How to manually adjust the aperture and shutter speed when recording movies

When placing your camera into the Movie or S&Q modes for recording video, the camera may revert to a program or automatic mode. These modes are not user-adjustable as the aperture and shutter speed are automatically set.

To control the aperture and shutter speed settings when shooting in movie mode, switch the Exposure mode of the camera after selecting your movie mode.

Before you start

• For more information about the manual exposure mode, refer to the M Mode article.
• Adjusting the shutter speed controls how moving subjects are captured. Larger values tend to stop motion. Smaller values tend to blur motion.
• Adjusting the aperture changes the focus range and background defocus. Small values blur the foreground and background, while large values maintain focus for the entire scene.

Manually adjust shutter speed and aperture modes when shooting movies

Depending on your camera, the Exposure mode settings will be different.  Refer to your camera's Help Guide for details. Manuals are posted on your model support page.

• SLT-A60/A70 A-Mount Body

  1. Turn on the camera.
  2. Move the focus mode dial to the MF position.
  3. Turn the mode dial to the Movie icon.
  4. Press the Fn button.
  5. Press the center of the multi-selector/control button.
  6. Push the multi-selector/control button up or down to select the desired setting.

      

     • Program Auto allows the camera to automatically determine the aperture and shutter speed, while other settings can be adjusted manually and saved.
     • Aperture Priority allows both the front and rear dial to manually adjust the aperture, while the shutter speed is automatically selected by the camera.
     • Shutter Priority allows both the front and rear dial to manually adjust the shutter speed, while the aperture is automatically selected by the camera.
     • Manual Exposure allows the rear dial to adjust the aperture and the front dial to adjust the shutter speed.
  7. Press the center of the multi-selector/control button.
  8. Turn the front or rear control dial to adjust the shutter speed or aperture value to your desired setting.
  9. Point the camera at your subject.
  10. Adjust the lens focus.
  11. Press the MOVIE button to start recording.

• ZV-1, ZV-1M2, ZV-E10 models

  1. Turn on the camera.
  2. Depending on the ZV camera, set the movie mode and manual exposure settings (Help Guide):
     • ZV-1
       1. Select the movie and manual exposure mode.
       2. Manually select the desired aperture and shutter speed.
     • ZV-E10
       1. Select the movie and manual exposure mode.
       2. Manually select the desired aperture and shutter speed.
     • ZV-1M2, ZV-E1
       • Select the movie, manual exposure mode, and aperture/shutter speed settings for the ZV-1M2.
       • Select the movie, manual exposure mode, and aperture/shutter speed settings for the ZV-E1.
  3. Point the camera at your subject.
  4. Adjust the lens focus.
  5. Press the Movie button to start recording.

• ILCE models 

  1. Turn on the camera.
  2. Depending on the ILCE model, set the movie mode and manual exposure settings (Help Guide):
     • Models with a Still/Movie/S&Q dial and a Mode dial (ILCE-7M4 as an example) 
       1. Select the movie, manual exposure mode, and aperture/shutter settings.
     • Models with a Mode dial (ILCE-7SM3, ILCE-1 as an example)
       1. Select the movie and manual exposure mode.
       2. Once the manual exposure mode is selected in step 1:
          • Select the desired aperture value by turning the front dial.
          • Select the desired shutter speed by turning the rear dial.
  3. Point the camera at your subject.
  4. Adjust the lens focus.
  5. Press the Movie button to start recording.