Please note: Download and install at own risk
It’s real. Sony A55 owners rejoice, for Someone 1.00’s first hack is now available and can be downloaded from the EOSHD forum. The patcher app is able to overcome the A55 firmware encryption and is the basis for adding bitrate patches and new menu options later on. The NEX 5 patcher I also believe is coming later.
Now Someone 1.00 is looking for A55 testers (view relevant thread here) to test new features and find their way as a team with the firmware, plus donations for NEX 3, NEX 5N and A77 bodies for testing and opening up for analysis. The firmware will need to be dumped and decrypted, for that he needs the actual camera hardware in his hands and more than one body. So the more people who can donate, the better!
Here’s Someone 1.00 on the progress made with the A55 hack:
“I am able to create a custom firmware. Below will go modifications that I did in menu of my A55. At this moment I’ll prove that I am the person who crack A33, A55, Nex 3, 5 and VG10 firmware and able to modify it. I hope to get the bodies for my latest experiments. If so I’ll release my tools to extract firmware and repack it.”
This is the first time the firmware for the first generation SLT and NEX cameras has been cracked. They were encrypted but that has been overcome.
The exact functionality that can be tinkered with or changed hasn’t been mapped out yet. But adding custom menu items is a great sign as it could mean hack settings being present in RAM rather than in ROM. Again this is unconfirmed and just my speculation but it is clear Someone 1.00 is very capable and the real deal.
Donations needed
To get the latest Sony models to Someone 1.00, Malcolm of the Magic Lantern project has very kindly offered to administer donations for this project. He has set up an account and when the funds reach a certain point, will we convert the money into an eBay gift card so that Someone 1.00 can purchase the relevant bodies for himself.
Please consider donating to the project if you are a Sony camera owner, or if you have an interest in improving video on these cameras!
On the forum
There’s a buzz of activity on the EOSHD forum at the moment about the Alpha and NEX hack project, here’s a summary of the most relevant threads…
Donations page
Custom firmware tool for A55
Alpha testers – patch testing and research thread
Feature requests – what I want to see in a hacked NEX or Alpha camera
Any further developers?
Please get in touch!
