Image: Sony Sony claims its newly-announced PXW-Z300 camcorder is the "world's first" to be able to record industry-standard authenticity metadata with its videos. The tech could help prove that videos were actually captured by a camera rather than generated by AI, so it's no surprise that Sony's debuting it in a camera designed mainly for "news and documentary shooting.
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Sony says the feature will comply with the standard set by the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA), with the camera embedding a digital signature into the video file. The system is similar to the one found on its mirrorless stills cameras, which has mainly been available to news organizations.
The feature's launch date is TBD
The PXW-Z300 isn't launching with support for content authenticity, and the feature will require a "separate upgrade license," according to a Sony press release. The camera's product page says its launch date is currently "TBD," and that it'll "only be available in specific countries and regions. " It'll also be limited to MP4 recording formats, which may limit its usefulness for some operators, depending on their workflows and post-production needs.
Still, it's good that Sony is pushing its content authenticity efforts forward. While this specific camcorder is a specialized tool for professional videographers, we wouldn't be surprised if we see support for content authenticity in video come to Alpha cameras at some point in the future. Earlier this year, the company said it plans to "expand [C2PA] support for video content after fall 2025. "
Despite these advancements, it's still clearly early days for content authenticity tools. Many are still in beta, and there are plenty of cameras that can't digitally sign their images. The industry mostly seems to be focusing on news applications to start, where being able to prove how images were captured is more important than in most consumer applications.
. dpreview.com2025-7-23 21:38
