Ergonomic Roundup November 2013, Sony

Out of control ?

 

Last but not Least in this roundup by manufacturer, we come to Sony. Like Panasonic, this is another very large Japanese corporation with a camera division. Also like Panasonic, Sony is heavily invested in the technology of imaging. It is a major provider of imaging sensors to makers of smartphones, surveillance equipment makes and, of course, cameras. As far as I am aware Sony sensors have found their way into one or several models from Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax, and of course, Sony itself.   

Sony and Cameras  Sony has no legacy of film camera making but was very early onto the digital photography scene. The Sony Mavica [Magnetic Video Camera] of 1981 was the world's first still video camera, if that makes sense. Sony has been making digital cameras ever since.  The company bought the photo imaging division of Konica Minolta in 2006 to boost it's presence in the DSLR market.

My Experience of Sony Cameras  Is limited. I have never encountered a Sony camera that I wanted to buy for my own use, which is interesting because I have no brand affiliation and have bought cameras from most other makers over the years. I did buy an RX100 for a family member who was about to embark on an ultra long distance hike, solo, fully independent and camping. The requirement was for a very small, light camera with good image quality and the RX100 fit the bill.  I would never have bought this camera for myself as it was not particularly pleasant to use in the ergonomic sense, and had no viewfinder.  

Sony -vs- CanoNikon  Sony has been trying for years to capture the number 1 spot from Canon and Nikon but has thus far been unsuccessful.

Sony and Innovation  Sony Corporation as a whole and the camera division in particular has a long history of adventurous innovation, often leading to interesting products but not always to commercial success.

For instance the DSC-D700 of 1999 was very adventurous, acquiring almost legendary status over time.  The DSC-R1 of  2003 was an avant-garde Bridge Camera type design which to this day attracts enthusiast interest.

But innovation risks inconsistency, as we shall see.  

Superzoom/Bridge Camera Group   Sony generated considerable consumer interest with the R1, so what goodies awaited the Sony fans when the R2  was released ?  Well, none. Nothing. No R2. End of the line, folks.

Sony has since then released multitudes of travel zoom and superzoom cameras none of which made a great impression on the market.  

Fast forward 10 years and Sony has returned to the advanced  Bridge Camera  theme  just this month with the RX10, which is creating a great deal of interest on user forums. Imagine what user base they could have built up if they had stayed with the formula and been steadily improving the bridge camera breed over that 10 year period. By the way, the RX10 appears to have significant ergonomic problems as reported on this blog recently.

Compacts  Sony has turned out so many slightly different models of compact camera over the years it would be difficult to count them. What they failed to do was identify and stay the course with an appealing, photographer oriented formula like, for instance the Canon G compact series.

Now Sony has at last produced an interesting compact in the form of the RX100/100Mk2. Will they stay with this and develop the theme or drop it like the R1 ?

DSLR  Sony made it's entry into the traditional flipping mirror and prism DSLR market with the A100 of 2006. Then came the A700, A900 and A850 then..........they dropped this idea completely.

The next big DSLR idea was a series of cameras based on the "Two Mode Live View" technology. This utilised a sub sensor in the hump for live view at eye level. This type of DSLR ran for about two years. In this time Sony produced many slightly different models. Some of these were quite well reviewed, others drew stern criticism from reviewers. One of them, the A380 I think, generated this comment form a well known review site....."The inadequate pinchy handgrip is frankly just annoying.."

Looking at photos of this series of models (in the A350-580 range) there appears to have been litttle consistency of ergonomic execution. There are various different handle shapes, control layouts and user interface arrangements. They surely can't all be right but they could all be wrong.

The next big enthusiasm was the SLT type of DSLR, with a fixed, non flipping mirror starting in 2010. Again the previous type appears to have been abandoned. Again Sony produced a multitude of models each so slightly and confusingly different from the other, that  one wondered what the point of the exercise might have been.

Mirrorless ILC  Sony entered the MILC market with it's line of NEX cameras in 2010. These featured ultra compact bodies with APS-C sensor. Many reviewers roundly criticised the NEX ergonomics and user interface. Initial models had no EVF but eventually the NEX 7 then NEX 6  (the 7 before the 6, go figure) appeared with EVF. The NEX 7 also had the  unique and, in my view ergonomically irrational "Tri-Navi" control wheel system. Sony changed the name of this system to something else after a while but I forget what the new name was supposed to be.

My point is that Sony keeps changing things, often for no apparent beneficial purpose and usually to the effect of confusing any actual or potential Sony customers.

Now just this week, I hear the NEX line is no longer. Sony is up to it's old tricks again, starting camera lines then abandoning them just as the customer base begins to warm to that particular theme.

At the same time Sony has announced the introduction of yet another camera/lens mount system in the form of the FE system, the first examples of which are the A7 and A7R MILC's. These cameras require lenses which are different from those for the A mount or the E mount.  On my early assessment the A7 appears to have significant ergonomic problems also.

Here we go again. It's all change at Sony.

So, why is Sony the adventurous not Sony the market leader ?  In my view:

* Too many major changes to camera lines involving new lens mounts and completely new lens lines.

* Too many enthusiasms, leading to camera lines being started then discontinued.

* Too many similar models within each line.

* Inconsistent ergonomics, often leading to compromised user interface, camera handling and operation.

Motor vehicle makers understand these things. The market wants innovation, but not too much and not all at once.  For instance Toyota has a line of vehicles called Corolla. Cars of this name have occupied the same market slot since 1966 and become the best selling car nameplate of all time. Not one of them has been technologically adventurous but they all keep up with the times and reliably do the job required of them. If you move from the previous model Corolla to the new model you can hop in and drive it away with confidence because you know all the essential controls will be in the same, optimal place for safety and efficient operation.

I don't think these fundamental and I would have thought obviously desirable qualities can be said to apply to Sony cameras over time.

Sony -vs- CanoNikon again  In my previous posts in this little roundup series, I accused Canon and Nikon of falling asleep on the job. Sony appears to have the opposite  problem, namely a style notably at the hyperactive end of the spectrum.

The Crystal Ball  Sony Corporation has the technology, capacity for innovation and energy to be market leader in the camera world. I believe the reasons they are not can be found inside Sony itself, not with any of their competitors. The prize of market leader is there for Sony to take. Can Sony sustain the necessary coherent, disciplined strategy for product development ?    I think the answer to that is.......maybe.........

You see, I suspect that the Sony guys understand technology really well but have a much less coherent  understanding of cameras and their users.  We shall see..................