What is a ARW file?

ARW — Sony RAW

What is it?

ARW is the RAW format used by Sony Alpha cameras: raw sensor data, untouched by processing or lossy compression.

Like its rivals, it preserves the full tonal detail actually captured by the sensor, far beyond what a JPEG can reproduce.

History & origin

Sony introduced ARW building on the legacy of Konica Minolta, whose camera division it acquired in 2006 — the first Alpha cameras descend directly from that lineage.

The format has tracked the rise of Sony's mirrorless cameras, which became a benchmark among professionals over the course of the 2010s.

Why it is useful

All the flexibility of RAW, paired with the excellent dynamic range that made Sony sensors' reputation: shadow recovery is remarkably strong.

Full support across mainstream RAW-processing software.

Limits & drawbacks

Bulky and proprietary. Some camera bodies offer a 'compressed' ARW option that does lose information — a trap for anyone who assumes nothing is being sacrificed.

Unreadable by most consumer applications and by the web.

Practical tips

If your camera allows it, shoot in uncompressed or lossless RAW: the difference shows up in extreme recovery situations.

Process your images, then export to JPEG for sharing, TIFF for printing, and archive the original ARW files.

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