Sony Releases Major Firmware Updates for the Alpha 7S III, Alpha 1, Alpha 7 IV, and Alpha 9 III

Firmware Update

by Omri Keren LapidotMarch 28^th, 2024

Sony is releasing several firmware updates for their Alpha hybrid cameras, the a1, a7S III, a7 IV & a9 III. Some of these updates have been long-awaited, such as for the a7S III and a1. Both will finally get the breathing compensation feature, aligning them with the rest of the line. Apart from that, the a1 will also receive the C2PA authentication system, while the a7S III will get a true 24P 4K DCI and more. As always, we’ll point out the most significant updates to filmmakers and videographers.

Firmware updates have long been an integral part of the field. In some cases, cameras are announced with some promised future updates that are not yet available. Such a camera is the Sony a9 III, to which Sony now fulfills the promise by releasing the Firmware V.2.00. Other cameras are virtually reborn with new firmware updates adding fundamental changes. One way or another, firmware updates may bear significant upgrades to already excellent cameras. Let’s start with the most popular video tool in Sony’s box:

a7S III Firmware update V3.00

The a7S III update, as with most firmware updates, the full list of tweaks and fixes is quite long. You can find the full list on the download page. But some much-anticipated updates are really worth our specific attention:

• True 24P 4K DCI
• Breathing compensation
• New video mode display
• AF manual assist

These two render the camera even more usable in both high-end cine front, as well as with affordable lenses (that tend to breathe heavily). The advantages of a true 24P workflow are rather clear, as it’s the most common cinematic standard. The 17:9 DCI now available in 24P is also available up to 60P. Zero-breathing lenses were also a standard, but one mostly applied to high-end, high-price Cine lenses. The hybrid revolution democratized the field, enabling high performance in much more affordable cameras. This, in turn, introduced affordable lenses to independent filmmaking. Designed for stills, those lenses needed no breathing compensation but once utilized for motion necessity arose. Sony’s clever solution doesn’t require you to replace your glass collection, just download a firmware update. Other updates include better dial customization, improved wireless file transfer, the ability to close the shutter while switching lenses, and so on.

A new video mode display will allow ISO, WB, aperture, and shutter speed changes via touch. A screen swipe will introduce a new quick menu. While these changes, coming from the ZV-E line, aren’t listed by Sony but have been approved by CineD testing. These are some major enhancements to overall operability and quiet workflow. AF assist functionality also trickles to the a1 and a7S III up from the a7 IV, enabling quick manual override via the focus ring, to set the AF on the desired subject or guide it elsewhere. The a7S III will now feature a red square rec indicator as well.

a1 firmware update V2.00

Sony’s flagship hybrid camera gains quite a lot of attention here, for both video and stills applications. Breathing compensation is here (though not for 8K, probably since there’s no resolution headroom), as well as timecode sync, 4K 30p UVC streaming, and some additional workflow updates. Along with some nice stills-oriented features, the a1 will now be compatible with the C2PA standard, as part of the ongoing authentication efforts by the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity. This means the camera will now be able to imprint a digital watermark of the original image, as taken, ahead of any modification. This imprint will tag along with any additional editing to enable full transparency regarding any alteration.

As concerns about AI-based image alteration and content generation are on the rise, these kinds of initiatives might help mitigate some of the malicious effects of the newly available technologies. Such mitigation is heavily dependent on the adoption of these standards, and it’s nice to see Sony and others taking part.

a9 III and a7 IV modest firmware updates

Both the a9 III and a7 IV will receive rather modest firmware updates with the V2.00 and V3.00 respectively. The a7 IV will also get content authenticity C2PA standard compliance, as well as network streaming and direct cloud upload features. The a9 III‘s firmware update V2.00 is not yet available (due in April) and will include a few adjustments, since the camera is fairly new, with the first shipments reaching clients just a few weeks ago. These however will include C2PA compatibility, the ability to extract an image out of a video in a camera, Auto FTP transfer settings, updated SDK support, and more. New creator’s app support is also coming to all cameras with this update.

Read before updating

The best tip I can provide regarding major firmware updates is to take your time. Give it a week or two until early adopters test it for you. Also, bear in mind this is a long process requiring a constant connection to a computer (though the next updates will be available via SD cards, hooray!). As updating the camera will also reset it to the manufacturer’s settings, Also, there’s no reason to save your data on an SD, because the camera will not accept it after the update.

Price and availability

All current firmware updates are free to download, and all but the a9 III V2.00 are available for download. Here are the links directly to the a7S III, a1, And a7 IV.

Are these firmware updates what you’ve been waiting for? Do they fulfill your expectations? Does it Change your perspective on professional video use of alpha hybrid cameras? Let us know in the comments.