Sony has announced free firmware updates for some of its major cameras, the Sony Alpha 1, Alpha A1 II and Alpha 9 III.
The key improvements for stills shooting and video are as follows:
- Use of shutter speeds up to 1/80000 seconds at all aperture values when Exp. Value Expand is set to “On” (Sony Alpha A9 III only).
- Focus bracket support for continuous shooting while automatically shifting the focus position (updated for Sony Alpha 1 only).
- Additional settings for exposure value adjustments and number of shots in the exposure bracketing (updated for Sony Alpha 1 only).
- Use of “Focus Magnifier” and “Auto Magnifier in MF” in Bright Monitoring mode (updated for Sony Alpha A1 and Sony Alpha A9 III)
- Improvement in image quality when applying User LUTs to video (updated for Alpha A1 II and A9 III)
- Automatic still image creation with Shot Marks from movie frames after video recordings (updated for Alpha A1)
There are also updates to various operability and image transfer functions, including now being able to use the Custom Key setting on the AEL button and Delete button during playback with the Alpha A1.
In addition, Alpha A1 and A9III owners can now be notified when the latest software is available, which is a useful extra – it’s easy to miss firmware updates, and it’s always good to keep your camera up to date.
Content authentication features, too
The new firmware updates also make all three cameras compatible with Sony’s expanding Camera Authenticity Solution. This is part of the company’s implementation of C2PA (Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity) in order to make it easier to see the ‘provenance’ of a digital image, particularly in relation to the use of AI.
Click here to check the availability of this latest firmware, and don’t miss our guide to the best Sony lenses.
