a6000 series, a7 series and A9

HOW DO I USE MY SONY CAMERA?

By:

Jan Flanigan

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April 16, 2024

Our in-store classes have been put on hold lately due to those pesky airborne droplets that no one wants to suck into their lungs. So, we have put together our favorite videos to help you learn how to use your Sony mirrorless camera.

Whether you are new to Sony, or you have been a Sony user for years, you should be able to learn and retain information from one or more of these videos.

This blog contains video tutorials of the specific models of Sony cameras. So if you have any Sony from the 6000 series (for example a6100, a6400, a6500,a6600), then don’t bother watching the video tutorial on the Sony a7R IV or thea9. BUT, do come on into the store and upgrade to the new a7rIV just so you can watch the video tutorial. There’s no better reason than that, to spend a few thousand dollars with us!

We have found that the most comprehensive step-by-step video tutorials on how to use your Sony mirrorless cameras are by

1. Michael Andrew (aka Michael the Maven) and

2. Tony Northrup.

Michael Andrews is a science based photography instructor, and is not sponsored by any company. Don’t let the science thing scare you off. There’s no math involved, and you don’t have to understand the theory of relativity. His videos are long and very thorough, but start at the basic of basics before getting into the how’s and why’s. He provides demonstrations that are relevant to your being able to learn, understand and retain information. He suggests that you have your camera handy and and follow along at times so you can see for yourself the way the camera works.

Tony Northrup is a popular video instructor, who has written a number of books on photography. The amount of in depth information he gives depends on the complexity of the camera. His most basic and easy to understand video is the one on the a6000 series. His most detailed and in depth video is the one one on the Sony a7rIII.

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His videos include short ads, that you can skip after a few seconds. All of his videos are easy to fast forward through a part that you already know or aren’t interested in. Each new section starts with a noticeable graphic title of the topic. Tony gives a fair amount of detail in many of the sections. It’s best to get too much information than not enough. His feelings won’t be hurt if you fast forward him. He won’t even know.

WARNING!!!!! Tony Northrup gives suggestions on products. Here’s a better suggestion: CHECK OUT HORN PHOTO’S PRODUCTS!!! Don’t worry. We’ll get to the videos right after we try to get some of your money.

What Tony says about products?……FUGGADABOUD IT!

• We have the same or similar products. Like our Memory Cards

• Our prices will be the same, or better. For example our Batteries

• You’ll be able to see the product first and compare with other products. Like our Tripods

• You won’t have to pay for shipping.

• You will be able to go home with the item, and not have to wait for it to arrive at your house.

• You will support your local business.

There is a bonus video at the end of this blog containing a short video tutorials on specific topic that should apply to all Sony users. ‍

Here are the videos:

1. How to use your a6000 series Sony Camera

We recommend this in-depth video is by Michael Andrews. It was made in 2019 and is 2hours and 15 minutes long, but worth it if you have the time. Even if you don’t have the time, watch it anyway. You don’t have to watch it all at once. You can resume it after you wake up. Simply rewind it to the point where you think you dozed off.

Michael provides basic information on what each of the buttons, dials, and thingamajigs do. He demonstrates how, why and when to adjust them. You stand a chance of remembering all this stuff, or at least some of this stuff, because he shows you in a way that makes sense.

Another video on the a6000 series is by Tony Northrup, and is a little less than an hour long. It starts out VERY BASIC, then gets into some more intermediate and advanced topics. Perfect video for the beginner to photography. It was made in 2015, and even though it is five years old, it still applies to the settings and features on most of the Sony mirrorless 6000 series cameras.

There are ads throughout the video, but you can skip them after about five seconds.

Click here to shop A6400

‍2. How to use your a6500 Sony Camera

This is a Tony Northrup video made in 2017. It is specifically for the a6500, and is similar, but more advanced than the a6000 video tutorial. In addition to how to operate the a6500, he goes into elements of photography, and what makes a good photo.

As with Tony’s other videos, it’s easy to scrub through the sections that you aren’t interested in, or have had enough of. The topics are clearly displayed at the beginning of each section.

Click here to shop a6500

3. How to use your a6600 Sony Camera

This is a very detailed 2 hour and 20 minute video made in2019 by Michael Andrews. It covers everything you need to know about your a6600, and then some.

It goes from very basic to in depth information about howto operate your camera.

Grab your camera while you watch this video. Michael will ask you to follow along as he lets you see for yourself the differences that the settings can make.

His demonstrations of the way some of the features work makes it easy to recall when you want to put them to use.

Click here to shop a6600

3. a7 II Video Tutorial

This hour long tutorial by Tony Northrup will teach you howto use your a7II, a7, a7S and a7R. All of these models have the similar controls and menu features. It covers from the very basics to the more advanced.

Click here to shop a7II

4. Sony a7RIII

I have a Sony a7R III, and I also have a terrible memory and the attention span of a flea. This is the video I used to learn how to use my camera. It is EXCELLENT. It is all you need.

You may have to watch it in sections, then take a break, or a nap, or shoot a few baskets, because it’s not a video that will keep you on the edge of your seat. But…..It’s a whole hell of a lot better than reading a manual or even a blog, such as this one.

Tony (we’re on a first name basis now) assumes that this is not your first camera, and that you know the basics of photography. So he gets into the meat right away. The entire 1 hour 16 minute video is full of info. Maybe more than you care to know.

You can bounce around the video, since he covers things in detail such as choosing memory cards, raw compressed files, e-Front curtain shutter, and a bunch of other stuff that you may not need to be an expert on.

It’s easy to scrub through the video, because an easy-to-see title is displayed at the beginning of each new topic.

Click here to shop a7R III

5. a7R IV

Another Tony Northrup video. This is not your basic video tutorial on how to use a camera. Tony assumes that you already know stuff. Technical stuff. And if you own an a7R IV, you do know technical stuff.

If you happen to be a beginner, and you start watching this video, you will think that operating an advanced camera requires more technical knowledge than operating the Space Station.

If you don’t want to know about the molecular structure of SD cards, just scrub through to the next section. Chances are, however, you will watch everything. You will learn a lot that never knew that you didn’t know. These tidbits of information probably won’t make great cocktail party icebreakers,but you’re not going to cocktail parties right now, anyway.

Not to get hung up on details, Tony does cover the basic operation of the camera and how to customize it to your style of shooting.

Click here to shop a7RIV

6. A9

This is a Michael Andrew’s video tutorial on the Sony a9. The video is an hour and a half long, and it was made in 2017. It covers all of the features of this advanced camera in a simple and easy to understand way. If you have an a9, you probably already know the basics of how to change lenses and where the shutter is. Just forge on to the juicy stuff, that he demonstrates in a way that you will remember.

Click here to shop a9

7. Bonus Video: Sony Focus Modes. Take Dramamine before you watch.

This is a short video that photographer Chris Turner made in 2018 demonstrating how the different focus modes of the a7 series and a9 work. It won’t win any prestigious awards from the Film Academy, but it is well worth the watch, providing you don’t suffer from motion sickness. You will witness what happens as he moves the camera all around his office while using the different modes. His choppy demonstration shows what the camera tends to focus on when it is set on: Wide area, zone, center, flexible spot,expandable spot, and lock-on AF. He discusses when and why he uses each one. He also explains and demonstrates how to focus in on person when there are 20 faces in a shot by using eye-focus.

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