and
push aside the lock lever to free the battery.
Icons on the monitor
show the status of the
battery as full (top)
through exhausted
(bottom). The icons
are accompanied by a
percentage of charge
remaining number.
When Super SteadyShot
is on this indicator
uses bars to indicate
the amount of camera
shake—fewer are
better.
10
• In warm temperatures you can shoot approximately 650 photos with a fully
charged battery. This number decreases in colder temperatures, when you
use flash or playback images, when you set the focus mode to Continuous AF
(AF-C—page 72), or you frequently turn the camera on an off.
• When you do not hold the camera’s grip and look through the viewfinder,
or operate any camera controls for 5 seconds, the viewfinder and monitor
displays turn off. If you don’t do those things for 3 minutes, the camera enters power save mode. In either case you can hold the camera’s grip and look
through the viewfinder, or operate any camera control to wake up the camera
display.
• The number of remaining images that can be stored on the memory card at
current settings is always displayed in the lowerright corner of the monitor
when information is displayed. When the number gets to zero you can’t take
any more photos unless you delete some or change memory cards.
• The camera’s Super SteadyShot® function (page 64) lets you use slower
shutter speeds and smaller apertures without getting blur in your images
from camera movement. You can turn this on and off with the Super SteadyShot switch on the back of the camera. When on, a scale with five bars is
For
Good Things
to
Know
displayed on the viewfinder. More bars indicates more pronounced camera
shake. If the bars continue to flash, Super SteadyShot is not being used.
The camera shake
warning icon.
• A camera shake warning icon is displayed when the camera thinks the shutter speed is to slow to prevent blur from camera movement. If this appears,
select a faster shutter speed (page 31), use a tripod (page 63), turn on the
flash (page 111), zoom out to a wider angle of view or turn on Super SteadyShot (page 64).
• When you have to remove the lens cap or change lenses, be sure to do so in
a wind and dust free environment. If you get dark spots in your images, you
may have dust on the image sensor (page 146).
• For some reason, one of the camera’s default settings lets you shoot pictures
without a CF card in the camera. (Some people believe it’s so salespeople can
demonstrate the camera without having to insert a memory card.) Images
are even displayed on the monitor so you think you are capturing them, but
they are not saved. To ensure you don’t take unsaved pictures, set the Release
w/oCard setting on the Custom 2 menu (page 140) to Disable.
• To take pictures hold the camera in your right hand while supporting the
lens with your left. Brace the camera against your face as you look through
the viewfinder and brace your elbows against your body. Press the shutter
button slowly and smoothly as you hold your breath after breathing in deeply
and exhaling.
• The shutter button has two stages. When you press it halfway down, the
camera sets focus and exposure. You pause for a moment as it does so, and
then when the green focus indicator comes on in the viewfinder and the camera beeps, you press it the rest of the way to take the picture. If you press the
shutter button all of the way down without pausing halfway, the photo may
not always be in focus.
The shutter button has
two stages. When you
press it halfway down,
the camera sets focus
and exposure. When
you press it all the way
down you take the
picture.
Tip
• When wondering
about all of the new
features on your
camera, it may be
reassuring for you to
know that almost all
of the great photos
over the past 150
years have been taken with cameras that
only let you control
the aperture, shutter
speed and focus.
For
• If the camera can’t focus you can’t take a picture. For help on focusing see
page 71.
• You can use the camera’s monitor to review images you’ve taken (page 18)
and adjust its brightness to match the light you’re viewing it in (page 15).
• When you take a picture, it is displayed on the monitor for two seconds but
you can extend the auto review time (page 140). While an image is displayed,
you can press the Delete button (page 18) to delete it, or DISP to change the
information displayed.
• You can reset many camera settings to their factory defaults (pages 145).
This is useful if you make changes and can’t remember how to undo them.
• When photographing in a studio-like setting, cleaning the image sensor
(page 146), or using the camera to give a slide show (page 21), you can use the
optional AC Adapter/Charger AC-VQ900AM to power the camera instead of
the battery pack.
• Although you may not notice it, the focal length of your lens is longer than it
would be on a 35mm film camera (page 98).
• The camera’s firmware that operates the camera was initially version 1, but
was then quickly updated to version 2. To see what version your camera is
using, press the MENU button to display the menu, then press DISP. To see
what the latest version is, visit http://esupport.sony.com.
11
Using
the
and
Creativity
Viewfinder
Tips
• You can turn Eyestart on or off using
the Eye-Start AF setting on the Custom 1
menu (page 140).
• You can specify
if you have to also
be holding the grip
using the EyeStart
triger setting on
the Custom 1 menu
(page 140).
When taking photos, you normally compose them in the viewfinder. Since
the viewfinder is your center of interest when taking photos, it displays focus
and exposure information to guide you.
Eye-start AF
The camera’s Eye Start AF feature uses sensors to tell when you are holding
the camera’s grip and looking through the eyepiece. When doing both, the
monitor turns off, the viewfinder display turns on, and the camera starts to
autofocus. The viewfinder display and autofocus turn off, and the monitor
turns on, if you stop looking through the viewfinder for 5 seconds unless you
press the shutter button halfway down to lock focus (page 73). If it turns off,
look through the viewfinder again or press the shutter button halfway down.
Information Display
When the viewfinder display turns on, it displays a spot metering circle, AF
areas, and guidelines for images shot using the 16:9 aspect ratio. The bottom
line displays a focus indicator, the current shutter speed and aperture, an
exposure scale, and many other icons during various procedures.
The viewfinder displays
information about
settings that affect the
current photograph.
AF Areas and Focus Indicator
The 11 AF (autofocus) areas in the viewfinder determine which part of the
scene is in sharpest focus. The one being used to set focus can be selected
manually or automatically (page 72). When you press the shutter button halfway down, the AF area being used to set focus flashes red. Also displayed is a
focus indicator that indicates the status of focusing as follows:
When focus is achieved,
the AF area used to set
it flashes red, and the
green focus indicator
glows a steady green in
the viewfinder.
When you press the shutter button halfway down to focus, the focus indicator
changes to indicate when (from left to right above) the camera is still focusing, the
camera is focused or tracking a moving subject, focus is locked, or the camera can’t
focus. (The last two indicators are the same, but one is flashing.)
The diopter adjustment
dial.
12
Diopter Adjustment
You can adjust the sharpness of the viewfinder display, perhaps enough to
read it without glasses. To do so, remove the lens cap and look through the
viewfinder at a fairly bright light source (not the sun!). If the viewfinder
display isn’t sharp, try to bring the AF areas into focus by turning the diopter
adjustment dial next to the viewfinder.
For
Using Buttons
Using Buttons
and
Tips
• Blue icons on the
camera’s body indicate button functions
in playback mode.
and
Dials
Dials
The A700 has a number of buttons and dials that quickly change important
settings without the time-consuming need to work your way through menus.
Top View
• You can quickly
reset all camera settings to their original
factory defaults
(page 145).
• You can connect
the camera to a computer and operate it
from there using a
cable and software
packaged with the
camera.
1. Mode Dial selects recording modes (page 39).
On the front of the
camera is a depth of
field preview button
(page 70).
2. Front control dial cycles through settings on the Quick Navi screen
(page 15), selects menu settings (page 16), shifts the shutter speed in Program
(P) mode (page 41), and selects an aperture or shutter speed (pages 41–44).
In playback mode, turning the dial scrolls you through pictures you’ve taken
(page 18).
3. Shutter button wakes up the camera, turns on the viewfinder and monitor information display, and locks exposure and focus when pressed halfway
down, and takes the photo when pressed all the way down.
4. Exposure Compensation button displays the exposure compensation
scale in recording mode so you can lighten or darken the next image (page
54).
5. DRIVE button displays the drive screen so you can select single or continuous shooting (page 132), the self-timer or Remote Commander (page 63),
or bracket exposure (page 56), white balance (page 84), or D-Range optimization (page 133).
On the front of the
camera is the lens
release button (page
96) and the Focus Mode
Lever (page 72).
For
6. WB white balance button displays the white balance screen so you can
select a preset white balance setting or store one of your own (page 82).
7. ISO button displays the ISO screen so you can set the desired ISO (page
65).
13
Tip
and
Creativity
Rear View
• The front and rear
control dials are laid
out on the camera
so you can turn the
front dial with your
index finger and the
rear dial with your
thumb.
Sony refers to these
(along with the Custom
(C) button as exclusive
buttons because
they take you to a
setting page dedicated
exclusively to changing
a specific setting.
1. Power switch turns the camera on and off.
2. MENU button displays and hides the menu on the monitor (page 16).
3. DISP button cycles you through information about camera settings in
recording modes, or images in playback mode (page 15).
4. Delete button deletes the image displayed on the monitor (page 19).
5. Playback button displays the last image you captured (page 18).
6. Metering Mode Lever selects the metering mode (page 47).
7. AEL and Index button, inside the Metering Mode Lever, locks exposure
(page 54), selects slow sync flash when the flash is raised (page 116), and
toggles playback mode between single-image and index view (page 19).
8. AF/MF and Enlarge button switches the camera between autofocus
and manual focus in recording modes (page 74) and toggles playback mode
between single-image and enlarged view.
Pressing the multiselector sideways
highlights an item and
pressing it straight
down selects it.
9. Rear control dial cycles through settings on the Quick Navi screen (page
15), selects menu settings (page 16), shifts the aperture in Program (P) mode
(page 41), selects an aperture or shutter speed (pages 41–44). In playback
mode, turning the dial scrolls you through pictures you’ve taken (page 18).
10. Multi-selector, a small joy stick, can be pressed up, down, left or right
or straight down to select menu items, Quick Navi screen settings (page 15),
and AF areas (page 72), and scrolls among images or around an enlarged image in playback mode (page 19).
You can use the Fn
button to display the
Quick Navi screen and
change many of the
displayed settings.
14
11. Custom and Histogram button executes the function you assign it
(page 139) in record mode, and displays a histogram (page 58) in playback.
12. Super SteadyShot switch turns SteadyShot on and off (page 64).
13. Fn and Rotate button displays the Quick Navi screen (page 15) in record mode and rotates images (page 19) in playback.
For
Using Monitor Information
Using Monitor Information
The last line on the
monitor tells you what
buttons and dials
are available at that
particular point in a
procedure.
and
and
Quick Navi Screen
Quick Navi Screen
The monitor is used in both recording and playback modes. It turns on when
you press the shutter button halfway down, and turns off if you don’t operate
any controls or look through the viewfinder for 5 seconds. You can adjust the
brightness of the monitor by holding down the DISP button until a brightness
scale appears and then turn the front or rear control dial. You can also use
the LCD brightness setting on Setup 1 menu (page 142).
Information Display
The monitor displays information in both recording and playback modes.
In recording modes, you can press the DISP to cycle through no display,
detailed display, and enlarged display. When you rotate the camera from a
horizontal (landscape) orientation to a vertical (portrait) the display rotates.
You can turn this rotation feature on or off using the Rec.info.disp setting on
Custom 3 menu (page 140).
The differences between
the detailed and
enlarged display are
subtle.
An arrowhead on a
Quick Navi exclusive
screen icon indicates
the setting can be
changed.
Tip
Settings you can
change from the
Quick Navi screen
include:
• Exposure (page 54)
• AF area (page 72)
• Drive (page 56, 63,
84, 132, 133)
• White balance
(page 82)
• ISO (page 65)
• D-Range Optimizer
(page 133)
• Creative Style
(page 135)
• Flash mode (page
111)
• Flash compensation
(page 118)
• Image size and
quality (page 27)
Throughout this book,
this icon means you
can use the Fn button
to change the setting
being discussed.
For
Quick Navi Screen
Pressing the Fn (Function) button switches you to the Quick Navi (quick
navigation) screen where you can change settings. When the screen appears,
you make setting changes as follows:
• To highlight the setting to be changed so it’s displayed in orange,
press the multi-selector so it’s displayed in orange. (Items displayed in gray
cannot be changed because they are just information, set with levers on the
camera body, not available in the current recording mode, or conflict with
another setting.)
• To change the highlighted setting you can turn the front control dial
to scroll through the choices and the rear control dial to select options for the
highlighted choice if any are available. Alternatively, you can press the multiselector straight down to display an exclusive display screen listing choices
for the selected setting. (The DRIVE, WB, ISO, C (Custom) and Exposure
compensation buttons take you directly to their respective exclusive display
screens.) Once an exclusive display screen is displayed you can highlight any
choice by pressing the multi-selector up or down or turning the front control dial. If a settings has one or more arrowheads, you can select versions of
the setting by pressing the multi-selector left or right, or by turning the rear
control dial. When ready, press the multi-selector straight down to select the
setting and you are ready to shoot.
You can change the creative style (page 135) and flash mode (page 111), but
not from the enlarged display screen. To change them, press DISP to switch
to the detailed display or use the settings on Recording 1 menu.
15
Using Menus
to
Icons indicate (from
left to right) Recording,
Custom, Playback, and
Setup menus.
and
Creativity
Change Settings
To change any setting, other than those set with the Mode Dial or levers on
the camera body, you press the MENU button to display a series of menu
icons across the top of the monitor. The settings listed below this icon bar are
associated with the selected icon. The four types of menus you can display
include:
• The Recording menu lists settings that affect the image.
• The Custom menu (page 140) lists settings that modify the way the
camera’s controls work.
• The Playback menu (page 20–21) manages images and slide shows.
• The Setup menu (page 142) lists settings that adjust the way the camera
operates.
To charge settings from these menus you use the multi-selector to select a
menu, a setting to change, and then a setting choice.
Each menu is spread
across up to four pages.
When you highlight
one of these icons, the
menu’s pages, each
of which is numbered,
cascade out so you can
select them.
The last line below a
menu reminds you to
press the multi-selector
to highlight and select
settings, then press
MENU to back up.
• Instead of using the multi-selector to make menu choices you can turn the
front control dial to select settings and the rear control dial to select menu
pages. As you scroll past the first or last setting on a menu the previous or
next menu is automatically displayed.
• When a menu is displayed, pressing the shutter button halfway down instantly returns you to recording mode.
• The last menu you viewed can be displayed the next time you press MENU
using the Menu start setting on the Setup 3 menu.
Using Menus
1. To display the menu, press the MENU button.
2. To display numbered menu pages, press the multi-selector left or
right, or turn the rear control dial.
These icons indicate
you can use the front
control dial (top) rear
control dial (bottom), or
both.
3. To highlight a setting you want to change, press the multi-selector up
or down, or turn the front control dial.
4. To select a highlighted settings and display choices, press the multiselector straight down. (To backup at any point, press MENU before
pressing the multi-selector straight down.)
5. To select one of the choices, repeat Steps 3–4.
6. To hide the menu, press the MENU or shutter button.
16
For
Using Menus
to
Change Settings
Recording 1 Menu Page
The tinted settings in
these tables are also
available from the Quick
Navi Screen.
Command
Settings
Page
Image size
Sets image size
27
Aspect ratio
Sets image aspect ratio
26
Quality
Sets image quality
27
D-RageOptimizer
Optimizes the tonal range in captured images
133
Creative Style
Selects or creates creative styles
135
Custom button
Assigns a function to the Custom (C) button
139
Exposure step
Sets changes in exposure to 1/3 or 1/2 stops
32, 34
Page
Tip
Command
Settings
• Whether you use
the multi-selector or
control dials to select
menu items that
appear on both is a
personal choice.
Flash mode
Selects one of the flash modes
111
Flash control
Selects type of flash control to be used
118
Flash compens.
Adjusts flash exposures to make them lighter
or darker
118
ISO Auto max.
Sets the upper limit that will be selected by
Auto ISO
65
ISO Auto min.
Sets the lower limit that will be selected by
Auto ISO
65
Tip
• When you do not
hold the camera’s
grip and look through
the viewfinder, or
operate any camera controls for 5
seconds, the viewfinder and monitor
displays turn off. If
you don’t do those
things for 3 minutes,
the camera enters
power save mode. In
either case you can
hold the camera’s
grip and look through
the viewfinder, or
operate any camera
control to wake up
the camera display.
For
Command
Settings
Page
AF-A setup
Sets A on Focus Mode Lever to AF-A or DMS
72
AF area
Specifies how AF areas are selected for
focusing
72
Priority setup
Specifies if camera must be in focus to shoot
74
AF illuminator
Turns the AF illuminator on or off
71
AF w/shutter
Specifies if the camera autofocuses when you
press the shutter button halfway down
74
Long exp. NR
Turns noise reduction for long exposures on
or off
134
High ISO NR
Turns noise reduction for high ISO settings
on or off
134
Command
Settings
Page
Memory
Store settings in memory so they can be accessed in the MR recording mode
138
Rec mode reset
Resets P, A, S and M modes
145
When you change a menu item, you can always use the same procedure to
restore the setting. However, there are ways to reset a number of changes at
once. These are discussed on page 145.
17
and
Creativity
Playing Back & Managing Your Images
Tips
• After zooming an
image or displaying
information, you can
turn the front control
dial to scroll through
other images using
the same settings.
• To immediately
return to recording mode, press
the shutter button
halfway down.
• You can zoom large
images up to 13x,
medium images up
to 10x and small images up to 6.7x.
When taking photos, there are many times when you want to review the images you’ve taken, ideally before leaving the scene. While displayed, you can
rotate, delete, zoom, and otherwise manage them using buttons and dials.
When playing back images pressing DISP cycles you through recording data,
recording data with history of previous shots, and no recording information.
Auto Review
When you take a photo, it’s displayed for 2 seconds (counting from when the
image is saved) although you can change this with the Info.disp.time setting
on the Setup 1 menu (page 142). With an image displayed, you can turn either
control dial, press the multi-selector, or press any button marked with a blue
icon on the camera body—Delete, Index, Enlarge, DISP, Rotate and Histogram. Doing any of these things switches the camera into playback mode so
you can use any of the procedures described in the box “Playback Procedures”
on page 19. Press the shutter button halfway down to take another photo.
Image Playback
To review some or all of the images you have taken, press the Playback button to display the last photo you took. You can then display small thumbnails
so you can quickly locate a specific image, zoom in to examine details, delete
the image or rotate it. In playback mode, you can press the shutter button
halfway down at any time to instantly return to recording mode.
Image Information Display
To change what information is displayed in auto review or single-image
playback, repeatedly press the DISP button to cycle through recording data,
http://www.photocourse.com/itext/G-folders/
recording data with history of previous shots, and no recording information.
The history of previous shots setting displays five small thumbnails and the
Click here to view
movies on working with
one indicated with the orange bar is displayed enlarged. Once information is
folders.
displayed for one image, you can scroll through other images with the same
information displayed.
Tip
• When you enlarge an image shot
in Local AF area
mode (page 72), it
is enlarged so the
area around the AF
area used to focus
it is centered in the
enlargement.
• Images shot in
portrait mode are not
rotated on the monitor in auto review.
18
Using Folders
In index view a folder bar is displayed at the left side of the screen. Above the
images the current folder/total number of folders are indicated next to the
folder icon. To the left of this readout is the total number of images in the
currently selected folder.
To select a folder, press the multi-selector to the right or left to highlight the
folder bar in orange, then press the multi-selector straight down to display
a folder name in the center of the screen. If there are arrowheads above and
below the folder name, press the multi-selector up or down to scroll through
the available folders, and press it straight down to select one. Once a folder is
selected, you can scroll through images in the folder or delete the folder and
the images it contains by pressing the Delete button to display a confirmation
screen where you select Cancel to retain the folder or Delete to delete it.
For
Playing Back & Managing Your Images
MANAGING IMAGES—Using Buttons
TIP
• One way to delete
all images on a card
(and all folders but
the current one), is
to format the card
(page 20).
1. With the camera on, press the Playback button and use any of the
procedures described in the Table “Playback Procedures” below.
2. To resume shooting, press the Playback button or press the shutter
button halfway down.
Playback Procedures
The Playback icon.
● To display one image after another, press the multi-selector left
or right, or turn the front or rear control dials.
● To toggle between single-image and index views, press the
Index button marked with the grid-like icon. While in index view:
The Rotate icon.
• To cycle through 4, 9, or 25 thumbnails, press DISP.
• To scroll the frame to select a specific image, press the multi-selector or turn the front or rear control dial.
• To scroll a page at a time, turn the rear control dial.
● To toggle between single-image and enlarged views, press the
Enlarge button. When enlarged, a small square indicates which part of
the image you are viewing:
The Delete icon.
The Index and Enlarge
icons.
Tips
• Sony offers
an optional AC
Adapter/Charger
AC-VQ900AM you
can use to give
slide shows without
draining your battery
pack.
• When giving a slide
show, due to differences in the aspect
ratio of the screen
and images, images may not fill the
screen, or if they do,
parts may be cut off.
For
• To adjust the degree of enlargement, turn the rear control dial.
• To scroll around the image, press the multi-selector. Press the
multi-selector straight down to switch between the enlarged image
and the whole image.
• To scroll to other images at the same enlargement turn the front
control dial.
● To delete an image displayed in single-image view, one highlighted
in index view, or a selected folder and all of the images it contains, press
the Delete Button. When asked to confirm the deletion, press the multiselector to highlight Delete and then press it straight down.
● To rotate an image, press the Rotate button to display the rotation screen. Press the multi-selector straight down to rotate the image
90-degrees at a time. When finished, scroll to another image that needs
rotating or press the Playback or Rotate button to return to the normal
playback screen. Rotated images are only rotated after transfer to a
computer if the software supports Sony’s rotation.
● To cycle through the information displays, press DISP.
Image Recovery Software
If you delete images or format a card by mistake, don’t despair. There is software
that will let you recover your images if you don’t first save other photos on the
same card. One such program is PC Inspector at (http://www.pcinspector.de) but
you can find others by Googling “digital image recovery.”
19
Using
the
and
Creativity
Playback 1 Menu
Tips
• When looking for
pictures to erase,
protect, or rotate,
it’s often faster if
you switch to index
view (page 19).
• When you get a
new memory card,
you should format
it to work with the
camera, or reformat
a card if you encounter problems.
The playback menu lists a variety of commands. Although only Delete,
Format, and Protect from the Playback 1 menu are discussed here, the other
playback commands on this menu are discussed elsewhere in this book.
Playback 1 Menu Page
Command
• When deleting
100% of the images,
use the All images
choice.
• When deleting
less than 50%, use
the Marked images
choice.
• When deleting
more than 50%, protect the images you
want to save, and
then use the All images choice to delete
the rest.
The protect icon.
Tip
• When you playback
an image on the TV
or computer it will be
displayed in portrait
mode even if you
select Manual rotate
here. However, it
won’t be rotated if
you set Img.orientation to Not record.
20
Page
Delete
Erases images from the memory card
20
Format
Prepares a memory card for image storage
20
Protect
Protects images from being erased
20
DPOF setup
Specifies images to be printed
144
└ Date imprint
Prints the date on printed images
144
└ Index print
Prints an index of selected images
144
PlaybackDisplay
Selects auto or manual rotation
20
Using the Playback Menu
Tip
The best way to delete images depends
on how many you
are deleting.
Settings
1. Press MENU and display the Playback 1 menu. (To jump directly to
the menu first press the Playback button, then press MENU.)
● To delete or protect selected images, select Delete or Protect,
then select Marked images. Scroll through your images and press
the multi-selector straight down to mark it with (or remove) a trash
can or protect icon. (The total number of images selected for deletion
is given in the lowerleft corner of the screen.) When finished marking images, press MENU and you are prompted Delete images? or
Protect images? Highlight Delete or OK and press the multi-selector
straight down.
● To delete or protect all images, select Delete or Protect, then
select All images and you are prompted Delete all images on card?
or Protect images? Highlight Delete or OK and press the multi-selector straight down.
● To remove protection from all images, select Protect, then
select Cancel all and you are prompted Cancel all? Highlight OK and
press the multi-selector straight down.
● To format a memory card, select Format and you are prompted
All data will be deleted. Format? Highlight OK and press the multiselector straight down. Just be aware the formatting a card erases all
of the files on it, including any that have been protected.
● To set the way the camera rotates images so they are oriented correctly in playback mode, select PlaybackDisplay and then Auto
rotate (the default) or Manual rotate.
2. When finished, press MENU or press the shutter button halfway
down.
For
Using
Using
the
the
Playback 2 Menu
Playback 2 Menu
You can display your images as a slide show on the camera’s monitor or on a
connected TV. To show them on the TV, turn both the TV and the camera off
while you connect the supplied video cable to the VIDEO OUT terminal on
the camera and the VIDEO IN terminal on the TV. Turn on the TV, set it for
video input, then turn on the camera.
The slide show
button on the remote
commander starts and
stops a slide show.
The previous/next
commander lets you
move though the
images in the show
manually.
• You may need to set Video output on the Setup 1 menu to match the video
input of your TV. Your choices include NTSC and PAL.
• The camera’s monitor is turned off when the camera is connected to a TV.
Use the display on the TV to follow the steps listed in the QuickSteps box
below.
• The quality of images displayed on a TV is lower than when they are displayed on a computer screen, or on a HDTV connected with an HDMI cable.
To use an HDMI the HDTV must have a connector and you need an HDMI
cable that isn’t supplied with the camera. The cable should have a HDMI
logo, have a mini HDMI connector for the camera on one end and a connector that matches the one on your TV on the other end. You can specify HDMI
output on the Setup 1 menu (page 142).
• To set the slide show interval, the time an image remains on the screen,
press MENU, select Interval on the Playback 2 menu, then select 1, 3 (the
default), 5, 10, or 30 seconds.
The pause/resume
commander pauses and
restarts a slide show
once it’s begun.
The HDMI logo.
You can use the Remote Commander that comes with the camera to display
and manage your images when displaying them on the TV. The buttons either
have names such as MENU, PRINT and so on, or icons matching the ones
you’ll find on the camera. Each of these icons is introduced in the section of
this book where the function it represents is discussed. The SHUTTER, 2SEC,
and PRINT buttons are used with the camera in record mode or connected to
a PictBridge printer. All of the other buttons are used to playback and manage your images.
Giving Slide Shows
1. Press MENU and select the Playback 2 menu.
2. Select Slide show and press the multi-selector straight down to start
the show.
● To pause and restart the show, press the multi-selector straight
down. When paused, a pause icon is displayed in the upper left corner of the monitor or TV screen.
● To manually scroll through images, press the multi-selector left or
right.
Playback button names
and icons on the
Remote Commander.
For
● To specify what information is superimposed on the images, press
DISP.
3. To stop the show at any point, press the MENU or shutter button.
21
and
Selecting Image Quality
Creativity
and
Size
Digital photographs are made up of millions of tiny squares called picture elhttp://www.photocourse.com/itext/dots/
Click to see how dots
are used in printing.
ements—or just pixels. Like the impressionists who painted wonderful scenes
with small dabs of paint, your computer and printer can use these tiny pixels
to display or print photographs. To do so, the computer divides the screen or
printed page into a grid of pixels. It then uses the values stored in the digital
photograph to specify the brightness and color of each pixel in this grid—a
form of painting by number.
Any image that looks
sharp and has smooth
transitions in tones
(top) is actually made
up of millions of
individual square pixels
(bottom). Each pixel is
a solid, uniform color.
Tip
• The term “resolution” has two meanings in photography.
Originally it referred
to the ability of a
camera system to
resolve pairs of fine
lines such as those
found on a test
chart. In this usage
it’s an indicator of
sharpness, not image size. With the
introduction of digital
cameras it began being used to indicate
the number of pixels
a camera could capture.
Number of Pixels
http://www.photocourse.com/itext/resolution/
The quality of a digital image depends in part on the number of pixels used to
create the image (sometimes referred to as resolution). At a given size, more
pixels add detail and sharpen edges. However, there are always size limits.
When you enlarge any digital image enough, the pixels begin to show—an
http://www.photocourse.com/itext/pixelzoom/
effect called pixelization. This is not unlike traditional silver-based prints
where grain begins to show when prints are enlarged past a certain point.
Click to see the effects
Click to explore the
original meaning of
“resolution”.
of pixelization as an
image is enlarged.
22
For
and
Size
When a digital image
is displayed or printed
at the correct size for
the number of pixels it
contains, it looks like
a normal photograph.
When enlarged too
much (as is the eye
here), its square pixels
begin to show. Each
pixel is a small square
made up of a single
color.
http://www.photocourse.com/itext/imagesize/
Click to see how
the output device
determines image sizes.
http://www.photocourse.com/itext/pixelresolution/
Click to explore how
more pixels give
sharper images.
The size of a photograph is specified in one of two ways—by its dimensions
http://www.photocourse.com/itext/excel/math-imagesize.xls
Click for Excel work
sheet on image sizes.
in pixels or by the total number of pixels it contains. For example, the same
image can be said to have 4272 × 2848 pixels (where “×” is pronounced “by”
as in “4272 by 2848”), or to contain 12.2 million pixels or megapixels (4272
multiplied by 2848).
Image sizes are
expressed as
dimensions in pixels
(4272 × 2848) or
by the total number
of pixels (12.2
megapixels).
Image Sizes
• The A700 gives
you a choice of three
image sizes: 4272 ×
2848 (large), 3104 x
2064 (medium), and
2128 × 1424 (small).
For
23
and
Creativity
How An Image is Captured
Digital cameras are very much like the rapidly disappearing 35mm film
cameras. Both types contain a lens, an aperture, and a shutter. The lens
brings light from the scene into focus inside the camera so it can expose an
image. The aperture is a hole that can be made smaller or larger to control
the amount of light entering the camera. The shutter is a device that can be
opened or closed to control the length of time the light is allowed to enter.
The big difference between traditional film cameras and digital cameras is
how they capture the image. Instead of film, digital cameras use a solid-state
device called an image sensor. In the A700, the image sensor is a CMOS chip.
On the surface of this fingernail-sized silicon chip is a grid containing over
12 million photosensitive diodes called photosites, photoelements, or pixels.
Each photosite captures a single pixel in the photograph to be.
The Exposure
When you press the shutter button of a digital camera, an exposure system
measures the light coming through the lens and sets the aperture and shutter
speed for the correct exposure. When the shutter opens briefly, each pixel on
the image sensor records the brightness of the light that falls on it by accumulating an electrical charge. The more light that hits a pixel, the higher the
charge it records. Pixels capturing light from highlights in the scene will have
high charges. Those capturing light from shadows will have low charges.
An image sensor
against a background
enlargement of its
square pixels, each
capable of capturing
one pixel in the final
image.
When the shutter closes to end the exposure, the charge from each pixel is
measured and converted into a digital number. This series of numbers is then
used to reconstruct the image by setting the color and brightness of matching
pixels on the screen or printed page.
It’s All Black and White After All
It may be surprising, but pixels on an image sensor can only capture brightness, not color. They record only the gray scale—a series of 256 increasingly
darker tones ranging from pure white to pure black. How the camera creates
a color image from the brightness recorded by each pixel is an interesting
story.
The gray scale contains
a range of tones from
pure white to pure
black.
When photography was first invented, it could only record black and white
images. The search for color was a long and arduous process, and a lot of
hand coloring went on in the interim (causing one photographer to comment
“so you have to know how to paint after all!”). One major breakthrough was
James Clerk Maxwell’s 1860 discovery that color photographs could be created using black and white film and red, blue, and green filters. He had the
photographer Thomas Sutton photograph a tartan ribbon three times, each
time with a different color filter over the lens. The three black and white images were then projected onto a screen with three different projectors, each
equipped with the same color filter used to take the image being projected.
When brought into alignment, the three images formed a full-color photograph. Over a century later, image sensors work much the same way.
24
For
and
Size
Colors in a photographic image are usually based on the three primary colors
red, green, and blue (RGB). This is called the additive color system because
new colors are formed by mixing together other colors. This RGB system is
used whenever light is projected to form colors as it is on the display monitor
(or in your eye).
RGB uses additive
colors. When all three
are mixed in equal
amounts they form
white. When red and
green overlap they form
yellow, and so on.
Since daylight is made up of red, green, and blue light; placing red, green,
and blue filters over individual pixels on the image sensor can create color
images just as they did for Maxwell in 1860. Using a process called interpolation, the camera computes the full color of each pixel by combining the color
it captured directly with the other two colors captured by the pixels around it.
How well it does this is affected in part by the image quality, size, and aspect
ratio you select.
Select an Image Quality
One of the most important choices you’ll make when shooting photos is what
format, or quality, to use—JPEG or RAW. The choices you have to choose
from include the following (the menu setting is in parentheses)—RAW, cRAW
(cRAW), RAW & JPEG (RAW+J), cRAW & JPEG (cRAW+J), JPEG Extra fine
(X.FINE), JPEG Fine (FINE) and JPEG Standard (STD). Here is what each of
the terms used in these menu choices refers to:
http://www.photocourse.com/itext/RGB/
three colors are used to
create full-color images
on the screen.
http://www.photocourse.com/itext/CMYK/
three colors are used to
create full-color prints.
• JPEG is the default format used by the A700 and almost every other digital
camera ever made. Named after its developer, the Joint Photographic Experts
Group (and pronounced “jay-peg”) this format lets you specify both image
size and compression.
The A700 lets you choose from three image sizes when shooting JPEGs (page
http://www.photocourse.com/itext/compression/
26). The JPEG format also compresses images to make them smaller and the
A700 lets you specify how much they are compressed. This is a useful feature
because there is a trade-off between compression and image quality. Images
captured in the Extra fine (X.FINE on the menu) mode are compressed less
than those in the Fine (FINE on the menu) or Standard (STD on the menu)
http://www.photocourse.com/itext/RAW/
modes. Less compression gives you better images so you can make larger
Click here to explore
the differences between prints, but you can’t store as many images on a given card.
Click here to see the
effects of compression.
JPEG and RAW formats.
• RAW images are often better than JPEG images because they are not processed in the camera, but on your more powerful desktop computer. These
RAW files contain every bit of the captured data, unlike JPEGs which are processed in the camera with some data being discarded. RAW files are 4272 x
2848 pixels in size and can be viewed, edited, and converted to other formats
using most photo-editing software such as Photoshop or Lightroom or Sony’s
own Image Data Converter SR program included on a CD that comes with
the camera. RAW images can be captured by themselves or with a companion JPEG image of any size and Fine quality. The later choice gives you an
identical high quality RAW file and a smaller, more easily distributable JPEG
file with the same names but different extensions—.ARW (the A700 uses the
ARW 2.0 format) and .JPG. For more on RAW images, see page 27.
• cRAW images are the same as RAW but compressed up to 40% so more will
fit on the memory card.
Image quality choices
on the menu include
those shown here. J,
X.FINE, FINE and STD
are all JPEGs
For
• RAW and cRAW images are always captured at the largest file size, and any
compression used is lossless.
• RAW and cRAW images cannot be added to a print order (page 144) or
printed directly from the camera.
25
Tip
Filenames vary as
follows:
• DSCOxxxx.jpg
• _DSOxxxx.jpg
when Adobe RGB is
used
• DSCOxxxx.arw
• _DSOxxxx.arw
when Adobe RGB is
used
Tip
• If you select RAW
or cRAW quality first,
you can’t change
the image size. If
you have already
changed the image
size, selecting RAW
or cRAW resets the
size to large.
and
Creativity
• The effects of D-Range Optimizer (page 133) cannot be seen on the camera’s
monitor but are recorded in the image.
• When you capture a JPEG along with a RAW or cRAW image, the JPEG’s
quality is set to Fine.
Selecting an Image Size
In addition to image quality, the A700 also allows you to change image size
as a way of controlling the size of image files. Because you can squeeze more
3104 x 2064 images onto a memory card than you can squeeze 4272 x 2848
images, there may be times when you’ll want to switch to a smaller size and
sacrifice quality for quantity.
Image Sizes
3:2 Aspect Ratio
16:9 Aspect Ratio
Large
4272 x 2848
4272 x 2400
Medium
3104 x 2064
3104 x 1744
Small
2128 x 1424
2128 x 1200
• You cannot change image size if you have set image quality to RAW or
cRAW because all RAW images are large—4272 x 2848.
• If you select one of the RAW+JPEG qualities, you can change the image
size, but the change only affects the accompanying JPEG.
• At 200 pixels per inch large images will give you sharp 21 x 14 inch prints,
medium images will give you 16 x 10, and small will give you 11 x 7.
Guidelines in the
viewfinder show the
horizontal band that will
be captured when using
the 16:9 aspect ratio.
Selecting an Aspect Ratio
The A700 lets you choose from two aspect ratios—the normal 3:2 or the
HDTV 16:9. These numbers represent the ratio of an image’s width to height.
The ratio of a square is 1:1 (equal width and height) and that of 35mm film
is 1.5:1 (1½ times wider than it is high). Most image sensors fall in between
these extremes. The aspect ratio of a sensor is important because it determines the shape and proportions of the photographs you create. When an
image has a different aspect ratio that the device it’s displayed or printed on,
it has to be cropped or resized to fit. Your choice is to crop part of the image
or waste part of the paper or display area. To imagine this better, try printing a square image on a rectangular sheet of paper so either the entire image
is printed or the entire paper is filled. The 16:9 aspect ratio is nothing you
can’t do in a photo-editing program using cropping. However, it does have an
advantage when you want to immediately display your pictures on an HDTV
with a matching aspect ratio.
Aspect Ratios
Device
Size
35mm film
36 x 24mm
1.50
Sony A700
4272 x 2848
1.50
Printing paper
A high capacity card lets
you store the largest
possible images without
worrying as much about
running out of storage
space. Courtesy of
SanDisk.
26
Aspect Ratio
Computer display
HDTV
8.5 x 11
1.29
1024 x 768 pixels
1.33
16 x 9
1.80
To calculate the aspect ratio of any image or image sensor, divide the largest
number in its resolution by the smallest number. For example, if a sensor has
a resolution of 4272 x 2848, divide the former by the later. In this case the
For
Tips
• You can change
contrast, saturation, sharpness,
brightness and zone
matching using
Creative Styles (page
135).
• When you change
image quality or size,
the monitor always
indicates the number
of new shots that will
fit on the current CF
card.
and
Size
aspect ratio is 1.5 (which Sony calls 3:2 to get rid of the decimal point), the
same as 35 mm film but different from 8.5 x 11 paper.
• RAW and cRAW images captured using the 16:9 aspect ratio are displayed
using software such as Sony’s Image Data Converter SR that support the format. Other photo-editing programs will show them uncropped, at the normal
3:2 aspect ratio.
Selecting an Image Quality
When you select an image quality, size, and aspect ratio, you’re not only affecting the quality of your images, but also how many images can be stored
on your memory card. Sometimes when there is no storage space left, you can
switch to a smaller size and higher compression to squeeze a few more images onto the card. Here are some estimates of the number of 3:2 images that
would fit on an 8 Gigabyte card. The numbers would be slightly higher when
using the 16:9 format.
Large
Medium
Small
Standard
1973
3087
4543
Fine
1344
2208
3489
Extra fine
720
1240
2057
cRAW + JPEG
410
465
504
RAW + JPEG
309
339
359
cRAW
590
–
–
RAW
401
–
–
Choosing a Format
When choosing between JPEG and RAW formats, here are some things to
consider about each format. Because you can’t add pixels later and retain
image quality, or remove the effects of compression after the fact, it’s usually
best to use the largest available JPEG size and the least compression available. If you have to reduce either, you can do so later using a photo-editing
program. If you shoot the image at a lower quality setting, you can never
really improve it much or get a large, sharp print if you want one. The only
problem with this approach is that higher quality images have larger file
sizes.
Images in this format used to require an extra processing step but since the
latest programs such as Aperture and Lightroom were designed from the
ground up after RAW formats were introduced they handle them as easily as
they handle JPEGs.
Selecting a Quality, Size and Aspect Ratio
You can use the Fn
button to display the
Quick Navi screen and
change image size and
quality but not aspect
ratio.
1. With the Mode Dial set to any mode, press MENU and display the
Recording 1 menu.
2. Highlight Image size, Quality, or Aspect ratio and press the multiselector straight down to display a list of choices.
3. Highlight one of the choices and press the multi-selector straight
down to select it.
4. Press the MENU or shutter button to hide the menu.
For
27
and
Creativity
There are a number of advantages to using the RAW format:
• RAW lets you decide on most camera settings after you’ve taken the picture,
not before. For example, when you shoot a JPEG image under fluorescent
lights, the camera adjusts the image to remove the yellow-green tint. Any
changes you make later are on top of this initial change. If you shoot the image in RAW format, the camera just captures the images as is and you decide
what white balance setting to use later. You can even create different versions
of an image, each with its own white balance. The only camera settings that
permanently affect the image are the shutter speed and aperture, the ISO setting, and D-Range optimization.
• RAW images can be processed again at a later date when new and improved
applications become available. Your original image isn’t permanently altered
by today’s generation of photo-editing applications.
• You can generate alternate versions of the same RAW image. For example,
you can adjust highlight and shadow areas and save these versions separately. Using a photo-editing program, you can then combine the two images
as layers and by selectively erasing parts of the top image layer let areas of the
lower image layer show through so all areas have a perfect exposure.
Admittedly, there are drawbacks to using RAW images.
• RAW files are quite large. If you use this format a great deal you will need
more storage space in the camera and on the computer, and computer processing times may be slightly longer.
• When shooting images, you may have to wait longer between shots and you
can’t shoot as many images in a continuous burst. The buffer gets filled more
quickly and the camera is tied up longer processing the images you take, and
moving them from the buffer to the memory card.
• Since RAW images aren’t converted to a viewable format in the camera, you
have to process them on the computer and export them in a usable format
when you want to e-mail them, post them on a Web site, print them, or import them into another program to create a slide show or publication. When
you are done shooting for the day, there is still work to do.
• RAW images can only be viewed and edited on a computer using a program
such as Adobe’s Photoshop or Lightroom that supports the format. Since
each camera company has defined its own proprietary RAW format, many
operating systems and even photo-editing programs are unable to recognize
some or all of these files. For this reason camera manufacturers always supply a program to process RAW images along with their cameras—in the case
of the A700, it’s Image Data Converter SR.
28
For
Chapter 2. Controlling Exposure
Chapter 2
Controlling Exposure
Contents
• Understanding
Exposure • Choosing
Recording Modes •
Using Scene Selection Modes • Using
Program AE (P) Mode
and Program Shift •
Using Shutter-Priority (S) Mode • Using
Aperture Priority
(A) Mode • Using
Manual (M) Mode
and Manual Shift
• How Your Exposure System Works
• When Automatic
Exposure Works Well
• When to Override
Automatic Exposure
• How Overriding
Auto-exposure Works
• How to Override
Automatic Exposure
• Using Histograms
For
A
utomatic exposure control is one of the most useful features of your
camera. It’s great to have the camera automatically deal with the
exposure while you concentrate on the image. This is especially helpful
when photographing action scenes where there isn’t time to evaluate the situation and set the controls manually.
You shouldn’t, however, always leave the exposure to the automatic system.
At times the lighting can fool any automatic exposure system into producing
an underexposed (too dark) or overexposed (too light) image. Although you
can make adjustments to a poorly exposed image in a photo-editing program,
you’ve lost image information in the shadows or highlights that can’t be
recovered. You will find it better in some situations to override the automatic
exposure system at the time you take the picture.
Typical situations in which you might want to override automatic exposure
include scenes with interesting and unusual lighting. For example, you need
to take control when you photograph into the sun, record a colorful sunset,
show the brilliance of a snow-covered landscape, or convey the dark moodiness of a forest.
29

sony a700 photography

Transcription

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