Photo news: Seal of authenticity for more Sonys and PEN plans

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The CAI/C2PA authenticity seal initiated by Adobe and supported by almost the entire photo industry has been a topic of discussion here at – for as long as this column has been around, and even after more than two years it is still not widely available. This is likely to remain the case if you read between the lines of what Sony has announced in recent weeks.

On the one hand, there is the firmware 5.00 for the A7 IV, and on the other, an information page on the so-called "camera authenticity solution". The name is as bumpy as the rest of the whole endeavor. This is about the authenticity of the shot with a real camera – as opposed to AI-generated images, as well as the location, time, cropping and other elements of a real press photo. All of this should and must be verifiable, especially in the age of deepfakes. Ideally in all media, including social media, in which images are published.

CAI from Sony initially only for news organizations

Sony's solution, originally called "Write Digital Signature", is obviously still a long way from making the functions available to the general public. Anyone who wants to use it should contact the company, purchase a license for a fee and then receive further information. The only difference is that you also have to be part of a "news organization", as Sony writes on its website. This will apply "initially", so we can hope that freelance photojournalists, among others, will one day be able to use the functions.

One might wonder why Sony is so hesitant on this topic. The company has been working with the AP news agency on the seal of authenticity for over a year. Just over a year ago, we wrote here that the "CAI is fraying", and nothing seems to have changed in 2024 with the Olympics and the US presidential elections. One might assume that these events would have been enough for all those involved to test the workflows. In addition, the whole idea stands and falls with the software support provided by digital media, especially so-called social media. But even there we see little progress, the efforts are hesitant.

Canon is not planning a Hires-R1

There is a clear rejection from Canon regarding a new version of the R1. As a reminder: the camera, in the body of the R3, was announced at the beginning of 2023 and only came onto the market in November 2024. A very long time even for a flagship and a professional camera – because that's what the 7500-euro camera undoubtedly is. And then "only" with the 24 megapixels that are usual in this sector, but still beatable. Other flagships with an edge grip, such as Nikon's Z9, have 45 megapixels.

Nevertheless, Canon has now told Petapixel that there will be no version of the R1 with a higher resolution. In addition to the pure technology – higher resolution equals lower sensitivity, says Canon – there is a lot of tradition in the statements of imaging boss Go Tokura. The 19th generation of EOS cameras with model number 1 is primarily aimed at the professionals that the company knows well. And they have certain expectations, to put it in a nutshell: No experiments at all! However, according to the translation by our colleagues, Tokura explicitly stated that there would be no other camera "in the body of the R1" – Hires professional lenses in a different design are therefore quite conceivable.

OM System is thinking about a new PEN

For fans of another housing design that has long been neglected, however, there is good news this week: OM System is working on a new "PEN". For those who don't quite have this camera category on their radar: These are particularly compact system cameras without viewfinders, which were already designed ten years ago in the now ubiquitous retro look. The last model to be launched in Europe – but not in the USA – was the PEN E-P7, which was almost four years ago.

That's why Petapixel asked Kazuhiro Togashi, OM's head of product, about a new PEN. Perhaps there will be, although some had already considered the recently introduced OM-3 to be the new format of the manufacturer's retro compacts. However, this is not the intention, according to the OM manager. Whether and when a new PEN will appear is still completely open. Togashi merely emphasized the importance of the brand and that his company is currently examining what kind of camera could be brought to market under it.

As with Canon's statements above, you have to read between the lines when it comes to statements from Japanese managers, who are always very cautious. Nevertheless, it is pleasing that OM is not rejecting the PENs outright. Incidentally, if you're wondering why two Japanese manufacturers are now showing their cards a little more than usual: Petapixel held the talks with the companies at the CP+ trade fair two weeks ago; as is often the case with background information away from the product hustle and bustle, they are only now appearing.

The story of the Leica 1 told in a completely different way

The design of everything that is called retro today is also based – if not entirely – on what began with the Leica 1 one hundred years ago. In fact, every modern camera, because what we call "full-frame" today began with the 35mm film for the small Leica. Just as some full-frame advocates today sometimes look down on APS-C, MFT and other sensor sizes, the same was true of 35mm film in the 1920s, when the professionals of the time still preferred roll film. This dragged on for years, as our author Bernd Kieckhöfel describes. In our recommendation for a long read on a Sunday evening or at the start of the week, he traces the development of the Leica 1 with a view to its film and its inventor Oskar Barnack as a photographer. As with photography, the same applies to writing: A different perspective is usually worthwhile.

(nie)