Why is Sony so reluctant about touchscreen?

[jjss]

for shooting, if lock-on AF is good enough, not much need to use touch screen. You can use one hand, lock on AF or eye AF recompose and shoot

for display, touch screen is better

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[Lightshow]

I recall reading that Sony thinks of touch screens as an entry level feature, and not appropriate for professional level cameras.

 

[sumofallfears]

I recall reading that Sony thinks of touch screens as an entry level feature, and not appropriate for professional level cameras.

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sony lies, they consider the a6300 an entry level camera...and no touch screen....

the crop mirrorless line use to have touch screens....

 

[Rey66]

IMO, even if they put a touch screen, I wont be using it much. You can barely see your screen on a sunny day.

Not even questionable!

I use the viewfinder 98% of the time. The wheel and custom button is enough for me to change the focus area while I dont take my eyes in viewfinder..

However, a joystick is not hard to implement and would work so much better...

...And anyway, a touchscreen can be so easily turned "off" - Just saying!

 

[Rey66]

IMO, even if they put a touch screen, I wont be using it much. You can barely see your screen on a sunny day. I use the viewfinder 98% of the time. The wheel and custom button is enough for me to change the focus area while I dont take my eyes in viewfinder..

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https://www.flickr.com/photos/129168751@N04/

this is honest. but at times when you have those shots where you can't put your head behind the camera and you're in a weird angle it would be much easier to touch the point of focus vs moving around a freaking square and having to constantly recompose because this stupid screen doesn't have a touch screen.

It is so freaking difficult to take pictures on the ground, in the air, angles and stuff and I'll spend like 5-10 minutes trying to compose and move these squares around with these stupid dials.

You must take some boring photos if you don't care for a touch screen, one thing I miss about my 1 month of using a canon 70d and t6i

You're voting against your own self interest with you post....hilarious.

Have you heard of a technique where you lock in the center and use focus hold? And because I dont use the screen much I take boring photos? I think you are the one that is hilarious. I guess the great photographers before this so called touch screen was invented took boring photos as well..This is why it is "IMO". Dont be so butthurt if I dont care about touch screen.

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https://www.flickr.com/photos/129168751@N04/

 

[Rey66]

touchscreen need highly over rated

 

[Rey66]

The R&D Cost to Sales ratio for Sony cameras is likely through the roof compared to other manufacturers, given all the amazing technology they have been developing and the relatively low sales volumes compared to Nikon or Canon. I would guess that they had to make some tough decisions about deployment of development resources and "touchscreen" simply did not make the list... this time.

 

[sumofallfears]

IMO, even if they put a touch screen, I wont be using it much. You can barely see your screen on a sunny day. I use the viewfinder 98% of the time. The wheel and custom button is enough for me to change the focus area while I dont take my eyes in viewfinder..

--
https://www.flickr.com/photos/129168751@N04/

this is honest. but at times when you have those shots where you can't put your head behind the camera and you're in a weird angle it would be much easier to touch the point of focus vs moving around a freaking square and having to constantly recompose because this stupid screen doesn't have a touch screen.

It is so freaking difficult to take pictures on the ground, in the air, angles and stuff and I'll spend like 5-10 minutes trying to compose and move these squares around with these stupid dials.

You must take some boring photos if you don't care for a touch screen, one thing I miss about my 1 month of using a canon 70d and t6i

You're voting against your own self interest with you post....hilarious.

Have you heard of a technique where you lock in the center and use focus hold?

yeah I don't center all my shot in the middle of frame, you know rule of thirds, etc. and Yeah the Dof will magically change. hilarious

And because I dont use the screen much I take boring photos? I think you are the one that is hilarious. I guess the great photographers before this so called touch screen was invented took boring photos as well

yeah shoot film with camera made 40 years ago with that attitude. You probably have a phone with a touch screen and probably refuse to use it because people did amazing things with cell phones without touch screens.

..This is why it is "IMO". Dont be so butthurt if I dont care about touch screen.

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https://www.flickr.com/photos/129168751@N04/

 

[Abrak]

I dont really know why Sony has been so reluctant to introduce a touchscreen but I do have a theory...

Really to have a truely 'effective' touchscreen Sony needs to redesign the 'menus' almost from scratch. You really dont achieve that much overlaying a touchscreen on the existing menu system. Yes you can include touch focus and some playback features but not a lot else. A lot of touchscreen implementations on cameras are pretty feeble and none of them come close to say my smartphone. And Sony should be good at this given its experience in the smartphone business.

It has been reported on Sonyalpharumors several times that Sony is redesigning the menu system and maybe this is a precursor to bringing in a touchscreen, If that is the case - that Sony is waiting until it has a decent menu system suited to touchscreen, before they introduce it, it will hopefully be something worth waiting for.

 

[Stan Huntting]

To each his own I guess, but I can accomplish moving focus to the side by just locking on subject and move side to side holding the backfocus button.

Precisely! Our A7x cameras are designed to be operated from the EVF. Sony has already included enough irrelevant options that can turn a great tool into a point-and-shoot. A touch screen might actually lead some people to believe the LCD was meant to be used in a DSLR "Live View" fashion!

I'm not really sure why the LCD is there, although I confess I find it handy for navigating the menus and occasionally when shooting at ground level or overhead. I keep my LCD turned off, although I do have a button set to turn it on should I feel the need. For me the LCD is useful in the same sense as the self-timer or the movie mode - comforting to have around even if I rarely use it. If the "A9" should omit an LCD altogether it would not be a deal-breaker for me.

I am dumbfounded every time I view a Youtube review where a famous "photographer" is shown holding an A7x camera out in front of his face like a point-and-shoot. Is that how people use DSLRs? I transitioned directly from film SLRs to my A7RM2 so I could be missing something. I never found a need for a touchscreen on my OM1/OM2 and I can't imagine using one on my A7RM2 (except for possibly navigating menus). And I can imagine how many shots I might screw-up with unintentional nose- or cheek-presses on the LCD.

OK, flame away...

Stan

 

[Dave Sanders]

Flame away? OK. That was a dumb post.

 

[Vcize]

To each his own I guess, but I can accomplish moving focus to the side by just locking on subject and move side to side holding the backfocus button.

Precisely! Our A7x cameras are designed to be operated from the EVF. Sony has already included enough irrelevant options that can turn a great tool into a point-and-shoot. A touch screen might actually lead some people to believe the LCD was meant to be used in a DSLR "Live View" fashion!

I'm not really sure why the LCD is there, although I confess I find it handy for navigating the menus and occasionally when shooting at ground level or overhead. I keep my LCD turned off, although I do have a button set to turn it on should I feel the need. For me the LCD is useful in the same sense as the self-timer or the movie mode - comforting to have around even if I rarely use it. If the "A9" should omit an LCD altogether it would not be a deal-breaker for me.

I am dumbfounded every time I view a Youtube review where a famous "photographer" is shown holding an A7x camera out in front of his face like a point-and-shoot. Is that how people use DSLRs? I transitioned directly from film SLRs to my A7RM2 so I could be missing something. I never found a need for a touchscreen on my OM1/OM2 and I can't imagine using one on my A7RM2 (except for possibly navigating menus). And I can imagine how many shots I might screw-up with unintentional nose- or cheek-presses on the LCD.

OK, flame away...

Stan

There are these magical devices sometimes used in photography called tripods. The LCD is very hand when shooting from them, especially when the tripod is positioned down low or overhead.

I'm all for a good honest discussion about these things but thus far the anti-touchscreeners seem to simply be people that shoot one certain thing and seem to find the idea that other people shoot different things or with different styles completely alien. Hint: Focus-recompose doesn't work so hot with moving subjects, to whomever it was above that suggested just doing that instead.

 

[Astrophotographer 10]

Canon EOS M5 touch screen touch and drag system is designed to be done whilst looking through the EVF. You can define which part of the touch screen does this - very clever.

Greg.

 

[SilvanBromide]

The R&D Cost to Sales ratio for Sony cameras is likely through the roof compared to other manufacturers, given all the amazing technology they have been developing and the relatively low sales volumes compared to Nikon or Canon. I would guess that they had to make some tough decisions about deployment of development resources and "touchscreen" simply did not make the list... this time.

This!

 

[meanwhile]

IMO, even if they put a touch screen, I wont be using it much. You can barely see your screen on a sunny day. I use the viewfinder 98% of the time. The wheel and custom button is enough for me to change the focus area while I dont take my eyes in viewfinder..

But ... the EOS M5 has a touchscreen that you can use to place the focus point *while using the EVF*.

 

[FOTONOTO]

IMO, even if they put a touch screen, I wont be using it much. You can barely see your screen on a sunny day. I use the viewfinder 98% of the time. The wheel and custom button is enough for me to change the focus area while I dont take my eyes in viewfinder..

But ... the EOS M5 has a touchscreen that you can use to place the focus point *while using the EVF*.

Not to mention that you can even allocate which part of the screen to be able to use as a touchpad in case your nose accidentally touch it.

 

[FOTONOTO]

To each his own I guess, but I can accomplish moving focus to the side by just locking on subject and move side to side holding the backfocus button.

Precisely! Our A7x cameras are designed to be operated from the EVF. Sony has already included enough irrelevant options that can turn a great tool into a point-and-shoot. A touch screen might actually lead some people to believe the LCD was meant to be used in a DSLR "Live View" fashion!

I'm not really sure why the LCD is there, although I confess I find it handy for navigating the menus and occasionally when shooting at ground level or overhead. I keep my LCD turned off, although I do have a button set to turn it on should I feel the need. For me the LCD is useful in the same sense as the self-timer or the movie mode - comforting to have around even if I rarely use it. If the "A9" should omit an LCD altogether it would not be a deal-breaker for me.

I am dumbfounded every time I view a Youtube review where a famous "photographer" is shown holding an A7x camera out in front of his face like a point-and-shoot. Is that how people use DSLRs? I transitioned directly from film SLRs to my A7RM2 so I could be missing something. I never found a need for a touchscreen on my OM1/OM2 and I can't imagine using one on my A7RM2 (except for possibly navigating menus). And I can imagine how many shots I might screw-up with unintentional nose- or cheek-presses on the LCD.

OK, flame away...

Stan

There are these magical devices sometimes used in photography called tripods. The LCD is very hand when shooting from them, especially when the tripod is positioned down low or overhead.

I'm all for a good honest discussion about these things but thus far the anti-touchscreeners seem to simply be people that shoot one certain thing and seem to find the idea that other people shoot different things or with different styles completely alien. Hint: Focus-recompose doesn't work so hot with moving subjects, to whomever it was above that suggested just doing that instead.

Exactly!

And focus-recompose is not precise either even when you shoot still subjects wide open.

 

[SilvanBromide]

IMO, even if they put a touch screen, I wont be using it much. You can barely see your screen on a sunny day. I use the viewfinder 98% of the time. The wheel and custom button is enough for me to change the focus area while I dont take my eyes in viewfinder..

But ... the EOS M5 has a touchscreen that you can use to place the focus point *while using the EVF*.

Not to mention that you can even allocate which part of the screen to be able to use as a touchpad in case your nose accidentally touch it.

Unless there's a mysterious race of people with completely flat noses, I think we'll all have that problem in some measure...

 

[Everythingis1]

It probably has something to do with the fact that our fingers aren't transparent. Not to mention that encouraging people to rub their greasy fingers on the viewfinder doesn't make any sense.

 

[SilvanBromide]

I recall reading that Sony thinks of touch screens as an entry level feature, and not appropriate for professional level cameras.