D4cl00

Ps: Sony just actually announced the new A7S. @Andrew Reid go check sonyalpharumors.com

Okay, too bad, not buying this camera. Why offer 8K if it's overheating and creating storage issues that force me to throw away source data? Why didn't they license ProRES or BRAW? It's like building a Tesla with a huge battery and amazing performance, but then equip it with 1" tires.

I would add the following to the list: 1) Considerably improved user experience. Japanese manufacturers need to hire user experience designers to completely rethink their menu systems and visual design, greatly simplifying the user interface whilst only exposing detailed settings when the user desires to. Think about what the user wants to achieve (“do you want to film today? Okay, removing all photo related settings completely”). Blackmagic has done a great job of that (ofcourse they have an easier job since they don’t focus on pictures). Think about the pleasure of filming or taking pictures, and build UX + device intelligence around it. 2) Finally implement an electronic ND filter, as well as a setting that prioritizes keeping the same shutter angle while the ND adjusts automatically to make that happen, with the users given f-stop.

A first step for Sony could be is to ask: “do you want to film or take pictures”? This could be a hardware switch. Then the UI only shows what’s relevant to that choice. Things like that. Rethink the bloody UI from the ground up. Involve UX designers who aren’t filmmaker experts, involve filmmakers and photographers as subject matter consultants. Keep engineers away from UX.

Why does Sony not realize that throwing more pixels and bells and features at it isn’t the right way to innovate anymore? I’m more enthusiastic by Sigma’s recent announcement. Although the specs aren’t as good, it looks as if they rethought the camera. What do you want to do? Shoot film or photos? One dial, the interface adapts and remains minimalistic. Sony: one mess exposing everything. Aesthetics, shooting pleasure, ditching features and ignoring conventions, looking at what people want, that’s what matters. Sony needs a stronger product positioning team and hide the engineering from its end-users.