Why 'Sony' not taken seriously?

AfzalKhanVisuals · Jun 19, 2013

I am Sony user from the start. in present i use A57. Sony alpha cameras are never been any issue or problem for me. I love them but don't know why in most of the camera related websites, reviews goes against Sony? Is Sony is really a useless brand in camera section? why ppl always bark about Nikon & canon? Is just a thinking of ppl or the reality is Sony is not good enough?

one think also surprise me that why Sony not advertise its brand more as others? No promotions no ads? even they change technology so frequently. like sometime DSLR, SLT now rumor about mirror-less.

Lets discuss guys?

Regards

Afzal Khan

splashy · Jun 19, 2013

Sony now has the same problem Philips had before and was 'killed' by Sony.

The best product is not what makes the most impression to the general public.

Many inventions used today are from Philips, they sold this to other companies and are using it and nake money with it, like for example the Sony camera sensors in a Nikon.

I'm using Sony on the moment, what bothers me, they are not clear on the road ahead and if the next product is very advanced, my $ 3000 camera will be worth almost nothing, something like that won't happen with te Conikon models.

zakkix · Jun 19, 2013

AfzalKhanVisuals said:
ak1981 wrote:

I am Sony user from the start. in present i use A57. Sony alpha cameras are never been any issue or problem for me. I love them but don't know why in most of the camera related websites, reviews goes against Sony? Is Sony is really a useless brand in camera section? why ppl always bark about Nikon & canon? Is just a thinking of ppl or the reality is Sony is not good enough?

one think also surprise me that why Sony not advertise its brand more as others? No promotions no ads? even they change technology so frequently. like sometime DSLR, SLT now rumor about mirror-less.

Lets discuss guys?

Regards

Afzal Khan

At the end of the day photography is only about two things: light and composition.

The most creative photographers, not the run of the mill consumers, I have met do not really care for specs, brands, marketing. Their kit bags are filled with both mainstream and niche products ... it is achieving the end shot that matters everything else is fluff.

cliik · Jun 19, 2013

splashy said:
splashy wrote:
I'm using Sony on the moment, what bothers me, they are not clear on the road ahead and if the next product is very advanced, my $ 3000 camera will be worth almost nothing,

Will it suddenly stop taking good pictures?

splashy · Jun 19, 2013

No, but a used Canikon is worth more.

But don't understand me wrong, I love the A99, the endless possibilities and the IQ.

AfzalKhanVisuals · Jun 19, 2013

zakkix said:
zakkix wrote:

zakkix said:

ak1981 wrote:

I am Sony user from the start. in present i use A57. Sony alpha cameras are never been any issue or problem for me. I love them but don't know why in most of the camera related websites, reviews goes against Sony? Is Sony is really a useless brand in camera section? why ppl always bark about Nikon & canon? Is just a thinking of ppl or the reality is Sony is not good enough?

one think also surprise me that why Sony not advertise its brand more as others? No promotions no ads? even they change technology so frequently. like sometime DSLR, SLT now rumor about mirror-less.

Lets discuss guys?

Regards

Afzal Khan

Click to expand...

At the end of the day photography is only about two things: light and composition.

The most creative photographers, not the run of the mill consumers, I have met do not really care for specs, brands, marketing. Their kit bags are filled with both mainstream and niche products ... it is achieving the end shot that matters everything else is fluff.

I agree with your view but the worse part is the good camera over shadow by the lack of promotion and bad marketing plan. I think the quality of alpha camera deserve the better place in market. the high end product of Canon or Nikon is great but the lower level camera from them is not even good enough as Sony. Few Sony Camera's like A230L, A290, A900, A700, A580, A55, A37, A57, A65, A77 and A99 are worthy for their price and functions.

Its not a brand fight but as you said for a better result you need a equipment. If the better equipment in good price why not market it well. if Sony change its technology so easily we loose hope from it.

Nordstjernen · Jun 19, 2013

Most photographers (and reviewers) are used with Nikon and Canon, and their lens investment is within these systems. Sony is still a new player, so I think it will still take some time to build a broad and loyal user base, and even harder to convict experienced and professional photographers from other camps than the small Minolta/A mount club. For this I think they really need a few high end cameras that can compete with anything out there.

irrealis · Jun 19, 2013

AfzalKhanVisuals said:
ak1981 wrote:

I am Sony user from the start. in present i use A57. Sony alpha cameras are never been any issue or problem for me. I love them but don't know why in most of the camera related websites, reviews goes against Sony? Is Sony is really a useless brand in camera section? why ppl always bark about Nikon & canon? Is just a thinking of ppl or the reality is Sony is not good enough?

I've actually found that when Sony cameras are talked about, the talk and reviews are generally quite favorable. The problem is that 95% of the time when new photography gear is talked about, it's ONLY Canon and Nikon that get mentioned. Whether it's new camera bodies, lens comparisons, third party flash comparisons, whatever, it's Canon vs Nikon, or how well each item functions with the Canikons.

FWIW, I've now had a bunch of people who are thinking about getting their first interchangeable lens camera asking me about the NEX system, so that's definitely getting higher and higher on everyone's radar. I know for me the NEX system (3 years ago when there were all of 3 lenses available) is what first got me looking into Sony and that's how I discovered the a55. Also, a few pros seem to be picking up NEX cameras as small and light alternatives to their Canikon DSLRs, so that might be another way for people to get used to the Sony interface (EVF, menu system, etc) and then start to look seriously at alphas.

Archer66 · Jun 19, 2013

splashy said:
splashy wrote:

No, but a used Canikon is worth more.

Antique usually cost more than new.

artlmntl · Jun 19, 2013

Are we talking about other photographers or what? Because I've not encountered this. I show up with my kit, and all anybody thinks is, "Ooh, you must be a photographer." Sometimes, people notice the Sony label on my camera and ask me how I like it. I tell them, I like it a lot.

Marco Cinnirella · Jun 19, 2013

All sorts of reasons but it is generally NOT because Sony cameras are worse - often they are just as good or better then many Nikon or Canon products.

It's a combination of:

(1) tradition and folks' natural tendency to resist change - Sony will always be seen as an electronics giant and not a dedicated photography company - Canon and Nikon on the other hand are seen as mainly photographic equipment manufacturers, though they do make some other products like printers and medical imaging products (Nikon make laboratory microscopes for example). Most folks are unaware of the Minolta and Konica heritage behind Sony's DSLRs, and those are companies that have been associated with photography for a long time, with Minolta, for example, inventing the first ever SLR with autofocus.

(2) poor marketing choices made by Sony. Was the public ready for the removal of the OVF? Did Sony make the most of the advantages offered by EVFs and the SLT?

(3) lack of marketing expenditure - Canon and Nikon spend a lot of advertising revenue on placing advertisements in top photography and other magazines - Sony seem to have a much smaller budget. A good magazine should be immune to being biased towards companies who spend money advertising in their pages, but the reality? What do you think happens?!

(4) Snobbery - folks see that most pros shoot Canon or Nikon and so like to associate themselves with brands they think the pros prefer. Leica and Hasselblad also have this kudos associated with them. They conveniently ignore the fact that quite a few pros shoot with Sony, as well as other systems, such as micro four thirds.

etc., etc.

Plus it seems to me that photography stores with a physical 'bricks and mortar' presence often don't have the capacity to stock much Sony or Pentax gear and take the safe option of loading up the displays with Canon and Nikon gear because they think that's what will sell. of course they are contributing to a self-fulfilling prophecy effect here where they perpetuate the very Canon and Nikon preferencethat they use as an excuse not to stock much or any Sony gear...

--
"When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence." Ansell Adams.

Ronald A Yorko · Jun 19, 2013

Comparing the available Sony DSLR line up to Canon and Nikon tells the story. The trickle down effect is that on many third party lenses like Sigma and Tamron, the Sony version is always late in coming, as with other accessories. In the DSLR market, Sony has had a haphazard and confusing release approach, with limited selections. If they dedicated the resources to the DSLR market that Nikon and Canon do, then the picture might change.

Personally, the Sony A57 had the features I wanted, especially the 100% field of view EVF with quick and accurate live view, and decent burst modes compared to other brands, although I had to wait almost 6 months for Sigma to release a Sony version of the lens I wanted after the initial release for Nikon and Canon.

contadorfan · Jun 19, 2013

I sense a change among people who know photography. For example, in 2010, I was taking a photography class and brought my a330 along. "Oh! So that's the Sony," the Canikons cooed,"I've heard of the Sony!" The Sony? Like it's some odd obscurity? And the Canikons burbled over my camera like it was a cute toy poodle that could speak, sit up, & roll over.

Recently, though, I brought my new a77 to my camera club, and the attitude was electric and intense, as if this new technological wonder with the fascinating electronic viewfinder could also launch NASA rockets and decrypt secret data transmissions. "I've been thinking about getting one of those or the a99," said one of the Canikons with an admiring whisper.

Not that I mind one way or the other, honestly. My sense of self comes from what I do, not the brands that I own. I found the responses to my cameras amusing, and was neither offended nor flattered.

(And now that I have the much more complex a77, I think that simple little a330 was the perfect camera to start out with.)

sybersitizen · Jun 19, 2013

Sony is taken seriously, at long last. You should have been around in 2006.

The introduction of the SLT and NEX models in 2010 finally brought the brand to everyone's attention, including professional photographers and reviewers. Not everyone likes the Sony products, but that's a different subject.

dlkeller · Jun 19, 2013

Lack of advertising so people don't know what the cameras can do. Lack of hands on availability so public can't handle and see what camera can do for themselves even when they have read about it and are interested in looking at one. Lack of sale deals. This week's Best Buy (only place that sells Sony DSLRs within 500 miles of me) has 3 Nikon models and 2 Canon models featured as on sale. NO SONY DSLR'S although there are 2 NEX models listed. Lack of accessories in the few places that do sell them. If you want a Sony DSLR or accessory for it the only option is mail order.

Lack of clear plan for future was mentioned and is a major issue. We waited years for an A700 upgrade/replacement and finally got the A77 which was a totally different camera with SLT and EVF technology. This may have been better for some but also turned off and away many loyal users. Now we face yet another possible change with unknown qualities the way Sony pushes NEX further adds to this uncertainty. This doesn't really encourage me to invest hundreds of dollars in new lenses or upgrade to a new Sony body.

contadorfan · Jun 19, 2013

dlkeller said:
dlkeller wrote:

Lack of hands on availability so public can't handle and see what camera can do for themselves even when they have read about it and are interested in looking at one. Lack of sale deals. This week's Best Buy (only place that sells Sony DSLRs within 500 miles of me) has 3 Nikon models and 2 Canon models featured as on sale. NO SONY DSLR'S although there are 2 NEX models listed.

Dave

Re big box retailers, Costco is influential too. I bought a Sony 3 years ago because Costco had them for cheap. It was about $100 cheaper than the Nikons & Canons in the same display (huge piles of camera boxes stacked over my head; they were gone in 10 days). I have never seen a Sony DSLR at Costco since. There are always Nikons and occasionally Canons at Costco.

phaedin · Jun 19, 2013

And quite a bit of it too, I was watching the U21 soccer games on the weekend and Sony had a rather large section of the pitch level electronic advertising board displaying Sony. Just the brand name mind you, but It was in Brazil being broadcast out to the rest of the World, so simplicity is probably good. This would have been a very expensive piece of advertising, going out to a potentially very large audience.

Whether or not Sony is effectively marketing their products is up for debate, but Sony is putting their name out there, but maybe WE arent the target demographic.

dlkeller · Jun 19, 2013

That sale was probably the store clearing inventory as they quit stocking Sony cameras.

dlkeller · Jun 19, 2013

And even then it is likely the Sigma or Tamron lens will have a key feature, in lens stabilization, removed while they charge us the same price.

Chris Malcolm · Jun 19, 2013

dlkeller said:
dlkeller wrote:

And even then it is likely the Sigma or Tamron lens will have a key feature, in lens stabilization, removed while they charge us the same price.

Why 'Sony' not taken seriously?

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