About SR2 Files
Sony RAW SR2
SR2 is an older Sony RAW format used in some Sony Alpha cameras. Newer Sony cameras use ARW instead.
Family
Raster & Vector Images
Extension
.sr2
MIME Type
image/x-sony-sr2
Can Use As
HOW SR2
CAME TO BE.
SR2 was Sony’s raw format from the Alpha 100 era (2006), inherited from Konica Minolta when Sony acquired Minolta’s camera business in 2006. Alongside SR2, Sony shipped MRW (Minolta Raw) as the legacy extension and eventually standardized on ARW (Alpha Raw) from roughly 2008 onward. SR2 files come from the transitional Alpha DSLRs of 2005-2008 — Alpha 100, 200, 700, and a handful of early semi-pro bodies.
Structurally SR2 is a TIFF/EP container with Sony-specific makernotes, similar in concept to CR2 and NEF. After Sony consolidated on ARW, SR2 disappeared from new bodies. Today SR2 files exist mostly in wedding archives and professional libraries from the late 2000s — every major raw processor still supports them, but nobody creates new SR2 files in 2026.
CURIOSITIES &
TRIVIA.
SR2 inherited from Konica Minolta's MRW format when Sony bought the camera division in 2006 — a genuine handoff between brands.
The Sony Alpha 100 (2006) was the first Alpha-branded DSLR and wrote SR2 as its raw format.
Sony consolidated on ARW around 2008 — SR2 lasted only 2-3 camera generations.
Photographers who shot weddings in the late 2000s on Sony Alpha still have archives full of SR2 files.
Lightroom and Capture One continue to support SR2 in 2026 for legacy workflows.
STRENGTHS &
LIMITATIONS.
Strengths
- Full Sony Alpha early-era sensor data preserved.
- Supported by major raw processors.
- Metadata includes Konica Minolta pre-Sony era compatibility.
Limitations
- Transitional format — limited to 2006-2008 bodies.
- Superseded by ARW.
- Proprietary with no public spec.
- Essentially legacy — no new content.
Typical Sizes & Weights
10 MP SR2 (Alpha 100)
12-18 MB
12 MP SR2 (Alpha 700)
15-22 MB
Technical Specifications
- MIME type
- image/x-sony-sr2
- Extension
- .sr2
- Container
- TIFF/EP with Sony MakerNote
- Successor
- .arw (2008+)
- Ancestor
- .mrw (Konica Minolta)
CONVERT FROM
SR2
Common Use Cases
Sony Alpha photography (older models)
Related Formats
Popular comparisons
SR2 vs WEBP
Differences, file size, and when to choose each format.
SR2 vs AVIF
Differences, file size, and when to choose each format.
SR2 vs GIF
Differences, file size, and when to choose each format.
SR2 vs BMP
Differences, file size, and when to choose each format.
SR2 vs TIFF
Differences, file size, and when to choose each format.
SR2 vs ICO
Differences, file size, and when to choose each format.
Popular SR2 conversions
The most-requested destinations when starting from SR2.
Frequently Asked Questions about SR2
Frequently Asked Questions
SR2 (Sony RAW SR2) is an image format used to store raster graphics — a two-dimensional grid of pixels describing a picture. It is part of the raster & vector images family and designed around a specific trade-off between file size, visual fidelity, and feature support (transparency, colour depth, compression type). Photographers, web designers, and content creators choose SR2 when its particular strengths match the publishing target.
Most desktop photo viewers (Windows Photos, macOS Preview, GIMP, Photoshop, Affinity Photo) open SR2 natively. On mobile, iOS Photos and Google Photos display SR2 in the gallery when supported by the OS. If the format is rare or new, convert to JPG or PNG first — both are universally readable — using our SR2 to JPG or SR2 to PNG converter.
Upload the SR2 to KaijuConverter and pick a target format (JPG, PNG, WebP, HEIC, TIFF, BMP, SVG, PDF). The conversion runs in the browser via ImageMagick and returns a download in seconds. No account or installation required; both input and output delete automatically within two hours.
It depends on the task. JPG is the smallest file size for photographs; PNG is lossless with transparency; SR2 has its own niche that may favour colour depth, animation, or encoding efficiency over one or both of those. For the final web publish, test all three and measure file size plus visible quality on real content.