Many Sony cameras are sadly segregated, offering only NTSC-derived framerates (i.e. 29.97 or 59.94) or only PAL-derived framerates (i.e. 25 and 50). Unfortunately, Sony often rounds the authentic NTSC rates to «30» and «60» in menus with models costing under US$5000, even though in the manual, Sony clarifies that they are really 29.97 and 59.94, which is also confirmed when the video files are examined. In this article, you’ll discover a free way to make many Sony cameras become quasi-worldcam via a subtle manipulation from your computer. Separately, the 23.976 rate (aka 23.98, often rounded in Sony menus to «24» in models under US$5000)) is retained in the example I saw, but may be model-dependent. Sadly, this process does not completely make your camera into a true worldcam, since it basically changes the camera to work with the opposite pair of rates than what your camera had originally, but at least you’re no longer obliged to purchase a completely separate camera just to be able to shoot in appropriate rates for different venues, especially TV stations in a region that require different framerates than the region where the camera was originally sold. Those TV stations want the raw footage from you ASAP, so there often is no time or budget to convert them via software. Later, you are free to change your camera back to the way it was before (if desired), with a reverse procedure with your computer. Ahead is a long list of Sony camera models which are compatible with this process.
- A5000
- A5100
- A6000
- A6300
- A6500
- A7
- A7M2
- A7R
- A7RM2
- A7S
- A7SM2
- AS100V
- AS200V
- AS300
- AS50
- AX30 / AXP35
- AX33 / AXP33
- AX40 AX55 AX P55
- AX53
- AZ1
- CX440 CX480 PJ410 PJ440
- CX450 CX455 CX485
- CX620 CX670 PJ620 PJ670
- CX625 CX675 CX680 PJ675 PJ680
- HX400 HX400V
- HX60 / HX60V
- HX80
- HX90 HX90V
- NEX5R
- NEX5T
- NEX6
- QX1
- QX30
- RX100 / M3
- RX100 M4
- RX100 M5
- RX10M 3
- RX10M2
- RX1RM 2
- WX500
- X1000V
- X3000
Click here to see tue full updated and growing list, although not in alphabetical order.
You can get the free software here.
Above, a tutorial by Sean Saich.
If you are going to consult your lawyer
I doubt that you are going to consult your lawyer before modifying your Sony camera to access missing framerates. If you do, tell her/him to consider these two legal precedents that essentially legalized jailbreaking iPhones, which can be considered similar to this situation:
- Jailbreaking iPhone apps is now legal from CNN Money July 26, 2010.
- «Exemption to Prohibition on Circumvention of Copyright Protection Systems for Access Control Technologies» from the Federal Register October 28, 2015.
Related article
Is your camera WorldCam & CineCam too? (2019)
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Sony has not paid for this article. Some of the manufacturers listed above have contracted Tépper and/or TecnoTur LLC to carry out consulting and/or translations/localizations/transcreations. So far, none of the manufacturers listed above is/are sponsors of the TecnoTur, BeyondPodcasting, CapicúaFM or TuSaludSecreta programs, although they are welcome to do so, and some are, may be (or may have been) sponsors of ProVideo Coalition magazine. Some links to third parties listed in this article and/or on this web page may indirectly benefit TecnoTur LLC via affiliate programs. Allan Tépper’s opinions are his own. Allan Tépper is not liable for misuse or misunderstanding of information he shares.