Sony Monitor & Control - Wireless Monitor for A7IV, FX30, FX3, FX6

How to Wirelessly Monitor and Control Your Sony Camera with the Monitor & Control App

If you're looking for a completely wireless way to monitor and control your Sony camera — and have it actually work smoothly — this guide is for you. With the right setup, you can get a real-time, high-quality preview on your phone and control all the camera settings remotely. Plus, you’ll have access to additional features typically found on external monitors. Let’s walk through the steps to get everything set up correctly and explore the app’s key features.

Supported Cameras and Firmware Update

This app has been around for a while, but recent firmware updates have added support for popular Sony cameras like the Sony A7 IV and ZV-1. Check the official firmware update page to confirm if your camera is supported and follow the update instructions.

Step 1: Connecting Your Camera and Phone

The first step is to set up the connection between your camera and phone for the best possible performance. There are a few different ways to connect, but the easiest and most effective is to pair the camera with your phone via Bluetooth. Once paired, the camera will establish a Wi-Fi hotspot to connect directly with your phone. For the best performance, switch the Wi-Fi band to 5 GHz instead of 2.4 GHz. The 5 GHz band provides a faster connection and smoother preview, while 2.4 GHz offers more range but tends to be slower and laggy. If you’re planning to monitor from a longer distance, you might need to switch back to 2.4 GHz for better range.

The menu in which you choose 2.4 or 5GHz

Step 2: Exploring the Main Interface

Once connected, you’ll see the main interface of the app. Here’s what you’ll find: Live View shows a real-time video feed with frame rate display (e.g., 25 fps). SD Card Status shows available recording time. Camera Settings let you adjust ISO, aperture, shutter speed, and more. Battery Level is displayed even if you’re using a non-Sony battery.

Overall screens of the app

Step 3: External Monitor Features

The app gives you access to powerful monitoring tools normally found on professional external monitors. You can select up to three shortcuts for quick access to your most-used tools.

Waveform and Histogram are two of the most useful tools. Waveform shows real-time brightness levels across the frame, and you can resize and move it as needed. Histogram displays the overall brightness distribution in the frame.

The histogram enlarged to full screen

False color helps visualize exposure levels using color-coded regions. Pink is ideal for skin tones, purple/blue means underexposed, and orange/red means overexposed. For example, if the lit side of your face appears pinkish, you’ve likely nailed the exposure.

False color feature

Zebras highlight overexposed and underexposed areas in your frame. You can adjust the minimum and maximum brightness values to suit your needs.

The zebras feature

Step 4: Camera Controls

You can control all major camera settings directly from the app, making it easy to adjust things on the go. FPS lets you adjust the frame rate for time-lapse or slow-motion. Focus supports autofocus, manual focus, and focus tracking. Exposure settings include ISO, shutter speed, aperture, and white balance. Picture Profile lets you switch between different color and gamma profiles. Recording Quality allows you to change between 4K and 1080p, and adjust bitrate and frame rate. When using manual focus, you can set a minimum and maximum focusing distance for quicker focus racking.

The interface with the remote shutter active on top an the edits from the preset already applied

Step 5: Client Monitoring Mode

The app allows you to give clients a wireless preview without giving them control over the settings. Display Mode hides camera settings from the client, and Lock Mode prevents accidental changes while monitoring. This is especially useful for professional shoots where the client wants to see what’s being recorded without interfering with the settings. **[Insert screenshot of client monitoring settings]**

What’s Missing? (Limitations)

Even though the app offers a lot of great features, there are still some limitations. There’s no LUT support — it’s only available for cinema line cameras. You can’t monitor or adjust audio levels from the app. Switching between photo and video modes can confuse the app, requiring a camera restart. Long use in hot environments may trigger a heat warning, though the camera rarely shuts down.

Multicam Support

You can monitor and control multiple cameras simultaneously using the app’s "MultiCam" feature. This makes it easy to manage complex shoots without dealing with HDMI cables. **[Insert screenshot of multicam interface]**

Where This App Shines

This app is ideal for solo creators who need quick and reliable remote control, professional shoots where clients need to monitor the feed, and on-the-go adjustments without needing to touch the camera.

Final Thoughts

While the app isn’t perfect, it offers an impressive level of control and flexibility for Sony camera users. The ability to monitor in real-time, adjust settings remotely, and use professional-grade tools makes it a great choice for both solo content creators and professional filmmakers. If you want a detailed walkthrough, check out the video. And if you’d like to see a comparison between this app and the Monitor Plus app, let me know in the comments.