View Menus on Laptop due to water damage Alpha 7II - HELP!

[earlphotography]

Hi folks, I'm in a catch 22 of blacked out menus on camera due to water damage after trying to help someone struggling in a kayak after they lost their paddle.  I'm probably not interested in paying to repair the camera due to the vagaries involved there in terms of cost and unknown extent of the damage, but there is perhaps a small hope of getting it partially working based on the circumstances.

So after the water damage, I dried it out sufficiently that it was basically working at least to get shots via initial experimentation.  The camera was set to view menus and the scene via the viewfinder.  So I needed to check through menus and test various things, and I switched it over to the LCD.  That was when I discovered the LCD was dead. 

So my only hope is if there is a way to view the menus by outputting to a laptop, then using the menus to switch back to the viewfinder and just leaving it on that setting.  Obviously I cannot use the camera menus to set it up to live view on the computer.  I'm wondering if there is an HDMI cable or USB cable method that will automatically allow me to view the menu signal on the laptop screen using only settings or software on the laptop to access it.  At this stage I don't believe I have a fitting HDMI cable, and will only purchase if there's any way of doing all this.  I have a usb cable.

Ideas anyone?  Much appreciated.

Thx!

[LiveShots]

HDMI cable should allow you to see the screen and change the menu to switch it back to Viewfinder. This issue has cropped up for others too.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Just for curiosity I just tried the HDMI cable (to my PC monitor) on my Sony a6500, which might or might not work in the same way.

I can see the menu via HDMI, but there is a potential problem: it depends on a menu setting. On the a6500, this is

Setup4->HDMI Settings->HDMI Info. Display = On.

 

Edited March 8, 2020 by Thad E Ginathom

[earlphotography]

I got it to work, Thad.  Connected it to TV, and could see menus.  Unfortunately because I was in HDMI output, it locked out the ability to change settings within the camera from LCD to Viewfinder - "unavailable in this mode".  So I unplugged the cable, and after a few tries was able to make the adjustment "blind".  So the camera shoots and I can now see in viewfinder mode.  Gives me enough confidence to pay the 20 bucks or so and also try to replace the LCD.

Thanks!

[Thad E Ginathom]

1 hour ago, earlphotography said:

I got it to work, Thad

Great!

It looks like it is well worthwhile changing that screen.