How to read a Sony shutter count from a photo without installing software

When you buy a used Sony Alpha, the shutter count is one of the few numbers that tells you how hard the body has been worked. Sony does not show it in the menu. It sits in encrypted maker-note blocks inside the original ARW or JPEG. You can read it in a browser if the decoder only shows numbers for verified models.

What the number means

It depends on the body. On newer cameras such as the A6700, A7C II, A7CR and A7 V, ExifTool describes the value as mechanical shutter actuations only. On bodies such as the A7 III, A7 IV and A7R V it is closer to total exposures. Some older models wrap at 65,536, so a heavily used camera can show a low number. Compacts such as the RX100 series, and bodies with no mechanical shutter such as the A9 III, usually have no count in the file.

Steps

1. Copy one original photo straight from the memory card — ARW or camera JPEG. Lightroom exports, phone edits and chat forwards usually drop the maker notes.

2. Drop the file into a browser reader that runs ExifTool in WebAssembly. Nothing is uploaded.

3. Confirm the model is on the verified list before you trust the number. ExifTool versions before 13.44, for example, mis-read the A7 V.

4. If you can, compare two photos taken a known number of frames apart. The count should rise in line with those frames.

I built a free page that does this for 66 verified Sony models with ExifTool 13.59: Sony shutter count. One check is free; Pro is $9.99 one-time if you need more.