The Associated Press says it has reached a deal with Sony Electronics to exclusively equip its photojournalists with new video and still cameras over the next two years.
The AP sends some 3,000 photos and 200 videos a day to customers worldwide. Visual journalism is a point of pride for the news cooperative, which won its 54th Pulitzer Prize this year, the 32nd it has won for photography.
The new Alpha cameras will be smaller and lighter, and employ mirrorless technology, enabling photographers to work silently.
"This is a game-changer for the AP and will give us way more flexibility into the future," said Derl McCrudden, deputy managing editor for visual and digital journalism.
The company would not discuss the size of the investment.
It will be the first time the AP uses video and still cameras from the same manufacturer, which it hopes will allow for greater consistency in the product and more speed. Photographers will be able to easily share lenses and memory cards.
"We think we can get images from the back of cameras to customers in minutes," said J. David Ake, director of photography.
Ake said he hoped the transition would be complete in between 18 months and two years, although training on the new equipment will be initially complicated by the coronavirus pandemic.
Neal Manowitz, deputy president for Imaging Products and Solutions Americas at Sony Electronics, said the company is "honored to equip AP's journalists with our technology and support, giving them the opportunity to capture, transmit and deliver imagery in ways they never could before."
