During IBC 2024 one of our main interviews was with Mr. Yann Salmon-Legagneur, Head of Imaging Products & Solutions Marketing, at Sony Europe. We wanted to better understand Sony’s firmware development, and discuss ideas such as SSD support, native dummy batteries, as well as the future of multi-camera app support, Lidar, Camera theft prevention, and more.
We have a long history of interviews with Sony going back to 2010, some of the topics we discussed in this interview were first brought up during our Q&A with Mr. Salmon-Legagneur in our interview with him in IBC 2023 that you can read/watch here.
Sony Firmware development
Last year we were promised a big Sony A1 (and A7S III) firmware update and Sony made good on its promises and delivered the update early in 2024 with a number of important updates such as focus breathing correction. We wanted to know if the in-camera focus stacking from the A7R V might come to the A1 as well.
Although Salmon-Legagneur didn’t turn this idea completely, he did explain that the main emphasis in the update was to appeal to the core audience of the A1 which Sony sees as news shooters and sports photographers and not macro or product photographers so don’t hold your breath on that one.
We also asked about the chance that the A7R V will get the Auto framing from the ZV-E1. The answer is pretty much the same – Sony sees the A7R V as a pro stills camera first and foremost and Auto Framing is a video/vlogging feature.
Finally, we wanted to know if Sony might consider adding beta testers for its firmware that are not working for Sony (several hundred or even a few thousand photographers who will agree to serve as beta testers for future firmware). This is important in order to reduce the number of firmware released and then pulled down due to issues (something that has been happening to Sony a lot in recent years).
We didn’t get a definitive answer to this question but to us, it seems that Sony will be quite reluctant to do this due to bureaucratic, legal, and maybe even marketing and other reasons.
Sony A1 latest firmware
Sony cameras and SSD support
Several camera manufacturers currently offer the option to record directly to an SSD, Sony at the moment does not allow this functionality. We wanted to know if this is something that Sony is considering and to good news is that Sony is fully aware of this although Salmon-Legagneur could not provide any promises we tend to see his response as cautiously optimistic in this respect (but again, no promises and even if something will come eventually, it could be a while).
Sony Dummy battery
There are many dummy batteries for Sony cameras that you can find on the market. The problem is (and we sadly know this from first-hand experience) that dummy batteries can be dangerous. Using one that is not designed or made correctly can destroy your camera.
At the moment, Sony doesn’t have any dummy battery of its own (the closest thing might be the large and expensive NPA-MQZ1K quad battery unit). We wanted to know if Sony might make its own dummy battery or approve a third-party one. For the second question the answer was likely no (Sony can’t be responsible for what other manufacturers are doing, that makes sense). But as for making its own unit – it seems to be possible although again – no promises.
Sony video-stills line with hard stops and AF
During IBC 2024 Sigma showcased its first stills-video lens (prototype). This lens has hard stops and AF. Sony also has such a lens and it is actually one of the oldest lenses in its line – the 90mm f/2.8 macro lens with its push-pull mechanism. While that lens was not designed for video it does have AF and hard stops.
We wanted to know what is Sony thinking about these types of hybrid lenses and while Salmon-Legagneur could not disclose any specifics, he did agree that these sorts of lenses make a lot of sense (so we are quite optimistic that Sony might be working on this direction as well).
Linear Response MF lenses and cameras
Being able to repeat a focus pull is very important and something that is essential to Cine lenses. However, when we are talking about still lenses with AF things are more complicated.
We asked Salmon-Legagneur about this and he explained that Sony cameras have an option for Linear Response MF with supported lenses however not all lenses and we are still not sure how to turn this on in-camera (if you know, please tell us in the comments below).
This list shows all Sony lenses with Linear Response MF.
Lidar technology
In recent years companies such as DJI and PD-Movie released Lidar (laser-radar) AF accessories designed to work with Cine lenses using follow-focus technology. We wanted to know what Sony thinks about this technology and does it thinks that it can be useful as part of its eco-system for specific tasks.
Sony is of course aware of the technology but to us, it seems that at least for the moment Sony is reliant on its own advanced AF technology, and adding Lidar to its cameras is unlikely. It is still possible that Sony will introduce a Lidar accessory at some point in the future for specific use cases (work with cine lenses etc.).
Multi-camera control app
During IBC 2023 we had an off-camera discussion with Salmon-Legagneur and he mentioned to us that a multi-camera app might be coming indeed earlier this year Sony introduced an update to the monitor and control app allowing it to control up to 4 supported cameras (Salmon-Legagneur stated that there are no plans for more than 4 cameras at this point).
Sony recently added the A7R V to the list of supported cameras and will add the A7 IV later in October – both great news for many users. What we would like to see is Android support (currently this is an iPad-only app/feature) as well as PC/Mac versions that will make a lot of sense in our mind.
The Sony monitor and control app demo at IBC 2024
Camera theft prevention
A topic that many photographers see as important including YouTube creators such as Tony Northrup is camera theft prevention. While phones have different mechanisms that can help with the prevention of theft such as different types of locking systems and remote location options, cameras have none of those (not just Sony but all manufacturers).
Given the price of some of the higher-end cameras and how common camera thefts have become in recent years, we wanted to know what Sony is thinking about this subject. According to Salmon-Legagneur adding GPS and geolocation options will make cameras more expensive and add complexity, adding locking options might also introduce issues as camera users like the camera to start quickly.
The only positive aspect is that Sony is aware of this issue but for the time being it doesn’t look like it has any solution to this issue.
camera turning on inside the bag
Finally, we wanted to know if Sony is aware of a problem that we and several other photographers encountered while placing their camera in a full camera bag where the camera accidentally turns on (due to the on/off lever moving in the cramped bag). Sony is aware of that but we are not sure if they see this as a problem that needs resolving.
Salmon-Legagneur did mention that the new A9 III has a slightly different lever that might be a little better designed and might be less prone to this issue. We would like Sony to survey to see how common is this issue and if it makes sense to invest in a resolution.
Check out the full LensVid coverage of IBC 2024 on this link—special thanks to our sponsors for IBC 2024 – SmallRig and Hollyland.
Iddo Genuth 
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Your wish is their command: Sony just launched the DC-C1!
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