Tom Glander Media

Author: Tom

  • SONY A1ii

    This seems to me to be the very best camera in the Sony lineup. Since I am a dedicated Sony user with several lenses for the camera, I will not be switching to a different brand.

    The biggest deal about the A1ii is… everything. From photos to video, it just excels. No blackouts while shooting 30 frames per second bursts, no rolling shutter, 8K video at 30 fps and 4k video at 120 fps. Someday, this is the camera I want to obtain.

    From the Sony website:

    • A fusion of leading technologies delivers overwhelming performance
    • Advanced AI processing unit achieves high-level subject recognition
    • Human eye recognition improved by up to approximately 30%
    • A wide variety of subjects accurately recognized
    • AF tracking response settable to match subject speed changes
    • Flexible focus area settings
    • Selectable release time lag
    • High-speed continuous shooting at full 50.1 MP resolution
    • Pre-Capture and Continuous Shooting Speed Boost
    • Stunning resolution with 50.1 megapixels
    • Selectable RAW image size and quality
    • High sensitivity, low noise, and wide dynamic range
    • Consistently accurate exposure and color
    • Optical 5-axis image stabilization achieves 8.5-step performance at the center
    • Composite RAW modes for lower noise and higher resolution
    • Real-time Recognition AF for movies
    • High-resolution 8K /4K recording for impressive realism
    • High frame rate recording at up to 120p
    • Better S-Log matching with Cinema Line cameras
    • Dynamic active Mode stabilization
    • Auto Framing automatically adjusts composition for the subject
    • Framing Stabilizer automatically maintains subject position
    • Breathing compensation
    • Features for smooth focusing
    • Flexible LCD monitor positioning
    • Advanced ergonomic grip
    • High-performance electronic viewfinder
    • Standard and deep viewfinder eyecups provided
    • Supplied charger charges two NP-FZ100 batteries in 155 minutes
    • Dual slots support CFexpress Type A memory cards
    • Image playback functions that support immediate-delivery workflows
    • Dedicated microphone for clear voice memos
    • IPTC metadata embedding and presets
    • Efficient data transfer by high-speed 2.5GBASE-T wired LAN and wireless LAN

    Images below from the Sony website.

  • Shooting Stars

    Tamron 50-400mm lens, f/4.5-6.3. Below was at 50mm. So far, shooting at 400mm is providing too much wobly in the stars. More testing needed. The red dots are a plane passing overhead.

    It was painful to get to this point, because I had left the camera on Auto Focus mode. Of course it couldn’t focus looking at a dark sky, so the shutter wouldn’t release.

    I finally figured it out and changed to Manual Focus, and low and behold, all systems are go.

    Longer shutter time than 10 seconds creates star trails, or a smearing of the points of light. Trying to keep the ISO as low as possible to minimize noise.

    I could turn the ISO down even more, and inscrease the exposure time to 15 seconds. It will be something I need to experiment with to get more of these details worked out.

    I changed the identifier to “SON” for Sony, and added my domain name to identify my work.

    Next, I need to shoot in RAW and develop these in Lightroom so I can pull out more detail from the night sky. It’s an ongoing, never ending learning experience for me, because…

    “I’m not a smart man.” But I know what love is.

  • Milky Way Photography

    To capture the Milky Way or other star-studded field, set up the A7R5 as follows:

    1. Shooting Mode: Manual
    2. Aperture: Widest available. With Sigma 14mm that would be f/1.4.
    3. ISO: Start with 3200 and increase if needed
    4. Shutter speed: Start with 15 to 30 seconds and test for longest exposure possible without getting star trails. The key is to not get star trails while allowing sensor to pick up as much light as possible from the stars.
    5. Focus: Manual or use live view with focus peaking to ensure sharpness.
    6. White Balance: start around 3900K and experiment if needed.
    7. Use a 2 second timer or a remote to stop camera shake.
    8. Capture images in RAW for most data
    9. Shoot in 3:2, not 16:9 aspect ratio to capture the most pixels

  • New Lens Today

    Picked up a Tamron 50-400mm F/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD today at OC Camera in Laguna Hills, CA.

    Reviews are very good. Tamron has stepped up its lens game since my first lenses from the maker obtained 15 years ago.

    I did it backwards. Bought the lens, then studied the reviews. I’m glad I made the right choice. It’s good to be lucky, like the surgeon says.

    This photo is from a group of 928 shot to test the timelapse function of the lens. See Timelapse post.

    The time was 8:37 PM. Fog rolling in again. 400mm, f/6.3, 4 second exposure, aperture priority. ISO-640.

    It’s hard to see the detail and clarity of these photos on a small device. On a large screen , the detail becomes evident.

    Sony A7R 5 with Tamron 50-400 lens

  • Selective Photo Library

    Just some of the photos or links to YouTube videos featuring my photography.

    This is one of many timelapse photos shot on June 11, 2025. Looking northwest from my backyard. On a mobile device, you can zoom in with the pinch maneuver. The resolution is not the highest, as this is JPG file 1.14 MB in size.

    Dimensions: 5502 x 2736 pixels.

    Sony ILCE-7RM5
    Sigma 50mm ART lens
    f/1.6
    2.5 second exposure
    ISO-100.
    Manual focus
    Aperture Priority

    The transition from very bright daylight to dark night skies is handled smoothly by the Sony in aperture priority. ISO minimium shutter speed is set to 4 seconds. ISO is AUTO with 100 min and 3200 max. Sensitivity is LOW. Interval Priority is ON so the interval takes priority over the shutter speed, as frames could be skipped if shutter speed is longer than the interval.

    Above is the same photo, altered in Lightroom Classic to brighten up the foreground while maintaining the house lights and deeper sky. The orange haze is just that–haze that is reflecting the light from the houses, and the camera really magnifies that light.

    It would be simpler to just set up for night sky photography, or day photography if I was just shooting single shots, but doing timelapse means allowing for the change in lighting, as I’m shooting one frame every 8 seconds and creating videos from them.

    Below, I used a new program called DXO Photo Lab 8 to create this image from the same group of photos above. I’ll not be using Lightroom anymore. I’ll be cancelling and purchasing this great new program after the 30-day free trial is over.

    This photo can be zoomed and cropped even more. Also, this is not the best quality image, as I was shooting in the lowest quality JPG setting to reduce image size for hundreds of frames of timelapse.

    I’ll have to try this as a single shot in RAW and see what I can achieve using DXO Photo Lab 8.

    June 15, 2025 – I’m not sure I want to spend the $$$ on the DXO Photo Lab software. Lightroom Classic may be just fine for what I need.

  • Shooting Christmas Lights

    Or any other type of night time lights.

    Set White Balance to Incandescent (or Daylight if they’re LED lights).

    • If you’re using a tripod, turn SteadyShot OFF and set the ISO to 100. If handheld, turn SteadyShot ON and set the ISO to 200 or 400 (depending upon how bright the lights are). The picture below of old Las Vegas was taken with a tripod and a 500mm lens.
    • Use Spot Metering and aim the camera so the metering area is filled with lights; then use AE Lock to lock the exposure.
    • Recompose your image and shoot away!

  • Focus Magnification

    Create a focus magnifier that is extreme. From Friedman.

    Focus Magnifier – for even greater focusing accuracy, the camera will show you a magnified view of any portion of your frame, allowing you to focus critically. (Peaking Setting can still work here too, but sometimes the contrast isn’t high enough to show the color.)

    This is a function that you have to assign to a button – I use the C4 button. (MENU → → Operation Customize → (Images) Custom Key/Dial Setting → [Choose a button – I recommend “Custom Button 4”] → 26 → Focus Assist → Focus Magnifier.

    Once assigned, hit the Focus Magnifier button, then use the arrow keys (either on the Multi-selector or the rear control wheel) to tell the camera which part of the viewfinder you want to magnify, then hit the center button.

    Focus critically. Want more magnification? Hit the center button
    again. Then hit the shutter release button halfway to go back to Live View and shoot at your leisure.

  • Histogram Explained

    The histogram display simply shows you where the brightness in your image “falls” within the 14-stop range. It is useful when you are shooting subjects that are predominantly white (like a bride in a wedding dress) or black (like portraits of black cats on black backgrounds), and you need to know if the sensor is capturing the detail that the LCD cannot show you.

    It’s also doubly useful when you’re reviewing your images outdoors on a bright day and your LCD screen is getting washed out. Being able to see what you captured graphically can be a stress-reducer out in the field! The histogram shows you the range of brightness values in your image, rearranged in order, with the most frequently-occurring brightnesses being taller.

    Left edge is the DARKEST value the camera sensor can capture.

    Right edge is the BRIGHTEST value the camera sensor can capture.

    When reviewing a histogram for any image, any part of the image that is “off the scale” or blown out will blink.

  • Brightness Range – What Does The Camera See?

    This graphic is a good explanation of light.

    What is a “stop” or “f/stop?”

    A “stop” means “a factor of two” in light intensity. So when it says a digital sensor can sense a range of brightness of 14 stops, it means that the brightest part of the picture is no more than 214 = about 16 thousand times brighter than the darkest part of the picture.

    Put another way, if you were using the spot metering feature of the camera and you were to measure the brightest and darkest parts of your scene, and the brightest part reads 1/1,000th of a second, then the darkest part must read no less than 8 seconds (14 stops away) for everything to be visible.

  • Touch Focus With LCD

    Without looking through the EVF, use the following to make the camera focus and follow a subject by touching the LCD:

    MENU → → Touch Operation → Touch Operation → On

    1. MENU → → Touch Operation → Touch Func. In Shooting → Touch Focus
    2. MENU → → Touch Operation → Touch Panel/Pad → Both Valid
    3. MENU → → Touch Operation → Touch Pad Settings → Operation in Vertical Orientation → On
    4. MENU → → Touch Operation → Touch Pad Settings → Touch Position Mode → Absolute Position
    5. MENU → → Touch Operation → Touch pad Settings → Operation Area → Whole Screen
    6. Fn → Focus Area → Wide (that’s my preferred default most of the time)
    7. Now that it’s primed, just touch the rear LCD screen where you want the camera to focus. You’ll see a white square (or a red square if you have MENU → → Focus Area → Focus Area Color set to Red) around where you touched, along with a new “Cancel Focus” icon near the upper-right-hand corner

    For an interesting twist, try setting MENU → → Touch Operation → Touch Func. In Shooting → Touch Tracking. Now when you touch your subject you’ll see a small square with two vertical lines on either side AND the camera’s AF will kick in. Move the camera around so your subject travels to all corners of the frame, and notice how the camera tries to track your subject. This feature works when taking videos, too, although you won’t see the white confirmation square.


    Cancel the Touch Tracking by either touching the “Cancel Touch Tracking” icon () near the upper-right corner, or press the center button of the control wheel.

    The above was set up on the camera June 11, 2025 and works wonderfully well.