This is in response to Tim's quite lengthy post (which I am not quoting in order to save space). First, thanks Tim for taking the time to put your thoughts in writing. I generally agree with what you have said, and where I might not it is not worth going into.
I am really ticked at KM for what it did to "us," (I don't ever expect to purchase a KM product in the future - not a laser printer, a copier, or anything else, no matter how good it is). I am sympathetic to the situation that Sony found itself in when KM withdrew from the photo business (thereby changing the terms of the working arrangement it created with Sony the previous summer). I have heard stories of how unprepared Sony was for how screwed up KM's operation was when it "took over." All the problems with parts availability are just one example. But, while I am sympathetic to the position in which Sony found itself, and understand, to a degree, what it has had to deal with to develop an entirely new product line in what is for it a new market segment, that does not alter the fact that I am working with a flawed camera system and the fixed have been too slow in coming. Additionally, there are any number of errors that I believe Sony has made that continue to affect its competitiveness in a negative way, and provide plenty of reason for concern about Sony's future direction. Sony no doubt knows a lot more about the DSLR market now than it did at the start of 2006. Whether it will put that knowledge to good use or not remains to be seen.
That it is already in danger of becoming a marginal player in the DSLR market is evidenced by the lack of any references to the A100 in reviews of the Nikon D40X, despite being in the same price range and arguably a far better value. Sony made a splash a year ago when it introduced the A100, and it got a nice bump in sales for the first couple of months, but then the competition came out with their 10 MP cameras, and the flaws in Sony's system became more apparent (high ISO noise, too expensive lenses, incomplete lens line-up for more serious photography interests, others). Moreover, Sony has done virtually nothing in the year since then to follow-up and keep the interest going. Indeed, the too-high prices of its lenses (mostly re-badged Minolta lenses) has had a negative effect on impressions of the Sony "system." It would be very interesting to see a chart tracking the sales of the A100 from its introduction through the present (but I doubt Sony would want such a chart, which likely has a downward trend line, to become public).
Perhaps Sony has something big up its sleeves for the coming months with the next camera (and lenses?) it will release. I can understand keeping some of the details secret. But even KM gave some info when it announced the 7D's development at the 2004 PMA show, along with showing a mock-up camera. The "potential" lens line-up might be good, but we don't really know what it is (what's the big secret on those specs?). If the new lenses will not have SSM focusing then I could see why Sony would not want to provide such information now, as it would likely drive even more people to leave the A mount. But if they will have SSM focusing, what's wrong with saying that (as Pentax did last fall at Photokina with its new high-end lenses)? Why not provide focal length and aperture information? It's not like Canon and Nikon don't already have similar lenses. Indeed, I would argue that providing such information could provide a reason for some people to stay, rather than switching because of an uncertain future. Knowing there will be a high quality 12-24/4 lens, or a good quality 70-200/4 or new 100-400 lens with SSM focusing, could be an inducement for some folks to stick around (note that I am picking these examples out of the ether - I have no knowledge what the new Sony lenses may be).
Sony has made any number of conscious decisions that have bewildered some of us, or have just left us speculating as to what it is doing, or what is has done, and why. Many of us have discussed these issues for far too long, yet here we remain. What's the matter with us?
If Sony was concerned about quality control issues with the 7D, it hasn't exactly shined of its own accord. The CZ 16-80 has gotten a lot of bad word of mouth because of such problems. My A100 failed in cold weather on a trip in January, and the shutter release is now unreliable. I have had few problems with my 7D's (except the one that fell, which did require repairs), though others have. I don't have the sense that Sony's products have been any more or less reliable than Minolta's. Given all the bad press Sony has received of late (laptop battery problems, play-station, and others), it can ill afford to take to many wrong steps as it tries to enter the DSLR market.
Overall this has just been a far too frustrating experience. There is some potential for improvement over the horizon, but just how far off that horizon is we don't know, and whether I'm willing to continue to ride it out until we reach that horizon, I just don't know. I am truly hoping that Sony will do something on the one-year anniversary of the A100 launch (give or take a little), but don't expect it. I do expect I will be off to the local camera store to see if I can come to grips (pun intended) with the 1D Mk III.
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Mark Van Bergh
