Sony a7Sii Course for Shooting Video - Online Training Tutorial Download and Streaming $49

Sony a7Sii Getting Started in Video

Are you interested in shooting video with your Sony a7Sii, but not sure where to start? This course will get you up to speed quickly. Get instant access and start watching now.

This is a beginner level course and advanced too, about 5 hours is at a beginner level, however the 1.5 hour chapter on Slog2/Slog3 is very advanced. If you are a beginner I would suggest skipping the Slog chapter until you have used the camera for about 6 months and then return to watch the Slog chapter. This course covers the camera in great detail (everything video related in the manual and more), but it does not cover items sold separately from the camera, editing, rendering and photography features.

About 40 minutes of this course is done by Matt Scott who color grades some of my slog footage, you will learn a lot from Matt (I know I have). I will warn you that Matt does swear in his tutorial section (he is very passionate when he grades footage).

Follow along as I start fresh and reset all the menus for video shooting. The menus can be very confusing when it comes to focus modes, codecs, compression, frame rates, I step you through each one and demo how they work.

Sony's owner's manuals are biased towards photography and leave a lot empty gaps when it comes to shooting video. This training course fills in those gaps and a lot more. The true value of this course is saving you weeks if not months of time testing your camera to get the best results.

Who is this online training course for? People that have never owned a Sony mirrorless camera before, or people that have had their camera for a while but never shot video. Or, this course is great for people who have not tested all the different settings, or struggling to get a good image from Slog.

What if you own an older Sony a7S, will this course apply to your camera? Since the a7S does not have modes like Slog3 and renders colors different, I would recommend NOT buying the course. However the good news is I am looking in to making a course on the a7S.

I cover all the menu items thoroughly however I do move quickly through the wireless and app menu tabs so I can spend more time in the slog chapter.

This course is based in the a7Sii 2.00 firmware update which is almost identical to the most recent.

Course running time: 6 hours 26 minutes

Level: Beginner/Advanced

$49.00

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Streaming and Downloads | System Requirements | Terms & Conditions

Table of Contents

Video "A" (Tour)

Course Intro (what is covered and who this course is for)

00:00
What's in the Box (description of each item and precautions, which items I use and which I don't)

03:47
Recording your first video (exercise)

13:19
Tour around the Sony a7Sii & Customizing the buttons

15:08

Video "B" (Menus)

Help with Avoiding Sony Menu Confusion

00:28
Camera Settings - Page 1 (aspect ratio, format for time lapse)

05:38
Camera Settings - Page 2 (codec's compared, 8-bit at 4K, 4:2:0 vs 4:2:2 examples)

06:35
Camera Settings - Page 3 (Focus Modes AF-C, DMF, MF, Focus Area)

29:04
Camera Settings - Page 4 (AF Illumintor, Exposure Step, ISO, ISO Range)

33:27
Camera Settings - Page 5 (Metering, WB, DRO, Creative Styles, Picture Profiles)

39:22
Camera Settings - Page 6 (Zoom, Focus Magnifier, Smile/Face Dect.)

47:31
Camera Settings - Page 7 (Auto Mode, Scene Selection, Movie/HFR)

55:13
Camera Settings - Page 8 (SteadyShot, Audio Recording, Audio Rec Level)

59:26
Camera Settings - Page 9 (Audio Out Timing, Wind noise, Memory)

1:03:40
Custom Settings - Page 1 (Zebras, MF Assist, Grid lines, Marker Display and Settings)

1:08:14
Custom Settings - Page 2 (Exposure Set Guide, Audio level, DISP Btn, Peaking Color)

1:13:07
Custom Settings - Page 3 (Zoom Settings, compare Optical, ClearImage & Digital)

1:17:04
Custom Settings - Page 4 (Release without card)

1:27:22
Custom Settings - Page 5 (using silent shooting, Face Registration)

1:28:32
Custom Settings - Page 6 (APS-C/Super35mm vs Full Frame)

1:29:45
Custom Settings - Page 7 (dail setup)

1:46:17
Wireless - Page 1 (NFC, does Airplane mode really save on battery life?)

1:47:52
Wireless - Page 2 (I don't spend that much time on the wireless menu)

1:49:50
Apps (Which Apps I use and for what shooting situations)

1:50:46
Playback - Page 1 (View mode, using slideshow for review footage)

1:52:32
Playback - Page 2 (How Protect does not protect your images if you format)

1:55:14
Setup - Page 1 (Monitor Brightness recommendations, How to shoot totally silently)

1:55:39
Setup - Page 2 (Display quality and battery life, Pwr Save)

2:00:13
Setup - Page 3 (NTSC/PAL, Cleaning Mode, Timecode uses, Remote Ctrl, HDMI Settings)

2:02:57
Setup - Page 4 (USB Connection, USB Power)

2:12:03
Setup - Page 5 (Format, file numbering and folders)

2:14:44
Setup - Page 6 (DB, Display Media Info, Body and lens Firmware versions, Resetting)

2:18:25

Video "C" (Stills vs Movie, Exposure, White Balance)

Pros and Cons for shooting movies in Stills Mode or Movie Mode

00:04
Exposure Intro

05:33
How to control exposure

07:28
Shutter Speed (motion blur and brightness, greenscreen,)

07:52
Judder (what is it and what shutter speed and frame rate works best for pans)

12:55
Shooting for slow motion (recommendations for smooth slow motion)

17:05
ISO (how to get the cleanest images when shooting at a high ISO)

18:06
Aperture (recommendations for for f-stop to use)

21:26
One Stop Relationships (how to quickly change your exposure by one stop)

24:49
Tools for setting Exposure (histogram, zebras, punching in, etc.)

28:06
Exposing out in the field examples (when to protect highlights and when not to)

35:27
White Balance (when to use the presets indoors and what to use outside)

43:22
How to Custom White Balance (when to balance for middle grey or white)

45:00
Three ways to set White Balance (speed vs accuracy)

50:58

Video "D" (Creative Styles and Picture Profiles)

Contrast (Creative Style Contrast Levels Compared and recommendations)

02:14
Saturation (Creative Style Saturation Levels Compared and recommendations)

08:08
Sharpness (Creative Style Sharpness Levels Compared and recommendations)

14:08
Each Creative Style Contrast Curves compared and recommendations

20:14
Each Creative Style compared at the same saturation level

40:27
Slog Picture Profile *Start of Advanced Section

33:38
Exposing Slog for the best results and dynamic range

36:42
When higher ISO is cleaner than lower ISO

39:34
Compare all PP in different lighting

42:13
Compare Slog2 vs Slog3 (I spend more time on Slog2 than Slog3)

47:10
Compare all color modes

49:44
Apply technical LUT using PPro & Resolve

54:03
Grade Slog without LUT

58:32
Matt Scott grades Slog

1:05:02
Knee, Detail, Black Levels

1:49:05
Recap of Slog

1:57:09
Exercise to improve your Slog grading

1:59:39

Video "E" (Lenses and Focus)

Lens adapters

00:36
Fly-by-wire focus, pros and cons of using native Sony glass

01:24
Benefits on Sony Native Glass

06:27
Sony Glass Abbreviations

10:31
Tour of my lenses

11:51
Manual focus without peaking

20:15
Manual focus with peaking turned on

22:45
Punching in to focus

23:59
Focus using zoom

25:32
Peaking in 4K vs 1080 is there a difference

26:29
DMF focus issues (using stills mode for video)

27:38
Using Face Detection and registration faces

29:35
AF vs Manual focus peaking test

37:16
Goodbye

47:17

Unsolicited Testimonials

"Dave this is a great course. Very informative. More information than I was expecting - was interested in menus, and color grading, picture profile info, and I watched all of it. Im glad I did because you bring out lots of hidden treasures. I have to say Im not a fan of Sony and there menus. They have a lot to learn from other camera manufactures but Sony’s problem is they don’t listen to the people who use the cameras. Just look at the manual that comes with the camera! You do a great job of explaining - very worth the time and money. Thank you for taking the time to make it." - John

"You're THE BOMB, Dave!!!! Just bought the course and this is EXACTLY what I was looking for. Thanks" - Hoy

I recently purchased your course for the sony a7sii and I've been really enjoying it. Love the clarity of your explanations and the care that goes into the content. I purchased the Sony a7sii after my old black magic pocket died, and I needed this camera for an upcoming wedding shoot. I was completely overwhelmed when the camera arrived and faced with the bewildering and byzantine menu and settings structure. I had to use this thing in two days and I was in a panic. I purchased your course without knowing much about you, but boy did it save my life! I spent the next 48 hours carefully going through the camera with your videos playing on my laptop. This crash course in my new camera made it possible for me to have a mostly painless shoot in the day of the wedding ... thank you for that!

"Sony a7Sii course from Dugdale. Highly recommended for a7Sii users!" - Charlie

"No he does camera courses better than The Dave Dugdale" - Carl

"I am working my way through the course, it's great." - Alex

"Just a quick email to say that your new a7Sii course is awesome! I’ve had my a7Sii for a couple of months now and I’ve learnt a lot more about what it can do through your videos so a big thank you for that! Keep up the good work!" - Tom

"Excellent course. Well worth the #investment" - BlueBerry

"If you have a Sony A7SII, you seriously need to check out Dugdale's new course: Comprehensive and engaging!" - Jordan

"I've just finished your course and I really enjoyed it, every minute! - Rafa"

"Thank you so much I’m really enjoying the info session. You have done a really great job with everything, I’ll definitely be looking into more of your toutorials! - MacKinzie"

"Just purchased your tutorial on the A7sII and have really enjoyed it. - Tom"

Free 6 minute video: How To Not Lose Your Histogram When Adjusting Exposure on the Sony a7Sii

Free 5 minute video: Sony a7Sii Contrast Tutorial

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Try Before You Buy

Above in the Table of Contents you will see at least one free video in the course so you can try it out before you buy.

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Covered/Not Covered

What is covered:

Only video related items.

Some color correction within Premiere Pro and Davinci Resolve is used for the Slog chapter.

How to set up your camera for video.

Basically everything in the owner's manual that relates to video plus more info that the manual neglects to mention.

What is not covered:

Photography information such as exposure compensation, the flash unit, RAW image files, etc..

This course does not cover how to edit, render/export your files, this is mostly a prerequisite course for more advanced courses to come.

I will not cover items sold separately from the camera.

I don't cover specs in the back of the manual.