- So you just got the Sony A6400
and you want to set it up.
In this video I'm gonna show you how to
set up the best shortcuts
and menu settings so that you
can have maximum potential
in creating content.
Lets get it.
(upbeat music)
So if you're not new here on Think Media
you know that we love the Sony A6400.
We've been using it since it came out.
We actually have a few
bodies here at Think Media
and you know this camera
is just really good for
getting started
and actually growing with
your camera you know,
in regards to like having
interchangeable lenses,
incredible auto focus,
the flip-up screen,
there is so much feature
packed stuff in this camera,
but we also get a lot of comments
in our Instagrams whether it be
Sean Cannell's Instagram or my Instagram.
Where people ask, they
actually get this camera
and they just don't know
where to get started.
They're just, its a
completely new menu system.
If it's their first Sony,
there's just so many buttons
they don't know how to work it.
In this video I just wanna
give a quick and easy
way to really set this up
so you can have the maximum potential
when just getting started.
Lets jump into it right now.
Before we pull the camera out the box
you just wanna make sure
you got your lens on deck
and we're going to
put that on the camera
and then make sure you get
an SD card into the camera
prior to setting up your menus
and now you'll be ready to go.
So when you pull the
camera right out the box,
it's gonna prompt you to put
in the time and date settings.
Just make sure you actually take the time
and do those things and make it accurate,
because you wanna be able
to back track your work
when you go down the line,
one, two, three years.
You know, it's very frustrating
when I pick up somebody else's camera
and let's say take pictures,
and their date settings are off,
and when I import those
into like, light room,
or if I use video footage,
it just tells the program that it's 2018,
when they originally bought
the camera, but it's 2019.
So you just wanna make
sure you set that up,
but once you do, and you're
in your menu, ready to go,
one of my favorite things
about what Sony has done,
is they've listened to the consumer,
and a lot of people used to complain about
the menus of Sonys,
but they've kind of helped that by
putting a My Menu Setting.
It's just simply, it's
a customizable menu,
that I have found myself going to
more than the menus itself,
and that's because I'm
gonna put the things
that you're gonna access the most,
in regards to shooting
video and photo content,
and so let's get started.
You're gonna go to the star,
which is the My Menu Setting,
and you're gonna go to Add Item.
The first thing you wanna add
is you wanna add the File Format.
So we're gonna add the first
item by clicking Add Item.
We're gonna go to Menu 15,
and we're gonna go down to File Format.
We're gonna add that to
this location, added, boom.
So now you can jump from
4K or 1080p, 60 frames,
that's how I really jump
to and from frame rates.
Then you're gonna add Record Setting,
which is right underneath it.
So I'm just gonna add Record
Setting, and now that's added.
So the next thing you wanna add
is the Audio Record Settings,
and you know, I always find
myself changing my levels,
Audio Record Level, right there.
I always find myself changing
levels when I'm using a boom,
when I'm using a lav, when I'm vlogging,
and so you want that right
on hand to be able to adjust.
The next thing you wanna add
is the Interval Shoot Function,
and that's the ability
to shoot time lapses.
You know, every time you get a new camera
that has the ability to shoot time lapses,
it's always hard to go in the menu
and try to find exactly where it is.
So you can actually put
it in your custom menu,
and so we're gonna add the
Interval Shoot Function
right there in our menu,
and we're good to go.
And the very last thing I make
sure that's in my custom menu
is the format.
When you put in a card, you
wanna be able to format it,
and it's always frustrating, and again,
trying to find where that is in the menu,
so I'm just gonna add
it to my custom menu,
and once that's there, you're good to go.
As you can see,
the few things that I
have on my custom menu
is your File Format, your
frame rate, your Record Level,
the time lapse and then
your actual Format,
your card, the ability to
format your card itself,
and so once you get that all good to go,
the next thing you wanna do,
is you wanna go into
the number two setting,
and on your way there,
I think this is just best practice,
change your exposure mode
from Program Auto to Manual.
You'll find it very frustrating,
'cause even when you put
different settings on your camera,
that it's just gonna resort to Auto Mode,
even if you wanna take full control.
So just make sure you do that real quick,
and then so on your way there,
you're gonna go to page number eight,
under the second menu, and as you can see,
it's just a big area
where you can actually
customize the buttons
that Sony allows you to customize,
which is always a cool feature,
and so the few things
I do, is the first one,
is this back button right here.
I love to make that my AF On button,
and so I'm gonna go right
over here to the sixth menu,
and then Imma add AF On.
What that means is, when
I'm holding the camera,
and there's a subject right there,
I can just push that real quick,
and it'll lock focus,
based off of what I wanna lock focus on,
and then I like to change the
third button to Focus Area.
You have Focus Mode, and
then now you have Focus Area.
You wanna access your Focus Area
and your Focus Mode really quick,
because those two things
really determine your
auto focus abilities,
and so I like making that all set up,
and then the next thing you wanna set up
is the Functions Menu.
So, the Functions Menu is
what you see when you hit Fn,
just using your camera.
There's a lot of things
that are actually redundant
that comes with the camera.
For example, here's ISO right here,
and you have the ability
to already press ISO on your buttons,
and so, that doesn't need to be there.
The same thing too, is like, Focus Area.
Your custom button up
here, is a Focus Area,
and then we've customized this
C2 button to be Focus Mode,
and as you can see, they're
both right here, in your Fn,
which is great, I think, if
you wanna leave it there,
perfectly fine,
but I find just a few
things that I like putting,
is on the second part,
I actually like to put
our Picture Profile,
or just picture profiles in general,
because when I go from photo to video,
I like to add that Picture
Profile and turn it on.
We use a custom picture
profile here at Think Media,
and you can watch that video.
I'll put a link in to it,
in the YouTube card and
in the description below.
The next thing we do, is instead of ISO,
you can actually put audio record level.
Maybe that's a little repetitive
from the last thing we set up,
but it's just nice to have on hand,
the ability to just see
that and change that,
and then we're gonna change right here,
Focus Comp into Face Priority.
It's such a good feature
again, on Sony cameras,
the Face Priority, or the
Face Auto Focus is key,
and again, reason being I
like Focus Area and Focus Mode
to be easily accessible,
because you want your Focus
Mode to be continuous,
and you want your Focus Area to be wide,
in order to actually access
the full face and eye Auto Focus.
The last thing I would say,
I think you're good to go when
it comes to everything else.
You can leave your Creative
Style, your White Balance,
but the next thing
and the last thing I really
want to encourage you to do,
is to go on to your ninth
page on your second menu
and really change this to Touch Tracking.
So, the coolest thing about the 6400
it's its Auto Focus abilities.
When Sony flew me out
to come test the camera,
they said that really in order to access
the full realtime auto
focus, is what Sony calls it,
is you wanna enable Touch Tracking.
You're getting the full
potential of Auto Focus
that the camera has for you,
and so that's how you
set up kinda your camera.
I think just a good foundation,
the biggest thing about Sony systems
is that it's fully customizable, right?
And so as you use this,
always ask yourself,
what can make this faster?
What would actually be
more helpful for me to use?
Because these are things
I've kinda come up with,
shooting video and photo
for a long period of time,
and Especially using Sonys
for a really long time,
but you'll find it maybe
a little bit different
with whatever your doing more work of.
If you're vlogging more or if
you're behind the camera more,
or what have you,
this is kind of I guess
a set up for someone
who would be not only behind the camera,
but also in front of the camera,
and obviously with the flip up screen,
you wanna take those things in mind,
'cause you can also set up things
that help you get to real quick
with just using the touch screen.
Well hey, if you got
any value in this video,
why don't you hit the like button,
and we also have made quite a
few videos here on Think Media
about the Sony A6400.
If you wanna check out that playlist,
make sure to check it out.
We'll put it in the YouTube card
and in the description below.
And question for you is,
Is this your first Sony?
Or is it your second Sony?
Let us know in the comment section below,
and we'll make sure to
see you in the next video.
Take it easy.
(upbeat music)
