Preface

The Sony a7 and a7R have a breakthrough camera design. At the time of writing this book, they are the lightest, least expensive, full-frame interchangeable lens cameras available to professional and amateur photographers. The cameras’ light weight and compact size makes them very portable, and convenient for the photographer to have at their side at all times. For the adventurous photographer, these cameras can be carried easily to remote locations for recording unique photographic vistas.

Sony has been refining a completely electronic viewfinder system: there is no optical finder on the a7/a7R. This electronic viewfinder provides not only a technical tool for taking photographs, but a creative tool as well. It offers a more efficient workflow to the busy photographer by providing immediate feedback on errors in white balance, focus, and exposure. For the artist, the viewfinder provides a way to pre-visualize the scene to determine if any aesthetic changes should be made. The viewfinder allows the photographer to preview the image with additional artistic elements, such as saturated vivid colors, or muted colors and subtle shades, to decide how to create the proper ambience for the scene. It also allows you to easily switch to black-and-white photography so you can visualize the scene as a monochrome image. This aids in framing the shot by allowing you to balance shadows, gray tones, and highlights for the perfect composition.

This is not to say that the camera is perfect. For those photographers who are interested in taking action shots with a rapid-fire burst capability, this camera is not as well suited as some heavier digital SLRs. However, the a7/a7R is eminently suitable for those photographers who are interested in taking pictures at a more deliberate rate, who are concerned about critical composition, and whose aim is to take landscapes, close-ups, portraits, or scientific photographs.

This book was written with the intent of helping you get the most out of these two cameras. Even if you are a neophyte photographer who is unfamiliar with photographic terms and principles, you can use this book to help you start taking pictures immediately. This book will take you from opening the camera box to becoming comfortable with manually setting your new camera’s controls and taking photos and movies using your own settings. If you are an experienced photographer who needs to get the most out of your equipment, this book describes the camera settings in detail. As always, we have many recommendations on ways to set your camera to get the most out of your efforts. We also discuss camera accessories, including legacy lenses that will benefit your work with the a7/a7R, so you can explore new avenues of creativity with your camera.

Hopefully this book will help you get more enjoyment out of your experience with these two camera models and your photography overall.

Brian Matsumoto

Carol Roullard