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Showing content from https://github.com/lclevy/sony_raw below:

lclevy/sony_raw: Description of Sony RAW file formats (SRF, SR2 and ARW)

Description of Sony RAW file formats (SRF, SR2, ARW and ARQ)

Version 0.53 (21nov2024)

(this is work in progress)

This document describes RAW file formats used by Sony cameras, with extensions SRF, SR2, ARW and ARQ, from 2004 to today.

All formats are based on TIFF format, with Intel (little) endianess ('II' marker). SRF appeared in January 2004 (DSC-F828), SR2 in December 2005 (DSC-R1) and ARW in July 2006 with Alpha DSLR-A100.

ARQ, pixel shifting, appeared in November 2017 (A7R III).

Evolution of Sony RAW formats

SRF likely stands for Sony Raw File, SR2 is version 2 of SRF, and ARW means Alpha RAW.

RAW versions and formats had additional features over time:

SRF, SR2 and ARW 1.0 : 12 bits uncompressed
ARW 2.1 : 12 bits cRAW (11 bits + 7 bits). Lossy. 2008
ARW 2.3 : 14 bits. (2012)
ARW 4.0 : lossless compression (2021). A1 also introduces YUV420 burst format, which is lossy.

Here is a more detailed view of evolution, and links to implementations:

Model Release date RAW format dcraw / libraw support DSC-F828 jan2004 SRF.
First CyberShot with RAW parseSonySRF() DSC-V3 dec2004 SRF sony_load_raw() DSC-R1 dec2005 SRF2 1.283, 7sep2005
parseSonySR2() A100 jul2006 ARW 1.0, 12bits 1.331, 21jun2006
sony_arw_load_raw() A700 dec2007 ARW 2.0 1.393, 8.78, 30oct2007, arw2
sony_arw2_load_raw() A900 oct2008 RAW, cRAW. ARW 2.1 1.405, 8.88, 15sep2008 NEX-3/NEX-5 jun2010 ARW 2.2 1.434, 9.01, 30may2010 RX100 jun2012 ARW 2.3, 12 bits 1.451, 9.16, 5jul2012 SLT-A99 dec2012 ARW 2.3, 14 bits
first 14bits sensor 1.453, 9.17, 23dec2012 RX1 feb2013 ARW 2.3, 14 bits 1.453, 9.17, 23dec2012 a7 jan2014 ARW 2.3, 12 bits only? a7R fev2014 ARW 2.3.1 a7R II jun2015 ARW 2.3.1, 14 bits
uncompressed 14bits uncompressed: unpacked_load_raw() RX10 III jul2016 ARW 2.3.2 a9 apr2017 ARW 2.3.3 a7R III nov2017 ARW 2.3.3
can create ARQ sony_arq_load_raw a7 III fev2018 ARW 2.3.3 a9 II aug2020 ARW 2.3.5 a1 apr2021 ARW 4.0.
First ILC with Lossless RAW
30fps RAW seems YUV420 : https://github.com/dnglab/dnglab/pull/269/commits (jan2023) a7 IV fev2022 ARW 4.0 a7R V jan2023 ARW 4.0 a6700 jul2023 ARW 4.0.1 a9 III nov2023 ARW 5.0 a1 II nov2024 ARW 5.0.1 exiftool RAW File Type is Lossless Compressed RAW

You can extract format information with Exiftool with -FileFormat :

> exiftool -FileFormat -SonyModelID -RAWFileType RAW_SONY_A100.ARW
File Format : ARW 1.0
Sony Model ID : DSLR-A100

> exiftool -FileFormat -SonyModelID -RAWFileType A1_DSC02244.ARW
File Format : ARW 4.0
Sony Model ID : ILCE-1
RAW File Type : Uncompressed RAW

> exiftool -FileFormat -SonyModelID -RAWFileType DSC00987_a1_ii.ARW
File Format                     : ARW 5.0.1
Sony Model ID                   : Unknown (400)
RAW File Type                   : Lossless Compressed RAW

Based on dcraw and dnglab code source, there are 4 different kind of compression:

SRF : 16bits aligned, 12 bits data, big endian. Some data must be decrypted first. See sony_load_raw() in libraw
ARW1 : 12 bits (starting with A100). See sony_arw_load_raw()
ARW2 (first with A700, A850 and A900)
- either uncompressed 12bits. Uncompressed 14 bits since A7R II
- or cRAW for "compressed Raw". This is lossy : "11 bit 'base' values, 7-bit 'deltas', 11 to 14 bit tone curve" say Rawdigger
LossLess Jpeg92 (starting with Alpha 1), in 2021

"Compressed" is used by Sony, where this is "lossy".

"Uncompressed" is used when it is "lossless".

But there is lossless compression ! They waited 2021 to adopt lossless jpeg when Canon use it since 2004 !

Below are examples of TIFF structure for SRF, SR2 and some ARW versions.

IFD0 (18 entries)
- ImageWidth = 3360
- ImageHeight = 2460
- EXIF Subdir (20 entries)
- SRF MakerNote Subdir
  - SRF0 (1 entry)
  - SRF1 (encrypted, 2 entries)
  - SRF2 (encrypted, 130 entries)
  - SRF3 (130 entries)
  - SRF4 (130 entries)
  - SRF5 (130 entries)
  - SRF6 (9 entries)
IFD1 (6 entries)

from http://rawsamples.ch/raws/sony/RAW_SONY_DSC-F828.SRF (Exiftool output: RAW_SONY_DSC-F828.SRF.txt)

IFD0 (15 entries)
- SubfileType = 1
- SubIFD (19 entries)
  - SubfileType = 0
  - ImageWidth = 3984
  - ImageHeight = 2608
  - BitsPerSample = 14
- EXIF Subdir (30 entries)
  - MakerNote Subdir
- SR2Private Subdir ( 6 entries)
  - SR2SubIFD (encrypted, 101 entries)
    - SR2SubIFD (132 entries)
    - SR2DataIFD1 (132 entries)
    - SR2DataIFD2 (132 entries)
IFD1 (11 entries)

See http://www.rawsamples.ch/raws/sony/r1/RAW_SONY_R1.SR2 (Exiftool : RAW_SONY_R1.txt)

IFD0 (19 entries)
- EXIFIFD (36 entries)
  - MakerNoteSony (28 entries)
    - MakerNoteMinolta
- SR2Private
  - MRW PRD segment
  - MRW WBG segment
  - MRW RIF segment
IFD1 (11 entries)

See http://www.rawsamples.ch/raws/sony/a100/RAW_SONY_A100.ARW (Exiftool: RAW_SONY_A100.txt)

Dated July 2021

IFD0 (18 entries)
- SubfileType = 1
- SubIFD (35 entries)
  - SubfileType = 0
  - ImageWidth = 6048
  - ImageHeight = 4024
  - BitsPerSample = 14
- XMP directory
- ExifIFD directory (41 entries)
  - MakerNoteSony5 (99 entries)
    - Deciphered Tag9400c directory
    - Deciphered Tag9401 directory
- PrintIM (SubDirectory)
- SR2Private (9 entries)
  - SR2SubIFD (209 entries)
    - SR2DataIFD SubDirectory (124 entries)
    - SR2DataIFD1 directory with 124 entries
    - SR2DataIFD2 directory with 124 entries
    - SR2DataIFD3 directory with 124 entries
    - SR2DataIFD4 directory with 124 entries
    - SR2DataIFD5 directory with 124 entries
    - SR2DataIFD6 directory with 124 entries
    - SR2DataIFD7 directory with 124 entries
    - SR2DataIFD8 directory with 124 entries
    - SR2DataIFD9 directory with 124 entries
    - SR2DataIFD10 directory with 124 entries
    - SR2DataIFD11 directory with 124 entries
    - SR2DataIFD12 directory with 124 entries
IFD1 directory with 14 entries
- SubfileType = 1

Exiftool : SONY_A9_DSC04458.txt

ARQ likely means Alpha Raw Quad shots, which uses pixel shifting to capture high resolution pictures by combining 4 ARW pictures. This features is available with A7R III and requires Sony software Image Edge. See also Pixel Shift Multi Shooting | SONY.

Supported by RawDigger 1.2.24 and Lightroom Classic CC 7.3.

>exiftool -FileFormat -RAWFileType -BitsPerSample -PixelShiftInfo "Sony-ILCE-7RM3.tif"
File Format                     : ARW 2.3.5
RAW File Type                   : Uncompressed RAW
Bits Per Sample                 : 14
Pixel Shift Info                : Group 12094102, Composed 4-shot (0x3c3)

A7RM5 M-Size RAW : https://raw.pixls.us/getfile.php/6237/nice/Sony%20-%20ILCE-7RM5%20-%2014bit%20(4:3).ARW

RawDigger: detecting posterization in SONY cRAW/ARW2 files | RawDigger, Iliah Borg, June 2014
Sony ARW2 Compression: Artifacts And Credible Repair, Henry Gordon Dietz, Kentucky Univ, 2016, https://library.imaging.org/admin/apis/public/api/sandbox/website/downloadArticle/ei/28/2/art00020
Sony, What shooting settings affect RAW image bit sizes (14 bits to 12bits)?
Rawdigger, 23jan2018, SonyPixelShift2DNG (Beta 0.8): Convert Sony A7R-III Pixel Shift Mode Shots to DNG | FastRawViewer

ExifTool, Phil Harvey, https://exiftool.org/TagNames/Sony.html
Libraw : LibRaw/decoders_dcraw.cpp at master · LibRaw/LibRaw · GitHub
DNGlab : dnglab/arw.rs at main · dnglab/dnglab · GitHub
Sony : https://imagingedge.sony.net
Phase One
Camera Raw

2022, https://github.com/ma1co/fwtool.py
Nex-Hack wiki, 14may2016 : https://web.archive.org/web/20160514055435/http://www.nex-hack.info/wiki/development/general
May2014 : http://www.personal-view.com/faqs/sony-hack/fwtool

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