Exposure
Basics
Three controls decide how bright your photo is. Each one also changes how it looks. That's the whole thing. The rest is knowing which one to move — here it is, for the α7 V in a gym.
The three controls
Each one changes brightness. Each one also has a side effect. Learn the side effect and you know which one to move.
What it is: how long the sensor collects light.
Longer (1/60) = brighter photo.
Shorter (1/1000) = darker photo.
SIDE EFFECT: MOVEMENT
Short = the athlete is sharp. Long = the athlete is blurred.
What it is: how wide the hole in the lens opens.
Wider (f/2.8) = brighter photo.
Narrower (f/8) = darker photo.
SIDE EFFECT: HOW WIDE THE SHARP AREA IS
f/2.8 = the athlete is sharp and the gym behind melts away. f/8 = the gym comes back into focus.
What it is: how much the camera amplifies the light it already collected.
Higher (3200) = brighter photo.
Lower (100) = darker photo.
SIDE EFFECT: BRIGHTNESS AND GRAIN
Low = clean file. High = brighter, with grain creeping into the shadows.
One stop = double or half the light
A "stop" is the unit. One stop is the same amount of light no matter which control you move it with. So if you take one stop away with one control, you can give it back with either of the other two — the photo stays equally bright, it just looks different.
Play with it
A dark gym. Drag any slider. With brightness locked, the camera pays for your change with another control. Unlock it and the photo simply gets brighter or darker.
Blur, grain and brightness are exaggerated so you can see the difference on screen.
Three problems, one fix each
Real situations from a gym shoot. Pick the fix — the answer explains itself.
Problem: you're shooting deadlifts at f/2. The bar is sharp but the athlete's face isn't quite there.
Closing to f/4 widens the sharp area so the bar and the face both land. You lose two stops of light — pay for it with ISO.
Problem: photos are sharp but too dark. You're already at f/2 and 1/500, and the movement needs that shutter speed.
The lens won't open further and the shutter is doing a job. ISO is the only door left — and on the α7 V it's a cheap one.
Problem: box jumps at 1/250. The body looks fine but the hands and feet are smeared.
Limbs always move faster than the torso. Two stops faster freezes them — give the light back with ISO, not aperture.
Set the camera once
ISO
100
Cleanest files, most detail in highlights and shadows.
100 – 51200
Extended 50–204800 exists. Ignore it.
12800
Fine for delivery. 25600 works for web if you denoise.
Which shutter type
The α7 V has two. The mechanical one gives slightly better image quality at low ISO because the sensor is read twice and combined. That advantage disappears above roughly ISO 1000 — so in a dark gym you can use the electronic shutter and lose nothing.
| Shutter | Speed | Image quality | Flash | Use for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical | 10 fps | Best below ISO 1000 | Yes, up to 1/250 | Bright gyms, portraits, any flash work |
| Electronic | 30 fps | Equal above ISO 1000 | No | Dark gyms, fast reps, silent shooting |
Files
RAW type
- Lossless Comp — full quality. Use for portraits and anything you'll retouch.
- Compressed (HQ) — smaller, looks the same in practice. Use for long shooting days.
- Compressed — smallest, biggest buffer. Only when you need volume.
Open one test file in your editing software before a paid job — some editors have been slow to support Compressed (HQ).
The rest
- File Format: RAW & JPEG, JPEG at Extra fine, size L.
- CFexpress Type A card in Slot 1 — this is what lets you hold the button at 30 fps.
- White balance: set a Kelvin value or shoot a grey card. Gym lights are mixed — locking it saves hours of editing.
- Anti-flicker Shoot.: On indoors. If you still see banding on the electronic shutter, change the shutter speed slightly.
Colour
Use Creative Look for photos. Picture Profiles (S-Log3, S-Cinetone) are for video — ignore them. If you shoot RAW, the Look only affects the JPEG and the preview, but the preview is what you judge exposure on, so it still matters.
| Look | Result | Use for |
|---|---|---|
| ST | Neutral | Default for RAW work |
| PT | Softer, kinder to skin | Athlete portraits |
| VV | Strong colour and contrast | JPEGs going straight to social |
| FL | Cooler, moodier | Dark gym atmosphere |
Recommended: ST with contrast −1 for RAW, PT for portrait sessions.
In the gym
Mode dial to M. Set the shutter speed the movement needs. Set the aperture you want. Then set ISO to AUTO with a range limit. You control the two things you can see in the photo, and the camera handles brightness.
Shutter speed by exercise
| What you're shooting | Shutter | Aperture | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slow reps, stretching, posing | 1/250 | f/2–f/2.8 | Movement is slow. Saves you light. |
| Squat, deadlift, bench, press | 1/500 | f/2–f/2.8 | Freezes the bar and the face at the hard part of the lift. |
| Kettlebell swings, battle ropes | 1/800 | f/2.8 | The rope and the bell move much faster than the body. |
| Box jumps, burpees, skipping | 1/1000 | f/2.8 | Feet leave the floor — they need the extra speed. |
| Running, sprinting, treadmill | 1/1000–1/1250 | f/2.8–f/4 | Hands and feet blur long before the torso does. |
| Sweat, chalk dust, water | 1/1600 | f/2.8–f/4 | Individual drops and particles need this to stay separate. |
| Athlete portrait | 1/250 1/100 min. | f/2–f/8 | 1/250 is the sweet spot, and the fastest speed that works with flash. A posed, still subject holds up at 1/100 when you are desperate for light — brace your elbows and shoot on the exhale. |
Autofocus
- Focus Mode: AF-C — continuous, for anything moving.
- Subject Recognition: On → Human — it holds the athlete even when the face is turned away.
- Focus Area: Wide when one person fills the frame, Tracking: Spot M when there are other people around.
- AF Tracking Sensitivity: 2 — stops focus jumping to someone walking past.
- Put focus on the AF-ON button and turn it off on the shutter button.
Burst and timing
- Stay on Hi and assign Speed Boost to a button for 30 fps when you need it.
- Pre-Capture: On, 0.5 s — the camera keeps the half second before you pressed, so you stop missing the top of a jump.
- Fire short bursts at the hard part of the rep. A full second at 30 fps is 30 nearly identical files to sort.
- Auto ISO limits: bright gym 100–3200, dark gym 800–12800.
Three setups, one light stand
One light in the right place beats four in the wrong ones. Start with the first setup — it works on everybody — and only get clever once it's boring.
1 · Key light — bright and clean
One light source in front of the athlete, about 45° to the side and just above their eyeline, angled down. The whole body reads clearly, the face is properly lit, and the background still goes dark because the light never reaches it. This is the safe one. A white wall or reflector on the other side softens the shadow.
1/250 · f/5.6 · ISO 100 · mechanical shutter
2 · Side light — muscle and drama
Same light, pushed round to 90°. Half the body is lit, half disappears. Every edge of every muscle picks up a highlight, which is why this look sells gym content. It is unforgiving of soft edges, so use it on athletes who want to show definition.
1/250 · f/5.6 · ISO 100 · mechanical shutter
3 · Two lights behind — outline
Two sources behind the athlete, one each side, aimed back towards you at an angle. Nothing lights the front. You get a glowing outline around the body and a nearly black face. Graphic, moody, and it makes a messy gym vanish completely.
1/250 · f/8 · ISO 100 · mechanical shutter
1. With flash, the α7 V syncs up to 1/250 s and does not work at all with the electronic shutter. Set the shutter to mechanical before you start.
2. Move the light, not the camera. Where the light hits the body decides the photo far more than any setting does.
Before you start
Starting settings
| Situation | Shutter | Aperture | ISO | Shutter type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bright gym, daylight windows | 1/1000 | f/2.8 | 100–800 | Mechanical |
| Normal gym lighting | 1/800 | f/2.8 | 1600–6400 | Electronic |
| Dark gym | 1/500 | f/2 | 6400–12800 | Electronic |
| Outdoor running | 1/1250 | f/4 | 100–400 | Mechanical |
| Portrait with light source | 1/250 | f/5.6 | 100 | Mechanical |
Four common mistakes
Being afraid of ISO
A grainy sharp photo is usable. A clean blurry one is not. Raise the ISO.
Using aperture priority indoors
The camera quietly drops the shutter speed and everything goes soft. Use M with Auto ISO.
Holding the burst button down
You fill the buffer and get hundreds of near-identical files. Short bursts at the peak of the movement.
Leaving white balance on auto
Colour shifts between frames under gym lights and editing takes twice as long.