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Today, the Nikon Z6 III is getting firmware 2.0. That firmware is adding the “bird-only” autofocus feature that has long been requested. On top of that, there’s something brand new coming called the “Nikon Authenticity Service.” Before I even read the press release, it sounded a bit like the Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI) that Leica and many others (including Nikon) are part of. The CAI is controlled by Adobe and so this sounds a bit different.
Let’s be honest, the “birds only” feature is probably the most exciting for most people. But the more intriguing thing is the Nikon Authenticity Service.
According to the press release, the Nikon Authenticity Service is aimed at media organizations and “creators” who need a higher level of trustworthiness. In other words, they need to prove that their work isn’t made by AI. The press release says that it’s compatible with the C2PA standard, which is what nearly every other company besides Leica is using and implementing via firmware. To recap, this is a different approach where Leica adds a dedicated chipset to the motherboard that puts the content credentials right into the images. Essentially, it means that anyone can have it.
But with the Nikon Authenticity Service, I originally thought that it sounds more like what Sony is doing — requiring you to purchase a license. And then, we get to this part of the press release: “By making a prior request through Nikon Imaging Cloud, users can load the digital certificate necessary for recording provenance data onto the Z6III.” The press release continues to explain it:
The image provenance function adds metadata – such as information about the equipment used and data that makes it easy to verify whether the image has been tampered with, including a digital signature – to captured image files. This enables users to prove that a photo was taken with a Nikon camera.*2 If the image is then edited repeatedly using C2PA-compliant editing software, additional provenance information can be embedded in the image alongside the original shooting data, making it possible to prove that no misleading edits have been made.*3 In addition, image provenance data can be viewed in Nikon Imaging Cloud.
We absolutely needed more information, so we asked Nikon for more. According to our Nikon reps, it will be free for consumers for the moment, and they’re still considering specifics. We were able to get more information on this. Each Z6 III will need to log onto Nikon Imaging Cloud and then load the certificate onto the camera.
But what if you sell your Z6 III? Well, you’ll have to remember to remove the certificate, otherwise someone else will be shooting images that have your unique digital fingerprint without your permission. Luckily, two digital certificates can be issued per camera.
We hope that this tech will also come to the Nikon Z9 and the Nikon Z8 as those are two cameras where this feature will really be needed. However, the Z6 III is also a great candidate for this. At the same time, Nikon Imaging Cloud isn’t available for the two flagships cameras, as far as we know. As a Nikon Zf owner, I’m very curious to see if it’s coming to my camera sooner or later.
Honestly, I’m very excited about this. I just got off the phone with Gear Editor Alberto Lima and discussed this because he was working on a further investigation around this. Sony charges you $25/year for content authenticity per camera. He even called it, “a blatant money grab.”
I don’t know why the brands can’t just build this into the camera’s cost anyway.
