see also:

• Sony NEX E-mount camera system
• Sony NEX FX full frame mirrorless cameras

• Many Sony cameras allow the download and installation of additional software apps into the camera - some of these are free, others require purchase, and all require a Sony Entertainment Network account which can be set up at http://www.sony.net/pmca
• see https://www.playmemoriescameraapps.com/portal/ for the apps
• to download the apps and install on the camera:
  • download the browser add on installer (PMCA Downloader) - this automatically occurs when you try to download an add on the first time
  • the browser will need to restart
  • connect camera to laptop USB and turn camera on
  • open the app web page and press Install button - this will download the app to the camera and then install it
  • you will then need to disconnect USB cable and repeat above to install more apps
  • if you try to install a pay app, you will need to connect your Sony account with a credit card or PayPal account first

• allows WiFi based remote control of the camera via a smartphone
• requires the smartphone to have the Sony PlayMemories Mobile app installed, and WiFi tethered to the camera (smartphone must use the camera's WiFi hotspot and not be connected to another WiFi network at the same time)

• allows automatical upload of images to a pre-registered smartphone
• requires the smartphone to have the Sony PlayMemories Mobile app installed, and WiFi tethered to the camera (smartphone must use the camera's WiFi hotspot and not be connected to another WiFi network at the same time)

• allows transfer of images to either Sony PlayMemories Online, or to a Facebook account over WiFi internet connection

• allows transfer of images to a Flickr account

• lets you photograph people while preserving bright, beautiful skin tones.
• You can add skin-softening and skin-brightening effects to suit your preferences and create attractive selfies.
• After shooting, you can add catch-light effects to bring a sparkle to your eyes.

• lets you edit previously shot photos in-camera.
• Use a variety of editing tools — such as Framing, Brightness Control, Saturation Control, Contrast Control, Horizontal Adjustment, Resize and Soft Skin Effect — to make your shots look their best.
• The Framing tool includes Auto Portrait Framing, which automatically detects a face and adjusts framing for the most pleasing composition.
• Soft Skin Effect allows you to choose exactly which faces in the image to soften.

• similar to Olympus built-in Art Filters
• comprehensive collection of Picture Effects comes with six new effects allowing you to truly express yourself through your pictures
• Partial Color+ lets you select up to two colors before turning the image in to a black and white photo. Any object with the selected colors remain as colored highlights, creating eye-catching accents.
• Soft High-Key+ lends a light, airy look to photos by changing the ambience of the lighting. Choose from blue, pink or green as the soft high-key color.
• Miniature+ expands on the conventional Miniature function, letting you combine it with either Toy Camera or Retro Photo for truly unique photos.
• Toy Camera+ lets you control the brightness of the vignette in a Toy Camera photo.
• Watercolor transforms any image into a lovely photo resembling a delicate watercolor.
• Illustration creates bright punchy images with subjects starkly outlined much like you would find in comic books or cartoons.

• With this application, you can simply hold your hand over the eye sensor to release the shutter.
• Operate the shutter without touching the camera, thus eliminating camera shake once and for all.
• When bulb-shooting, hold your hand over the eye sensor twice to start and end the exposure

• creates a Sound Photo, a photo with attached sound recorded shortly before and after shooting, that creates a sense of “being there” for the viewer. The user can set the length of the sound recording and the Sound Photo content can be viewed and played not only on the camera, but also on computers, mobile devices, TVs and other equipment.

• allows you to divide the scene into two or three areas and optimize the exposure and white balance for each area, helping you to shoot the best image. This application is perfect for scenes containing vastly different brightness levels, such as in backlit landscape scenes. These above features enable you to enjoy the same wide dynamic range and expressive rendition as if using a graduated ND filter or reverse graduated ND filter.
• Moreover, this application can be used for those fleeting, beautiful magic hour and blue moment shots immediately before and after sunrise or sunset.
• can create a RAW from 3 different specially bracketed RAW exposures automatically
• $US39.99

• automatically shoots a series of still images at intervals then combines them into one movie.
• It's easy to use:
  • just select a time-lapse mode that most closely resembles what you are shooting and let the camera do the rest!
  • The proper settings are automatically made for you, eliminating the need for time-consuming trial and error.
  • Eight time-lapse themes are available:
    • Cloudy Sky, Night Sky, Night Scene, Sunset, Sunrise, Miniature, Standard, Custom.
  • You can choose to save the still images as a series of photos instead of a movie.
  • Using the optional Angle Shift Add-on ($US4.99), you can easily add pan, tilt, zoom and other effects to your time-lapse images.
• $US9.99

• shoots a series of starry sky still images at intervals then combines them into one movie.
• Now you can easily create beautiful star trail movies without a computer or time-consuming manual editing. Simply select a theme and shoot!
• You can choose one of three themes: Dark Night, Bright Night or Custom.
• $US9.99

• lets users manually select correction values for lens peripheral shading, chromatic aberration and distortion. By saving the correction values as a lens profile, the same correction can be applied when shooting either still images or movies.
• Peripheral Shading: Corrects brightness, and the intensity of reds and blues, around the edges of images
• Chromatic Aberration: Corrects red and blue lateral aberration
• Distortion: Corrects barrel and pincushion distortion
• The following lens information can be written to Exif data*1 even from lenses that do not ordinarily allow it
  • Lens model: LensModel
  • Focal length: FocalLength, FocalLengthIn35mmFilm
  • F-number: FNumber
• $US9.99

• shoots light traces drawn with a penlight or other light source to create photo art (light paintings). Light traces are automatically extracted from the image and can be superimposed on a background to create an art work. Unlike typical long-exposure light paintings, this application easily achieves light paintings without complicated camera settings or computer editing.
• $US4.99

• automatically bracket photos by shutter speed, aperture, focus or flash.
• With just one press of the shutter the camera snaps three shots at different shutter speed, aperture or focus settings, or two photos (one with flash and the other without).
• Bracketing assures that photos have just the right look, especially if you are unsure about the proper settings.
• After shooting you can select the best shot from the bracketed images.
• By eliminating the need to manually change settings and take multiple shots, you are more likely to get the best results possible and not miss a memorable moment or expression.
• $US4.99

• Add a splash of light to your photos and transform everyday shots into fantastic displays of light and magic. Choose from one of four different light shapes: Ray, Star, Flare and Beam. You can also specify where you want the light to fall as well as adjust light intensity, length, width and number of light rays. This app makes a copy of the photo, leaving the original untouched.
• $US4.99

• lets users easily accentuate people’s faces and take stunning portrait photos by adjusting the contrast and lighting level. In the past, lighting for portrait photography required skill and expertise, but this app makes it easy for anyone to recreate portrait lighting effects. The lighting level can be selected from one of five levels or set with a custom setting. With the custom setting, users can choose from six levels of emphasis on the person or the background.
• $US4.99

• Express the breathtaking dynamism and energy of fast-moving subjects. A sequence of shots taken in continuous shooting mode are superimposed to make one truly expressive photo of action scenes like sports, speeding vehicles and other similar subjects. You can choose the first and last images of the sequence, adjust spacing between images and customize other settings. This app makes one copy from the sequence of photos, leaving the originals untouched.
• $US4.99

• automatically composites your exposures with optimized settings. Multiple exposure shooting has never been easier. You can choose from seven themes: Manual, Easy silhouette, Sky, Texture, Rotate, Mirror or Soft Filter. If you choose the Manual theme, you can preview the results of six blending modes (Add, Weighted Average, Lighten, Darken, Screen and Multiply) and select the image you like most.
• $US4.99

• automatically creates animations by combining images you shoot one by one.
• So it’s easy to make your own clay animation sequences and more.
• You can view the scene transparently overlapping the previous image as you shoot for easier, more accurate subject positioning.
• Moreover, a miniature theme lets you give subjects the look of miniature models.
• $US4.99