Just picked up a Sony A6000

Tom Caldwell wrote:

Klarno wrote:

With Sony, you don't get a camera manufacturer, you get the premier consumer electronics manufacturer, chasing trends the way a badly behaved dog chases cars.

This is the essence of what it is all about.

Sony brings out the NEX series aimed at the compact camera user who is trading up to something not much more challenging but "at least you can change lenses". Because you are not needing to be over-challenged the lenses offered don't have to be challenge-worthy.

They obviously hit the market spot - nobody could have been more surprised than Sony.

They had to make them better. I own a NEX6 - arguably the pinnacle of the enthusiast-level camera in the NEX series - if regular controls and the highest resolution evf are benchmarks. I gave the aps-c only (note) lens oem line-up a miss and just electronically adapter Canon EF lenses I already owned. Added some dumb adapters and my other legacy lenses had a(nother) place to go. But the NEX6 is still a pretty basic camera - but it takes good photographs so what can anyone but an over the top camera nutter need?

So Sony heads off to FF territory and makes the A7 series, with a clunky interface, then compounds it by making three variants with the same clunky interface. Surely if you are going to make multiple bodies the user-interface needs to be right from camera one?

Don't you worry about that, we made a few (large) expensive oem FE mount lenses and your old lenses will work in aps-c crop mode. And the loyal mob troop off as told to put up with this because they know that the FF sensor "is better". It surely is but is getting a clunky interfaced FF sensor camera with a few expensive oem lenses the sensible way to go? It certainly is if that (FF sensor) is what you really want out of your investment in photography.

So put this in the context of M4/3. Do M4/3 users really want to head off into FF never never land and re-buy all their wonderful M4/3 lenses just because FF is better. One thing is for certain even the very best made for M4/3 lenses will not work at all on a FF Sony FE mount (or any aps-c sensor for that part).

Does a FF sensor suddenly make all M4/3 gear second string?

Liken it to abandoning a productive farm with all the gear you need to use and trooping over to the sunny side of the hill for a larger plot of land covered in trees, a chain saw, and a spectacular view.

I doubt if Sony will abandon the FE series epitomised by the A7 type but there is surely room for as many variants of the A7 body as there have been of the NEX. I guess I can wait until Sony figure out how to make their A7 into a more user friendly body. But in the meantime I suppose those needing a FF sensor will surely get used to it and supplement the FE mount lenses available with some "to die for" manual focus lenses as spare axe-handles.

Meanwhile Sony is still barking at cars and maybe they will keep barking and eventually find the right one and chase it all the way around the block.

A mature system needs a full complement of lens accessories and it seems that Sony is more intent on a spray of camera body alternatives than the bits that hang off them. They will come but I hardly think it opportune to abandon M4/3 unless the siren song of FF is just to strong .. watch out for the rocks, and dogs that chase cars .... The view will be splendid.

Wow, you really hate Sony.  Did that NEX-6 sleep with your wife or something?