Start here: can I install this ZIP?
No. This download is a source archive, not installable firmware or a ready-to-run Windows kit. As checked on November 4, 2026, the author has not published complete firmware or a binary release of M4 Camera Tool. Keep this distinction in mind before connecting a camera.
You can read the documentation and inspect the code now. Installation requires a separately obtained, trusted and compatible BODYDATA.DAT, a complete tool distribution, and backups of your own camera. Renaming a ZIP does not create firmware.
01 / Check the camera first
The project targets Sony A7 IV / A7M4, model ILCE-7M4, primarily based on official firmware 6.02. A7 III, A7R IV and A7C II are different cameras. Find the version page in the camera settings and note the exact model and firmware version.
Matching version labels alone do not establish compatibility. The individual methods require exact file SHA-256 hashes and layouts. A hash is a file fingerprint: it helps identify a particular file.
This is independent community research, unaffiliated with Sony. Firmware writes can permanently disable a camera or lose calibration and settings. Incorrect wiring can damage equipment. Lenscript has prepared this guide from the author's documentation; we have not tested every device or firmware combination.
02 / What the project describes
| Feature | Purpose | Limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Custom LUTs | Import project-specific JSON colour files into 16 replaceable slots | Ordinary .cube and DCP files require conversion; renaming is insufficient |
| FL2 / FL3 | Port FX2 Creative Looks and related colour configuration | Requires integrated, compatible firmware components |
| Custom sounds | Separate WAV files and volume for shutter and focus sounds | Mechanical shutter noise remains; sounds may take a few seconds to activate after startup |
| Aspect ratios | Add 17:6, 65:24, 5:4 and 7:6 | JPEG / HEIF is cropped; RAW keeps its original area |
| Third-party batteries | Percentage display and warning changes while retaining charging and temperature protection | Firmware updates still require a genuine Sony battery |
| Lens AF capability filtering | Retain reported capabilities and speed parameters | No faster autofocus is promised |
These are modified-firmware features. Downloading the source or creating folders on a card will not add the menus to stock firmware.
03 / Prepare before attempting a write
The ordinary USB route requires a camera that boots normally and enters USB Mass Storage mode. It is not a recovery method for a camera that will not boot.
- Prepare a Windows computer and a USB cable that supports data.
- Use a genuine Sony battery with the charge required by the updater. Keep power stable.
- Back up photographs from the card used in slot 1.
- Obtain a trusted, complete M4 Camera Tool 1.0.0 distribution. The source ZIP on this page does not contain its EXE or runtime. The repository's setup.bat does not build the no-Fastboot portable application.
- Separately obtain a compatible BODYDATA.DAT and verify its source, target version and complete checksum. The tool does not inspect, validate or copy this installation file.
- Make and separately retain backups of your own camera. The tool's p1 backup covers the update environment, not complete eMMC, calibration or independent CP NOR. Never restore another body's backups. Backups cannot guarantee recovery from every fault.
If the tool or firmware is missing, stop at preparation. The author currently does not provide these finished downloads.
Author's installation guide · Source build requirements
04 / Ordinary USB installation sequence
Use this sequence only after obtaining compatible firmware, the complete trusted tool and your own backups. Follow the actual tool prompts and the firmware's instructions.
- Put the appropriate BODYDATA.DAT at the root of the memory card in slot 1, outside DCIM and other folders. Do not put the repository ZIP there as firmware.
- Extract the complete M4 tool to a short path such as
D:\M4. Turn the camera on, select USB Mass Storage and connect it to the computer. Run the M4 tool EXE and review the Windows administrator prompt. Read any driver or certificate prompt before deciding. Start with a clean trusted distribution, not someone else's bound working directory. - Confirm the preparation checklist and choose Write patch. Wait for p1 backup, compatibility checks, writing where necessary and complete independent readback. Do not disconnect or switch off on your own. Reconnect USB with the camera still on only when the tool explicitly instructs it.
- Wait for the explicit message permitting you to unplug USB and start updating. Keep the camera on, disconnect, return to the shooting screen, then open Version / Software Update. Verify the target version before proceeding.
- Start within the approximately ten-minute menu window. Once the camera is updating, let it finish. A computer countdown ending is not permission to interrupt power.
- After a normal restart, check the version, take a photograph, and verify saving and playback. Check the intended features, then finish and restore ordinary USB as instructed. Retain the backups and logs.
Stop repeated writes if compatibility checks fail, readback differs or the result is uncertain. Preserve the complete error and logs; do not delete state files to force another attempt.
05 / Using features after compatible installation
These instructions apply only when matching modified firmware is already installed and the corresponding menus exist.
| File or setting | Location | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Project-specific JSON LUT | PRIVATE/M4ROOT/GENERAL/LUT/ |
Exposure/Color → Color/Tone → Custom LUTS; import into a slot |
| Shutter or focus WAV | PRIVATE/M4ROOT/GENERAL/SOUNDS/ |
Shooting → Shutter/Silent; import and set each sound separately |
| New aspect ratio | No file required | Select in Aspect Ratio or Fn and confirm the framing mask |
Use short integer PCM WAV files, at most 1 MiB and five seconds each. Renaming MP3 files does not work. Silent mode suppresses both custom sounds; focus sounds also depend on the camera's audio-signal setting and focus mode. For RAW+JPEG, JPEG is cropped and RAW retains its original area.
06 / Common questions
There is no EXE in the download. Is the file incomplete?
No. This is the upstream source archive. Complete firmware, the no-Fastboot EXE and its runtime are not included. See the source build documentation for the additional requirements.
Can I do this on a phone?
A phone can display this guide and save files. The computer procedure described here requires Windows; a phone cannot run these EXE or BAT tools directly.
Is Restore ordinary USB a factory-firmware restore?
No. It handles communication and driver state. Returning to official firmware depends on the custom package's update logic, compatible official files and version ordering. Arbitrary downgrades or guaranteed rollback are not promised. Read the author's validation conditions.
What if the camera no longer boots?
Do not use the ordinary USB route. Fastboot recovery has separate hardware and compatibility requirements and cannot fix every failure. Preserve the current state and describe what happened before attempting more writes.
What does the Fastboot route need?
A Multi-port flashing cable and an RP2040-Zero bridge, plus external drivers, payloads and the documented resources. Ordinary USB cables cannot replace this hardware. Make complete same-body backups first, including separate CP NOR backup when required for FL2 / FL3. Do not mix the Fastboot and ordinary USB procedures.
Wiring · Environment and external resources
How do I verify the download?
Expand File details & verification above. In PowerShell, run the following in the download folder and compare the entire result with the page's SHA-256. Letter case does not matter.
Get-FileHash -Algorithm SHA256 .\sony-a7m4-source-d849c60.zip
This verifies the source ZIP against the hosted file. It does not establish that a firmware package is compatible or safe for your camera.
07 / Ask with enough detail
Join QQ group 824558022 using the section below. Include your model, current firmware, tool version, file source/checksum, the step reached and the complete error. Say whether the camera boots and whether an update is still running. Do not share private camera backups, calibration data, passwords or private keys.
For other parts of your photography workflow, Mark adds shooting information to photographs, and LCT helps with sunrise, sunset and shooting times. Explore the Lenscript toolbox as needed.
Sources and revision
Prepared by Lenscript from Erlla / sony-a7m4-custom-firmware, checked on 2026-11-04, commit d849c6074a0da9433e24288eee2ef64e3b7561bd. The download is the original GitHub source ZIP for that commit, with no added firmware or installer.
Author attribution, LICENSE, THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md and REFERENCES.md remain in the archive. MIT applies to the project's original code and documentation; it does not relicense Sony firmware, donor colour data or external runtime components. The deliberately public experimental signing key cannot authenticate a firmware publisher. Consult the matching upstream revision whenever tools or firmware differ.
