Using the Memory setting and FN button on Sony Alpha cameras
Using the Memory setting and FN button on Sony Alpha cameras
carlmckienaturephotography
This is an
often overlooked and under used feature on many camera models, not just Sony
Alpha. Partly I think that a lot of people in general do not use their camera
anywhere near to its full potential, and stick in fully automatic modes and
just move the exposure compensation dial now and again or the other side of the
coin where people think they have to dial in the settings every time they
change what they are doing—what a waste of time and how many missed shots?? Having
a group of settings assigned to a position on the mode dial allows you to
quickly change from (for example) action to portrait or static type photography,
or still photography to film rather than go through the menu pages changing a
setting at a time you have a group of settings dialled in and saved, yes you
may have to still alter exposure compensation or aperture –but that is just one
setting!! You can go from aperture priority to memory 1 on the mode dial in
three clicks and the camera is in the most part set up for something completely
different. Now with the Sony (and most other brands of camera) menu getting
ever longer the ability to have certain settings accessible quickly at the turn
of one dial should not be overlooked, most of the higher end cameras now have
two or three memory spaces available as well as the customizable Fn button,
where features that you change regularly can again be accessed without the need
to go through page after page of the menu
The Fn button can be assigned up to twelve of your most
commonly altered settings, focus mode- MF/AF – flash/ fill flash, metering mode
etc, in fact nearly all settings can be placed into the Fn”menu”- as that is
what it is –a small useful menu of settings that you access the most. It can be
used in conjunction with the memory setting function to quickly fine tune the
settings you may have pre dialled in there, or in its own right to change one
or more settings
Both of these features are simple to use on all the Sony
range and a little time spent setting up will pay dividends in the field:
The Fn button menu is totally customizable and you can
change all or some of the default items simply by going in to the main menu and
finding the Function menu settings
tab, (this is on different pages in the menu system depending as to the model
and age of the camera you are using) but it is there, so locate and scroll to
highlight it, then press the centre button on the back of the camera and a list
of the positions appears –function upper 1 through 6 and function lower 1
through 6.Highlight the position and again centre button back of camera will
bring up the options available , highlight your item pressing the centre button
will then assign it. You can assign any or all of the positions in the Fn menu
to your own choice, and when done will give you access to your most used
features.
Setting up the memory is also very similar and simple, but
allows you to change as many settings as you want with the turn of one dial.
First enter the main menu and go through changing the settings that you need dialled
in, when you have all the settings how you require them, locate the MR 1 / 2 memory
tab and press the centre button back of
camera- the display on the back of the camera now changes to the memory display
which shows the settings you have selected and allows you to highlight and select
the number 1 or 2 which will then become the position on the mode dial(top of
camera) where you will be able to access your preset
On
some models of Sony cameras there is a further memory feature and you will see memory recall as an option in the main menu,
this feature is slightly different in that it saves settings to the memory card
and not the camera and typically appears greyed out until you have “saved
settings” stored in the memory feature, also greyed out or not visible at all
will be an option to save to a particular card slot unless you have two cards
inserted in the camera. It works by saving memory settings that you have saved
to the camera and saving them to your memory card and uses the M1, M2 etc
positions to locate them. I don’t find much use for this method of saving
settings personally, but if you where to re format the camera it could be an
easy way to re enter your groups of settings, camera settings should be saved
to your computer as re formatting the card itself would delete them, when the
memory card is plugged into a computer the settings are to be found in a folder
named private, strange name, but
makes you aware of it, and more likely to check it before accidentally deleting
it.Other possible uses for this feature, if you use to camera models that are
the same or Setting up a camera for someone else could also be done quickly
with this featurecarlmckienaturephotography
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