Sony A 65 Manual

							101
Selecting the shooting mode
Shooting (Advanced operations)
 Use a tripod.
 Set the focus to infinity in manual focus mode when shooting fireworks, 
etc. When the infinity po sition of the lens is not known, first adjust the 
focus on fireworks that is set off in  the same general area, then shoot 
them.
2Rotate the control dial to the left 
until [BULB] is indicated.
BULB
3While pressing the AV button, 
rotate the control dial to adjust 
the aperture (F-number).
AV button
4Press the shutter button halfw ay down to adjust the focus.
5Press and hold the shutter butto n for the duration of the 
shooting.
As long as the shutter button is pressed, the shutter remains open.
Shooting techniques 
						

							102
Selecting the shooting mode
• Use the Wireless Remote Commander (sold separately) (page 142). Pressing the SHUTTER button on the Wireless Remote Commander 
triggers BULB shooting and pressing  it again stops BULB shooting. You 
do not need to press and hold th e SHUTTER button on the Wireless 
Remote Commander.
 If you use a Remote Commander that is equipped with a shutter button  lock function (sold separately), you  can leave the shutter open using the 
Remote Commander.
Notes When using a tripod, turn off  the SteadyShot function (page 87).
 The longer the exposure time, the more conspicuous the noise on the image.
 After shooting, noise reduction (Long Exposure NR) will be done for the same  amount of time that the shutter was open . You cannot do any further shooting during 
the reduction.
 When the Smile Shutter or Auto HDR function  is activated, or when [Picture Effect] 
is set to [HDR Painting] or  [Rich-tone Mono.], you can not set the shutter speed to 
[BULB].
 If the Smile Shutter, Auto HDR function,  or the [HDR Painting] or [Rich-tone 
Mono.] setting of [Picture Effect] is used  with the shutter speed set to [BULB], the 
shutter speed is temporarily set to 30 seconds.
 It is recommended that you start BULB shooting after the temperature of the camera  drops to prevent the quality of the image from deteriorating. 
						

							103
Shooting (Advanced operations)
Movie recording setup
Movie recording can be started from any exposure mode.
The shutter speed and aperture value are adjusted automatically.
Press the MOVIE button to start recording (page 33).
 Start recording after you adjust the focus.
 The following settings that were  set during still image shooting can be 
used.
–ISO
– White Balance
– Creative Style
– Exposure compensation
– AF area
– Metering Mode
– Face Detection
– Object Tracking
– D-Range optimizer
– Lens Comp.: Shading
– Lens Comp.: Chro. Aber.
– Lens Comp.: Distortion
– Picture Effect
 ISO, exposure compensation, Object  Tracking, or AF area can be 
adjusted during movie recording.
 If you assign [AF lock] to the AEL button or ISO button, you can lock the  focus by pressing these bu ttons in autofocus mode.
Notes In movie recording mode, the recordable area  (angle of view) is narrower than that 
of still image shooting.
 When the [For viewfinder] screen is  displayed on the LCD monitor, the LCD 
monitor is switched to the [Display All Info.] screen at the moment movie recording 
starts.
Recording movies easily
Shooting techniques 
						

							104
Movie recording setup
• Do not shoot a strong light source, such as the sun. The internal mechanism of the camera may be damaged.
 When you import AVCHD View movies to  a computer, use “PMB” (pages 66, 176).
 When you continue to shoot for a long time, the temperature of the camera rises and  the image quality may deteriorate.
 When the   mark is indicated, the temperature of the camera is too high. Turn the  camera off and wait until the temperature  of the camera drops. If you continue to 
shoot, the camera is turned off automatically.
 Since the shutter speed and aperture are automatically adjusted, the shutter speed  will be higher and the movement of the  subject may not be smooth under bright 
conditions. Selecting manual focus and adjust ing the shutter speed or aperture may 
make the movement smoother (page 114).
 A value for the ISO sensitivity between IS O 100 and ISO 1600 can be selected when 
you record movies. If you start movie record ing with a value of ISO 1600 or larger 
selected, the ISO sensitivity is switched  to ISO 1600. When you finish recording 
your movie, the ISO sensitivity setting is returned to the previous value.
 When ISO is set to [Multi Frame Noise Re duct.], [AUTO] is temporarily selected.
 You cannot select [Soft Focus], [HDR Pa inting], [Rich-tone Mono.], or [Miniature] 
in Picture Effect. When movie recording star ts, Picture Effect is temporarily set to 
[Off].
You can record movies with the sh utter speed and aperture adjusted, 
controlling the background defocus or fluidity as intended.
Recording movies with the shutter speed and aperture 
adjusted
1Set the focus mode switch to MF (page 114).
2Set the mode dial to   (Movie).
3Select the desired mode with  v/V  on the control button, then 
press the center of  the control button.
 To change the mode, press the Fn button, then select another mode.
4Adjust the shutter speed and apertu re value with the control 
dial. 
						

							105
Movie recording setup
Shooting (Advanced operations)
MENU button t  1  t [File Format]  t Select the desired 
format
5Adjust the focus, then pres s the MOVIE button to start 
recording.
 (Program Auto) 
(94) Allows you to shoot with the exposure adjusted automatically 
(both the shutter speed and the aperture value). The other 
settings can be adjusted manua
lly, and your setting values 
can be saved.
 (Aperture 
Priority) (95) Allows you to shoot after adjusting the aperture value 
manually using the control dial.
 (Shutter 
Priority) (97) Allows you to shoot after adjusting the shutter speed 
manually using the control dial.
 (Manual 
Exposure) (99) Allows you to shoot after adjusting the exposure manually 
(both the shutter speed and the aperture value) using the 
control dial.
File Format
AVCHD 60i/60p*
AVCHD 50i/50p**Records 60i/50i movies, 24p/25p movies or 60p/50p movies 
in AVCHD format. This file format is suitable for viewing 
the movie on a high-definition TV.
You can create a Blu-ray disc, an AVCHD disc, or a DVD-
Video disc using the supplied software “PMB.”
 60i/50i movies are recorded at either 60 fields/second or at 
50 fields/second, respectively. Both 60i and 50i movies 
utilize the interlace scanning  system, Dolby Digital audio, 
and the AVCHD format.
 24p/25p movies are recorded at  either 24 frames/second or 
at 25 frames/second, respectively. Both 24p and 25p 
movies utilize the progressive scanning system, Dolby 
Digital audio, and the AVCHD format.
 60p/50p movies are recorded at either 60 frames/second, or  at 50 frames/second, respectively. Both 60p and 50p 
movies utilize the progressive  scanning system and Dolby 
Digital audio. 
						

							106
Movie recording setup
* 1080 60i-compatible device
** 1080 50i-compatible device
The higher the average bit-rate, the higher the image quality.
MENU button t  1  t [Record Setting]  t Select the desired 
size
[File Format]: [AVCHD  60i/60p]/[AVCHD 50i/50p]
[File Format]: [MP4]
* 1080 60i-compatible device
** 1080 50i-compatible device MP4
Records mp4 (AVC) movies. This format is suitable for 
WEB uploads, e-mail attachments, etc.
 Movies are recorded in MPEG-4 format at about 30 frames/
second, utilizing the progre ssive scanning system, AAC 
audio, and the mp4 format.
 You cannot create a disc from  the movies recorded in this 
format using the supplied software “PMB.”
Record Setting
File Format Average 
bit-rate
Recording
60i 24M(FX) *
50i 24M(FX) **24 Mbps Records high image quality movies of 1920 × 1080 
(60i/50i).
60i 17M(FH) *
50i 17M(FH) **17 Mbps Records standard image quality movies of 1920 × 
1080 (60i/50i).
60p 28M(PS) *
50p 28M(PS) **28 Mbps Records highest image quality movies of 1920 × 
1080 (60p/50p).
24p 24M(FX) *
25p 24M(FX) **24 Mbps Records high image quality moves of 1920 × 1080 
(24p/25p). This produces a cinema-like 
atmosphere.
24p 17M(FH) *
25p 17M(FH) **17 Mbps Records standard image quality movies of 1920 × 
1080 (24p/25p). This produces a cinema-like 
atmosphere.
File Format Average 
bit-rateRecording
1440×1080 12M 12 Mbps Records movies of 1440 × 1080.
VGA 3M 3 Mbps Records movies of VGA size. 
						

							107
Movie recording setup
Shooting (Advanced operations)
Notes Movies recorded with the [60p 28M(PS)]/[50p 28M(PS)], [60i 24M(FX)]/[50i 24M(FX)] or [24p 24M(FX)]/[25p 24M(FX)]  setting in [Record Setting] are 
converted by “PMB” in order to create an AVCHD disc. This conversion can take a 
long time. Also, you cannot create a disc with  the original image quality. If you want 
to keep the original image quality, you mu st store your movies on a Blu-ray disc.
 To watch 60p/50p or 24p/25p movies on a TV, you need a TV that is compatible  with 60p/50p or 24p/25p. If you use a non-compatible TV, the movies are converted 
to 60i/50i and output to the TV.
When you record movies, the operating noise of the camera or lens may be 
recorded. You can record  movies without audio.
MENU button t  1  t [Audio Recording]  t [Off]
When the focus mode is set to manual  focus, you can disable recording of 
the operating noise of the lens  for the autofocus (page 114).
To reduce wind noise
You can reduce wind noise by cutting bass sound input from the built-in 
microphone.
MENU button  t  1  t [Wind Noise Reduct.]  t [On]
Notes Setting this item to [On] ma y cause some bass sound to be recorded with too low a 
volume. Set it to [Off] when the wind is not blowing.
 When an external microphone (sold separate ly) is used, this item does not function.
Audio Recording 
						

							108
Adjusting the focus
There are 2 methods for adjusting the focus: autofocus and manual focus.
Depending on the lens, th e method for switching between the auto focus 
and manual focus is different.
The type of lens The switch to be 
usedTo switch to auto 
focus To switch to manual 
focus
The lens is 
equipped with a 
focus mode switch Lens (Always set 
the focus mode 
switch on the 
camera to AF.)Set the focus mode 
switch on the lens to 
AF.
Set the focus mode 
switch on the lens to 
MF.
The lens is not 
equipped with a 
focus mode switch Camera Set the focus mode 
switch on the camera 
to AF. Set the focus mode 
switch on the camera 
to MF.
Autofocus
1Set the focus mode switch on the 
camera to AF.
2When the lens is equipped with 
the focus mode switch, set it to 
AF. 
						

							109
Adjusting the focus
Shooting (Advanced operations)
Note While the camera is focusing automatically, do not touch the rotating focusing ring.
 To select the AF area used for focusing, set up [AF area] (page 112).
Focus indicator
Subjects that may require special focusing
Using the autofocus, it is hard to focus on the follo wing subjects. In such 
cases, use the focus lock shooting fe ature (page 110) or manual focus 
(page 114).
 A subject that is low in contrast, such as blue sky or a white wall.
 Two subjects at different distances overlapping in the AF area.
 A subject that is composed of repea ting patterns, such as the facade of a 
building.
 A subject that is very bright or glitte ring, such as the sun, the body of an 
automobile, or the surface of water.
 Ambient light is not sufficient.
3Press the shutter button halfway 
down to check the focus and shoot 
the image.
 When the focus is confirmed, the focus 
indicator changes to z  or   (below).
 The AF area where the focus has been 
confirmed turns green.
Focus indicator
Shooting technique
Focus indicator Status
z  lit Focus locked. Ready to shoot.
 lit Focus is confirmed. Focal point moves following a moving 
subject. Ready to shoot.
 lit Still focusing. You cannot release the shutter.
z  flashing Cannot focus. The shutter is locked.
AF area 
						

							110
Adjusting the focus
To measure the exact distance to the subject
Note If the subject is closer than the minimum shooting distance of the attached lens, the focus cannot be confirmed. Make sure you  put enough distance between the subject 
and the camera.
The   mark located  on the top of the 
camera shows the location of the image 
sensor*. When you measure the exact 
distance between the camera and the 
subject, refer to the position of the 
horizontal line.
* The image sensor is the part of the  camera that acts as the film.
Focus-lock
1Place the subject within the AF 
area and press the shutter button 
halfway down.
The focus is locked.
 Set [Autofocus Mode] to [Single-shot 
AF].
2Keep the shutter button halfway 
down, and put the subject back in 
the original position to re-
compose the shot.
3Press the shutter button fully down to take the picture.