How do you customise the Sony A7 III?

People sometimes complain that the Sony A7-series cameras are very complex, especially their menus. But if you spend a bit of time working through the customisation options, you’ll find that many of the features you need can be close to hand.

Learning how to customise the Sony A7 III can also speed the time it takes to set-up each shot you take.

For example, the mode dial has settings that allow you to change a long list of features with one turn. You can also put all Menu options that you use most often in the My Menu section, to make them easy to find. In addition, the Function (Fn) menu layout and layout can be changed to suit your preferences. And many of the controls can be customised to access a range of features or respond in a different way from the default setting. 

• Which Sony A7 camera? How to choose the right model

How do you customise the Sony A7 III’s Mode Dial?

In addition to the PASM settings, the A7 III’s mode dial has a section marked 1 and 2. These can be customised to switch the shooting mode and a selection of settings to your own preset options.

For example, if you like shooting street photography and tend to use a mid-range aperture and sensitivity when you’re walking around, you might want to this to be setting 1. You could also save the settings that you like to use for street portraits to 2. This means that when you find a portrait subject you can swap quickly to a wide aperture and low ISO, so you don’t keep anyone waiting. Then, when you’ve got the portrait in the bag, you can switch back to setting 1.

Alternatively, you might use 1 for a landscape set-up and 2 to set the camera to shoot sport, wildlife or action.

• Sony A7 III Review

Here’s how to do it.

1. Select all the settings that you want to use for your first shooting situation. Rember to set all aspects such as the exposure mode via the mode dial, the exposure settings, white balance, focus area drive mode etc.
2. Press the menu button and head to the 3rd tab of the first menu, it’s called Shoot Mode/Drive1 3/14.
3. Scroll down to MR 1/2 Memory (shown above) and press the centre button (at the middle of the navigation pad).
4. Select the number 1 at the top of the screen, then press the centre button again. You should see ‘Registered’ appear on the screen.
5. Now to set-up the second shooting mode. Simply, repeat steps 1-4 with the new settings, but select number 2 in step 4.
6. From now on, when the mode dial is on 1 or 2, you should see all the settings you selected as on the screen below. 

• Which settings should you use on the Sony A7 III for photographing music?

How to expand the customisable mode options

You may have noticed M1, M2, M3 and M4 appearing on the screen next to the 1 and 2 when you save the settings location. These can be used to expand the customisation of the mode dial. However, the information is saved on a memory card. The data is deleted if you format the card, but as there are two card slots, you could use one to contain the customisation settings and the other for images. The process is very similar to the previous one, as follows:

1. Select all the settings that you want to use for your first shooting situation. 
2. Press the menu button and navigate to Shoot Mode/Drive1 3/14.
3. Scroll down to MR 1/2 Memory and press the centre button.
4. Select M1, M2, M3 or M4 at the top of the screen, then press the centre button again.
5. To access the options, turn the mode dial to 1 or 2 and press the menu button.
6. Navigate to the 3rd tab of the first menu Shoot Mode/Drive 1 3/14.
7. Scroll down to MR 1/2 Recall and press the centre button before selecting M1, M2, M3 or M4 to access the settings.

How do you customise the Sony A7 III’s My Menu screen?

The A7 III’s My Menu screen is where you assign your most commonly used menu items. It’s very easy to set-up as follows:

1. Press the Menu button and navigate to the star icon. 
2. Scroll down to Add Item and press the centre button.
3. Scroll through the list that appears and find the option you want before pressing the centre button.
4. Now find where you’d like the item to appear in the My Menu screen.
5. Keep adding items until everything you want is listed, then press the menu button.
6. Use the Sort Item and Delete Item options to keep the My Menu page organised and relevant.

How do you customise the Sony A7 III’s Function Menu?

The Function menu is the 12-box grid menu that appears when you press the Fn button. It gives you a fast route to the features you use most often. Many people don’t realise that it’s customisable. Just follow these steps to change from the default settings:

1. Press the menu button and navigate to the 8th page of the second tab (Custom Operation1 8/9).
2. Scroll down to Function Menu Set.
3. Select the location or feature that you want to change and press the centre button.
4. Scroll through the list that appears and find the parameter that you want before pressing the centre button again.
5. Repeat 3-4 until you have the Function menu arranged as you want.

How do you customise the Sony A7 III’s Controls?

Helpfully, Sony allows you to assign different roles to some of the A7 III’s buttons and dials in stills, video and playback mode. There are 12 customisable buttons, so it’s worth spending time thinking carefully about how you use them. I recommend only changing the function of a couple at a time so you can assess the impact and adjust if necessary.

• How to use the Lensbaby Burnside 35 on the Sony A7 III

Follow these steps:

1. Press the menu button and navigate to the 8th page of the second tab (Custom Operation1 8/9).
2. Select in which of the modes you want to change the button or dial’s function (stills, video or playback).
3. Press the centre button
4. Select the button or dial that you want to change the function of and press the centre button.
5. Find the feature that you wish to assign to the control and press the centre button to confirm the change.
6. Repeat 4 and 5 to make any other changes.
7. Press the menu button to return to the main menu.

How do you change the function of the Sony A7 III front and rear dials?

If you find you’re always adjusting the aperture when you want to change the shutter speed, you might want to switch the function of the front and rear dials. This is done as follows:

1. Press the menu button and navigate to the 8th page of the second tab (Custom Operation1 8/9).
2. Scroll down to Dial Setup and press the centre button.
3. Select the option that you want and then press the centre button again.
4. If you want, you can also reverse the way the buttons adjust the settings via the Av/Tv Rotate option.