Brian Matsumoto - The Sony A7 II: The Unofficial Quintessential Guide

The Sony a7 II

The Unofficial Quintessential Guide

Brian Matsumoto

Carol F. Roullard

Brian Matsumoto, Carol F. Roullard

Project Editor: Jocelyn Howell

Copyeditor: Jeanne Hansen

Layout and Type: Hespenheide Design

Cover design: Helmut Kraus, www.exclam.de

Printed in USA

ISBN 978-1-937538-70-5

1st Edition

2016 by Brian Matsumoto, Carol F. Roullard

Rocky Nook Inc.

802 East Cota St., 3rd Floor

Santa Barbara, CA 93103

www.rockynook.com

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015949626

All rights reserved. No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or utilized in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission of the publisher.

Many of the designations in this book used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks of their respective companies. Where those designations appear in this book, and Rocky Nook was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in caps or initial caps. All product names and services identified throughout this book are used in editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies with no intention of infringement of the trademark. They are not intended to convey endorsement or other affiliation with this book.

While reasonable care has been exercised in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author(s) assume no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein or from the use of the discs or programs that may accompany it.

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

We are dedicating this book to our good friends James and Cathye Solliday who have graced our lives with good humor, high spirits, and an appreciation for the wonders of the world .

James is the president of the Microscopical Society of Southern California and has inspired us in our work with microscopes and imaging. His sage advice and insights on all things optical have been a source of inspiration for this book. Cathyes enthusiasm and insight on our artwork has helped us find the balance between art and science .

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 cameras 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.

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 is currently working with a manufacturer to print her art on high-end clothing items.

As a former Project Management Quality and Compliance Engineer, Ms. Roullard 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.

Visit Brians website at: www.MatsuImaging.com

Visit Carols website at: www.CarolRoullardArt.com

Writing this book was a team effort and we are indebted to the expertise and aid of several people. Thanks to Scott Dordick, owner of Acratech, Inc., for his assistance and advice on using tripods in photography. Also, thanks to Matt Cardwell of Cognisys, Inc., for his guidance on focus stacking and the applicability of Cognisyss ShotStack, a program for extending the depth of field in our scientific and closeup photography. Thank you to Gary Fong for his guidance on how to use his Lightsphere product. We thank all three of the aforementioned individuals for permission to use their product shots in this book.

Last but not least, thanks to the staff at Rocky Nook. We are indebted to them for their guidance in putting together our books; to Joan Dixon (Managing Editor), and Matthias Rossmanith (Project Manager) for overseeing our efforts; and to Jocelyn Howell (Project Editor), Jeanne Hansen (Copyeditor), and Randy Miyake (layout artist) for their work on this book. It is a major benefit for us to have an opportunity to work with such a wonderful group of people.

Brian Matsumoto

www.MatsuImaging.com

Carol Roullard

www.CarolRoullardArt.com

The Sony a7 series is a breakthrough in camera design. The cameras light-weight and compact size make them convenient working tools that can easily be carried to remote locations and hard-to-reach vistas. Within a years time, Sony has produced four full frame camera models for their E-mount lens series. The latest is the a7 II, or as Sony lists it in their online catalog, the ILCE-7M2, with the letter K appended to the end if you purchase the kit lens.

The a7 II is an updated design of the original a7 and is distinguished by the inclusion of an in-body sensor stabilization system, which can minimize movement in five axes. This benefits both the still photographer and the videographer. It ensures the capture of high-resolution still photographs when youre handholding the camera and aiming long telephoto lenses. And when youre recording movies, it dampens random camera movements that result from handholding the camera. Such movements shift the framing of the scene and are distracting for the viewer.

With the in-camera stabilization system in the a7 II, hand tremors can be dampened with any lensnot just E-mount lenses. This means you can use the high quality Sony A-mount lenses, which are stabilized for taking sharp still pictures at slow shutter speeds. You dont even have to use a Sony lensNikon, Canon, Leica, Pentax, and Olympus lenses are now stabilized by the movement of the cameras sensor. The only requirement is an adapter for mounting the lens onto the Sony a7 II body.

The Sony a7 II has an excellent system for framing and composing an image. There is no optical finder; instead, there are two electronic viewing screens that display the sensors output. This provides you with a more accurate view of what will be recorded. Incorrect camera settings for exposure and color balance are visible immediately, and remedial action can be taken before the picture is captured. This benefits busy photographers by reducing the time needed to correct images in post-processing. For critical work that requires accurate focusing, these electronic display screens are superior to and more convenient than an optical finder. They also display exposure meters, levels, and compositional lines for framing pictures.