My problem with my A99: The A99 viewfinder while using manual camera settings, or shutter priority, shows a different brightness level than the resulting photo does.  Way different.  In other words, the picture looks fine in the viewfinder, and on the LED screen, but the photo I take may be way too light or too dark.  This occurs when, for example, I might want to get the "milky white waterfall" effect by using a very slow shutter speed.  It looks fine in the viewfinder, with no indication to "use such-and-such-f/stop", but the recorded photo may be washed-out overexposed.  Or I will want to use my HVL-F43M flash to highlight a foreground object while increasing the shutter speed to darken the background somewhat.  Again, no indication via the viewfinder or the viewing screen as to what the resulting image will look like, so often it is way too dark.  Why?   Thank you.

 

Don't expect the viewing image to match 

the recorded image. It normally does not.  

    

As to your faulty exposures, assuming 

you know how to meter and set settings, 

constant over exposure can be due to a 

lazy or sticking iris. 

   

If you set a normal outdoor exposure 

and shoot a normal image with no trick 

stuff, do you get a normal result ? 

Did you disable the Live View effect ? It should be ON most of the time

 

This should be disabled in situations like using studio flash ( in dark environments you won't be able to focus in Manual mode) or using manual adapted lenses. When disabled and in Manual exposure mode, the finder is trying to provide a modified image to help you focus or compose, so if your exposure setting is way over or under exposed, this is what the final picture will look like.

 

If you disable it, the finder will show you an image that is looking fine but your camera settings may not match those of the finder to the point of causing the big exposure difference you are experiencing.

 

With flash, no camera that i know of can provide a preview of what the flash light will give you as a result.

Get ahold of a optical viewfinder camera set it to manual and learn

how take all the same shots. Then you might see what you are asking

of your A99. I am not trying to be anything but genuine here. This

would be a great exercise for anyone who likes photography but has

never explored the knowledge needed to take the place of what the

most modern cameras do for us now.

When you do long exposures, the predictive functions of the camera won't be accurate. You just have to dial it in by taking a shot and then adjusting exposure based on the histogram and the screen image (which isn't 100% accurate either). Then take a new shot and adjust until it looks like you want it to.