Why do I need an ND filter again? I have a really nice Singh-Ray thin vari-ND but I do not need it for this exercise.

Happy shooting!
Shawn

This should be “Fixed shutter speed in P mode workaround” not “AF in Manual mode” workaround.

You have 4 modes with the a77 on the video dial

P mode = Autofocus works, but the shutter varies and the aperture is fixed to F/3.5. You can, without using an ND filter (just point the camera at light or towards the sun) and get the shutter to 1/125 and hit the AEL button and that will set the shutter.

A mode = Autofocus does not work (ever) and you set the F/stop to your preference. ISO can be set to AUTO or whatever you want. Shutter will fluctuate depending on the light. The AEL lock trick works in this mode as well, but you certainly don’t need an ND filter – just point it at the light or slightly towards the sun. Shutter will go from 1/60 to 1/8000 (USA model).

S mode = Autofocus does not work (ever) and you set the shutter to your preference. The camera will adjust the ISO auto or manually, and the F/stop will go from fully open to F/16 (or F/22) depending on how far your lens will step down. So say you want F/9 with a 1/125 shutter, just point it near a bright source like the sun or light and hit the AEL lock button. Of note – this is before you hit the record button. Once you hit the record button, this camera will not “auto ramp” up or down the shutter like a GH2 will. So in video shutter priority mode, this is almost like effectively hitting “AEL” the same moment you press record. Try it; you’ll see what I mean. Again, no ND filter needed; just a 60 watt light bulb or that huge orange/red thing in the sky.

M mode – Autofocus does not work (ever) and you manually set the ISO, F/stop, and shutter speed. One would not need to hit AEL lock in this mode as you have full control over everything already. No ND filter, and it will *not* ever AF in this mode.

So, with the title saying “AF in manual video movie mode workaround” it doesn’t make any sense. Perhaps you meant “Shutter speed lock in P mode workaround”? It’s really just as simple as pointing it at a light or away from a light.

Thanks,
Shawn

AF in manual video movie mode.

What mode are you using to get AF in anything but P mode for video? When you switch the camera to the movie mode dial, you get P, A, S, M. Only “P” allows AF. If this is a trick to lock exposure in P mode, then that’s fine, but it’s certainly not allowing me to use my lens wide open.