Sony a7iv LOW LIGHT: The ULTIMATE Guide

DETERMINING THE BEST EXPOSURE DIFFERENTIAL How do you choose the number of EV/stops to separate your exposures? You can use histograms, described at the end of this chapter, to determine the correct bracketing range. Take a test shot and examine the histogram. Reduce the exposure until dark tones are clipped off at the left of the resulting histogr

recommended exposure, use the exposure compensation dial instead of the Fn button or the Quick Navi screen so you can see a live histogram as you adjust the exposure. The histogram allows you to see how far you can decrease or increase the exposure. Many photographers adjust the exposure as high as possible to minimize noise in the shadows.

Although the Sony a7 II users manual says a Class 4 rating is sufficient for recording movies, Sony technical support recommends a Class 10 card. If you want to take the highest quality videos with your camera, buy a card that is rated as Ultra High Speed (UHS). For this type of work, use the UHS Class 1 SD card.

Digital noise commonly appears when you set an ISO above ISO 1600 with the a7 II series. High ISO noise appears as a result of the amplification needed to increase the effective sensitivity of the sensor. While higher ISOs do pull details out of dark areas, they also amplify non-signal information randomly, creating noise.

the a7 II (which lacks a full electronic shutter for silent shooting).

In practice, you’ll want to monitor the red channel most closely, followed by the blue channel, and slightly decrease exposure to see if that helps.