Sony A7 IV The Frustration continues

[Joe Williams]

I don't understand why this camera continues to throw me for a loop, the settings just keep changing every time I turn this camera on. can someone explain this icon and the weird shutter numbers, I have variable shutter off. I am so frustrated with this camera, I am seriously considering returning it and sticking with the Nikon ecosystem that makes more sense. Also when I attach the godox controller, the screen is black until I press the shutter. I am going to need help on this camera for sure, very few things make sense, I've got 12 days to return so that's my saving grace

 

[Brownie]

That is the AF illuminator. It helps the camera focus in low light. See link. I found this information right here on this forum, link at the top says blogs. Using the online Sony A7 IV owner's manual, I searched for icons.

ILCE-7M4 | Help Guide | List of icons on the monitor

What is it you find odd about 1/50 of a second for a shutter speed?

It's very unlikely the settings are changing when you turn on the camera. It's more likely you're changing things as you explore the settings and forget to change it back.

 

[Joe Williams]

That is the AF illuminator. It helps the camera focus in low light. See link. I found this information right here on this forum, link at the top says blogs. Using the online Sony A7 IV owner's manual, I searched for icons.

ILCE-7M4 | Help Guide | List of icons on the monitor

What is it you find odd about 1/50 of a second for a shutter speed?

It's very unlikely the settings are changing when you turn on the camera. It's more likely you're changing things as you explore the settings and forget to change it back.

i dont understand why these settings keep changing on me, and why is the screen black when i use my godox triggers? I really wanted to go sony as i migrate to morrorless but this camera is extremely annoying, I've been a photographer for 35 years and this is not making sense, i dont get this camera, i am going to give it 7 days and if this crap continues i am returning it and get a nikon z7, i've close to my boiling point with this camera system

 

[Hank]

Joe can you post a video showing the settings and screen and what you mean by "weird shutter numbers".

I am not a pro and have only been in the system for about 8 years with 3 bodies, but I am having a lot of trouble understanding what the problem you are experiencing actually is. The more information you provide, the better the help will be.

 

[Joe Williams]

when i put a flash on this camera my entire viewfinder and screen is totally black, i dont get it, this doesn;t make send\se at all, why cant i see what i am shooting

 

[AlphaWorld]

when i put a flash on this camera my entire viewfinder and screen is totally black, i dont get it, this doesn;t make send\se at all, why cant i see what i am shooting

I think I saw a mention on another forum of a problem like this.

Is it possible you have set something that causes the lens to stay stopped down to the shooting aperture? The reason I ask is that it’s common to shoot flash with the lens stopped to f/8 or more, and if the light is dim enough, you may be getting a very dim picture on the screen; so dim it appears to be black.

Entirely possible that’s not the problem, of course!

 

[Brownie]

I think I saw a mention on another forum of a problem like this.

Is it possible you have set something that causes the lens to stay stopped down to the shooting aperture? The reason I ask is that it’s common to shoot flash with the lens stopped to f/8 or more, and if the light is dim enough, you may be getting a very dim picture on the screen; so dim it appears to be black.

Entirely possible that’s not the problem, of course!

I was thinking the same thing. You may have live view activated, but I thought connecting the flash circumvented that. Is the flash for Sony?

 

[Joe Williams]

I was thinking the same thing. You may have live view activated, but I thought connecting the flash circumvented that. Is the flash for Sony?

its a godox flash v1 for sony, my viewfinder is perpetually dark ... for the money this camera is a pain in the ass

 

[Brownie]

its a godox flash v1 for sony, my viewfinder is perpetually dark ... for the money this camera is a pain in the ass

This and other forums are full of people who've added Sony or changed from another brand and have had no problems other than what one would expect in making the switch. I came from M-4/3 and have operated Nikon/Kodak/Panasonic. All are different, all have different ecosystems. It takes a while to learn like anything else. How easily did any of us find our way around our first digital cameras? I'll bet you had to invest some time into learning them, like we all did.

You want proof the camera isn't a pain in the ass? There are millions of people using them every day. On the other hand, if you don't want to spend time learning the system and you're comfortable with Nikon, then by all means, you should return to whatever makes you comfortable.

 

[Clix Pix]

its a godox flash v1 for sony, my viewfinder is perpetually dark ... for the money this camera is a pain in the ass

Is it possible that there is a more recent version for Sony, or that there is a firmware update that you need to do? The A7 IV camera is a new model and may not be compatible with older flash gear or other older accessories.

How does the camera work when shooting normally -- i.e., without flash?

 

[Joe Williams]

Is it possible that there is a more recent version for Sony, or that there is a firmware update that you need to do? The A7 IV camera is a new model and may not be compatible with older flash gear or other older accessories.

How does the camera work when shooting normally -- i.e., without flash?

I just did a hard reset and its back to normal, i had to redo time, date etc but atleast its behaving like a camera again, dint know what tomorrow brings with this camera but my patients is being taxed with all these mundane settings. I just want to shoot and make money not play with a toy.

 

[Brucewhi]

Quick Tip for when your Sony Viewfinder goes Black - A7iii / A7Riii / A6500

Get my Cine LUTs here: https://www.dodmedia.co.uk/store/cinematiccinelutsGet my HLG LUTs here: https://www.dodmedia.co.uk/store/hlglutpack#dodmedia #tutorial...

www.youtube.com

maybe this will help

 

[AZHeaven]

I don't understand why this camera continues to throw me for a loop, the settings just keep changing every time I turn this camera on. can someone explain this icon and the weird shutter numbers, I have variable shutter off. I am so frustrated with this camera, I am seriously considering returning it and sticking with the Nikon ecosystem that makes more sense. Also when I attach the godox controller, the screen is black until I press the shutter. I am going to need help on this camera for sure, very few things make sense, I've got 12 days to return so that's my saving grace

I was going to suggest a hard reset but you did already. And as for setup. I'm using Steve Perry's Backcountry Gallery A1 auto focus setup and Mark Smiths A1 setup guides. Everything else I'm using Mark Galer.
And Mark Galer has a 500+ page guide to the A7IV. Which is really detailed.

 

[Hank]

maybe this will help

There's a fair chance that Live View was the culprit. Learning a new system would be a PITA I'd imagine.