A6500 (or a6300 I'd imagine) using the viewfinder...

[rks]

So the A6500 I just got will helpfully switch to the viewfiender when you put your eye up to it, but I can't figure out how to get it to switch while in the housing to use an eyepiece, has anyone figured that out?

Has anyone found a good book that supplements the rather lame user manual to help understand things like how focus peak is implemented, how to save custom settings etc...

-R

 

[gstrek]

I have a Sony A6000 for above water. The only way I can turn on/off the Viewfinder is to use the menu system (Settings, Finder/Monitor=Auto|Finder|Monitor). It would be nice to be able to set a Custom Key setting to toggle this but it isn't available on the A6000. I found that on AUTO, it eats through batteries extremely quickly, even when the camera is turned off so I keep mine on Monitor. It is also good idea to keep your camera in Airplane Mode.

There are so many customizations you can make to an A6x00 camera, it seems complicated. I found Youtube videos to be the best source of information. Some of those are: Tony & Chelsea Northrup, Alpha Creative Skills and Robert Wilson (Sony A6000 Camera).

 

[Fishrider]

I have a Nauticam housing with a 45 degree viewfinder. I found when the a6500 has its monitor tilted out even slightly the EVF turns off. This effectively makes the mechanical EVF cover function-less. As far as I know there is no setting to stop this. So I have my viewfinder set to select manually on the Custom Button 3.

Menu-->Cam 2-->Custom Key (Shoot.)-->Custom Button 3-->Finder/Monitor Sel.

This sets your C3 button, the button labeled with the trash can, to manually select the finder or monitor.

 

[Hoag]

On the back of your housing, there should be a two position toggle switch in the upper left (right next to the NA-A6500 logo) marked VF and LCD. This switch should let you select either the Viewfinder or the LCD display.

 

[Fishrider]

On the back of your housing, there should be a two position toggle switch in the upper left (right next to the NA-A6500 logo) marked VF and LCD. This switch should let you select either the Viewfinder or the LCD display.

My point was that when the monitor screen is tilted out the VF turns off, and the monitor screen turns on. When you place the mounting tray on the camera the screen must tilted out ever so slightly. Thus turning on the monitor and turning off the VF. The VF/LCD toggle switch does not work at that point. Without the mount tray attached tilt the screen out and see if you can get the VF to operate. If there is a setting I missed please enlighten me. On the NEX-7 tilting the screen had no effect on the VF. I do not know how this operates on the a6000-a6300. I really do not mind having the monitor/VF set on manual. On land it is an extra step to peruse pics through the monitor, but that is okay. I do not use the monitor underwater. The 45 VF is superb. An expensive add on that I was first skeptical about, but came to really enjoy after my first dive.

 

[TheToothFish]

On the a6300, the VF/LCD toggle works the same as the NEX-7. The screen tilt will NOT disable the switching. On the a6500 the toggle only works if your housing allows the screen to be kept flat. The Nauticam housing camera tray requires the screen to be tilted, thus negating the switch. The easiest way to switch between the VF and LCD without going to the menu is to set the C3 button as described in the previous post.

 

[Fishrider]

@TheToothFish Precisely my point on the a6500. I wondered why the toggle had been placed on the a6500 housing at all, but I was too lazy to investigate with Nauticam. Just an oversight I guess.

 

[rks]

Nauticams instructions show that it can work, you have to unscrew a piece on the try to use it though. I've not yet got my housing so I can't say for sure if it works.

 

[BFRedrocks]

As stated above and in the Nauticam instructions (page 20), if you install the LCD tilted (standard install), switching from LCD to VF is a 2-step process (at least for me). The way I did it on my a6500 is to go into the menu and change the "Finder/Monitor" to "Monitor(Manual)". Then assign a custom button (I chose C3/trash can because it's the most easily accessible during shooting) to "Finder/Monitor Sel." To switch from monitor to VF, I push C3 and then move the VF/LCD switch to VF. Reverse for switching back. It works great for me and leaves the LCD tilted in the housing. Although I haven't really played with it, I don't know if moving the lever actually does anything, but at a minimum it helps me keep track of which viewer is active.

The instructions suggest that if you change the LCD support so that you can install the camera without the LCD being tilted, then you can use the "Auto" setting on the camera and then the VF/LCD level controls the finder by still allowing for the auto eye switch to function. It is that way to help preserve battery life by having the housing control (cover) the auto eye switch for the VF. I just found it easier to use option #1 (above).