Is a Sony Camera Something to Lust After? Or Avoid?

[theraven871]

Its not secret that Sony has been making most of the waves lately. The technology they are packing into their cameras is nothing short of awesome. Despite this, they've done a good job keeping their prices low.

However, are they the next big thing on the horizon? Or a company that will fade into nothing (like so many others)

For some reason, Canon & Nikon have a near unbreakable stranglehold on this industry. However, the industry as a whole is suffering. It really makes me wonder if Sony will abandon all their innovative ideas before they gain enough market share. The entire DSLR/Mirrorless camera market sounds like an extremely expensive venture these days.

I bring up these points because I really love what Sony is bringing into the industry. They are gaining more and more momentum and creating additional competition for Canon/Nikon. I'm extremely tempted to buy a Sony a7 or A99, but I fear that they will abandon their efforts in a few years.

The best product is almost never the leader in sales.

 

[tirediron]

Sony has a history of making a splash which quickly fades into nothing. They are always developing new and innovative products, but they never seem to last, and when they do, they're propietary to the point of being crippling. Does anyone remember the software that Sony used to ship with their MP3 players? It made iTunes seem like the best thing in the world. They have some neat products, and some great ideas, but if you're seriously buying into a system, then Nikon or Canon on a professional level and Nikon, Canon, or Pentax on a consumer level.

 

[Derrel]

Sony's on the verge of being rated as junk by three financial services....

Can anything save Sony? - Oct. 30, 2014

According to Thom Hogan, Sony has kept prices low in an effort to ,"Buy market share," against Canon and Nikon, and other companies, and they have been mostly unsuccessful. The camera market is mature, so it's difficult for an upstart to just BUY a failed company's (Konica/Minolta) intellectual property and enter a business where the two main competitors are are ranked #1 and #2 by HUGE margins, and have been for over two decades straight.

 

[goodguy]

Seemed you are focused at full frame, I disagree the A7 and A99 are the best product.
I mean dont get me wrong I always said if I would go mirrorless the A7 would be my camera but mirrorless still lags behind DSLR especially in their AF system, the a99 is also a fantastic camera but it really is old and the new FF cameras by Canon and Nikon (especially the D750, D810 and 5D III) are better.
If you want to go full frame, want to have the best system then I would say either go Nikon or Canon, if not for anything else then for the huge array of new and used glass both consumer and pro class.
Maybe if it will make you feel better Nikon is housing in some of its cameras Sony sensors so thats something right ?

 

[snowbear]

Sony has a history of making a splash which quickly fades into nothing. They are always developing new and innovative products, but they never seem to last, and when they do, they're propietary to the point of being crippling. Does anyone remember the software that Sony used to ship with their MP3 players? It made iTunes seem like the best thing in the world. They have some neat products, and some great ideas, but if you're seriously buying into a system, then Nikon or Canon on a professional level and Nikon, Canon, or Pentax on a consumer level.

One word: Betamax.

Though, they did make the sensor in my Nikon.

 

[jsecordphoto]

I'd be psyched to have a A7s to use for landscape astrophotography. I don't know if I'd make the switch over to mirrorless yet though. If I had a few extra grand I'd be buying one for sure

 

[goodguy]

I'd be psyched to have a A7s to use for landscape astrophotography. I don't know if I'd make the switch over to mirrorless yet though. If I had a few extra grand I'd be buying one for sure

If I had the extra money I agree, I would get the A7s for the low light performance, its a BEAST!!!

 

[theraven871]

Sony's on the verge of being rated as junk by three financial services....

Can anything save Sony? - Oct. 30, 2014

According to Thom Hogan, Sony has kept prices low in an effort to ,"Buy market share," against Canon and Nikon, and other companies, and they have been mostly unsuccessful. The camera market is mature, so it's difficult for an upstart to just BUY a failed company's (Konica/Minolta) intellectual property and enter a business where the two main competitors are are ranked #1 and #2 by HUGE margins, and have been for over two decades straight.

I agree with this. Hence my hesitation buying into their platform.

 

[theraven871]

When all is said and done, I just want to have good pictures.
But, that has much more to do with the photographer than the camera.

That said, I don't want to invest heavily into a platform to have it tank on me in 3 years.
The Sony system sounds amazing, but so other Sony ideas. I question if they are willing to have the longevity I would need them to have in order to justify a purchase.

Still, its very tempting as they DO know how to make a good and competitive product.
Or maybe I just don't understand why Nikon or Canon don't release a product with an EVF, Focus Peaking, or face tracking auto focus.
Don't get me wrong, I am impressed with the Canon 7d Mark II and the Nikon D750. But they feel like incremental upgrades.

 

[Designer]

Selling incremental upgrades at an affordable price will probably beat selling incremental upgrades at a non-affordable price.

 

[theraven871]

Seemed you are focused at full frame, I disagree the A7 and A99 are the best product.
I mean dont get me wrong I always said if I would go mirrorless the A7 would be my camera but mirrorless still lags behind DSLR especially in their AF system, the a99 is also a fantastic camera but it really is old and the new FF cameras by Canon and Nikon (especially the D750, D810 and 5D III) are better.
If you want to go full frame, want to have the best system then I would say either go Nikon or Canon, if not for anything else then for the huge array of new and used glass both consumer and pro class.
Maybe if it will make you feel better Nikon is housing in some of its cameras Sony sensors so thats something right ?

I haven't had the opportunity to put the Sony mirrorless cameras through their paces. However, I haven't heard any complaints regarding the autofocus of the a7.
I have heard some complaints on the a7r.
All things being equal, there is NO autofocus system I've used that didn't get confused from time to time.
If there is an autofocus system that is 100% perfect 100% of the time, please let me know.
I try not to worry too much about AF systems. I grew up shooting film and manual focus.

 

[JustJazzie]

I jumped on the sony bandwagon 2 years ago and bought a nex 7. I know AF has improved some since then, but the AF in it is painfully slow. Between that and the fact that the camera is falling apart (grip fell off, the lcd screen got fuzzy/weird and we had to peel off some sort of film and replace it with a glass cover, Focus (auto and manual) only works 3/4 of the time now for no reason I know of) honestly, it feels like a toy when compared to my FF nikon, and I am so sad to see how quickly it has degraded. I do still love the camera when it works right, but I have found work a rounds for any feature that was a + to the sony side. Focus peaking for instance, can be replaced for me by using live view and zooming in.

Sorry if that's a bit jumbled, I am pre caffeinated right now.

What I am saying is, if something sounds too good to be true it usually is. I wish I would have spent the $2k+ I have invested in sony into a more "established" brand.

 

[D-B-J]

As others have said, Sony made the sensor in my D800, if that helps. [emoji6]

 

[KmH]

Sony uses steppers made by Nikon for the photolithography process used to make image sensors and other types of integrated circuits.
For many years Sony made image sensors for Nikon that Nikon had designed.

Canon was the first to use a pellicle mirror - back in 1965.
EVF - Electronic Viewfinders - are another feature developed by others, initially for video cameras.

 

[BGeise]

Sony has a history of making a splash which quickly fades into nothing. They are always developing new and innovative products, but they never seem to last, and when they do, they're propietary to the point of being crippling. Does anyone remember the software that Sony used to ship with their MP3 players? It made iTunes seem like the best thing in the world. They have some neat products, and some great ideas, but if you're seriously buying into a system, then Nikon or Canon on a professional level and Nikon, Canon, or Pentax on a consumer level.

One word: Betamax.

Though, they did make the sensor in my Nikon.

I don't find the alpha line to be propriety or crippling. They have been out since 2006 and there are lots of third party vendors making products. The e mount is still fairly new but seems to be taking off quite week imo