Sony updates firmware for a1, a1 II, and a9 III, adds Camera Authenticity

New firmware for flagship Sony Alpha cameras brings updates to shooting, movie, and operability functions, as well as added compatibility for Sony’s evolving Camera Authenticity Solution.

The latest firmware updates for three of Sony’s flagship Alpha cameras, the a1, a1 II, and a9 III, add an interesting range of new features that will boost their capabilities for both movie and still shooting. But, perhaps more significant than anything there is the fact that they introduce Sony’s Camera Authenticity Solution to the world.

Sony joined the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) as far back as  2022, so this has been a long time coming. It seems to be a work in progress too, with the materials announcing it variously referring to Sony’s CAS as ‘expanding’ and ‘evolving’. That presumably means more cameras to be supported (though there might well be hardware limitations here) and more features to come down the line. 

For now though we have the launch of an Image Validation Site and the Digital Signature Upgrade License, which have been designed for select news organisations and their staff photographers. These features have been designed to enhance the implementation of C2PA, particularly within the news industry, by providing additional authenticity information and introducing a streamlined workflow for professionals requiring higher content verification standards. As a member of the C2PA Steering Committee, Sony plays a leading role in developing these standards and driving their broader implementation.

The system has three components:

Verification of shoot using a camera

A digital signature is created in-camera at the time of capture and embedded in the captured image in realtime. The keys used for digital signatures are securely held in the hardware chipset, Verify this digital signature and you verify that the image was captured by an actual camera.

Highly accurate verification that a real-life subject was captured

However, a digital signature alone cannot determine whether the captured image is of an actual 3D subject or of an image or video projected on a high-definition monitor. The Sony system goes beyond the typical C2PA solution by adding 3D depth information into an image’s metadata. This has to match the image data to be verified. Date and time of image capture can also be verified, as a highly secure, tamper-proof server-acquired time is also attached to the image (we presume this is going to require some form of internet connectivity to operate, but are happy to be corrected).

Ensuring transparent editing history in compliance with C2PA format

The use of C2PA-compatible apps or software can also ensure the transparency of the editing history in C2PA format further along the workflow. By retaining the digital signature embedded in the camera and preserving the history of post-shooting edits, the authenticity of the image can be verified at a high level.

As previously mentioned, this is all having a limited rollout to select new organisations. Presumably though, if everything goes well, a wider dissemination will follow.

New shooting features

No such restrictions on the new features for the three cameras, which are broken down in the table below. There’s some good stuff here, notably the a9 III being able to shoot at 1/80000 at all aperture values, and the a1 II and a9 III having improved image quality when used with User LUTs.

All are listed in the table below. And the updates are available to download now from the following links: Sony a1, Sony a1 II, and Sony a9 III.

tl;dr

• The new firmware updates for Sony's flagship Alpha cameras (a1, a1 II, a9 III) enhance shooting, movie, and operability functions, while introducing the Camera Authenticity Solution (CAS) for improved content verification.
• Sony's CAS aims to provide higher authenticity standards in the news industry, featuring a digital signature created in-camera, which ensures that images are captured by an actual camera.
• The system includes additional verification measures, such as 3D depth information and secure timestamps that confirm the real-life subject was captured, as well as transparent editing history through C2PA-compatible software.
• The new shooting features expand the capabilities of the cameras without restrictions, including improvements like the a9 III's ability to shoot at high shutter speeds across all apertures and enhanced image quality with User LUTs for the a1 II and a9 III.