Sony cameras

2022: Cryptographic signatures appear in Sony cameras to protect photos from copying

On August 8, 2022, Sony announced the release of photo counterfeit protection technology for its digital cameras, which cryptographically signs photos at the time of shooting, which allows photographers to detect if the image has been manipulated or changed further.

The technology, designed to be used in the corporate business, uses digital signatures that are processed by the camera at the time of shooting and allow photographers to determine if any changes have been made to the image and, according to the company, thus protect it from illegal use.

The company claims the technology was developed in response to what it calls "widespread issues" with unauthorized editing and "misconduct" around digital photographic data. Counterfeit protection technology is based on standard cryptography, and when activated, images are immediately processed by the camera processor with a unique signature.

The company said it plans to switch to other models in the future, as well as exploring how it can extend the in-camera signature to other industries "to further support increased security"

After that, any pixel change, falsification or potential forgery will cancel the image signature, since image manipulation will be detected during verification by the client's own certificate server, says Sony.

The company adds that this new counterfeit-proof signature method enables secure image creation and transmission. Sony claims the technology is particularly useful for passports and identity checks, but goes further in the fight against image manipulation in the media, medicine and law enforcement that the insurance and construction sectors can also use it as a tool to inspect and record damage.

Initially, this technology is only available on the Sony Alpha 7 IV camera and only subject to a license to use Sony's signature mode, the price of which has not been disclosed, and is only available to corporate users. Sony says it plans to expand support for this new cryptographic signature to other cameras, but has not provided specific information or timeline for implementation.

Sony's mission is to strengthen business solutions with cutting-edge imaging technology, and our intracameral digital signature is truly a revolutionary solution to combat manipulation and image tampering across industries, says Yasuo Baba, Director of Digital Imaging and European Product Marketing at Sony.

Despite the need to adapt to each industry, the digital signature is multilingual and can be used internationally, allowing organizations around the world to simplify mandatory image signing with Sony technology.[1]

2021: Sony pulls out of SLR camera market

In early May 2021, it became known about Sony's departure from the SLR camera market, where the company has occupied a leading position for some time. Sony has removed product information for this segment from its official website.

According to Sony Alpha Rumors, information about A99 II, A77 II and A68 SLR cameras has disappeared on Sony's website. The largest online retailer BHPhoto also confirmed that these models are no longer available for purchase. The company has not officially announced the discontinuation of SLR cameras.

Sony began producing A-mount SLR cameras after acquiring Konica Minolta Holding in 2006. The last announced Sony SLR camera was the 42-megapixel A99 II, which went on sale in 2016. In 2020, the company introduced an adapter that allowed owners of E-mount cameras to use A-mount lenses.

Sony pulls out of SLR camera market

According to analysts, Sony has decided to focus on the release of mirrorless cameras, as they have a number of advantages over SLR models, in particular, they are more compact, portable and provide good image quality (mirrorless cameras even in the middle price segment allow you to record video in 4K resolution). Also, such cameras provide silent operation due to the lack of a shutter clapping during the shooting process. In total, 8.886 million cameras were delivered to the market in 2020, which is 41.6% less in unit terms compared to 2019 and 28.4% less in monetary terms. Of these, the number of mirror models sold amounted to 2.374 million, which is 47.3% less than in 2019.

As of 2019, Canon Corporation ranks first in terms of digital camera sales in Japan, it controls 36.8% of the market, Sony controls 19.5% in second place, and Nikon, which has 12.6%, is third. These companies, in addition to Sony, continue to sell SLR cameras by May 2021.^[2]

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