Thad E Ginathom

You've got one. Not getting tiny green rectangles on eyes? In an AF focus mode? Just point the camera at someone and see if it works. I'd bet that it does, even though I don't have that camera or lens. Whoa, don't you even get animal-eye AF on that camera?

I don't think we disagree at all, but I do think that I worded the last post badly. A grey item is exactly what you say. It should be brand new, but will have come from a different market, from which it is able to be sold at a lower price than the same item sourced from the local market. This means it probably will not be supported by the local manufacturer channels. A risky proposition. Is the risk worth it? The answer is down to the amount saved, and how the individual feels about the risk. When faced with this choice, a decade or so ago, the camera was new, grey-market, and sold as "shop warranty only." My way of evaluating the risk was to say, I would pay this price for the camera used, with no warranty, so I will accept this deal. The camera in question was a Canon P&S; not that expensive, but not cheap either. Whilst it broke down, it outlived the warranty by several years. My decision was ok! Liken was probably the wrong word: it was meant to communicate the subjective experience. It didn't do that. Personally, now, I might again go for a grey deal on $$$, but probably not on $,$$$. Added to which, I have the impression that Sony is ruthless about this sort of thing.

There's a world of difference between grey and counterfeit. I would liken grey to buying used and out of warranty. If the saving is sufficient, and the seller is reputable, that is possible route. Of course, I don't know how much Sony kit you have bought up to now. Over the past three years, I think I'm at maybe four items, cameras and lenses --- but nothing anywhere near to 1.3 Lakh. Anyway, everything has come with a proper company tax invoice, of course, and a yellow A4 "Sony India pvt" warrantee sheet. If you have that, and the company is listed by Sony, I don't think you can go wrong for warranty claims. I've bought from J J Mehta via Amazon, Fotocentre, via their own site, and Videolinks. The latter do not list these items on their site, but you can get a price and buy by email. I wish I was nearer: Chennai to Kerala is too far for a shopping trip, otherwise I would visit their shop.

Sorry about that. Shots in the dark sometimes turn out to be just that.

Yep. That's my book too. I also have a digital copy of Gary L Friedman's a6500 book. The phone is ok for quick reference, but the PDF on a PC screen is more of a real-book experience.

I don't shoot video and don't have that camera, so I should keep my mouth shut, right? But there's a chance in a million, a shot in the dark, that a menu setting called HDMI Info. Display just might do what you want. On my humble a6500 it is Setup Menu 4 -> HDMI Settings -> HDMI Info Display -> On/Off

What camera? Are you talking about the Memory-Recall settings that are stored on the SD card? Maybe your camera hides those files. Try looking at the SD card using a card reader. (Location also Chennai, India: Hi! :) )

No, it is not possible. The a6000 does not have that feature. And for the cameras that do... Please note that it is not quite as simple as powering the camera from the USB port. What happens is that the battery powers the camera, and the USB power charges the battery. This means that there must be power in the battery, and it will run down while the camera is being used, just... slower than without the USB power attached. For true external power you need the dummy-battery device for all these cameras.

Takes me back fifty years to student days. We got into this habit: one of us would start on some topic we knew little about, we'd flounder around for a few minutes, and end up chorusing, "Buy a book on it!" And hey, very often we did. Those days, there was no internet, no google and no youtube. That was great for the book trade! Have to say, though, that with a new, complex camera, my first instinct is still to get the book. An actual, printed book. I consider it a shame that they don't come with printed manuals any longer. Well, the manual is online, and it certainly should be one of our resources, but it is a dry thing indeed: a set of short technical descriptions with very little about how or why we might want to use (or not use) a setting or function. The books come with added personal experience and advice. Well worth having. Second to that (well, equal, in a way, just a different way) is the wonders of youtube. There will be reviews and tutorials for your camera. Watch several: get different viewpoints on the same stuff. Even watch elementary, beginners stuff about your new camera! Third, for personal contact and specific questions, online forums are hard to beat. But no-one can take you through the whole thing, like a book can, or go deeply into one aspect like a youtube video can.

Move Exposure modes PASM I don't do video, but I remember seeing this, and dug out my a6000 to check that it is true for this model... In Video mode (video-film symbol on the mode dial) you can change P-A-S-M: Menu: Camera-symbol -> p6 -> item "Movie" Function Menu set: Assign one place to item "Shoot Mode." This would be the easiest regular-access method Either of these bring up an on-screen display from which you chose your desired exposure mode. It is not, as far as I could see, assignable to a customisable button. It isn't on my a6500 either.

It's there, and can easily get activated accidentally, by a finger, for instance :)

I guess you've been menu staring enough, but just in case you missed... Working on a6500 menu options, your camera might have more, but probably doesn't have less. You can (could have?) set a programmable button to Deactivate Monitor, Finder/monitor select, or monitor brightness. You can (could have?) set Finder/Monitor menu item to finder. You can Set monitor brightness menu item, but it doesn't seem possible to set it to zero. First make sure that sensor is clean and unobstructed as per Olaf W. Then maybe set a button to Finder/Monitor select: this might help diagnose a dead lcd screen. I'm suggesting a button rather than the menu item, to make it harder to get stuck in monitor mode if the lcd is dead.

Very nice results. Thanks for making that available. I have not found it so impressive on my a6500, but it may be that i could get better results with outdoor pics in good light at lower ISOs. Thanks for encouraging me to try that.

Customisable buttons and controls... If what you want is on the menu for that button/control, you can have it: if not, you can't.

It would have been nice if you'd said. But never mind, like I say, sometimes I enjoy reading manuals for other people's cameras. And trying to get to grips with Sony's model designations. No problem. Hope you find a fix. I fear that, all too often, when knobs and buttons simply do not do what they should do, it is a hardware problem, and the answer is the service centre.