TP: What camera settings do you use?

Bob J wrote: Still finding my ideal a700 settings... A-Mode AWB Auto ISO (200-800) cRAW+JPG Spot AEL (Hold) Continuous/Low Eye-start on (EU version, so no grip sensor) Creative Styles on C (tried other combos, but switched back) DRO Level 3 Memory 2 for high ISO downsized res (not very effective) memory 3 for Macro setup (Manual focus, Slow AF when AF/M button pressed)

Bob,
In your above quoted review of your A700 settings you use cRAW+JPG and you have DRO Level 3.
I understood that one should not use the DRO function when shooting in cRAW?
What is your advise?

I think the average settings I use are:

Continued shooting
RAW (I only shoot RAW, haven´t even tried the JPEG...)
M mode (Like the control-feeling)
Manual focus, I´ve got used to it and am using it 100% now...
ISO 200
1/320
f/8

Settings that I don´t understand (only a little) but is going to be experimented with:
Spot-meetering-thingy (Can someone please explain this to me, what is it?)
Exposure compensation

Pegelli, isn't the problem when shooting in RAW and DRO, that the RAW shown on the camera LCD is darker than the actual photo is and because of this it is not possible to judge the actual quality of the shot?

pegelli wrote: Harry, I think "not using DRO with RAW or cRAW" might be a bit of an overstatement. It is known that with (c)RAW and DRO on the RAW file gets a bit lower exposure (less than a stop) at the same settings to allow easier recovery of highlights while shadows (in the jpg) are brought up with a proprietary algorithm that does some kind of combination between curve and fill light. Other than that the relative distribution of the tonalities in the raw file are not altered. So you either accept this, or dial in a slight +EV correction if you want to get a bit brighter raw file (obviously with the same chance of unrecoverable highlights as when shooting w/o DRO. Hope this is clear, but if not just fire away more questions (I know I might not have explained it clearly enough, since english is not my native language)

Muizen wrote: Pegelli, isn't the problem when shooting in RAW and DRO, that the RAW shown on the camera LCD is darker than the actual photo is and because of this it is not possible to judge the actual quality of the shot?

If I'm not mistaken the problem is reverse, the LCD is showing the embedded jpg so the image you see there has most of the creative styles and DRO applied, and your raw when opening in the computer might show darker shadows than what you saw on the LCD. Only exception is when you use Sony's own Image Converter, since that reads your camera settings from the exif and automatically applies those to the raw file you see on the screen, so will be closer to what you saw on the LCD.

Also the histogram (and highlight/shadow blowing/blocking "blinky's" work off the embedded jpg, and not on the base raw file.

Hope this helps,

A700/A850/A900 DEEP Setting

There is a setting in the sub menu called DEEP.

It should tell you on P68 in the user manual. Better still, download the .pdf manual and go to P68. It comes under the Image Styles option in the camera menu and set to:

Saturation: +1
Sharpness: +1
Brightness: +/- 0
Zone: +1
Contrast: You cannot adjust this when Zone Matching is used, so it will be blanked out. This is normal, so don't panic.

To locate:



Menu 1 - Creative Style - Scroll down to '1 Portrait'. 'Portrait' is the default setting for this first of the 'switchable' creative styles -- the ones prefixed with a number.

Shift right so that 'Portrait' is highlighted bottom left of the right hand panel.

Now use the up and down shift to find any of the Creative Styles -- including 'Deep', 'Clear' and 'Light', which can't be found anywhere else.

One other tip is to make sure you set your viewfinder dioptre accurately . You'll be surprised what these small changes will have to the overall image, and please don't use any AUTO settings if you can help it. ISO 100-200 is perfectly fine for general shooting in good light.

See how you get on with those settings. As I said, they're what I use. You may prefer to set-up your adjustments slightly differently, but I always use DEEP with the above settings when shooting in JPEG mode. Just remember to check your WB setting is set appropriate to lighting conditions.

If you shoot JPEG only, you'll see a much richer and higher IQ that other standard settings. It's about as close to the RAW image as you'll get.

I used to have these on my former A700 and now have the A850, and transferred the same settings over. Try it, as I think you'll concur with my findings.

Let us know if you use it and how you get on.

You'll find this and other Dyxum users findings of the settings with image samples here.

I shoot with A200 and don't know how to utilize more advanced settings. I know what they mean, but I don't know how to use them and I am used to processing RAW.

I use single-shot AF most of the time, AF area "local", which allows me to choose one of the nine focus points. I like this very much, but the non-central AF points are significantly weaker and not reliable enough.

I use multi-segment metering mode (default), auto WB.

Nothing special. I haven't learnt yet how to take advantage of these settings.


I shoot RAW+JPEG, ISO 400-800. Although I shoot in quite low light very often, I don't need 1600 very much thanks to good lenses (Tam 17-50 sharp at f2.8, Minolta 135 sharp at f2.8, Sony 50/1.4 sharp at f2).

Thanks for these recent posts. It's good to keep this thread alive.