The Sony A7 II (eBook)

Carol F. Roullard has been an avid photographer since her high school years when she first experimented with black-and-white artistic composition. Since then, she has continued photographing mainly nature and architecture. Ms. Roullard has used a variety of cameras covering a wide range of makes and models, from simple point-and-shoot to complex professional-level cameras. In addition to co-authoring eight books for Rocky Nook, Ms. Roullard produces award-winning fine art photography and utilizes her previous art business experience to manage her online gallery and present her work at art shows. Recently, Ms. Roullard has begun giving speeches for writers and photography associations. As a former Project Management Quality and Compliance Engineer, Carol spent a number of years developing procedural and quality control methodology for IT projects. In addition, she has developed and conducted training sessions covering best practices for procedural and quality control, breaking down complex subjects into easy-to-use approaches to learning.

Dr. Brian Matsumoto is a retired research scientist who has worked for 30 years documenting experiments with technologically advanced cameras. He now spends his time photographing with a variety of cameras and lenses, and is interested in expanding a camera’s potential by pairing it with specialized optics such as microscopes and telescopes. He enjoys spending time outdoors and carries his camera on all of his hikes to photograph nature. In addition to the nine books he has written for Rocky Nook, Dr. Matsumoto has published several articles and has had his photographs published in a number of periodicals. His photographs have also appeared on the covers of American Laboratory, BioTechniques, and BioPhotonics. He is experienced in the technical aspects of photography and is an adjunct instructor for the Hooke College of Applied Sciences. Dr. Matsumoto recently served as a judge for the Olympus BioScapes International Digital Imaging Competition.

Chapter 1: Getting Started
This chapter introduces the reader to the camera. It defines its controls and provides an introduction to its menu system. The value of using shortcuts (Fn key) to simplify the setting of commands will be introduced.
Chapter 2: Basics of Digital Photography
This chapter describes how the camera controls pertain to digital photography. The role and importance of setting the ISO, lens' aperture, and camera's shutter speed will be presented. File formats for still and video recordings will be presented here.
Chapter 3: Previewing and Reviewing Images
This chapter instructs the reader on how to use the electronic viewfinder and the rear camera display. There will be guidelines on interpreting the screen's data for exposing, framing, and composing the image (level adjustment, histogram, zebra). The review of captured pictures and movies will then be described. The reader will then be instructed on using the review images for improving the subsequent shot.
Chapter 4: Automatic Settings
The fully automatic controls will be described. These will be a detailed discussion on the value of using these controls for quick grab shots and how the settings can be over ridden so the photographer can gain more control over exposure and shutter speed. The topics to be discussed will be intelligent Auto mode and the actions of DRO (Dynamic Range Optimization).
Chapter 5: Taking Control of your Camera
The following modes will be discussed in this chapter: Aperture-priority, Shutter speed-priority, and Program-priority auto exposure. A discussion will be given on how these shooting modes can be made more useful. For example, in regards to Aperture-priority, the camera has two types of depth of preview. One is the traditional control that manually stops the lens down and shows the increased depth of field in the viewfinder. The second not only displays the depth of field, but also provides a preview of the effects of long shutter speeds.
Chapter 6: Manual Control
This will describe using the camera in the manual exposure and manual focus mode. A full description of how accurate manual focus can be attained for videos and still photographs. In addition, the importance of working with manual exposure will be discussed. For this shooting mode is the only means to access the bulb setting on the shutter.
Chapter 7: Additional Features
This will discuss some of the specialized controls for the camera. These will include customization of the menu system, multi-frame noise reduction, and automatic stitching of several shots for making panoramic pictures. Our review of the camera indicates menu customization can now be stored on the memory cards. This allows cards to be dedicated for specific shooting situations so that the insertion of the appropriate card will allow presetting it for a specific photographic assignment. This feature was not available in earlier models of the a7 or a7R and is a new feature not announced by Sony or by camera reviewers.
Chapter 8: Working with the WiFi functions and Apps
The authors will discuss how to link the camera to the wireless network. The Sony Apps will be described and examples given on how they can be used. For example, time lapse and remote control of the camera operation will be discussed. Also, we will write on how one app can correct certain optical defects of nonSony lenses (geometric distortion, vignetting, and chromatic aberration).
Chapter 9: Lenses and Accessories
This chapter will describe the full frame E-lens line up. In addition a description of how the SLT lenses (A-series) Sony, Minolta, and Konica-Minolta lenses can be used on this camera. There will be a discussion on legacy lenses and adapters. The value of the latest camera's feature (in body stabilization) will be highlighted as it can be used with legacy lenses.
Chapter 10: Electronic Flashes
This chapter will deal with the three Sony accessory flash units and their value in using them as supplemental lighting. Wireless flash will be discussed.
Chapter 11: Videos
The HD video capability of the camera will be described along with the accessories needed to help the still photographer become a more skilled videographer. The importance of choosing accessory microphones for improving audio quality will be discussed. Also, the value of using the camera in the Manual mode will be emphasized.

Appendix: A full listing of all the Sony commands.