David Busch’s Sony Alpha a7R II/a7 II Guide to Digital Photography

ISO Auto. The true Auto ISO setting is the second entry from the top. You can press the right button and choose a minimum ISO to be used as well as the maximum ISO applied (which prevents the camera from taking a clutch of pictures at, say, ISO 25600, unbeknownst to you). For general shooting, I use ISO 100 and ISO 1600 for my limits and raise the

Virtually all sports action can be frozen at 1/2,000th second or a slower shutter speed, and for many sports a slower shutter speed is actually preferable—for example, to allow the wheels of a racing automobile or motorcycle, or the propeller on a classic aircraft, to blur realistically.

My recommendation: Certainly, Auto Object Framing is a feature intended to attract novices and inveterate snap shooters, but I find it useful at parties when taking quick shots of friends; in most cases, the photo with automatic cropping is preferable to the original (sloppily composed) shot. Of course, both photos are available on the memory card

This feature is different from the Lock-On AF option, described in Chapter 4. They key differences: Menu/Key Access. Center Lock-On AF must be selected from this menu, or summoned with an assigned custom key. Lock-On AF, when active, can be triggered simply by pressing the shutter release halfway.

HDR Painting. Produces a painted look by taking three pictures consecutively and then using HDR techniques to enhance color and details. It’s at Mid by default (for a medium intensity); press the left/right buttons to specify Lo or Hi intensity. The camera will quickly shoot three photos, at varying exposures, and combine them into one. (This is mo

If you’re set to focus priority, your camera may delay taking a picture until the focus is optimum; in release priority there may still be a slight delay. With back-button focus you can focus first, and wait until the decisive moment to press the shutter release and take your picture. The a7R II/a7 II will respond immediately and not bother with fo

with a color; as discussed below, that can be red, white, or yellow. The colored area shows you at a glance what will be very sharp if you take the photo at that moment.

Zebra Options: Off, IRE 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, 100, 100+ Default: Off My preference: 80

This is useful because it increases the odds of capturing a fleeting moment. On the other hand, some people find this feature annoying. When it’s On, the camera will begin to autofocus every time a stray hand or other object passes near the viewfinder. Also, if you’re wearing the camera around your neck, you may hear a continuous clicking as the ca

I get some use out of a set of Fotodiox anodized aluminum 49-52mm, 52-55mm, 55-58mm, 58-62mm, 62-67mm, 67-72mm, and 72-77mm step-up rings, which can be used in combination for multiple “steps.” I also have the Fotodiox 77-72mm, 72-67mm, 67-62mm, 62-58mm, 58-55mm, 55-52mm, and 52-49mm step-down rings. These come in handy when I want to fit a particu