Nikon announced that it is preparing a firmware update that will bring the Content Authenticity Initiative’s (CAI) C2PA content credentials to the Z6 III camera which will be ready to deploy by mid next year.
Announced at Adobe MAX today, the firmware is being exhibited at the show which takes place from October 14 through 16.
The CAI was originally founded by Adobe and now includes more than 800 partners which work together to increase trust online through provenance. The CAI also authored the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) which is a standardized way of verifying a photo’s provenance.
“Nikon is committed to developing solutions, including compliance with the C2PA standards, with the goal of protecting individuals and enterprises in the imaging industry, and ultimately society, from any unfavorable results caused by fake images and/or unauthorized use of images,” Nikon says.
“Our aim is to implement a mechanism that preserves original, unaltered image data recorded using the camera, making it easier to verify the authenticity of images and protect the rights of photographers. This firmware, currently under development for the Z6 III to reflect the results of testing of the mechanism’s practicality as part of the workflows adopted by news agencies, is scheduled for release to some news and other agencies in mid-2025.”
Nikon has been threatening to add C2PA technology into its cameras since October 2022 and earlier this year announced that it had developed a “digital watermark” that could exist on top of C2PA.
While Nikon stated its intention to add C2PA to the Z9 nearly two years ago, it never specified when the technology would actually land in cameras. The Z6 III announcement is the first time Nikon actually stated a timeline although it is still not concrete. To date, only Leica has shipped working C2PA content credentials into a camera.
“Nikon will continue to work to address the ever-changing issues surrounding image authenticity, and contribute to the further development of imaging culture by working toward a society in which those involved in the imaging industry are able to conduct their creative and business activities with greater peace of mind,” the company adds.
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.