As someone who exclusively shoots landscapes/seascapes (usually always in Aperture Priority mode), I have the Bulb setting selected in Manual mode and that way when I want to shoot longer exposures I simply switch the mode dial from Aperture Priority ('A') to Manual ('M'). Simple!
Ok so i have to be sooo stupid sorry 🙈 I have the bulb mode but where can I set my time then like 1 min or 2 min or even 20 min cause when i go over 30 sec it just says bulb and that’s it 🙈 I missing something 🙈 can pls someone explain
One press to start and one press to stop. You time the duration using your watch or mobile phone. If you want to time it with a device you need to invest in an Intervalometer.
@@AlphaCreativeSkills Is there any settings to be turned on to display the timer in the camera screen once the shutter is activated in bulb mode... It's very difficult to know how long the shutter is being open once bulb mode is activated... Canon Camera displays the timer on bulb mode... so we exactly know when close the shutter... Does Sony have this feature? or we have rely on the phone or watch timer as you mentioned?
@@AlphaCreativeSkills ohhh wow thats crazy, i cant belive that well thank you for your reply so better get a shutter release thanks again for your reply
Thank you! Same for a7s II. I can't even begin to think why it would be dependent on silent shooting other than so you can hear it click when it's done. This was the first video I watch trying to find the information and you save me from having to look further, so, thanks again.
Hello Mark, in the manual I found more settings which will prevent you to find the "Bulb mode" on the A6400 like: - Smile Shutter - Auto HDR - Picture Effect is set to "HDR Painting" or "Rich-tone Mono" - Multi Frame NR - When Drive Mode is set to the following: "Cont. Shooting", "Self-timer(Cont)", "Cont. Bracket" - Silent Shooting --> This setting was set active in my situation Kind regards and thanks for your helpfull video's!
Thanks for that comprehensive list - I am planning to make a movie on Settings that disable other settings - especially the ones where there is no screen indicating the conflicting setting.
@@AlphaCreativeSkills That would be great as the A6400 is more like a study object in order to get all benefits out of it (and I even don't use the video function!)
Mark, may I say a big thank you for explaining the question ; Where can I find the 'bulb' setting on my Sony Alpha Camera. I had spent ages asking Google for the answer, and it was like waiting for a politician to answer a simple question posed to him/her. Looking at your video I found it in minutes. This Old Codger is well delighted. Kind regards to you.
For those of you found that this still didn't allow Bulb to show up you may been in my situation. I had been shooting in 'silent shutter' mode - Bulb can be used in that mode. Cheers!
I’d done exactly that with my Sony A7m3..had been shooting a parade when I last used my camera and had left it in Continuous drive mode..! Back to single shot and problem solved..thank you!
Thanks Mark, I have found that with my A7iii that you can achieve bulb mode in drive modes other than single shooting, i.e. Self Timer, Single Bracket, White Balance Bracket and DRO Bracket. now all I have to figure out is when you would use them!
Thanks. Very helpful. Do you have a vid which also examines use of a cable release? I'm a new convert from Nikon and trying to get to grips with a very different UI. Thanks
@@AlphaCreativeSkills I have my lens and camera mounted on a iOptron star tracker and I can see it shake when I trigger the shutter. I use a remote to trigger it. It is very hard to balance sometimes and I suppose that is part of the problem. There is a 2S delay on the remote. I am open to suggestions. Why would you disable the steadyshot feature?
The Steadyshot Gyros in a lens with OSS can cause vibrations when the camera/lens is mounted to a tripod. They are intended for hand-held photography. I offer ongoing support on my Patreon.com/markgaler support channel.
I’m pretty sure I found this a couple of years ago when I couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t find bulb mode. I’m forgetful and had forgotten again. Thanks so much Mark for your videos and your help.
I jokingly gave you a hard time about 2 years ago that you didnt explain how to get into bulb mode. I couldnt find the answer to that anywhere and it cost me long exposures on the west coast for a 20 day trip. I had just gone from cannon to sony and could not find how to get into that mode. Actually getting ready to go out again and had forgot. I see you updated your tutorials with this great one.
I have been adding hundreds of educational videos over the last four years and have also produced a dozen 500 and 600-page eBooks for most of the late model Alpha cameras (available on my Patreon.com/markgaler support channel).
Thank you for this. I saw this video on the A series Google+ user group. I haven't needed bulb mode yet but I must say that I was more shocked that I had to buy an app from the Sony store just to get into time lapse mode.
This one really helped me, thank you very much. (Why do people klick "Thumbs down" on such a good tutorial? Are they stupid or bored or ... I don't get it.)
Thanks for the useful information. Glad I have found your channel and I then I came to realize that I had bought your Photoshop CS3 Essential Skills Book many years ago (co-authored with Andrew).
That seems like a different life now. Adobe closed their Ambassador program in the Asia Pacific region, I stopped teaching Prost production editing at a University and all of my learning resources went online. I now create seminars and eBooks for my Patrons over at www.patreon.com/markgaler
It works on all Sony cameras - make sure you are in manual Mode, Single Shot AF and you are using the mechanical shutter. There is no firmware fix required. The best Sony could do to improve the feature is to provide prompts about why you cannot select the feature.
I've recently moved from Fujifilm X-T2 , and doing long exposure has been a breeze. However, now with the Sony A7iii, it's a bit more inconvenient because there's no 2/4/8 minute option beyond the 30 seconds, as it just goes straight into Bulb mode. Is there a way to use Bulb mode with a built in timer indicator? With a remote or anything for the A7iii? Cheers :)
Hi Mark, when I access BULB mode the screen lights up and gives a bright representation of the scene. However when I take the shot ir exposes correctly. Is that usual?
Again a great tutorial from Mark and also contribution from Kirk Keyes! Finally, maybe Mark could influence Sony developers to display a timer on the screen when using Bulb mode on the next firmware update (ILCE-6400). It is a pitty such a lack feature (Sony support confirmed it is not currently available :-((
I don't find it. Smart Remote is controlled with ImageEdge now, and while I am connected to my phone with the smart remote app active on the camera, I cannot select bulb in M mode. You say it is accessible. how?
Problem with the bulb mode on my a 6300 is that you have to hold the shutter release to keep the shutter open. Almost useless, Need a remote to make it work in a reasonable manner. Should have been mentioned.
I can also strongly recommend the Pixel TW-282 remote. I've had mine for years, and it rocks! Its range is better than the camera's wifi, it has bulb mode with a timer and an intervalometer on it. It's really reliable. www.amazon.com/TW-282-Wireless-Shutter-Remote-Control/dp/B01GO0T0BO
Does anyone know of a way to have the shutter button act like a switch in Bulb mode? Example... Click it to start self timer and open shutter. Then let it expose without holding down. Then click it again to stop exposing. ??? I guess I can buy an intervalometer, but it's just one more thing to carry.
Thanks for the short simple video. I have one question regarding processing time, i have noticed when shooting bulb mode that the processing time is always equal to the exposure time. For example, i shoot 1 minute and processing also takes 1 minute before i can take another shot. Now question is, is there a way to reduce the process time or not? Thanks
The processing time is exactly the exposure time so the camera can 'dark frame subtraction' which is how long exposure noise reduction works. You can disable longe exposure noise reduction in the cameras menus and do the process yourself in a program such as Photoshop. You will, however, still need to take at least one dark frame of your intended long exposure.
Hi. I have a A7III. So I have the settings as presented, M mode, drive mode on single shooting, ... turn the dial until I hit the 30 seconds mark, but then it just doesn't switch to bulb mode while I keep turning on the dial... So is there anymore setting to look after that I'm missing? Is it the lens, is it f aperture,...?
I just can't get into bulb shutter mode on my Sony A7S III. I've set my Drive Mode to 'single' function to I've even initialised my camera to reset everything but I still can't see BULB after the 30 second shutter option. What am I missing or doing wrong?
Mark, love your videos. I watched this video 2 times this morning trying to put my A1 in BULB mode. I hung on every work you spoke in the video, but could not find BULB mode. I spent over an hour trying to find it. Another video on RU-vid said in order to do this, you have to put the camera in MECHANICAL SHUTTER mode. I did this, and Boom, there was BULB mode….. I was so frustrated I couldn’t see straight. Would have been helpful if you would have mentioned that. If it is possible to get BULB in electronic shutter mode I apologize, but your video to a lot of people as produced, didn’t help…… Seriously tho, you have answered so many questions for me in other areas. Thank you Sir !
Thanks or this useful information. I couldn't find the bulb setting on my Sony A58 to take night sky photography. I honestly think Sony messed up big time for disregarding the bulb setting this way. Moreover the manual doesn't try to help users find it. It's a shame!
All Alpha cameras have the option for BULB mode. Set the Exposure Mode to Manual and the Drive Mode to Single-frame and BULB should appear after 30 seconds.
Thanks I went out to day with my ND filters and set up for some landscaping shots I was all set did my calculations for for exposure and then I started looking for the bulb mode because I needed a four minute exposure with the 10 stop N D filter with the three stop graduated ND filter, so I had my Sony a7seven mark four ready to go, I started looking at the shutters speeds to my surprise bulb mode was nowhere to be found thank you Mark for helping me figure this out
I have an A7RIII and I have found that you can only set the BULB setting by using the rear rotary wheel. The front wheel only allows for a maximum shutter speed of 30sec. So in addition to Silent off and single shot and the miriad of other settings ensure you use the wheel on the back of the top of the camera. Bulb is then an option. For the couple of folks who are confused about BULB and why you have to hold the button in bulb mode. This is a "archaic" name that is derived from the old plate cameras that used a pneumatic bulb much like the blower brush you use to clean your camera. the operator squeezed the bulb to open the shutter and then many seconds later they let the bulb out and the shutter stopped. The setting you want is the T setting that was on many early manual film cameras where you hit the shutter once to open it and again to close it. Here endeth the history lesson.
The Control Wheel is not assigned a function by default in Shooting Mode. If the Front and Rear Dials are set to their default mode (Av/Tv Rotate in the Custom Operation menu), the front dial should control shutter speed and should be able to select BULB. If the camera cannot then this os not 'normal' behaviour.
That is correct - I have since updated this old video to mention silent shooting and also the fact that you have to be in Manual Exposure Mode on recent model Alphas.
I am a one-man business here An I have just finished a 520 page eBook for the A7IV. I will get around to updating this video but working off the advertising revenue of RU-vid is like a car running on the smell of an oily rag!
@@AlphaCreativeSkills I had been looking on your channel last year for this for the trip I went on last sept. It didnt work even though I did what you said in your turtorial. I even asked sony users in the field and they couldnt figure it out. I was about to send it off until I read down this page and saw it in the comments.
I was looking for a way to make five minute minute exposures without holding the shutter button down for five minutes. Should be able to push shutter button once to start the exposure and once again to end it. I had high hopes that this camera with all the controls it has would have this feature. Any thoughts?
It was useful, but I'm a product photographer using strobe and I would like to use bulb mode so I can pop the strobes several times at full power and maintain a small aperture opening like used to do with film. I haven't tried it because I'm still new to the camera and I hope it works.
Hi Mark, could you let us know how to achieve this using the A1? I tried what you explained in this video but there is nothing beyond the 30 seconds. Is the bulb mode in A1 somewhere else? Thank you!
Anyone knows where to find the bulb mode in the Sony A1? I tried deactivating the silent shooting mode but is not going beyond the 30 seconds. Thank you.
Thanks very much for taking the trouble to do this. I find the Sony Alpha great and love it, but there are a few menu options that disable other things and can baffle you if you don't appreciate this. There seem to be several features that I am often unaware affect something down another branch of the menu tree altogether. I've even had to reset to default on occasion to bypass this. (and, of course, I like to have my camera set up for certain things I am habituated to, then can't figure out how to get those back how I want them) I know, I know, R.T.F.M. (Read the Manual) am I right in assuming I need a remote shutter control to do this? Currently I have lazily been using the 10 second auto-shutter delay to avoid shake and a 20 second exposure usually captures stars reasonably well, though I find a high ISO causes noise on my camera, if I go beyond about 800. For a remote shutter control, I managed to get the excellent "TriggerTrap" cable & android app (before they discontinued it) which is designed to do time lapse photography, so I figured for one more go at this pesky and elusive comet, I might have a bit of a practice before I burn more rubber trying to evade the cloud cover (and losing sleep) I suppose I should really put in a bit of effort to take a few shots, as for taking a time lapse sequence and use some stacking software to really do it justice. All my friends are posting cracking shots and I am very jealous, so I can't speak to them until I have mastered this!
Hi it seems that it is not possible to access bulb mode with the sony a6000 neither with playmemories camera app nor with touchless shutter.. i have tried everything without success.. Does anyone know a way to do bulb mode with a remote control for the sony a6000... Thx by advance
Have you checked to see if you are using the latest version of Playmemories. The earlier version of the App would could not use BULB but the later versions will. All wired remote controls will allow you to use BULB.
When I set my A7III to bulb and hit the shutter button, it snaps a photo right then and there. I want to do exposures longer than :30 and its not allowing me to do so. Camera is in single shot mode too.
Bulb mode allows you to start and stop the exposure manually so the upper limit is dictated by the time it takes to achieve an appropriate exposure. It is recommended that you purchase a 10 Stop ND filter and shoot in low ambient light or stack multiple ND filters.
