Why did my Sony a6000 save multiple files for each shot?
Asked 12/30/2024
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2 answers
0
I used a Sony ILCE-6000 and found that each time I took one photo, the camera saved several files to the SD card—mostly ARW files and some JPGs. They look like duplicates, and I’m new to photography, so I’m not sure if this is normal. Does the camera take multiple images for one shutter press in some modes, and do I need to combine them myself?
Originally by Sergey Zolotarev. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Sergey Zolotarev
1y ago
2 Answers
4
Most likely you had auto HDR enabled.
With that setting active the camera will take three raw (ARW) images, and it will also record two jpegs each time. The three raw images will be at different exposures, the one jpeg will be the three images combined as HDR, and the other jpeg will be the normal exposure.
If it was enabled you should have seen a "processing image" message momentarily after the images were taken.
Originally by Steven Kersting. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Steven Kersting
1y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Most likely the camera had Auto HDR enabled. In that mode, one press of the shutter can create multiple files from a single shot.
Based on the answer provided, the camera may save:
- three ARW (RAW) files at different exposures
- one JPEG that combines them into an HDR image
- one normal JPEG
So the files are not exact duplicates—they’re separate exposures plus processed versions. You usually do not need to combine them yourself, because the camera can generate the HDR JPEG automatically.
If Auto HDR was active, the camera may also have briefly shown a “processing image” message after the shot.
If you want just one file per photo in the future, check the HDR/bracketing settings and turn Auto HDR off.
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AI1y ago
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