Setting up your new Sony with legacy menus
Just got a new Sony camera...Congrats! But before you grab your gear and go out shooting, it's worth spending a few minutes setting up your menus and creating some custom settings. Trust me these will make your life so much easier. So how to go about setting up your new Sony with legacy menus?
Note: These menu settings will not apply to the new menu structure found on A7SIII, A1, A7IV
Congratulations on your new Sony camera
Some basic settings for your Sony
Reading your camera's manual is still a great idea, and thoroughly recommended. But here are a few settings you can jump straight into. Obviously, your first stop is going to be Area, Date, Time etc. Another really good place to start is checking if your camera requires a firmware update and doing that. Let's look at some other basic settings to get you up and running. Check out the below video, as I cover off how to set up Custom Keys and Peak Metering and some other settings that you might find helpful on your Sony.
Suggested custom keys for your Sony
These are just what works for me, and maybe for you too, or perhaps you have other requirements for your custom keys. And THAT's the point - you customise them for YOU.
C1 - Focus Magnifying (To quickly check focus)
C2 - Turn Peak Metering on and off
C3 - Subject Detection for Eye AF(between Human and Animal)
C4 - Touch screen on and off
AEL - Custom Recall (Set DMF & Wide Focus)
Wheel Right - ISO
What you set them up for is totally up to you, you may need to access ISO and shutter speed quickly for sports or nature photography. I also wrote an article a little while back on setting up some other stuff too, that might be useful. Once you have set up your custom settings you're good to go. Oh, and you can always change and modify your custom settings at any time if you find a workflow that suits you better.
Custom settings are the way to go
Please note - I have set all my settings up on my Sony a7RIII and will be applicable to many Sony Alpha 7 and 6 series, however, the new A7SIII, A1, A7IV have a new menu structure. But if your camera has the legacy menus, setting up your new Sony these settings will apply.
