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Sony a6700
Sony · a6700 · Free lesson

First Setup

What should you change on a brand-new a6700 before your first shoot?

camerasdecoded.com/camera-select/sony/a6700/first-setup
The answer — share this
Format in the camera, shoot RAW at Lossless Comp, SteadyShot on — then save the whole setup to Memory 1 so you never do it twice.
Format: Shooting → Media → Format  ·  File Format: RAW  ·  RAW File Type: Lossless Comp  ·  SteadyShot: On  ·  Save: Camera Set. Memory → 1
Cameras Decoded — Camera Select
Step 1

Format the card in the camera

MENU→Shooting→Media→Format

Formatting builds the folder structure the camera expects and clears a card that has lived in other devices. The a6700 has one SD card slot — the card you format is the only copy of everything on it, so empty it first. Press Enter for a quick format; for a full format, press the Delete button on the format screen.

Know this: formatting erases everything on the card — including protected images and the M1–M4 settings stored on it. Empty the card first, and never format below 1% battery.
Step 2

Shoot RAW, at full quality

MENU→Shooting→Image Quality/Rec→File Format

Set File Format to RAW. Then set RAW File Type to Lossless Comp: full RAW quality, no information thrown away, in a smaller file. Unlike the a7 IV, this body offers no L/M/S sizes — Lossless Comp is one choice, not three. Compressed is smaller still — about half the size — and is the pick only when card space matters more than the last of the quality.

The two RAW types on this body
Lossless CompFULL QUALITY
Compressed≈ HALF
Step 3

Confirm SteadyShot is on

MENU→Shooting→Image Stabilization→SteadyShot

On for normal lenses — the camera reads the focal length itself. Shooting a fully manual lens? Open SteadyShot Adjust. in the same group, switch it to Manual, and set the Focal Length yourself (8–1000mm), or the stabilization will work against you.

Step 4

Save everything to Memory 1

MENU→Shooting→Shooting Mode→Camera Set. Memory

Register the setup you just built to slot 1. From now on, the mode dial’s 1 position is your known-good camera — after any reset, firmware update, or borrowed-body detour, one turn of the dial restores it. The body holds 3 sets (dial 1, 2, 3); M1–M4 live on the card.

Step 5

Put the deep settings one press away

MENU→My Menu→My Menu Setting→Add Item

Add the items you will revisit — Format first — to My Menu. The a6700’s menu is deep; your five items should not be. The menu also works by touch: scroll it like a phone.

Try it now

Do the five steps now, in order, then turn the mode dial to 1 and confirm every setting stuck. That dial position is your camera from today on.