A Sony camera can last you a long time. The company has designed devices lasting 5-6 years of usage, as the sensor and technology are often updated over time. Of the latest set of firmware updates, the company has launched new firmware for the a1 II and the a9 III. Here is a look at what it has to offer.
According to Sony, the new free software update includes various features that can help the cameras to “improve person recognition” along with other updates. The company notes that these developments will be used further in other models as well. Here is a quick look at what the new updates include:
- Real-time Recognition AF+: This new feature allows both the a1 II and the a9 III to be able to recognise people better. This means you can lock onto people with enhanced human pose estimation. The cameras will now be able to track subjects with higher accuracy, including in challenging environments such as sports.
- Authenticity of video: The cameras will record authenticity data for clips, just like one can for images. This means you can see whether the video was captured on the device, which is a part of the Content Authenticity Initiative.
- Focus function for zoom: The company has also enabled preset focus for zoom lenses without power zooms.
- [Auto] mode to Recognition Target: This is only available for the a9 III, but the update will allow people to track a subject in Auto mode. Thus, the camera will automatically select and recognize a subject from among the recognition targets to which check marks were added on the [Auto Recog. Target screen.
- Vertical orientation shoot: This is another addition only for the a9 III, which allows one to see information on the screen when capturing images in horizontal and vertical orientations.
The most significant change is the people recognition feature, which seems to be useful for photography. Other than that, the other features seem more centric towards video needs. Either way, Sony seems to be finding new ways to improve focus features, which is excellent given the need for many professional photographers. But how far do these changes go remains to be seen.
