Custom gridlines in Sony Alpha cameras - for 149 dollars!

[10:54 Thu,30.November 2023 by Rudi Schmidts]

The idea is of course not new and is tempting for camera manufacturers: unlocking special functions in a camera only for a fee. Panasonic, for example, has already issued V-Log licenses or even attempted to set up its own app stores for cameras.

But while smartphone apps share the bill with a large developer community or paid firmware updates often involve real licensing costs for codecs, Sony&s latest announcement sounds different.

Owners of Sony Alpha cameras who want to use individual grid lines in their cameras will soon be able to do so by paying a license fee. This "license" will be available in spring 2024 at a recommended retail price of 149 US dollars.

Sony&s Picture Perfect Framing allows 4 individual overlays - for 150 dollars!

These fade-in guides are intended, for example, to keep the head size constant when taking a picture. Or to see the print areas of a mobile printer while taking the picture. Sony sees a real need for such commercial applications and therefore believes it can charge a hefty price of 150 US dollars for such an additional function.

The new license should specifically offer the possibility of importing up to 4 (!!) user-defined, optionally colored graphics (or partially filled transparency masks). The graphics can be displayed as an overlay on the electronic viewfinder (EVF) and the LCD (monitor on the back of the camera) during shooting. As soon as the graphics are "registered" in the camera, they can also be displayed via the HDMI output.

The first "Custom Gridline License" for the Alpha 7 IV will be available from March 2024 via the Upgrade and License Management Suite at ulms.sony.net. Further camera bodies are to follow in the near future.

No punchline.

more infos at bei petapixel.com

deutsche Version dieser Seite: Benutzerdefinierte Gitternetzlinien in Sony Alpha-Kameras - für 149 Dollar!