It's been nearly three years, and you are still asking me about the Sony A6000
and for a Best Video Settings Video.
So, if you're new to video and want to get set up and shooting quickly with the A6000,
I'll demonstrate.
Oh, and after three years this camera is battle tested and worn,
but I'm still shooting with it.
For me its only drawback is the lack of 4K.
I'll share some more advanced settings at the end. But first,
standard settings that should work for a wide variety of situations.
Use a fast memory card, I prefer the SDXC U3 type.
Goes in backwards.
Turn the dial to Movie, then let's setup the menu.
I've reinitialized, so this is the camera in its default configuration.
And format the card.
But do make sure to backup first.
File format: XAVC-S, because the data rate is higher, and 30 frames.
ISO auto with 100 minimum, 6400 maximum.
Face Detection ON.
You may wish to register the faces of the most important people in your project.
Movie: Manual Exposure,
although with Auto ISO, it won't really be manual.
If you are using a tripod, turn SteadyShot off.
The DISP button provides access to the histogram,
if you know how to interpret it, you may wish to add it to the display options.
Audio recording ON, if you're outside and it's windy,
turn Wind Noise Reduction ON.
In sunny weather, turn the monitor brightness to Sunny Weather.
That really helps to see the monitor,
but of course, you could use the viewfinder, which will also make your shot steadier.
Or on a tripod, even steadier.
Press the Fn button to set Continuous AF,
with Wide focus area.
Use the control dial to set the shutter speed to 1/60.
Although if it's a dark interior, 1/30 might be better.
Use the top dial to set the iris to F11 for a larger in focus range,
but if you're shooting mainly medium closeups of people and you want soft defocussed backgrounds,
F4.
If the image looks too light or dark,
press the bottom of the control dial to adjust the exposure value,
Or press the right of the dial to set the ISO manually.
Unfortunately the histogram disappears while you're making the adjustment.
White Balance, pick the most likely setting,
I don’t use Auto because it will change the white balance while I'm shooting.
I prefer the slightly muted colour setting that Sony calls Neutral.
But feel free to select a creative style that suits your taste.
Press right to reduce or increase the contrast, saturation and sharpness
for a more cinematic look.
Might need to do one final adjustment to exposure.
If you have multiple lenses, choose the one with a wider zoom,
like this 16-70.
Cinematographers don't zoom much,
probably you shouldn't either.
That should get you started. Now,
if you have a few more minutes, let's go a little further into some of those settings.
And I'll start by explaining my thoughts about frame rate.
For YouTube or general video production, I use 30 frames.
Because the 60 frame setting uses the same 50 Mb data rate,
each frame gets less data.
And I do sometimes shoot 24,
it can provide a slightly more cinematic feel and again
slightly increase the amount of data per frame.
White balance,
I usually set degrees Kelvin, if I know what lighting I'm using,
or capture a custom white balance.
Custom is easy, but you have to switch out of Movie Mode.
Select M, White Balance, Custom Setup,
point at a white card, capture,
OK to confirm.
If it's not quite what you want, press right to make further custom adjustments.
And switch back to Movie Mode.
Remember, white balance needs to be changed each time the lighting changes.
I like to turn on the grid line,
it helps me compose.
I usually put the left or right vertical line down the middle of the subject,
the upper horizontal line at their eyes.
Zebra can be a useful tool, as it can be a more precise exposure guide.
In general, the right exposure is achieved when white skin reads at 70%.
Or use 100% to make sure none of the image is over-exposed.
The A6000 doesn't have a mic input,
so for higher quality audio recordings I use an external recorder:
the Tascam DR-70D. It mounts on the tripod socket.
Synchronizing in post is easier than you imagine.
If at all possible,
meaning if the subject's distance to the camera is staying about the same,
I use manual focus.
Use the menu to assign Custom Button 1 to Focus Magnifier as a focus assist.
Press the button to set a point,
press again for a closeup view to get a more exact focus,
press once more to return.
Many videographers use peaking for manual focus,
it reveals the edges of the subject in focus.
Choose the level
and the colour.
If you intend to use peaking, assign C2 to peaking level.
The peaking display can be distracting,
so the shortcut helps turn it on and off easily.
If you want a tighter shot than the lens can provide,
turn on Clear Image Zoom, and then activate it.
a zoom display appears on-screen.
I wouldn't change this setting while recording,
and because the resolution of HD video is so much less than the sensor's resolution,
the quality loss is imperceptible.
I'm sometimes annoyed when the LCD or the viewfinder switches accidentally,
there’s a menu setting to force it to one or the other.
That's it!
Thanks for watching. I Hope your shoot goes well.
If you have questions or comments please use the field below.
I do read and reply to all relevant and civil questions, and
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