Sony Alpha cameras hacked for filming longer than 30min

So after Canon Magic Lanter, Panasonic and Nikon camera hacks, Sony cameras have been hacked to open up new features for cameras that got Play memories, like A7, A7s, A7R, A7ii, A7Rii, A7Sii, A5100, A6000 and A6300. So now they made it possible to record longer than 30minutes and extend the language package. However for me the 30min Hack is more important for me than the language package, you can see the video below that my A7s can now film longer then 30minutes.

A video posted by Chung Dha (@chungdha) on Apr 25, 2016 at 1:51pm PDT

So if you want to do this too you can find the website with the hack here: https://github.com/ma1co/OpenMemories-Tweak

However before you do that, the process on their website might not be that easy to understand, so here below is an guide of how to install the hack. First check if your camera is compatible and you can check the list here: https://github.com/ma1co/OpenMemories-Framework/blob/master/docs/Cameras.md

A word of caution
This is not an official Sony application. Even though everything worked fine for me, it could cause harm to your hardware. If you break your camera, you get to keep both pieces. We won’t take any responsibility.

Step 1. Install browser plugin
First you need to install a plugin for your web browser as the installation for the hack can only be done via a web browser. Click this link to go to the download page for the plugin and choose for Windows or Mac for the correct plugin. https://sony-pmca.appspot.com/plugin/install

After you have downloaded the file, install the plug in just as any other software.

Step 2. Set your camera to the right settings

If you have not set your camera to the right USB settings it will not connect when you want to install the hack. So go the camera menu and go to the USB Connection setting and choose MTP.

Step 3. Connect your camera to your computer

Use the supplied USB cable of your camera to connect to your computer and turn on your camera. The screen should show USB Mode MTP.

Step 4. Installing the Hack
Open Safari browser if you are on a Mac or open Internet Explorer if you are on a Windows computer and open this link: https://sony-pmca.appspot.com/plugin/app/Tweak

If you have followed the steps correctly the LOG on the bottom will show that the Plugin Loaded and you can press or click the Get Camera Info first to check if everything works and then Press the Install OpenMemories Tweak to install the hack, follow the LOG till it says its finished and then you can just unplug the USB cable to finish.

Step 5. Setting the 30min hack

So installing does not automatically make your camera to record longer than 30minutes, you first have to set it to do that. Go into the camera menu and go to the Apps tab and choose Application List.

Choose  “OpenMemories: Tweak App” from the list.

Choose “Set to Maximum” and you are done and to get out of this menu press the Menu button.

Now your camera will be able to record longer then 29.59min, however still these are photography cameras and not recommended to film for too long periods as they can overheat.

So what does this hack actually do to record longer then 30minutes. It does not make a new file or anything like that, it just keep recording and makes one big video file which you can see below.

So now after testing A7s with the hack, here is the file structure of what it did its just kept filming and made one big file. #sonya7s #sonya7 #sonya7r #sonya7rii #sonya7sii #sonya6300 #sonya6000 #a6300 #a6000 #sonyeurope #sonyalpha #a7s #a7 #a7r #a7rii #a7sii #filmequipment #filmcamera #filmmaking #filmmaker #videographer #videoequipment #filmmakerlife #cameratest #cameratesting #frugal

A video posted by Chung Dha (@chungdha) on Apr 25, 2016 at 2:12pm PDT

So are there any cons to using this?
The only negatives at the moment is if the file gets corrupted it one big video file. Instead of compared to AVCHD which would make each 4GB a new  file, as if there is a corrupt file its be only only out of many. And other thing be just being one huge file as it was already 18gb for 35minutes which is quite huge. At the moment have not no issue with it yet and no errors, however this is more of an app that unlocks features then a real hack the swaps the entire firmware so it should be less prone to making big errors. However these are still photography cameras so I would not suggest to film 3hours continues with it as even filming for 35minutes I can feel the camera heat up, and Sony Cameras are quite prone to having heating issue, way more then Panasonic which can really film 3hours without any issues.

Future
So what else can we expect from the hack, well right now you can send in ideas for them to try out with the Hack to unlock maybe hidden features or for them to program new features. Log in to Github and under the Issue tab you can post a request for new features. https://github.com/ma1co/OpenMemories-Tweak