Lawrence Photographic

 Last Updated  - 4th August 2012 

 My Menu Settings + Controls -

I really like the Sony SLT A57's camera's main menu set-up, it may be extensive but it is not difficult to follow, especially as it has the help ? button on the rear of the camera. In the menu, you just place the highlight banner over the menu setting to be changed/considered and then press the ? button and all is explained in a new screen  - press it again to toggle back to the menu setting to make your choice.

Please bear in mind that all my settings are relative to the camera being used in Aperture Priority A mode and for shooting Jpeg + RAW image files. This does impact on certain functions that a user may wish to use if they were shooting only Jpeg image files - If you wish to commence exploring these areas - please read the Sony SLT A57 Camera Manual (Window)

The camera is made up of 3 Control Areas -

• The MAIN MENU which you enter by pressing the MENU button and where you set-up your (hope I don't come here again) main settings

• The physical buttons and rear tilt/switch wheel on the body, which offer up your main everyday controls and especially the ISO button on the top of the camera which brings up a menu for ISO rating choice and the DRIVE tilt/switch on the rear control (left of the 4 cluster tilt/switches) pad, which brings up a menu (7 areas - like timer, bracketing), it also repeats the main drive (single/burst shots) choice found using the Fn button/menu (see below).

• The Fn button/menu on the rear of the camera that brings up a menu (14 areas - like drive, exposure metering/autofocus) that you may wish to change depending on the nature of the scene. This is very easy to use.

My Camera Menu is Programmed for the A - Aperture Control Mode (only that mode)
I always shoot 'RAW' files in A aperture priority mode and for this diary, I will be shooting jpeg files as well, straight from the camera. I have always preferred to set-up my aperture to suit my take on a scene for effect (bokeh etc) and choosing to adjust the optimum shutter speed through changing the ISO rating to suit (if required). I have set-up my menu and stripped away a great deal of the stuff that I will never use (like face recognition) but for anyone starting out in photography and moving up from a point and shoot compact camera, I would advise a gradual modification of the menu structure (to suit your developing skills) rather than taking a larger step. The main menu in any case, does have a default reset.

There has to be compromises in manual control with any camera which is aimed at the consumer marketplace. The Sony A57 camera is decked out with controls and technology that only a few years ago, you would only find in a more expensive camera. However, there has to be some downsides and thankfully the controls which are affected are not that critical to my style of shooting.

To assist in understanding where the main control buttons are - see the Sony SLT A57 Camera Body - Pictures which opens up in a separate window.

My Main Controls

Brief Summary -

1. Aperture Priority - Top large control dial - set to A for aperture priority

2. WB Button (right of rear large dial set control pad) - set to AWB

3. Exposure Metering - Fn Button on rear of camera calls up a Fn menu - set to multi segment exposure metering

4. Autofocus Single Shot - Fn Button on rear of camera calls up a Fn menu - set to AF-S autofocus single shot

5. Centre Spot Focus - Fn Button on rear of camera calls up a Fn menu - set to centre spot focus

6. Single Shot - Shutter Mode Button (left of rear set control pad) - I prefer the shutter set-up for single shot (also can be set-up for burst shots, image bracketing, white balance bracketing, self timer and remote device) The Fn button function can also be used for the shutter mode settings.

7. Aperture Setting Control - Front of camera recessed knurled wheel in front of shutter button - For setting up the aperture f# stop 

8. ISO Button (top of camera behind shutter button) - calls a menu - I changed AUTO to 100 (ready for changing to suit)

9. Exposure Compensation Button on top of camera behind power switch - calls a menu - set to 0

10. AEL (Exposure Lock) Button - set to 'toggle' auto exposure lock on and off when pressed

11. Preview Button on the front/base of camera - configured in the main MENU for Focus Magnifier - ideal for shooting subjects with the camera on a tripod using the LCD screen, set the exposure and lock using the AEL exposure lock button, lens switched to manual, press the preview button to zoom into subject, press again for further zoom and adjust subject area by using the rear AF dial top/bottom/right/left paddles and adjust the focus using the lens focus ring - finally press shutter button to take the shot. (to return to normal view at anytime during focusing - press the AF button)

12. Locking Focus - Half press of shutter holds focus point locked until pressed full down or released

13. Object Tracking - AF button (centre of rear large dial set control pad) - tracking of a moving subject

14. PLAYBACK blue arrow button on the rear/bottom right of the camera - for previewing captured images

The above Main Controls are now explained in greater detail - (with an abbreviated listing after this section)

A (Aperture Priority) Top Control Dial (large round wheel on top of camera)
I use the A setting which sets up the camera to allow me to set the aperture of the lens. I set the aperture (using the front control wheel) and the camera takes an exposure reading of the scene and automatically sets the shutter speed for me. I can increase the shutter speed by raising the ISO rating (e.g. 200 to 400) or lower the shutter speed by decreasing the ISO rating (e.g. 400 to 200) but the higher the ISO rating the more noise (speckle) will start to appear in the final captured image.

White Balance ((rear dial, right tilt/switch)
Because I normally shoot 'RAW' image files, I never adjust the white balance - If I have to make any changes, due to different lightening set-up (e.g. florescent lights, etc) I make them during post processing in software. Any RAW images I capture are therefore captured using the auto white balance setting. However jpeg users may wish to use this WB button to change the scene colouring to suit the environment they are shooting in, which is reflected in the viewfinder and the LCD screen. If you are shooting jpegs only, you have to make sure this WB setting is correct for the scene lighting, personally I have played safe and just left it at AUTO.  Warning AWB  - If you are shooting only camera jpeg images and rely on the AWB (auto white balance) setting to make colour decisions for you, be careful that you do not change the AWB colour grid 'defaults' whilst shooting. If your camera menu is setup to return to the last place you selected it is possible to accidentally call that up again and change it without realising.  For instance, if the WB button/menu is left 'highlighting AWB' and later (whilst using the viewfinder) your right thumb wanders on the back of the camera whilst searching for a button or strays from the finger rest pad and puts pressure on the right tilt WB button a couple of times, you will bring up the AWB color filter grid, effectively changing the AWB 'default' colour setting on the grid to the right, towards red.  This is possible whilst taking a picture and as the eye detects the change away from the scene in the viewfinder to the menu, the reaction is often (without thinking) to half press the shutter button to return the viewfinder to viewing the scene to be shot. However by half pressing the shutter button the camera has now accepted the new AWB colour grid setting and (in aperture priority mode) it will remain changed until you reset it. This is an area that I will now check from time to time to ensure that the AWB colour grid co-ordinates are set to zero and the spot is in the centre of the colour grid crosshairs

Exposure Metering - Fn Button then Menu Change (button on camera back)
Virtually all my photography is shot in exposure multi segment metering mode, so it is easy to set this up by pressing the Fn button on the rear of the camera, which raises a menu with 14 sections and using the left/right/top/bottom tilt switches on the rear dial on the back of the camera, I can scroll to the metering mode icon on the right, near the top, of the menu screen and highlight it, press the AF button in the centre of the rear dial, scroll to my metering choice, highlight it and press Fn to accept and come back to the main Fn menu, press Fn button again to leave the menu completely. The setting choices are multi segment, centre weighed and spot metering. It may appear quite a trip but once you get the hang of the Fn and menu, it is simple to operate. If metering is all that you use the Fn button for - then by leaving the metering mode icon highlighted, it will always return there when you enter the menu.

Autofocus Mode - Fn Button then Menu Change (button on camera back)
Virtually all my photography (with the Sony A57 to date) is shot in AF-S mode, autofocus single shot, so it is easy to set this up by pressing the Fn button on the rear of the camera, which raises a menu with 14 sections and using the left/right/top/bottom tilt switches on the rear dial on the back of the camera, I can scroll to the autofocus mode icon on the left, near the middle, of the menu screen and highlight it, press the AF button in the centre of the rear dial, scroll to my AF-S choice, highlight it and press Fn to accept and come back to the main Fn menu, press Fn button again to leave the menu completely. The setting choices are AF-S single-shot, AF-A still/moving subject and AF-C continuous focusing on a moving subject as long as the shutter button is half pressed.

Autofocus Area - Fn Button then Menu Change (button on camera back)
Virtually all my photography is shot in centre spot autofocus area, so it is easy to set this up by pressing the Fn button on the rear of the camera, which raises a menu with 14 sections and using the left/right/top/bottom tilt switches on the rear dial on the back of the camera, I can scroll to the autofocus area icon on the left, near the middle, of the menu screen and highlight it, press the AF button in the centre of the rear dial, scroll to my centre spot AF choice, highlight it and press Fn to accept and come back to the main Fn menu, press Fn button again to leave the menu completely. The setting choices are wide, zone, spot and local.

Shutter Drive Mode - Single Shot - Burst Shots - Timer - All Bracketing (rear dial, left tilt/switch)
I use this mainly for single shot or burst mode shutter settings, you press the drive tilt/switch on the left of the rear large control pad, enter the menu, use left/right/top/bottom tilt switches on the same pad, scroll to the top square for single shot or down one to the burst mode icon, press the AF button in the centre of the dial to select and then the menu closes automatically. You can also use this operation to change the self timer, the exposure single shot/multi-shot bracketing, white balance bracketing and switch to a remote shutter device. The Fn button on the rear of the camera also has the drive mode in it's menu selections.

Aperture Control - Front Control Wheel (semi recessed large ridged wheel on front of camera)
After I have set A - I can then rotate the control wheel which allows me to set the aperture of my choice  - f3.5 for the Sony 18-55mm zoom lens at 18mm which produces a 'narrow area in focus' depth of field and to f22 for a stopped down (less light is allowed in) which produces a 'larger area in focus' depth of field. As the zoom lens at 18mm (27mm field of view) moves towards 28mm, 35mm to finally 55mm the f3.5 automatically stops down to f5.6 as the widest (possible) aperture open setting of the lens at 55mm (82.5mm field of view) to the fully stopped down f36.

ISO Button - Button on Top (button positioned behind the power on/off switch)
This is similar to the old film days where you select the ISO for the speed of the film - ISO:100 for slower film to ISO:800+ for faster film. In the film days the slower the film the less the grain on the image and the image quality was optimum. The faster the film the more grain and the image quality was not as good. Faster film tended to be used for low light shots and faster moving subjects. It is the same today with the modern digital sensor but grain or digital speckle is now known as 'noise'. The ISO setting of my choice, using the ISO button and menu, plays an important part as ISO:100 will match a slower shutter to my choice of aperture whilst ISO:800 will select a much faster shutter speed.

Exposure Compensation - +/- Button  (button on top of camera behind the power on/off switch)
Once I have set-up my aperture setting (then perhaps ISO/shutter adjustment) I might find that my scene in the viewfinder or LCD screen is too bright in the sky or perhaps too dark in the foreground. The +/- button when pressed will bring up a (-.....0.....+) dotted line and using the left/right tilt switches on the rear control pad on the back of the camera, I can alter the cameras exposure metering by increasing the exposure + or decreasing - it. I invariably never use this unless I am using a tripod and have plenty of time to take the shot - I normally use the AEL button - see below.

AEL Button (button near the top right of the camera back)

I have this button programmed to 'lock the exposure'. After I have set-up the camera for the shot, I may find that the scene requires less or more exposure and I may want to lock that exposure so that I can focus on a part of the scene only. I have two choices, I can use the +/- exposure compensation button and adjust the metering (using tilt switches on rear control pad) and then press the AEL button (star icon appears in the viewfinder) to lock the exposure (press again unlocks it) or I can just raise/lower the camera and lock an exposure as the metering of the camera automatically changes as it sees more light or less light. This then allows me to focus on my given subject and even re-arrange my scene in the viewfinder or LCD screen - see the Shutter Button part below.

Preview Button - Focus Magnifier (on the front/base of camera)
Configured in the MAIN MENU for Focus Magnifier - ideal for shooting subjects with the camera on a tripod and using the LCD screen, set the exposure and lock using the AEL exposure lock button (star icon appears in the viewfinder) then switch the lens barrel from AF to MF (manual focus) press the preview button to zoom into the subject, press again for further zoom and adjust subject area by using the rear AF control pad top/bottom/right/left paddles and adjust the focus using the lens focus ring - finally press shutter button to take the shot. (to return to normal view at anytime during focusing - press the AF button) NOTE: I also have my menu set-up for FOCUS PEAKING in manual focus mode and when manually focusing (using the lens focus ring and focus magnifier) the area in focus is outlined with a sugar white frosting.

Shutter (Half Press AF Focus) Button (camera top at the front right)