Help me understand the Sony Hype please

[rnzlr88]

I just bought my first SLR, a Canon 50D (i love it by the way) and a friend of a friend basically berated me on making a 'mistake' with Canon. He said my money was better invested in Sony cameras since they were doing cutting edge stuff with their hardware and that the A77 couldn't be beat. and now that i look around, more and more people seem to be joining the Sony bandwagon, but i just don't get it, and being an amateur i cant really look at the technics of it all at my level, so can someone help me out here and explain the big Sony hype.

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[cgipson1]

it's called RELIGION.. and some people get it bad! Some get the Sony version, some get the Nikon or Canon version... and there are many others! There are also many subsets within each one...

Do what you want... tell anyone that doesn't like to kiss off! Personally I can't imaging anyone wanting a Sony camera.. but hey... who am I to say!

[Tomasko]

I just bought my first SLR, a Canon 50D (i love it by the way) and a friend of a friend basically berated me on making a 'mistake' with Canon. He said my money was better invested in Sony cameras since they were doing cutting edge stuff with their hardware and that the A77 couldn't be beat. and now that i look around, more and more people seem to be joining the Sony bandwagon, but i just don't get it, and being an amateur i cant really look at the technics of it all at my level, so can someone help me out here and explain the big Sony hype.

Have you ever seen a pro photographer with a SONY dslr? Canon/Nikon have more available accessories/lenses/bodies/you-name-it ... They are more reliable etc etc.
Your friend obviously doesn't know what he's talking about..

Btw, one note about hypes... Look at the hype around facebook photographers, their way of processing and so on. And now look at the quality of their work Would you want to be one of them, just because it's popular nowadays? I certainly not.

[dxqcanada]

The hype is around technological advances.
Whether or not that make for a better camera ... only time will tell.

The suggestions that only Pro's use Canon/Nikon, is due to a large number of factors ... but it does not necessarily mean all other brands suck.

The Sony SLT-A77 is a very interesting APS-C camera. Maybe not for everyone, but it is different than what is currently on the market ... the same way the Sony NEX is.

[K8-90]

I do think that Sony is going somewhere. However, I also believe that Canon & Nikon are "tried and true". They've been at the camera biz for a while. If you use Canon or Nikon, I find you gain access to much more - accessories, tutorials, books, etc.

[Hickeydog]

You get the same schtick in every niche.

For example: PC vs Mac (everyone loves this one). I'm a PC guy. I build computers. Yet there's always some Mac-head (and not all mac users are like this) that said I wasted money on my computer...yeah....saving $800 by building it myself is a waste of money.......

Another example: Beats vs other headphones. I like my ATH-M50's. They were cheaper than the Beats and they sound better. Plus the build quality is that of a tank. But there's always one guy who said that I wasted money on my cans.

Point is, there's always going to be that guy, and the only solution is to smack the stupid out of him.

[DennyCrane]

I place Sony in the same class as Bose audio and Apple products. They flourish on a cult of personality over substance. This goes for the entire gamut of Sony products, from their cameras to their audio/video equipment to their Playstation products. They force retailers to sell at a set price, and unless you're WalMart, do not allow discounts. They artificially create the perception that since it's a high-dollar item, the quality must be there, too.

About all that can be said of Sony is that they can use a lot of old Minolta glass. Sure, they have in-camera stabilization, but because of that, the image in the viewfinder remains jittery, so you will never know if it's working well enough for a particular shot.

And as has been stated, statistically, none of the pros use Sony. It's all Nikon and Canon. And, look at 3rd party support. Again, it's all about Nikon and Canon.

OP answered his own question in the last word of his post... "hype".

<prepares for Sony owner rage>

[Tomasko]

<prepares for Sony owner rage>

Haha, first we need to find some Sony owner....

[dxqcanada]

<prepares for Sony owner rage>

Haha, first we need to find some Sony owner....

I am a Sony owner. I was also a Canon and Bronica owner.

Sony has the same amount of hype as any other camera manufacturer. All state their product is the best.

I do not place Sony at the top because of these new products.
I would love that Sony expand their lens line up ... as I rather not hunt around for used Minolta glass (and hope to get one in good condition).
Minolta, of old, did not aggressively match Canon/Nikon in the pro area (until too late ... see Maxxum 7/9) ... and when Sony took over they were already behind.
Sony still has to prove themselves in the "Pro" photography zone. I am not sure how far they want to go to do this.

[dxqcanada]

Oh, I forgot the "rage" ... ARRRRRR!!!! Canon sucks (except the new F-1 which I still think is the best camera they ever made) !!!

Now how about the hyped Nikon J1/V1 ??

[Kerbouchard]

Well, 10 fps in a consumer body is nothing to laugh at. Actually, it's pretty impressive. Well, it would be, if I needed to take a shot every tenth of a second.

[Derrel]

Sony has the same amount of hype as any other camera manufacturer.

Only difference is, Nikon and Canon can actually back up their hype with real products, a professional services network, and COMPLETE systems, and 50+ years in the business of making cameras and lenses and photography accessories. Sony makes some nice TV sets. And some neat game consoles. PlayStation anyone?

[cguron]

Are we just doing the PC vs. Mac?

[jaomul]

Sony has the same amount of hype as any other camera manufacturer.

Only difference is, Nikon and Canon can actually back up their hype with real products, a professional services network, and COMPLETE systems, and 50+ years in the business of making cameras and lenses and photography accessories. Sony makes some nice TV sets. And some neat game consoles. PlayStation anyone?

AND THE SENSOR IN NEW NIKON DSLRs

[kojack]

This would be the same as the canon hype. They release a new camera every three months the exact same as the camera before it. Let's have a look at full frame versions. How much is canons top full frame? Like 8 grand or something, sonys is 3000 with image stabilization included. Great deal. Just because "pros" don't use them don't mean they are not great cameras. Back when I was using Olympus 4/3s equipment. Which I will be getting into again because of the best watersealing in the biz, I was in a class doing outdoor photography, and the canikon snobs were in full force. Making comments about my "toy" camera. So I placed my e-1 and 35-100mm zukio lens in the nearby stream and said do that with your real cameras. Needless to say the comments stopped after I picked up my kit and continued shooting for the rest of the weekend. I switched to Sony after playing with my friends 350. I love that camera. Bought one right away and getting a 850 as well. The minolta glass is tank like in build quality and optics are amazing as well.

Just because a pro uses it or there is a c or n on the front don't make it any better than other brands who actually innovate with real new products instead of the same thing every few months.