Damien Demolder
Tharg the Mighty
Reged: 22/08/2001
Posts: 1055
Loc: Essex born and badly-bred
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What does it take to convince the enthusiast photographer that you are taking the DSLR market seriously?
This week's poll is about Sony, and its DSLR range. We've tested the Alpha 350 in our current issue (dated 26 April - out Tuesday 22 April) and it's done pretty well. Now the company has four DSLRs - if you count the Alpha 100 which is still on sale - and the full frame model in the pipe line, are you convinced the company is a serious photographic brand?
Go to the Home Page to let us know what you think.
Thanks
Damien
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See my photographs at www.wordsonpictures.com
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FujiSigmaNolta
I can pan!
Reged: 21/06/2005
Posts: 1536
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From me, right now, its a resounding yes. I have been playing around with Sony DSLRs from some friends and in the shops and they feel Minolta enough to me  . But seriously, they do feel very capable, very responsive and image quality is very good. I have even spotted a pro the other day using one with what looked like a 70-200 2.8 . It's a good sign.
I can't wait for the Full Frame one.
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Regards,
Luis
My Flickr mess
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Gordon_McGeachie
Joke Historian
Reged: 19/01/2007
Posts: 4248
Loc: East Yorkshire,
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Quote:
What does it take to convince the enthusiast photographer that you are taking the DSLR market seriously?
This week's poll is about Sony, and its DSLR range. We've tested the Alpha 350 in our current issue (dated 26 April - out Tuesday 22 April) and it's done pretty well. Now the company has four DSLRs - if you count the Alpha 100 which is still on sale - and the full frame model in the pipe line, are you convinced the company is a serious photographic brand?
Go to the Home Page to let us know what you think.
Thanks
Damien
A definate YES.........About time that someone else gave the big 2 a run for their money.
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She (Avro Vulcan XH558) Took To The Sky Like A Lovesick Angel.
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Cuthbert
enthusiast
Reged: 10/09/2007
Posts: 250
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Voted yes too!
When Konica Minolta announced they were getting out of the camera business, I remember there were some worried faces around a Minolta forum I belong to about whether Sony would be a serious successor.
Sony's response with the A100, 200, 700 and 350 I think have shown such worries to have been unfounded. When my Minolta 5D bites the dust, or I feel like an upgrade, I will have no qualms about getting whatever Sony is around then. Looking at the current offerings, they seem very much in the Minolta spirit!
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Simon
My flickr galleries at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sis-exposures/
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Gordon_McGeachie
Joke Historian
Reged: 19/01/2007
Posts: 4248
Loc: East Yorkshire,
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Quote:
When my Minolta 5D bites the dust, or I feel like an upgrade, I will have no qualms about getting whatever Sony is around then. Looking at the current offerings, they seem very much in the Minolta spirit!
I still have my 7D  along with the A700.
If/when ( I am not expecting it too) it packs in, then I will go for another Sony, with at least the same spec as the A700.
I have never had a Minolta die on me yet........ 
I have never really thought about jumping ship either.
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She (Avro Vulcan XH558) Took To The Sky Like A Lovesick Angel.
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Roger_Provins
Made-it Man
Reged: 22/10/2005
Posts: 3222
Loc: Gloucester, UK
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Yes Sony are very serious! A quick look at their position in the video camera market, in particular the high end professional equipment, should be enough to convince anyone they know what they are doing and how to do it well. Combined with the brains of Minolta it's a potent mix and remember they've been in the digital still camera business since 1981.
Well I'm convinced anyway - I've two of their dSLRs and half a dozen lenses 
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Rog
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Malcolm_Stewart
Carpal \'Tunnel
Reged: 11/07/2005
Posts: 2727
Loc: Milton Keynes, UK
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As a one time heavy Minolta X700 user, I'd like to see more prime lenses, and for more attractive pricing of the few that are available. Their line-up simply doesn't compare with the availability and ranges on offer from the big two.
And of course, it will be important for hire agencies to stock their gear.
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Malcolm Stewart
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Roger_Provins
Made-it Man
Reged: 22/10/2005
Posts: 3222
Loc: Gloucester, UK
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Quote:
....I'd like to see more prime lenses ...
...well there's 16mm, 20mm, 28mm, 35mm, 2x50mm, 85mm, 100mm, 2x135, 300, and 500mm .. enough for me to be getting on with and more in the pipe line.
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Rog
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Malcolm_Stewart
Carpal \'Tunnel
Reged: 11/07/2005
Posts: 2727
Loc: Milton Keynes, UK
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I suppose my views are skewed by the lack of a Sony/Minolta 35mm f2, and 24 f2.8 - these are both lenses I've used fairly heavily on both cropped and full frame Canon bodies. Then there's the lack of a plain and simple 135 f2.8.
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Malcolm Stewart
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FujiSigmaNolta
I can pan!
Reged: 21/06/2005
Posts: 1536
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But I don't think Sony is going to stand still and be with the same lens line-up forever, obviously. And they have shown that they are well serious with the A700 which has divided opinions in many reviews against the Canon 40D for example. Sony has also the ability to come up with surprises out of the blue as they have done with all their eletronic products.
For someone who just entered the DSLR game, I think 4 DSLRs and a lineup of Zeiss lenses however "small" it is pretty good and that oughta shake the tree a bit.
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Regards,
Luis
My Flickr mess
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Burgy
Grateful not to have one
Reged: 13/04/2001
Posts: 5217
Loc: This far, from beating 7 shade...
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Well from a pro's point of view, no not yet, it neither has the system support, nor the back up required for the guys that require it. I don't doubt that Sony has the marketing power to gain some followers, indeed I was a big fan of Sony TV, Video and hi-fi kit until just about everyone else started doing better specced and higher quality kit for less of a premium. The fact that they have (historically) backed the wrong solution and proprietry systems will jade their name for time to come (can/will anyone forget betamax I feel sure that memory stick will go the same way).
To be a real competitor they will have adopt, or at least influence industry standards rather than buck against them. They will also have to show that they are properly in the game and going to push for market share, that demands providing equipment for all sectors of the market, in the photography game (with few exceptions) the consumers tend to go where the pros go. Hence the demise of Minolta, Konica, Contax and many others.
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Cheers
Burgy BSRIPN, BSc, DSO and Bar (now open 24/7).
it's not what you've got, its who you do it to
Please read the forum guidelines RE links before adding URLs here. Thank you. Admin.
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beejaybee
Marvin
Reged: 18/07/2007
Posts: 5268
Loc: Really Here In Name Only
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Quote:
They will also have to show that they are properly in the game and going to push for market share,
Surely they're doing that - well specified kit at a very reasonable price, and very well built at the price point.
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that demands providing equipment for all sectors of the market, in the photography game (with few exceptions) the consumers tend to go where the pros go.
With due respect, Burgy, the pro market is probably quite small compared with the prosumer market. I'm not saying that Sony should ignore the top end, but IMO they can do very well without producing the expensive, bulletproof systems that you require.
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Hotblack
Dead Horse Flogger
Reged: 07/03/2006
Posts: 7463
Loc: Upstairs in the spare room.
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Quote:
The fact that they have (historically) backed the wrong solution and proprietry systems will jade their name for time to come (can/will anyone forget betamax I feel sure that memory stick will go the same way).
I've no particular views on Sony DSLRs. I'll let time tell where they end up. I use Nikon kit, I'm unlikely to jump ship now and 'kit' isn't my 'bag', as it were.
To answer Paul, yes they lost out on Betamax but that is now ancient history, as are laser dics and many other innovations that didn't catch on (DAT anyone?). Memory stick may well go the same way but they have succeeded with Blue-Ray. Will people berate Panasonic (?? or Toshiba?? Whoever) in the same way, 20 years down the line, for HD-DVD falling by the wayside? Swings and roundabouts.
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Cheers
David
David J White Photography
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Malcolm_Stewart
Carpal \'Tunnel
Reged: 11/07/2005
Posts: 2727
Loc: Milton Keynes, UK
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Quote:
... Will people berate Panasonic ... in the same way, ...
Probably not, but Sony certainly screwed up (and seriously) the usability of Minidisc when being used by recordists to capture original material. Only after much internet moaning etc. was their dedicated software modified so that it didn't silently erase one's recordings from the original Minidisc itself.
OTOH, this hasn't stopped me buying rather too much Sony camcorder and Minidisc equipment over the last few years!
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Malcolm Stewart
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Burgy
Grateful not to have one
Reged: 13/04/2001
Posts: 5217
Loc: This far, from beating 7 shade...
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Quote:
With due respect, Burgy, the pro market is probably quite small
I am well aware of the size of the market, that wasn't what I was suggesting, many consumer and prosumer sales are made on the basis of what "BRAND" the pros choose, certainly as an intial Brand Choice.
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Cheers
Burgy BSRIPN, BSc, DSO and Bar (now open 24/7).
it's not what you've got, its who you do it to
Please read the forum guidelines RE links before adding URLs here. Thank you. Admin.
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Zou
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 05/02/2007
Posts: 2154
Loc: Edinburgh
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I've been taking them seriously for quite some time now.
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Zou's Flickr Page
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beejaybee
Marvin
Reged: 18/07/2007
Posts: 5268
Loc: Really Here In Name Only
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Quote:
many other innovations that didn't catch on (DAT anyone?)
Well, it's obsolete now, but DAT was the backup medium of choice for several years... not fast, but small, convenient and very reliable...
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Terrywoodenpic
A whiff of silicon...
Reged: 21/01/2006
Posts: 418
Loc: Saddleworth UK
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there is no doubt Sony has a very serious intent.
However it will take a successful pro-spec camera For them to get amongst the big boys.
It is clear they are listening to what the enthusiast wants... but they have not really improved on the position the inherited from Minolta. it is not enough to have all your cameras in the mix, they must excel in one field or another to make a real mark.
That they dumped the excellent Minolta scanners did them no favours, it put them in a lower "Serious" category straight away.
The lens ranges certainly contain the required quality But perhaps not the required breadth to satisfy many professionals.
I would say they are serious but not contenders yet.
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63 happy photo years from amateur to professional and back to amateur
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LargeFormat
veteran
Reged: 24/10/2006
Posts: 1213
Loc: Buckinghamshire and Cumbria
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I'd say Sony is a very serious contender. Canon and even more so Nikon, who doesn't make its own sensors, should be taking Sony seriously as well. In terms of Professional use there is going to be some inertia in uptake as anyone with a large investment in lenses and peripherals is going to be slow in changing directions.
The full frame could be a shock to the market if it comes out in the price range of a 5D.
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beejaybee
Marvin
Reged: 18/07/2007
Posts: 5268
Loc: Really Here In Name Only
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Quote:
The [Sony] full frame could be a shock to the market if it comes out in the price range of a 5D.
Indeed. And though I'm a reasonably satisfied 5D user, I'd say that Canon do need to be prodded - the 5D lacks a sensor cleaning function, which IMO is a serious omission in today's market, and the upgraded/replacement version has been too long only a rumour. The 5D is also still the only "compact, lightweight" full frame DSLR (well, in comparison with the Nikon D3 and the various models of the Canon 1D). It does need competition, and Sony are almost certainly in a position to provide it.
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