White House photographer drops Canon for Sony

[xtm]

I contemplated switching to mirrorless (A7R) and even had one on loan, but there are several issues holding me back. I think in the next 3-5 years, this will eventually be remedied. Battery life is terrible, especially if you do a lot of long exposures. The EVF has lag and gets noisy. Also, Sony has a long way to go with their native lens lineup. The biggest thing perhaps is the ergonomics of the small body. I will be sticking with my Nikon DSLR for now but I'll be watching.

 

[xtm]

...Sony has been lack luster with listening to their customers. From what I hear, this isn't really the case for CaNikons. We would like that support. Furthermore, as an A-mount shooter, Sony a99, I feel left out that Sony has basically abandoned the mount and gone over to the FE mount.

Don't get me wrong, I really like what they are doing with the FE mount, I especially want the A7rii for the dynamic range, but my pro gear is A-mount and Sony seems to have forgotten us.

I hate to say it, but this is typical Sony. I feel like they milk one product and once the hype runs out, they move on to the next moneymaker. If, for some reason, the mirrorless revolution does not take off as intended, Sony will have no issue dropping it. This is why I admire Nikon because they are solely an imaging/optics company and have shown that they will continue to support your investment. This is evidenced by the fact that you can still mount your 1960's vintage Nikkor lens on a modern Nikon body. Honestly, it is hard to imagine someone like Sony providing the same commitment.

 

[rickztahone]

I contemplated switching to mirrorless (A7R) and even had one on loan, but there are several issues holding me back. I think in the next 3-5 years, this will eventually be remedied. Battery life is terrible, especially if you do a lot of long exposures. The EVF has lag and gets noisy. Also, Sony has a long way to go with their native lens lineup. The biggest thing perhaps is the ergonomics of the small body. I will be sticking with my Nikon DSLR for now but I'll be watching.

The only thing I will point out from your statement is the EVF lagging and showing noise. I will say that coming from an a55 to an a77, to Nex bodies and finally at my a99, the LCD and EVF are much more refined in these newer bodies. Nothing is ever going to come close to OVF electronically, but in night time shooting, the EVF has shown me things that my naked eye could not. Again, I am not saying it is better than an OVF, but it certainly has improved from an a55 body, that is for sure!

I hate to say it, but this is typical Sony. I feel like they milk one product and once the hype runs out, they move on to the next moneymaker. If, for some reason, the mirrorless revolution does not take off as intended, Sony will have no issue dropping it. This is why I admire Nikon because they are solely an imaging/optics company and have shown that they will continue to support your investment. This is evidenced by the fact that you can still mount your 1960's vintage Nikkor lens on a modern Nikon body. Honestly, it is hard to imagine someone like Sony providing the same commitment.

I'd have to agree. I will mention another thing that doesn't come up as often, and that is the resale value of bodies with Sony. They depreciate in value quick which is a sour pill to swallow when you are one year out with your new body and there is another one out in the market that has driven your current one to less than paid value. I understand how economics work, but I'd much rather Sony put a lot of thought in to a body, wait a couple of years to release it, than simply putting out a body that obviously still needs some R&D.

I know this may seem like I am bashing Sony, but I am truly not. I just wish they would listen to their customers more and make the body that we are craving, rather than the body they think we need.

With all of this being said, I have my eye on the upcoming A7sii:
https://fstoppers.com/originals/first-impressions-new-sony-a7sii-93068

One thing that makes me hesitate is the fact that there is only one card slot, a definite no-no for wedding photographers, and also the battery consumption. These two need to be addressed by Sony.

[/rant]

 

[Reef Bass]

Thank you everyone for your contributions to what has been for me an interesting and informative discussion.

Some of my angst around Canon not making a mirrorless EF mount back is that it seems they have given up on trying to improve dynamic range, and have instead chosen to reignite the megapixel wars.

Another substantial portion is similar to what rickztahone mentioned:

...as an A-mount shooter, Sony a99, I feel left out that Sony has basically abandoned the mount and gone over to the FE mount.

Don't get me wrong, I really like what they are doing with the FE mount, I especially want the A7rii for the dynamic range, but my pro gear is A-mount and Sony seems to have forgotten us.

rickztahone, in case you haven't heard, it seems to be official now: Sony has no plans for additional full frame A mount cameras. See this article

Boy, that seems harsh to me, but as others have mentioned, Sony is not big on coddling its customers.

While perusing their website, I came across this page which provided me with what may be some insight into their decision: Sony lens basics Here's the key quote:

"...the main difference between A-mount and E-mount lenses is their “flange back distance.” The flange back distance is the distance from the rear of the lens to the image (sensor) plane. Since many A-mount cameras are traditional SLR designs that have a reflex mirror between the rear of the lens and the sensor, they need to have a flange back distance that allows space for the mirror. E-mount cameras, on the other hand, do not have reflex mirrors and therefore can be designed with a much shorter flange back distance, and consequently smaller lenses overall."

Sony historically has been big on small and portable. Remember the WalkMan? Because of the need for a more significant flange back distance, a mirrorless A mount camera would always be chubby compared to the current E mount backs. Like twice as fat / thick. I think the desire for the smaller form factor is what motivated Sony to call a halt to further A mount backs.

I am concerned that Canon is making a similar choice. The inherent design of a single lens reflex camera, digital or analog, requires the heftier flange back distance from lens to sensor than does a mirrorless.

What is especially difficult for me to reconcile is that Canon, having produced over 110 MILLION EF lenses (Canon celebrates 110,000,000th EF lens), would leave those proud lens owners hanging.

Personally, I could live with a back that was the same width of my current dslrs if it were mirrorless and fit my existing EF lenses without any adapters.

Quoting rickztahone one last time: "[/rant]"

 

[rickztahone]

I will say one last thing though, because as much as I like to rant about Sony, they have put out some good products. Their CZ line lenses are truly like butter to use, and the micro-contrast is insane. Add the fact that all bodies have IBIS and it makes these lenses an absolute pleasure to work with. The 135 1.8 CZ lens is hands down, the best portrait lens I have ever had the grace of shooting in any of my photo shoots.

Sony has a good A-mount following, but has gotten a GREAT E-mount following with their mirrorless line. It is only natural that they would want to focus on the money-maker. That is only logical.

What really grinds my gears is that there are a few things/problems that we as A-mount shooters experience that we believe can be easily fixed by a FW update. These FW updates NEVER happen. Our concern is why can that not be done in the current body rather than fixing on the next body but not adding a FW update for a previous one?

But once again, I will say, put an a99 with a Sony CZ 24-70 in the hands of ANY photographer, and you can rest assured that it can capture spectacular shots like that of any other brand. It is the BRAND itself that has its users really acting the way I am currently acting, lol.