Sony Semiconductor is about to drop FX sensors

I just posted this on the Nikon FX forum and thought that some of you might also be interested. Thom Hogan keeps his site updated almost daily this past month, and he just blogged that Sony is no longer going to be making FX sensors. Nikon buys its sensors from Sony, and so Nikon will need to either find a new supplier, or start making their own. Thom said that Sony can't make enough profit with the FX sensor because there isn't that big of a market for it. So those of us who went with DX have a future. I am not going to say more here, but go visit Thom Hogan on his web site. If your not reading there daily, you missing out on some of the latest news about Nikon.
http://www.photosbypike.com

and it always will be. The next generation of DX sensors will knock our socks off.
--
Jim

JimPearce said:

and it always will be. The next generation of DX sensors will knock our socks off.
--
Jim

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Apparently not. It will probably be just a niche market, while the volume is created in APS-C and smaller type formats.

Read it again.
--
Jim

I don't think Nikon buys most of it's sensors from Sony. The D3X sensor is a Sony but the D3s is a Nikon sensor as are (I think) all of the DX sensors and the D3/D700 sensors.

Even if Sony gets out of the FF sensor market, they will continue to produce existing sensor designs for themselves and Nikon some time.

Charles Pike said:

I just posted this on the Nikon FX forum and thought that some of you might also be interested. Thom Hogan keeps his site updated almost daily this past month, and he just blogged that Sony is no longer going to be making FX sensors. Nikon buys its sensors from Sony, and so Nikon will need to either find a new supplier, or start making their own. Thom said that Sony can't make enough profit with the FX sensor because there isn't that big of a market for it. So those of us who went with DX have a future. I am not going to say more here, but go visit Thom Hogan on his web site. If your not reading there daily, you missing out on some of the latest news about Nikon.
http://www.photosbypike.com

Click to expand...

--
-Dan Rode
http://rodephoto.com

Heck, the current generation of DX sensors knock my socks off.

I only hope they go in the direction of better noise reduction rather than more pixels. I have as many pixels as I need.

JimPearce said:

The next generation of DX sensors will knock our socks off.
--
Jim

Click to expand...

--
-Dan Rode
http://rodephoto.com

JimPearce said:

and it always will be. The next generation of DX sensors will knock our socks off.

Click to expand...

Since I own my D300s, I walk barefoot!

Marco
--
http://www.flickr.com/front_curtain

The main advantages of full-frame sensors are better low-light performance and a somewhat larger dynamic range.
But who really needs these advantages commercially?

What if the next generation of DX cameras is a one or two stops improvement over the current DX cameras, how many people would still want to buy an FX camera?

Marco
--
http://www.flickr.com/front_curtain

Charles Pike said:

Thom said that Sony can't make enough profit with the FX sensor because there isn't that big of a market for it.

Click to expand...

Clearly, the solution, then, is to drop DX entirely and ramp up production of FX so they can get the volume they want.

Also, it's interesting to note that an FX sensor costs $500 and a DX sensor costs $50 according to Thom. I always thought $2500-$8000 for a FX body was overpriced. Take a $600 Nikon D5000 ... take out $50 for the DX sensor and now it's $550. Add in a FX sensor and it's $1050.

Nikon did create their own (problematic) sensor with the D2h/D2hs so I'm confident they could make their own sensors again and learn from the D2h/D2hs sensor goofs so that those problems aren't repeated.

DRode said:

I don't think Nikon buys most of it's sensors from Sony. The D3X sensor is a Sony but the D3s is a Nikon sensor as are (I think) all of the DX sensors and the D3/D700 sensors.

Click to expand...

As far as I know, the D300/D300s sensor is made by Sony.

Remember the past & we shall see the future... 16x12, 12x9, 9x6, 6x6, 135, APS, etc. ... Who knows the next generation of pro sensors? but the trend is quite clear, smaller.





--
Un saludo.

Thanks for posting, apparently the economy is taking another blow and slowing the development of technology. I always felt the D300 was the future in terms of what IQ would be like in a 28 MPX FX sensor which would be a great tool for many of us. However if you consider the implications of what is stated it's safe to say that we should keep a close watch on Canon. We may have to re-invest in whoever delivers the tools we need to get the job done. Nikon seams to be in worst than usual tight spot.

It's not good news to me.

Thanks for posting this great info, albeit sad, it is good to know!

Charles Pike said:

I just posted this on the Nikon FX forum and thought that some of you might also be interested. Thom Hogan keeps his site updated almost daily this past month, and he just blogged that Sony is no longer going to be making FX sensors. Nikon buys its sensors from Sony, and so Nikon will need to either find a new supplier, or start making their own. Thom said that Sony can't make enough profit with the FX sensor because there isn't that big of a market for it. So those of us who went with DX have a future. I am not going to say more here, but go visit Thom Hogan on his web site. If your not reading there daily, you missing out on some of the latest news about Nikon.
http://www.photosbypike.com

Click to expand...

--
Camillo
http://www.cam-photo.com

I read D = F

Many landscape pros continue to prefer large format.

Studio and portrait photographers still provide a market for medium format.

35mm was as small a format as most professionals ever used, despite the fact that there were many smaller formats available.

Larger format cameras provide depth of field control that can't be matched by smaller format cameras. FX format will continue to be a pro-level format for that reason alone.

If Sony's getting out of larger sensor production, I wonder what they'll do with their Alpha lineup. Drop the large sensor models? Buy sensors from another source and raise the price?

--
BJ Nicholls
SLC, UT

Of course, there will be large, medium, FX and DX formats, even they will be film photohraphers ... but that will be a luxury, rather superfluous ... all of them, in the future, will not reach more than a very small percentage ... due to the quality of future tiny sensors (IMO)
--
Un saludo.

Charles Pike said:

I just posted this on the Nikon FX forum and thought that some of you might also be interested. Thom Hogan keeps his site updated almost daily this past month, and he just blogged that Sony is no longer going to be making FX sensors. Nikon buys its sensors from Sony, and so Nikon will need to either find a new supplier, or start making their own. Thom said that Sony can't make enough profit with the FX sensor because there isn't that big of a market for it. So those of us who went with DX have a future. I am not going to say more here, but go visit Thom Hogan on his web site. If your not reading there daily, you missing out on some of the latest news about Nikon.
http://www.photosbypike.com

Click to expand...

Let's look at this another way.

Sony just hit a gold mine with their NEX camera systems. So if you were high up in Sony would you keep making sensors for another company (probably not a high profit margin) or concentrate all resources on the NEX which they plan to sell...what was the number again...something bajaillions...

OR....

Sony and Nikon had a argument in the bedroom and wants to hurt Nikon. So Sony says we won't make sensors for you anymore(sticking it's tongue out saying nah nah boo who). Now this causes somewhat of a panic in the Pro world who just invested in Nikon (probably switched from Canon) making them rethink their setup. Two scenarios happen next, one; they kiss and make up and make a D4 sensor that kills anything within 300 feet. Two, they part ways and Nikon has to "start over" in sensor development. I'm pretty sure Nikon has an R&D department working on this at all times.

I thought Kodak was doing something.....

The whole DX vs FX thing is so over...can't think of a nice word...The average person can't even get the most out of a DX sensor. But the PR people/sales fluff make FX sound like water that you need to live on. I have a D3...it sits in my closet. I use it for sports, nothing else. My D300 and D200 give me everything I need. I've even been looking at D5000's.

So all in all Nikon will still make great cameras. No need to jump ship anytime soon, but if you're that kind of person, I'll take all your Nikon gear.

I had an N70 and bought some good glass for it, then I started wanting to get into digital and I got interested in the then-new D70s. All the discussion in the forums back then said that "Nikon will never produce full frame digital...". Well we all know how wrong that was. Fast forward to recently- a part of me felt like I should quit the D70s, go with full frame, and sell DX glass and go get my old glass back again. BUT, the full frame cameras were and are still significantly more expensive. I think that will hold for quite awhile too. There will continue to be improvements in sensors, and full frame will probably continue to be more expensive. For me, I get all the quality I want with my DX sensor and I like the 1.5 factor I get on equivalent focal length. If for no other reason than price, I think for the near future there will be the lower to middle end of the market will have DX sensors, and the middle to upper end will have full frame sensors.

Right now I can see where a person with an extensive gear collection might choose a DX sensor for wildlife/birding/sports where they want long focal lengths, then the next day choose the FX sensor when they want to do wedding/portraits/landscapes. No reason they can't have and use both.

never happen.

Charles Pike said:

I just posted this on the Nikon FX forum and thought that some of you might also be interested. Thom Hogan keeps his site updated almost daily this past month, and he just blogged that Sony is no longer going to be making FX sensors. Nikon buys its sensors from Sony, and so Nikon will need to either find a new supplier, or start making their own. Thom said that Sony can't make enough profit with the FX sensor because there isn't that big of a market for it. So those of us who went with DX have a future. I am not going to say more here, but go visit Thom Hogan on his web site. If your not reading there daily, you missing out on some of the latest news about Nikon.
http://www.photosbypike.com

Click to expand...

Not surprising. it's Sony, the king of small, and they will do wonders with DX sensors.

Even if true, it doesn't matter just look around people do not buy FX caneras in anything like profitable quantities but FX lenses sell rather well. The future is DX because that is still the optimum size for DSLR photgraphy across a range of users. Trouble is something like the D300s is slightly too handicapped to really show what DX is all about, but it stiill very capable under the right circumstances.

A D2XS is better than any D3 variant for sensible pro use.

Mike

It's obvious but some people don't like the obvious.