Electronics giant Sony today launched a camera support upgrade that could revolutionize drone mapping and imaging.

The company’s imaging division is releasing the new full-frame camera support solution with upgraded SDK, app library and support for use with Sony’s Alpha range of full-frame mirrorless cameras.

A Sony spokesperson says the new solution “allows organizations to combine the sensitivity, resolution, speed, size, lens lineup and lower-cost of a full-frame mirrorless camera, with the programmability and multi-camera control functions of an industrial module.”

The new offering combines an upgraded version of Sony’s full-frame camera software development kit (SDK) with a web resource from its European imaging division to enhance the development of imaging applications. SDK upgrades include additions to the application library and support for multi-camera operation.

Full-frame mirrorless cameras offer a superior lens lineup over their industrial counterparts and use a larger (35mm) sensor, which double the sensor area versus APS-C cameras. The enhancement increases the area by more than seven times versus an industrial camera with a one-inch sensor which, in turn, enhances resolution without reducing pixel size and sensitivity.

For the drone industry, the solution could boost a number of use cases, including agriculture, surveying, construction and mining.

“This new solution is about removing the need to make tradeoffs,” said Yasuo Baba, Director Digital Imaging, Sony Europe BV. “And it is a key part of Sony’s long-term vision. Sony’s Alpha range are the world’s most trusted mirrorless cameras, and this new move helps to back this up with the best software and the best support.”

“By doing this we aim to make it easier and quicker for companies in e-commerce, and other B2B sectors, to automate every part of the image creation process.”

Software Development Kit

The upgraded SDK (version 1.03) optimizes virtually every facet of the camera and lens to be controlled and automated; including the white balance, resolution, image compression, zoom, focus and video triggering.

As part of the upgrade, the SDK gains multi-camera functionality, enabling multiple shots of a subject to be captured from different angles, allowing control of the camera via Ethernet using USB server.

The upgrade also widens the range of cameras supporting the SDK including the addition of lighter and more rugged models, which use monocoque constructions, improved moisture resistant designs and more rugged housings that better protect the unit’s electrical contacts and better absorb the shock from vibration and physical impacts.

Additionally, Sony has increased the operating systems on which the SDK can run, adding macOS, the dominant operating system used in e-commerce photography, in addition to Windows and Linux.