Had to watch this video again after the 2.01 update. The update turned off live view display. I finally found the setting buried in the menu. If you haven't purchased the video on shooting video it's worth the $. Thanks Mark!

Mark, I've been shooting with the A1 for several months now, and I found your video so helpful in fine tuning my initial setup. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that every A1 shooter watch the entire video. And Especially to purchase your companion PDF setup guide. Sony needs to adopt you ASAP as a Sony Imaging Ambassador ! You richly deserve that honor.

Hey Mark, thanks for putting the time in to share this, it's super helpful and also shows a lot of generosity from you. Keep up the brilliant photography as it inspires so many.

Very well done! Thanks for putting this together. Excellent job getting straight to the topic of the video and staying on it. It is nice to click on a video that focuses on what the title describes it as and not a 20 minute introduction. Probably the most content I have seen in a short video. Thanks again!

Mark, Thank you, my camera a1 is now ... ready set go. Your instructions were clear and each button is a gem ... Looking forward to the 2023 migrations. Have been watching you for three years, and will continue.

You have saved my life, Mark. Bought my Sony, no Bologna A1 3 weeks ago and have pretty much been rolling the dice on set up. This camera is a monster. It is the Count Dracula (the ultimate monster in my opinion) of the camera world. Would love a video setup video in the future. Have tried to watch Galer’s videos on THE TUBE, but his monotone speaking voice makes my head hurt. He is a very smart Man tho. Sorry Mr Galer…..Mark, you’re style and easy to follow presentation ROCKS!!!! You’re the best Buddy !!!!!!

As always a very helpful video. I've had my A1 for awhile now and was surprised how similar I set mine up. I picked up a few details from the video to try out on my next outing however. Doing my own tests I've found I can shoot 109+ with zebras and not lose highlights, ironically I chatted with Ryan Mense probably a year ago about using this for exposure with stills. Rock on!

Mark, I saw you at Seabeck a few days ago, and wanted to ask you about my A1 settings, but didn't. But when I reviewed your video today I found out why my AF has not been up to par recently: my Finder Frame Rate was not set to High+. You are right, it makes a huge difference! Thanks so much for sharing your expertise on KZfaq, and in person. You are a great ambassador for photography!

Just got my A1 after shooting Sony for a year. Thank you very much for sharing this valuable resource.

Thanks Mark! Much appreciated and helpful. Would love to see some before and after processing as well as how you do your post! Thanks again, you’ve made many of us much better photographers.

I'm only halfway in the video and I have already learned and picked up more skills then any other videos here. New subscriber and follower on IG. Thanks man

Thank you Mark this is by far the best set up guide video out there.

Excellent as always. I especially appreciate the insight on tracking sensitivity.

Another amazing guide! Thanks so much Mark! I've done these on my last few cameras and after ur last pdf (A7riv) I really feel like I understand and have made it my own.. Cool to see all ur tweaks but I feel like u've "taught me how to fish" and that is awesome. Thanks again!

awesome video. I'm heading to Fl next week for a month, so perfect timing to get the settings all dialed in for shooting. Great resource!

You show the way and I am deeply grateful❤️

I have had an A1 since it first came out. I don't know if I ever saw this video, but I was a big fan of your customization instructions for the A9. Perhaps I just took those instructions and adapted them, because there's a lot of cool new stuff here.

Phew! Thank you!! I have had my A1 less than a week and have yelled at a few videos on setting up -- so happy to find yours. It didn't come up in a google search until I put your name in the search. I remembered how helpful your other videos have been. ALL GOOD!

Hey Mark, I just tried your setup with my Father’s Day gift of a Sony a1 and it works pretty well. Thanks much for sharing. Regards, Phil.

This is fantastic Mark; I'll finally be able to get the max out of my Sony A1; I loved it before but just following your instructions here I see I hadn't even come close to realizing what it can do! Just bought your PDF; CAN'T WAIT to see your 'next' one on A1 VIDEO (hint-hint-hint!!) Again, thanks, congrats and Good Luck!!

Hi Mark, Thanks for the great video and the effort to put this all together. Excellent work. All following stuff relates to SW version 1.1. I had a similar setup. The difference was that AF-ON ( Recall setting 1) would focus on a small spot in the center and the shutter would then jump to tracking or what ever the AF focus mode was set by C1. That gave me more control over the focus/tracking starting point. Perhaps it isn't super reliable depending on the timely release of AF-ON and activation of the shutter. This kind of control isn't needed for BIFs in the sky. Here the A1 just picks the object perfectly for you. Otherwise a focus lock is helpful for the transition. I tried to use the recall options only to find out that those are to rigid for my use - the recall settings are burned into the used switch and I couldn't find a fast way to update them based on the conditions on hand. I used the zebra based on your review of the A7R4 ( or was it from Ryan Mense?) This is a good way to get overall better A and S setting in M mode. Perhaps there is a pretty good overhead build into the software to protect the highlights. Setting zebra to 109+ works only in the C1 and C2 option in the zebra level menu. Shooting in JPG is big joy in S- Cinetone resulting in very little editing. If the object is filling the frame this may be a nice short cut in editing. I stumbled again over a big color difference for recall settings in this mode compared to normal setup, with exactly the same settings. Using your setup solved that problem and others. Comparing this to a Canon R5, which I setup in 3 days to my liking coming from Nikon. For the A1 it took a lot longer to get there. The huge amount of setup options kind of confuses to many things for many users. Thanks again for the big help in this matter and all your great videos and photos about birds around us. KO

I normally don’t comment but I will for you bc this system setup is a game changer. Thank you!!

Excellent and thank you. This has come out on the day that my 200-600 arrived and I went and paid for the 600f4 [now sit back and wait for that one], so I'll be out with the new lens in the morning. All I have to do then is remember where I've put everything, button wise. It will take time, I'm sure of that.

Informative video as always! I really enjoy using Zone focus with tracking so I keep it on the front shutter button but I have a back button setup to single point autofocus. It's hybrid front button/back button and works great for me. Any time something happens suddenly the shutter button is ready to go with eye autofocus and tracking, and if I need precision that single point autofocus is right under my thumb and the rear screen is always ready with touch tracking. Using custom hold shoot sets registered and assigned to buttons you can actually have two rear buttons ( Ael and Af-on) assigned with two different Focus modes and even aperture priority or shutter priority and a bunch of other settings under one button along with the front shutter button. That gives you three different Focus modes and even manual, aperture priority, and shutter priority each with their own list of settings preset without taking your eye from the viewfinder and all under one button. The rear buttons override the shutter button focusing but will allow it to still take the picture.

Really helped a lot and it's the best video on Sony alpha 1 menu settings. Much appreciated!

Thanks so much Mark. This video is awesome. I followed your guidelines and settings and what a difference. I’ll probably grab your pdf file when I get to my desktop. Thank you again 60% from Steinhatchee Florida

Thanks so much for creating this guide it was super useful and you’re an inspirational photographer.

Thanks, Mark. It really helps to set up the camera correctly!

Thank you very much for your instructions. Awesome!

As a a1 and 200-600 owner, I thank you so much.

Thank you so much for your efforts putting all this together Mike!!! Bought your book !! It's one hell of a camera indeed & your little tips are priceless (-: When you get a chance please make a video or share with us what focus area do you use for filming birds in flight in 4K 120P. Thanks again!

Thanks for the comprehensive info......very informative and just what I was looking for.

That's awesome, Mark. Thanks. I have been using most of these settings for years in my A7R3, but I just bought a used A1 and have set it up your way, so a lot of custom button to get used too. I will make a small card with a list of the buttons. Thanks again!

Mark, you make the best videos and I watch every video you make till the end. But since I an not a Sony A1 owner (too expensive for a hobbyist photographer), so this is the first video that I didn't watch. To all you lucky Sony A1 owners, I am sure this video is excellent. Sony if your watching this video, please send me a A1 so I can watch this video.

I finally made the jump and got this camera. Thank you for this video, I have done the set up. I am sure I will have many questions but I think I am ready to get started.

followed Along and made most of these settings for the A7 IV. menus are very close to the same. Thank you for putting this together! Looking forward to your video piece..

Thanks! So very helpful. I appreciate the clarity of your explanations Mark :)

I love the AR7V ...Amazing!👍🏻

Thanks so much for taking the time to do this video! I just got the a1 & Sony 200-600 Lens. I’m really loving it so far. What’s not to love? I have a question concerning the eye auto focus. When I’m shooting birds in flight it’s not always focused on the eye & im wonder if it’s because I’m still learning how to keep the bird consistently in the frame. I know I’m moving around too much & I’m working on that.

Mark, this is an awesome video. I just got my A1 and I am all setup after watching the video. I also downloaded your pdf guide. One issue I had watching the video. I was trying to follow along while actually manipulating my settings as your showed what to do. This worked well until you described the focus settings prior to showing the set up of the customized button settings. I was lost until I watched further and you showed this setup. Once I had them setup it was a breeze! So food for thought, maybe show the button setup first=, then show how the focus and tracking options work.

Mark, Thanks so much for your clear explanations. Great video. Allowed me to tweak some of my buttons to be more efficient and "eye on the viewfinder".

Fantastic Mark. Thank you so much for all these tricks on my A1

Very complete set up for wildlife photography. I copied some your setting in my camera now, so thanks for this video!

Thanks for your time and effort this video, Mark. I always learn something new to try. Great video.

If only i had watched this BEFORE i went to bisque del Apache this past weekend lol thanks for the information and help with setting up my a1. Super practical and helpful with your explanation

I enjoyed this. I had one funny issue. I had previously changed the wheel to iso adjust and loved it but I noticed in the field my nose would bump it and change the setting a lot. Also one weird thing. I had “focus area” as the same button as C3. It seemed to do the same as “switch focus area” but I changed it to your setting. Other than the iso we are almost exactly the same. I made the lens button to switch focus area also as on the big lens it helps me switch fast while holding the camera. Nice video. I feel validated that my settings match yours. Thank you Mark ! We got a ton of ospreys in Palm beach if you are down this way.

Awesome video and great info. A joy to watch and super useful. Love it. Thank you very much!

Just purchased the Sony a1 and this guide is a "God Send"!!! Thank you very much!!! 😁

G'day, Mark, You are the man. This will be quite a learning experience for me but 1 I am determined to learn. A thousand thanks, mate.

You crack me up Mark....thanks again for another great video...

Thanks ! I sent you 20 bucks! Best money I ever spent!

This is the most comprehensive guide I have ever seen on youtube. I can't afford the a1 but I wish you would do a similar complete setup guide for the new a7iv which I am thinking of ordering. I love how you go into every button and menu option and explain how and why you use them. Your setup guides are worth buying.

Even though I have no intention of budget to buy Sony A1 camera/lenses, still appreciate the efforts Mark has put into this video and guide. 👍👏

Very informative and practical as usual Mark! Helps me fine tune my precious settings for better field operations :-)

Brilliant. Thank you very much Mark. Will give it a try.

Mark, thanks so much for this! I have an A7RV but it has similar menus to the A1 and I found this video to be extremely helpful. So many tips to help with things I was struggling with. I bought the pdf too. You're the rock star of bird photography! I hope to join on of your workshops sometime. Now I just have to memorize all these custom buttons!!!

Thanks, very very helpful! Good lesson. I saw your video about your move to Sony also. I was and I am mainly Canon shooter. Now I plan to invest into an 600F4 and have to decide to add it to my R5 or my A1, not easy for me. Unfortunately your video doesn‘t make my decision more easy! Thanks again, keep on your good work!

So helpful! Sony makes customizing so intuitive. I use an RX10iv but just got an a7iv & am psyched to program (& personalize) this system for tracking etc. I need to switch btw animals & birds in diff kinds of landscape. V psyched to use the dial & zebra for iso instead of auto iso + exposure comp (or setting iso limits then forgetting & underexposing). Ty for sharing this, it’s gold.

Thank you! ❤

Mark, thank's a lot once again for sharing all these things with and for us, is it helpful ? Yes it is ! Hello from France.

Thanks for sharing, Mark! Well done!

Love this, set up my new a1 and reset old a1 after cleaning/repair. Also used as guide to set up a6700!

Thank you Smith love your job

Always appreciate your passion and effort 🙏. Any setting tips/help for R5 for same subject/genre please?!

What a time to be a photographer, these cameras are just amazing

Thanks for making this. Super useful info

Excellent and thanks for your time and effort to put this together :)

Thank you for this video Mark, I learned a lot from this again, and adapted a few things to my A1 through these good tips ;-)

Thanks Mark. Very informative video .

Thank you. This video is very helpful. 👍

Thank you so much for this!

Really good stuff Mark

Great video. Thanks Mark

Great video as always Mark. For a diving osprey about to hit the water and then take off (like your cover shot) and suggestion for A1 AF Tracking sensitivity between locked-on and responsive 1-5 to best get the bird coming out of the water. Thanks I’m advance.

The moment I had the A1 in my hands I sat down to watch this vid and get it all set up. Thank you!!

Mark, awesome video as always. I actually had my a1 setup like my a9, which was from your setup video a few years back. I just reconfigured some of the buttons like you described in this videos and it makes it much more streamlined. I never like the zebras because they made me dizzy. I’ll have to give them a try again. One question I have is regarding the steadyshot settings. I have read many different articles with many different opinions. I have mainly kept it on, with mode 3, but I do get some shots that have some weird wavy sort of effect. I would like to know your opinion and what settings you use? Thanks so much and keep doing your thing!

thanks you so much mark 👌you are the best

Thank you great video so helpful

Thanks again for sharing this I used your setup guide on the A9 on my A9ii and brilliant so I am back having just got my A1 ;-) I will also be purchasing your video guide ;-)

Good evening Mark I came across your very interesting video. Thank you for your work and your pedagogy. I support you and subscribe. Best regards from France - Pays Basque

Great job Mark. Much appreciated. :)

Hi Mark, invaluable tips as always, thank you! I assigned DMF to a hold button but I cant get peaking to work with it. what do I miss? Peaking display shows up when the physical switch for manual focus is turned on but when recalled on a custom hold it doesn't show.

this is a great video and although my a1 is currently on its way to me, my a9ii is set up similar in its custom buttons. my question is, what is your most common metering mode when you shoot? thanks!

Mark, fantastic video! I think a guide on AF Modes is almost a video to itself, but I wondered, can you explain when you choose a plain Area Mode over that same Area Mode + Tracking? For example, you use both Zone and Zone+Tracking. Do you have it figured out why and when you use one versus the other?

Hi Mark I like your setup and have adapted most of it on my Sony A1 thank you for your wisdom! It will help for sure!

Great Stuff, Thank you Mark

Once again, a great tutorial. Thanks for the hard work and friendly demeanor. I'm buying your pdf to support you.

Thanks for an amazing video. Found 2-3 setting that I changed on my a7IV based on your information. Maybe mention that we can "save" all these settings. And actualy bring your saved settings over to another camera, if you borrow a friends camera. I guess its saved on the memory card ? It works on my a7IV, so I assume its the same on the A1. Thanks again for the video 👌

Wow thank you for this.

ALWAYS excellent video yet again from Americas version of David Attenborough

Well I made it until the end ;-) I have noticed you have assigned some of the custom buttons different to the A9 guide, I know the menu is slightly different and some items probably not available on the A9 but I assume most of this guide could be applied to the A9ii to keep things simple when switching between cameras, In any case thanks it has saved many many hours of trial and error and more errors than anything lol

Thanks a lot for these tips and tricks. In the A9 video you used a separate setting for flying birds to instantly change settings, do you still use this? Because I don't see it in this video. Kind regards from The Netherlands. Tom

Thank you SOOOOOO much for this video and book!

Thank you for this! Now if i wanted to capture landscapes, which focus mode should I use as i now have Human - Animal - Bird. Im not sure how to get out of any of those options for landscapes! Cheers.

Great video!

Awesome video!

Very helpful! Actually, I have A7IV but your video was very helpful. The menu is mostly the same except I was not able to set ISO with a rotating dial the way you did. Are you planning to update your video and especially PDF for A7IV? Thank you.

bought the guide to support your great work

Dear Mark, thanks for the video, I have one question, would you use the CF express, or is it possible to pull it off with the UHSII V90 sd cards in Sony A1.

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