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    Sony Announces Custom Gridline License Available for Alpha Camera Bodies

    By 13 Comments3 Mins Read Industry News
    sonygridlinesheader 1536x518 - Sony Announces Custom Gridline License Available for Alpha Camera Bodies

    SAN DIEGO – Nov. 28, 2023. Today, Sony Electronics announces a new custom gridline license planned for the Alpha 7 IVi in March 2024 onward, and more camera bodiesii in the future.

    The new license offers the ability to import up to 4 customized original gridlines. The gridlines can be displayed on EVF (electronic viewfinder) and LCD (Monitor on the rear of the camera) when shooting which makes for easier, more consistent images. For example, staff at schools, photo studios, theme parks, cruise ships, malls, etc. will now have the ability to update their cameras with ease and utilize this tool for quick and precise, more professional shots. Imported customized gridlines are replaceable and color gridlines are available. Once gridlines are registered, it can be displayed with HDMI output as well. After shooting, users can check the images with the grid lines overlayed on EVF and LCD.

    “The ability to import customized gridlines into a mirrorless camera is an essential feature for all of our photographers to capture images consistently,” says Frank Lombardo, National Photography Manager for Inter-State Studio and Publishing. “These simple gridlines keep head sizes the same for all our products and improve our production time. They also allow us to know where the edge of print will be during capture.”

    “With a focus to improve both the consistency and quality of school photography, this advancement is a great foundation to a platform geared for volume photographers across the globe. Sony’s commitment to continually innovate along with their unparalleled support aligns perfectly with Strawbridge Studio’s, Inc. mission to provide the best picture day experience for schools across the country,” says Nic Davidson, Director of Photography of Strawbridge Studios, Inc.

    “Sony’s commitment and support for this industry is unprecedented, from their support in student photography across the US to their training of future photographers and videographers and now, developing a camera system that will radically change the volume photography space for years to come,” says David Crandall, the Executive Director of School Photographers of America (SPOA).

    “Now anyone can make a pattern, import it, then change and improve it to their liking. The possibilities are endless – simply rotate the four favorite patterns you need for the job at hand. ​ Sony gives us real practical solutions, allowing the School, Sports and Volume Photography industry to produce better, more accurate compositions. The ability to import any four graphics, then scroll between them makes our jobs easier and results better than ever before,” says John Rak, member of the School Photographers Association of California (SPAC). 

    Not only can this be utilized as gridlines, they can also be used as partially filled transparency masks. In addition to school and sports photography, Sony has positioned this to be used for businesses such as cruise lines, theme parks, nature photography, ID photography, dentistry, and CG photography. Sony hopes that this custom gridline feature will help improve the creativity and work efficiency of photographers in a variety of industries.

    The license will be available at a suggested retail price of $149 USD through the Upgrade and License Management Suite at https://ulms.sony.net as of Spring 2024.

    Exclusive stories and exciting new content about all of Sony's other imaging products can be found at www.alphauniverse.com, a site created to educate and inspire all fans and customers of Sony α – Alpha brand.

    Some of our articles may include affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you.

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    13 comments

    1. What i nice feature to have! I'm curious why Canon still does not have it. Simple geometry shapes like rectangles might be created/configured right in a cam like now tracking clusters in R6 Mark II — it's very convenient. Some more complex shapes should be created in an external software and then imported to a cam. I'd like to have frames for 4:5 and 1:2.7 Hassy's X-pan ratio.
    3. There is absolutely no way in hell that I\'d ever pay $150 for something that equates to a setting. It\'s a cost that makes no sense, but I am positive some hardcore fanboys will pay it and act like it\'s 100% worth it
    4. I have been shooting wider than I need and cropping since I learned cropping was possible. Chances are with wildlife you do that already. So, I can't imagine paying when Canon already gives basic grids.
    5. We’ve had frame lines and the ability to create custom frame lines in professional video cameras forever, including Sonys, and now they want to charge users $150 for the ability to do it in a stills camera. Insane.
    6. These fill a specific need for a specific industry. And, it\'s an industry that is still primarily DSLR\'s due to the ability to add this feature onto the mirror (some companies were charging $250 to do this). Volume photography, think anything school, sports, resorts, theme parks, cruise ships, etc. all utilize this feature in some form for consistency across multiple photographers of varying skill levels. We have just under 500 photographers and photograph hundreds of thousands of students a day - all of which have to flow through a production facility as fast as possible. When you calculate the value an item like this brings, in a volume setting like this, the investment is minimal versus what the alternatives are.
    7. These fill a specific need for a specific industry. And, it\'s an industry that is still primarily DSLR\'s due to the ability to add this feature onto the mirror (some companies were charging $250 to do this).
      You see this across many industries and it's always the same thing: it used to cost X$ to do something physically, now it's digital and technically no-cost but we'll charge you 2/3 of X$.

      You're getting great savings compared to before, rejoice!

      Personally seen the great savings verbiage in the healthcare sector and it drives me nuts.
    8. You see this across many industries and it's always the same thing: it used to cost X$ to do something physically, now it's digital and technically no-cost but we'll charge you 2/3 of X$.

      You're getting great savings compared to before, rejoice!

      Personally seen the great savings verbiage in the healthcare sector and it drives me nuts.
      True, and that's how business works. Create a win-win scenario and you have recipe for success. There is cost associated with the product - I spent a year of back and forth calls, meetings, and flights with Sony engineers to determine how possible this was, how custom it could be, and if it was worth their development time to tackle the project. This wasn't a "snap your fingers" and there it is, there is real development cost and time. I, for one, am thankful they were willing to work on this project (and many others in the pipeline) for volume photographers.

      As a Canon photographer most of my life, prior to working with Sony on this we had mentioned the need for such items to Canon with little interest from their B2B reps and engineers. Hopefully Canon, Nikon, Fuji, Panasonic, etc. all decide this is worth exploring which will drive the cost down. But again, the cost is minimal to what it does for production purposes on the backend.
    9. These fill a specific need for a specific industry. And, it\'s an industry that is still primarily DSLR\'s due to the ability to add this feature onto the mirror (some companies were charging $250 to do this). Volume photography, think anything school, sports, resorts, theme parks, cruise ships, etc. all utilize this feature in some form for consistency across multiple photographers of varying skill levels. We have just under 500 photographers and photograph hundreds of thousands of students a day - all of which have to flow through a production facility as fast as possible. When you calculate the value an item like this brings, in a volume setting like this, the investment is minimal versus what the alternatives are.
      You can do it yourself for free. Its not rocket science. Custom grids have been available for decades. Its a grid line. The ability to move and/or adjust grid lines isn't new. Magic Lantern did it for free.
    10. You can do it yourself for free. Its not rocket science. Custom grids have been available for decades. Its a grid line. The ability to move and/or adjust grid lines isn't new. Magic Lantern did it for free.
      Since you can do it for free, and Sony has decided there is a market for this, maybe you should undercut the price point and make some money. I’ll be happy to pay a discounted rate to install our custom masks into all our Canon cameras. We’ve got 300+ Canon’s awaiting your ability.
    11. Since you can do it for free, and Sony has decided there is a market for this, maybe you should undercut the price point and make some money. I’ll be happy to pay a discounted rate to install our custom masks into all our Canon cameras. We’ve got 300+ Canon’s awaiting your ability.
      Buy a focusing screen for your slr or dslr and you can modify it anyway you want, but you may want to take it to someone that specializes in etching nameplates for trophies. You'll still have the original screen if you don't like it

      There's a grid on the R5 and I think most people can figure out how to use it without any help. I don't know about the other cameras.
    13. Buy a focusing screen for your slr or dslr and you can modify it anyway you want, but you may want to take it to someone that specializes in etching nameplates for trophies. You'll still have the original screen if you don't like it

      There's a grid on the R5 and I think most people can figure out how to use it without any help. I don't know about the other cameras.
      The Sony one allows for custom grid lines.

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