Hi, Nice video thanks; one really important setting missing though is your Focus mode; do you use wide area, flexible spot or zone, or a mixture of these depending on the situation/subject; if so what modes do you advise for different situations/subjects? I guess tracking is on all the time? I experiment with all of them but would love to hear your thoughts/experience of each. Many thanks!
Hi, thanks for watching and great question! I tend to use wide area if I am photographing fast moving subjects such as birds in flight etc. If I am dealing with a slow subject potentially within undergrowth I use single spot as this enables me to lock the autofocus on without it getting distracted by vegetation etc. If the subject is well hidden in undergrowth, small birds are a good example I often switch to manual focus with focus peaking to ensure that the single focus point isn't being fooled. 👍👌
Thanks Adrian, still love shooting with this when I get the opportunity. I'm in the process of changing the A7r3 but will be keeping my A6400, its become a bit like an old friend!!😊👍Cheers mate!
Hi Scott and thanks for posting this video, I have just recently changed from my NEX6 to the a6400 so am still getting use to all the extras I have also purchased a Tamron 18-300mm and for the bird pics I use a Tamron 150 - 500mm. I noticed that you had your camera on 6MP is this what you normally would use as I took some bird pics the other day using 6MP and found them rather sharp once I seen them on the Desktop screen. Cheers Glenn v from NZ
Hi Glenn, I just had a look at the video to see where I refer to the 6mp. The only instance I can see is on the first menu where the Jpeg line is showing 6mp. To be honest this is not really relevant because I always shoot in RAW. Shooting in RAW format means you can make changes to the file and it will not lose quality. However, if you shoot JPEG these will lose detail every time you edit them. They also add in camera sharpening which is what you might be seeing. RAW files don't do this which is important because when editing sharpening should be the last thing you do to an image and it should be sharpened depending on its use (online, print etc) Hope this helps! 👍
@@scotttilleyphotography Hi Scott, I find that when I take photos on a cloudy day using my a6400 and Tamron 150-500mm I seem to end up with grainy pics could you tell me what settings I should be using as I have a feeling I have it wrong. Cheers Glenn
Hi Scott, another excellent video. As I've said before, I purchased the a6400 because of the quality images I seen of yours in your vlogs and on your photography group. This camera never ceases to amaze me. I also use it with the 200-600 lens, it is a brilliant combination. I use aperture priority and shutter priority to great effect. I do use Manual occasionally too. Do you ever use any of the semi automatic modes? Or always Manual? Thanks for another great video 📸
Hi Lee, thanks for watching. I still love using the A6400, can't see me swapping it any time soon as its so versatile especially when I need a lightweight setup. I used to shoot in aperture priority exclusively but switched to manual about ten years ago. At that time I would also change ISO myself as noise reduction meant you would rarely shoot above 1600 ISO, now reduction software is so good I'm happy to let the camera select it! Have a great weekend mate👌👍
I use auto iso minimum shutter speed of 1/2000 with iSO set to float between 100 and 6400. This setting tries to maintain the shutter speed of 1/2000, but will start to drop it automatically if proper exposure can't be obtained. I have a custom button to slow the shutter speed down for static shots. It works well for me.
great production sir, I enjoyed watching & learning with you. One little point re why or how we shoot, our choices aren't always of preference; I'd like to do somethings but can't due ability... shaky hands my issue, aging eyesight another. So choosing certain functional aspects is not always about preference, though I'd like it to be. I bought a camera without stabilization (affordability, I'd have preferred a camera with stabilization but couldn't find one to compare with my other functional interests), so I have to adapt that for my preferred use; a stand, tripod & mono, a lens with stabilization. I don't like using them, but I have to for a lot of my interests in live talent. Thanks for your good work.
Thanks, certainly agree that we all need to adapt. Just considering some adaptions of my own at the minute. For years I have had the viewfinder set up for my eyes but am just considering setting it to when I am wearing glasses because I can't see the LCD these days without glasses (only from a couple of metres away!😂) All the best👍
I enjoyed your video as I use as 6400 with a sigma 100-400 for wildlife. Most of my settings are similar, but I use auto iso minimum shutter speed set at 1/2000 sec for birds. Works well for me and automatically drops shutter speed if it can’t get enough light using your preset ISO range. Have you tried it? Also wondering if you are considering moving to the 6700?
Sounds great! I tend to switch around a little bit. I have changed my minimum shutter speed to 1/2000 since making this video, however I use this as a base and depending what birds I am photographing this can go up and down. I haven't looked at the A6700 yet! I shoot with the A7r3 and A6400 at the minute and my next upgrade will be switching the A7r3 for the A1. In the future I may look at the A6700 but at the minute very happy with the A6400.👌👍
Hi, this is a good starting point. On the A6400 the crop factor makes the 300mm like a 450mm. This is a little short for wildlife but as I say it will allow you to get started. I use the camera with the Sony 200-600 so I would look to upgrade the lens first as the camera will serve you well for a long time. If budget is a problem look for a used lens. Something like a Canon 100-400 Mk1 with a metabones converter or a Sigma 100-400 E mount is a great lens. 👍