Changing Shooting Modes on touch screen of a7cii

[AMILLR]

I could have sworn the camera let me change shooting modes on the touch screen but it's greyed out for AP, SP, M, and P. If I put it in auto that does show up on the touch screen and you can click and select it. (Upper left camera is in aperture priority but greyed out and if you select it you get an error message: This operation or setting not available as follows: Shoot mode-Aperture Priority.

So,,,,,are you not able to change shooting mode with touch screen at all?

 

[Lichtspiel]

I think the shooting mode can only be changed via the mode dial. Not via the touch screen. Otherwise, things could get a bit out of sync and confusing...

Of course there are many cameras that DON'T have a mode dial and you can only change the shooting mode via menu/touch screen. Do you own any other cameras perhaps?

 

[Peter Foiles]

To expand on Lichtspiel's answer there is a basic user interface principal that Sony follows, that is if there is a visible control for a function on the camera or lens then what the control is set to is how the camera functions. For example if there is a switch on the lens for turning stabilization on and off then the corresponding menu item on the camera will be disabled, you have to use the switch on the lens because that is what you can see.

Likewise with the PASM dial on the top of the camera. It is very visible when viewing the top of the camera and if it is set to "A" for example then you have every right to expect the camera to be in Aperture priority mode. Allowing that to be different by using the menu (touch screen or otherwise) would be bad design. So yes, the one and only way to change the mode is with the mode dial.

 

[Mr_Win]

maybe this can be used w/memory recall?

I have the sony zve1 and really love being able to change modes on screen

 

[DirkPeh]

maybe this can be used w/memory recall?

I have the sony zve1 and really love being able to change modes on screen

I think Peter is 100% correct about design principles. Just imagine someone has set the mode dial to Auto or P mode, but someone or unintentionally the photographer has set it to fully manual on the screen and when the photographer starts to take pictures, every single one is shot with f/16 at 5000ms and ISO 100 in very low light

If a dial is set to a certain mode or value, this should be the mode or value the camera is in.

Fuji has a nice solution. A dial like shutter speed or Iso or the Aperture ring on the lens can be set to a certain value or to a red A for auto or to C (command). So with one view, you can be sure about the settings. Conflicting settings like a PSAM dial set to Shutter Priority while the cam operates in Aperture Priority are bad design.

Following Fuji logic, the PSAM dial could have a C setting, then you know the mode is determined via the screen.

 

[Mr_Win]

maybe this can be used w/memory recall?

I have the sony zve1 and really love being able to change modes on screen

I think Peter is 100% correct about design principles. Just imagine someone has set the mode dial to Auto or P mode, but someone or unintentionally the photographer has set it to fully manual on the screen and when the photographer starts to take pictures, every single one is shot with f/16 at 5000ms and ISO 100 in very low light

If a dial is set to a certain mode or value, this should be the mode or value the camera is in.

Fuji has a nice solution. A dial like shutter speed or Iso or the Aperture ring on the lens can be set to a certain value or to a red A for auto or to C (command). So with one view, you can be sure about the settings. Conflicting settings like a PSAM dial set to Shutter Priority while the cam operates in Aperture Priority are bad design.

Following Fuji logic, the PSAM dial could have a C setting, then you know the mode is determined via the screen.

I read his post and I agree with it, but MR is outside of the scope of PSAM, you can be in MR and in one of the separate PSAM modes, it's sort of a neutral position in that it can mean M for one person, or S for another.

similarly, the A9iii has a * mode that you can break the convention for drive mode