Dumb Question, But Can't Find Answer: Sony a6300: THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!

Brand new Sony a6300 user (previously owned a5000).

The sony a5000 had the zoom in/out on the top where the shutter release is.

I can see that I can assign features to various keys.

I tried assigning the AF/MF button to zoom.  Failed.  It didn't do anything.

I will be using this camera underwater and I gather I won't be able to use the zoom ring.

I've tried figuring this out via online videos, but none of them see to dial down to this one thing I can't figure out.  Help!  I know it's easy and it's likely starting me in the face.  How do I get this thing to zoom in/out without using the zoom ring?

THANK YOU!!

AFAIK, zooming the kit lens via the body is a function only present on A5000 and A5100. What housing are you using that won't you access the zoom ring?

I haven't tried it yet.  It's coming in.  Fantasea housing for the sony a6300

It looks like a solid port though.  You just unscrew and screw it back on.

Fantasea housings have the zoom knob on the left side of the body, not the port - don't worry, you'll be able to zoom.

PHEW!  I knew it was a dumb question.  The housing is coming in this weekend and I'm leaving for a trip on Wednesday and I kept thinking "am I missing something?"  THanks!  See, dumb question.

There are no dumb questions. It's the answers that are sometimes dumb....... 

See pages 7 and 14 of the user manual here: http://www.fantasea.com/manuals/1525_Manual.pdf

Note that you need #2201 zoom and focus gear to connect that knob to the lens ring, but if you have ordered the housing as a kit with the #2101 flat port, it should be in the package.

Thanks!  It does look like it comes with it, but maybe I'll call BH Photo to make sure.     They said it is included in the kit so it looks like I will be all set.  I didn't think going form the a5000 to the a6300 would be such a learning curve, but it is.  Imagine my surprise when I couldn't figure out how to zoom and then thought "I'm diving with this camera in 7 days.  My other housing had a lever to zoom, how the heck does the Fantasea zoom?"  

Thanks for your help!  I think I can see online you have to stack up rings and then you can manually zoom in/out with the zoom ring.

The ring on 16-50mm lens operates both focus and zoom, depending on camera mode. If the camera is set to AF-A, AF-S or AF-C, the ring will only do zoom. If the camera is set to MF, then the ring will only do focus, and the only way to zoom the lens on A6xxx series bodies is by the small rocker on the left side of the lens, which is inaccessible in a housing. If the camera is set to DMF, then the ring will zoom until you half-press the shutter, at which point it will start focusing.

Keep in mind that this behavior is specific to the 16-50mm kit zoom, and possibly other power-zoom lenses - I don't have any of those, so I can't confirm. Lenses without power zoom such as 10-18mm f/4 have separate zoom and focus rings, and with most housings, only one of those (typically the zoom) can be operated while the housing is sealed. In these cases, you usually set the camera to one of the AF modes and use the knob to operate the zoom. When shooting macro, DMF is useful even if you can't operate the focus ring - I shoot my A6300 with the Sony 90mm macro lens, and while it's pretty good about achieving focus on something, with the extremely thin depth of field macro photography suffers from, this something can be the wrong part of the subject. Shooting in DMF mode with focus peaking turned on, I can see which part of the subject the camera has focused on, and then move the camera forward or backward a little bit while the focus is locked, so that the eyes, or the rhinophores, or something else is (hopefully) in focus.

GREAT information.  Thanks!  I'll be shooting with the 16-50mm kit and likely set it to AF-A.  Thanks again!