4 ms·

So what exactly does Sony have to do to become king of cameras? This is a very good argument.

by dluan 10y ago

redial 10y ago
Lenses, they need killer lenses people are willing to switch systems for. That and better battery life.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
old-gregg 10y ago
Well, Sony has been the "co-king" of consumer P&S cameras for a long time, but those are in steep decline due to ever increasing capabilities of smart phones, where Sony (unlike Canon or Nikon) continues to make money with their Xperia line. On the high end, they lack one key "ingredient" in my opinion which can be best described by one word: ecosystem. Ask any serious Nikon user and they'll show you a $15K collection of lenses, flashes and even old film bodies with high sentimental value to them. They will also talk for hours about "Nikon approach to color" if you'll listen. Competing against this takes time: Sony needs more lenses, more famous photographers walk around sporting their gear, consistently communicated "vision", etc. This can also be a tough cultural problem to overcome. I've been shooting Canon on and off most of my life, Nikon gear is very similar in that it feels like a computerized camera system, i.e. a computer is an add-on to an excellent camera helping you take better pictures. Fuji cameras have the same feel. But every time I try Sony it feels like mm... hard to explain, maybe like a "computer which happens to take photos"? Very subjective, of course, but since you asked. ;)
- dluan 10y ago
  I've tried the fujifilm mirrorless cameras, and they've also had that feeling of portable camera with a computer attached. I've personally always loved the feeling of a computer engine driving the sony camera (a7 evf is wonderful). If mirrorless is the future, and partially what allowed Sony to make 1/32000 possible, then does that mean Canon/Nikon are playing catch up?
  - old-gregg 10y ago
    Hard to say. My guess is that an EVF is a trivial add-on and both Nikon and Canon are capable of executing well and would have added it to their SLRs if they wanted. Why they're clinging to the mirror... I have no idea. I certainly prefer optical viewfinders but I can't claim I'm in the majority. Frankly, the modern photo equipment is just too good to even imagine a dramatic leap forward by one player. ISOs have skyrocketed, dynamic range is amazing, AF is fast and intelligent, etc... One major area worth improving is the weight IMO. If someone defeats the laws of physics and produces an optical equivalent of 24-70mm f2.8L mounted on a 5D, but at 30% of the weight/size, it would be an instant hit.
anigbrowl 10y ago
Greater lens affordability/compatibility. If they offered compatibility with Canon glass they'd be unstoppable because there's a lot of that about. For video Sony is really pulling away from the competition. Outside of niches like sports and nature videography autofocus isn't nearly as important for video as it is for still photography, and nor are super-high-quality lenses - as long as the image is reasonably sharp people actually like the idiosyncrasies of older lenses in many contexts, and in any case it's common to rent lenses you need for a particular project rather than needing to have every option in your bag. Sony has really been killing it with their low-light capability and ergonomics in recent years, and while you could point to other camera firms that do better in this or that specification area, the fact that Sony is a large global corporation that's very unlikely to go out of business in the foreseeable future is also an asset. I don't own any Sony camera gear myself so not being a fanboy here.

So what exactly does Sony have to do to become king of cameras? This is a very good argument.

by dluan 10y ago

So what exactly does Sony have to do to become king of cameras? This is a very good argument.

redial 10y ago

Lenses, they need killer lenses people are willing to switch systems for. That and better battery life.

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]

old-gregg 10y ago

Well, Sony has been the "co-king" of consumer P&S cameras for a long time, but those are in steep decline due to ever increasing capabilities of smart phones, where Sony (unlike Canon or Nikon) continues to make money with their Xperia line. On the high end, they lack one key "ingredient" in my opinion which can be best described by one word: ecosystem. Ask any serious Nikon user and they'll show you a $15K collection of lenses, flashes and even old film bodies with high sentimental value to them. They will also talk for hours about "Nikon approach to color" if you'll listen. Competing against this takes time: Sony needs more lenses, more famous photographers walk around sporting their gear, consistently communicated "vision", etc. This can also be a tough cultural problem to overcome. I've been shooting Canon on and off most of my life, Nikon gear is very similar in that it feels like a computerized camera system, i.e. a computer is an add-on to an excellent camera helping you take better pictures. Fuji cameras have the same feel. But every time I try Sony it feels like mm... hard to explain, maybe like a "computer which happens to take photos"? Very subjective, of course, but since you asked. ;)

dluan 10y ago
I've tried the fujifilm mirrorless cameras, and they've also had that feeling of portable camera with a computer attached. I've personally always loved the feeling of a computer engine driving the sony camera (a7 evf is wonderful). If mirrorless is the future, and partially what allowed Sony to make 1/32000 possible, then does that mean Canon/Nikon are playing catch up?
- old-gregg 10y ago
  Hard to say. My guess is that an EVF is a trivial add-on and both Nikon and Canon are capable of executing well and would have added it to their SLRs if they wanted. Why they're clinging to the mirror... I have no idea. I certainly prefer optical viewfinders but I can't claim I'm in the majority. Frankly, the modern photo equipment is just too good to even imagine a dramatic leap forward by one player. ISOs have skyrocketed, dynamic range is amazing, AF is fast and intelligent, etc... One major area worth improving is the weight IMO. If someone defeats the laws of physics and produces an optical equivalent of 24-70mm f2.8L mounted on a 5D, but at 30% of the weight/size, it would be an instant hit.

anigbrowl 10y ago

Greater lens affordability/compatibility. If they offered compatibility with Canon glass they'd be unstoppable because there's a lot of that about. For video Sony is really pulling away from the competition. Outside of niches like sports and nature videography autofocus isn't nearly as important for video as it is for still photography, and nor are super-high-quality lenses - as long as the image is reasonably sharp people actually like the idiosyncrasies of older lenses in many contexts, and in any case it's common to rent lenses you need for a particular project rather than needing to have every option in your bag. Sony has really been killing it with their low-light capability and ergonomics in recent years, and while you could point to other camera firms that do better in this or that specification area, the fact that Sony is a large global corporation that's very unlikely to go out of business in the foreseeable future is also an asset. I don't own any Sony camera gear myself so not being a fanboy here.