We have purchased four Sony a6000 cameras for use in the course. These have many features, so the following notes may help you configure it for your needs.

We have a copy of the full manuals on the  Manuals and Datasheets page for a detailed reference on the specific camera.  Please see Suzie’s slides for a discussion of photography.

The following lists are not comprehensive. Here is an article detailing many more a6000 settings.  Here is an in-depth tutorial.

Garth’s Preferred Setup

Here is a list of all settings I touched starting from a new out-of-the-box configuration:

Camera menu/1/File Format XAVC S for highest quality video
Camera menu/2/Record Setting 30p 50M or other 50Mbit setting for highest quality video
Gear menu/3/Pre-AF On: continuously adjust focus; Off: only focus when shutter is halfway depressed
Gear menu/3/Peaking Level High to enable focus indicator lines
Gear menu/3/Peaking Color Yellow for more visible focus indicator lines
Gear menu/3/Release w/o lens Enable to use Rokinon 12mm
WiFi menu/1/Airplane Mode On to disable WiFi
Toolbox menu/1/Audio signals Off to disable beeping sounds
Toolbox menu/3/Remote Ctrl leave Off; this is for the RMT-0 Wireless Remote
Toolbox menu/3/HDMI Resolution 1080i works with the Blackmagic UltraStudio Mini
Toolbox menu/3/CTRL for HDMI leave Off; this is for using a Bravia TV remote control
Toolbox menu/3/HDMI Info. Display Off for clean HDMI output (the camera LCD will show the menus instead)
Toolbox menu/4/Date/Time Setup set to local time
Toolbox menu/4/Area Setting set time zone
Toolbox menu/5/Format to prepare a new SD card with a Sony database

General Notes

  1. The camera needs to create a Sony database file on the SD card if the card hasn’t been used before in a Sony camera.
  2. Each camera comes with a 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 lens.
  3. We also have one Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 wide-angle all-manual prime lens: no autofocus, no aperture control.
  4. We also have one Sony 50mm f/1.8 telephoto prime lens.  This can be fully automatic and has image stabilization.

Blackmagic Ultra Mini Recorder Setup

These are small interfaces for importing HDMI video via Thunderbolt into a computer.   We will use these for high-quality ProRes video capture using a clean HDMI output from the camera.

Be sure to run the Blackmagic Desktop Video Utility.app and

  1. set the input to HDMI instead of the default SDI.
  2. leave 1080PsF On (Progressive Segmented Frame)
  3. set the camera to 1080i (see previous section)

Camera Kit Checklist

The cameras have been kitted into a box comprising a complete workstation.  Please take a complete inventory whenever you check out a camera to verify nothing is missing, otherwise you may be charged for a deficiency.

  1. Ruggard Streak 25 Camera Case
  2. Sony A6000 Camera with installed SELP1650 Lens
  3. Sony NP-FW50 Battery
  4. Extreme Pro, 64GB, SD Card
  5. Lens Cover, Front of Lens
  6. Lens Cover, Back of Lens
  7. Camera Body Cover
  8. Camera Battery Charger with attached cable
  9. Blackmagic Design, UltraStudio Mini Recorder
  10. Thunderbolt Cable, Apple, 1.6ft, white
  11. HDMI Cable, 15ft, braided cover
  12. HDMI F to HDMI Micro M adapter
  13. 1TB External Hard Drive, USB 3.0, 7200 RPM
  14. USB 3.0 cable for external hard drive
  15. coming soon: AC-PW20 camera power supply