What determines the weight of digital cameras?

[plasnu]

What determines the weight of digital cameras?

I noticed that digital cameras become heavier and heavier last 10 years regardless of the brand. When the first FF mirrorless, Sony A7 (477g), appeared, I was dreaming about the future of light weight digital cameras, but the things went to opposite direction, so A7C (509g) is a not a bad move for me.

I currently own A7Rii (45MP/625g) and Nex6 (16MP/345g), and I wish Sony can make a 45MP/345g FF camera someday, and I wonder what part of the camera technically prevents to make a light weight 45MP FF camera.

 

[Mike VanV]

plasnu wrote - What determines the weight of digital cameras?

The sum of its parts.

Mike

 

[AlephNull]

Oh, it's the increase in the number of pixels - pixels are really heavy.

</sarcasm>

People keep demanding more and more things, and those tend to add weight. They want more battery life, which means a bigger battery, and that's heavier. They want an articulating screen, which means a cover for the back of the camera and the back of the screen, plus the hinge parts. They want a comfortable more secure grip which is bigger, which uses more material and adds weight. It all adds up. They want IBIS, which comes at a cost in weight. They want more sockets, bigger screens, more controls, ...

The manufacturers try to satisfy as many demands as they can, because that means more sales.

The hardest demand to satisfy is "I want everything, but I want it smaller and lighter, but with a full size grip!". The manufacturer tries to satisfy the weight demand by using lighter (more expensive) materials, then gets complaints about price!

So what determines the weight? It's the weight of consumer demand

 

[DenverSteve]

The scale...........

 

[Tristimulus]

IBIS makes cameras a bit thicker.

More solid internal frames and a metal shell add weight. So do weather sealing.

Customers want cameras to feel solid. Just add weight and it feels more solid.

That is excactly what Mamiya did with some 35mm cameras, the bottom plate was very thick and very heavy - gave undoubtly amore solid feel - just what customers wanted.

Happily Sony now has released the A7c showing the way for smaller, lighter and just as solid cameras as those physically larger and heavier camera bullies out there...

 

[Rol Lei Nut]

They keep adding features, such as IBIS, larger battery, touchscreens, joysticks, larger grips and so on. Some might be useful, some not, depending on the use & the user.

My own taste tends toward the minimalistic and for my use I welcome lighter cameras. It would be nice if both approaches were available.