SONY A7SIII ILCE-7SM3 (03) PDF MANUAL

There are three main guides available for your SONY A7SIII ILCE-7SM3 camera:

Operating Instructions (this book): This is the printed manual that introduces the camera’s basic functions. It includes a “Startup guide” that covers the initial procedures from unboxing the camera to taking your first shot.

“Help Guide” (Web manual): This is an on-line manual that can be read on a computer or smartphone. It provides in-depth instructions on all menu items, advanced usage, and the latest information about the camera.

In-Camera Guide: This feature provides explanations of menu items directly on the camera’s monitor. To use it, select a menu item you want to know more about on the menu screen, and then press the (Delete) button to view its description. This is useful for getting quick information while shooting.

The following items are supplied with your SONY A7SIII ILCE-7SM3 camera:

• Camera (1)

• Rechargeable battery pack NP-FZ100 (1)

• Battery charger (1)

• Power cord (mains lead) (1) (Supplied in some countries/regions. Multiple power cords may be supplied; use the one that matches your country/region.)

• USB Type-C® cable (1)

• Shoulder strap (1)

• Body cap (1) (Attached to the camera)

• Shoe cap (1) (Attached to the camera)

• Eyepiece cup (1) (Attached to the camera)

• Cable Protector (1)

• Operating Instructions (1) (this manual)

• Reference Guide (1)

Follow these steps to charge the battery and insert it into the camera:

Charging the Battery Pack:

1. Insert the battery pack into the battery charger. Align the battery pack in the direction of the arrow on the charger and slide it in as far as it will go.

2. Connect the battery charger to a wall outlet (wall socket) using the supplied power cord.

3. The CHARGE lamp on the charger will light up while charging and turn off when charging is complete.

Inserting the Battery Pack into the Camera:

1. Open the battery cover on the bottom of the SONY A7SIII ILCE-7SM3.

2. Insert the battery pack while pressing the lock lever. The battery will lock into place.

3. Close the battery cover.

The SONY A7SIII ILCE-7SM3 is compatible with USB-PD (USB Power Delivery), which allows for fast charging. To use this feature, connect a USB-PD compatible device to the camera’s USB Type-C terminal. For optimal performance, it is recommended to use a USB-PD device that is compatible with an output of 9 V/3 A or 9 V/2 A.

1. Open the memory card cover on the side of the camera.

2. Insert the memory card into Slot 1, paying close attention to the orientation of the card as indicated.

3. Close the memory card cover securely.

Both Slot 1 and Slot 2 on the SONY A7SIII ILCE-7SM3 support CFexpress Type A memory cards and SD memory cards. Slot 1 is used by default. If you are using a memory card with the camera for the first time, it is recommended to format the card in the camera to ensure stable performance.

1. Remove the rear lens cap from the lens and the body cap from the camera.

2. Align the two white index marks (mounting indexes), one on the lens and one on the camera body.

3. While pushing the lens lightly toward the camera, turn the lens slowly in the direction of the arrow (clockwise when facing the camera) until it clicks into the locked position.

You can perform the initial camera setup, including date and time settings, from your smartphone by establishing a Bluetooth connection. First, install the dedicated smartphone application on your phone.

1. Set the ON/OFF (Power) switch on the camera to “ON” to turn it on.

2. Use the control wheel to select your desired language on the camera screen, then press the center of the control wheel to confirm.

3. Follow the on-screen instructions to connect the camera with your smartphone and complete the initial setup.

You can also configure or change these initial settings later from the camera’s MENU.

For simple point-and-shoot photography, follow these steps:

1. Turn and set the mode dial to AUTO (Auto Mode) while pressing the lock release button in the center of the dial. The shooting mode will be set to (Intelligent Auto), where the camera automatically recognizes the scene and sets the best settings.

2. Press the shutter button halfway down to allow the camera to focus on the subject.

3. Press the shutter button all the way down to take the picture.

The SONY A7SIII ILCE-7SM3 allows you to execute functions by touching icons on the screen.

Settings for Using Touch Function Icons:

• Ensure [Touch Operation] is set to [On].

• Under [Touch Panel Settings] > [Shooting Screen], set [Shooting Screen] to [On].

• Set [Swipe Right] or [Swipe Left] to your desired setting.

To Show/Hide Touch Function Icons:

Swipe right or left on the shooting standby screen. The touch function icons will appear on the left and right sides of the screen based on your settings. To hide them, swipe in the opposite direction.

Examples of Touch Icons:

• During still image shooting:

– Left side icons: Still image shooting mode, Drive Mode, Focus Area, White Balance, Creative Look.

– Right side icons: Shoots a still image, starts recording movies, Face/Eye Subject Select, Touch Func. in Shooting, switches to the playback screen.

• During movie recording:

– Left side icons: Movie recording mode, Focus Mode, Focus Area, Picture Profile, Creative Look.

– Right side icons: Starts recording movies, APS-C S35 Shooting, Face/Eye Subject Select, Touch Func. in Shooting, switches to the playback screen.

The control wheel is a versatile tool for navigation and function selection.

• Navigation: On the menu screen or the Fn menu screen, you can move the selection frame by turning the control wheel or by pressing its top, bottom, left, or right sides. Press the center of the wheel to confirm a selection.

• Assigned Functions: The top, left, and right sides of the control wheel have default functions assigned to them:

– Top: DISP (Display Setting)

– Left: (Drive Mode)

– Right: ISO (ISO sensitivity)

You can also assign custom functions to the left, right, bottom, center, and rotation of the control wheel.

• Playback: During playback, you can display the next or previous image by pressing the right or left side of the control wheel or by turning the wheel.

You can use the joystick-like multi-selector to move the focus area up, down, left, or right on the screen. This function is available when [Focus Area] is set to one of the following parameters:

• [Zone]

• [Spot: L]/[Spot: M]/[Spot: S]

• [Expand Spot]

• [Tracking: Zone]

• [Tracking: Spot L] / [Tracking: Spot M] / [Tracking: Spot S]

• [Tracking: Expand Spot]

You can also assign a function to be activated when you press the center of the multi-selector. By default, the [Focus Standard] function is assigned, which moves the focus frame back to the center of the monitor when pressed.

The mode dial on the SONY A7SIII ILCE-7SM3 allows you to select a shooting mode according to the subject and purpose. To change modes, press the mode dial lock release button in the center while turning the dial. The modes are divided into three categories:

(A) Still image shooting modes:

(B) Movie recording modes:

(C) Registration recall modes:

Follow these steps for basic operations on the menu screen:

1. Press the MENU button to display the menu screen.

2. Navigate the menu tree to find your desired item by pressing the top/bottom/left/right sides of the control wheel. The menu is structured with Menu tabs, Menu groups, and Menu items.

3. Press the center of the control wheel to select the desired menu item. This will bring up the setting screen or execution screen for that item.

4. Select a parameter or execute the function. If you want to cancel a change, press the MENU button to go back to the previous screen.

5. Press the MENU button again to exit the menu screen and return to the shooting or playback screen.

Pressing the Fn (Function) button during shooting or playback brings up the function menu, a customizable menu containing frequently used functions for quick access.

To use the Function Menu:

1. Press the Fn button. Make sure the monitor is not in [For viewfinder] mode.

2. Press the top/bottom/left/right side of the control wheel to select a function to set.

3. On the shooting screen, turn the front dial to select the desired setting. Some functions can be fine-tuned using the rear dial.

4. Press the center of the control wheel to confirm the setting.

You can customize the 12 functions that appear in the function menu for still images, movies, and playback separately via the [Fn Menu Settings] in the main MENU.

You can assign frequently used functions to the custom buttons (C1 to C4) for quick access. To check or change the function assigned to a custom button, follow this procedure:

1. Go to MENU > (Setup) > [Operation Customize].

2. Select [Custom Key/Dial Set.], [Custom Key/Dial Set.], or [Custom Key Setting] depending on whether you are customizing for stills, movies, or playback.

3. To change the function of a specific custom button, select it from the list and press the center of the control wheel.

4. A list of assignable functions will appear. Select your desired function and confirm.

Press the DISP (Display Setting) button on the control wheel to cycle through different screen displays during shooting and playback. The display switches each time the DISP button is pressed. The settings for the viewfinder display and the monitor display can be set separately.

During shooting (Monitor), the typical cycle is:

Display All Info. → No Disp. Info. → Histogram → Level → For viewfinder → Display All Info.

During shooting (Viewfinder), the typical cycle is:

Level → No Disp. Info. → Histogram → Level

During playback (Monitor/Viewfinder), the typical cycle is:

Display Info. → Histogram → No Disp. Info. → Display Info.

You can customize which screens appear in the cycle via the main MENU.

You can select a focus method to suit the movement of your subject by going to MENU > (Focus) > [AF/MF] > [Focus Mode].

• AF-S (Single-shot AF): The camera locks focus once focusing is complete. Use this for motionless subjects.

• AF-A (Automatic AF): The camera automatically switches between Single-shot AF and Continuous AF depending on subject movement. When you press the shutter button halfway, the camera locks focus if the subject is still, or continues to focus if the subject is moving.

• AF-C (Continuous AF): The camera continues to focus as long as the shutter button is pressed halfway down. Use this for moving subjects. There is no beep when the camera focuses in this mode.

• DMF (Direct manual focus): This allows you to make fine manual adjustments after the autofocus has locked on, which is useful for situations like macro shooting.

• MF (Manual Focus): Adjusts the focus manually. Use this if you cannot focus on your intended subject using autofocus.

The SONY A7SIII ILCE-7SM3 can automatically detect and focus on the eyes of human or animal subjects. There are two methods for performing Eye AF, each with different characteristics.

To focus on the eyes of an animal, set [Face/Eye Subject] to [Animal] before shooting. For animals, eyes can be detected only when shooting still images; faces are not detected.

You can select the appropriate shooting mode for your subject from the Drive Mode settings, accessible by pressing the left side of the control wheel or via the MENU.

• Single Shooting: Shoots one image when you press the shutter button.

• Cont. Shooting: Shoots images continuously while you press and hold down the shutter button. Different speeds (Hi+, Hi, Mid, Lo) are available.

• Self-timer(Single): Shoots one image after a designated delay.

• Self-timer(Cont): Shoots a designated number of images after a designated delay.

• Cont. Bracket: Shoots images continuously with different exposure values while you hold down the shutter button.

• Single Bracket: Shoots a specified number of images, one by one, each with a different exposure value.

• WB bracket: Shoots three images, each with a different color tone based on white balance settings.

• DRO Bracket: Shoots three images, each at a different level of D-Range Optimizer.

If you experience trouble with your SONY A7SIII ILCE-7SM3, try the following solutions in order:

1. Refer to the “Help Guide.” The online manual contains detailed information and troubleshooting for many functions.

2. Power cycle the camera. Remove the battery pack, wait for about one minute, re-insert the battery pack, and then turn on the power.

3. Initialize the settings. Restoring the camera to its factory settings can resolve issues caused by incorrect settings. This can be done via MENU > (Setup) > [Reset/Save Settings] > [Setting Reset] > [Initialize]. Note that this will erase all customized settings.

The SONY A7SIII ILCE-7SM3 supports CFexpress Type A memory cards and SD memory cards (UHS-I and UHS-II compatible) for movie recording. The required card type depends on the recording format and bit-rate.

Note: When the recording bit-rate is 200 Mbps, you can also use an SDXC card (U3/V30).