Sony - the new Canon!

[currensheldon]

Agree that camera companies have gotten pretty stale. Panasonic excites me with the S1H and what else may be in that camera.

I would say the Sigma FP is one of the more exciting cameras to be announced recently - at least it is different, interesting, super modular, and can be built out to your liking. Excited for the S1H + FP combo that I'll have soon enough. 

[Andrew Reid]

21 minutes ago, currensheldon said:

Agree that camera companies have gotten pretty stale. Panasonic excites me with the S1H and what else may be in that camera.

I would say the Sigma FP is one of the more exciting cameras to be announced recently - at least it is different, interesting, super modular, and can be built out to your liking. Excited for the S1H + FP combo that I'll have soon enough. 

Yes for us the Sigma FP and Panasonic S1H are a breath of fresh air.

Sony on the other hand... Just about numbers now, it seems.

[mercer]

Yeah, idk, I think they are all the same. The problem occurred in 2014 when they forced 4K on us a generation, or two, too soon so Sony and Panasonic could sell some 4K TVs. None of the companies had even perfected 1080p yet... and they still haven’t.

Andrew, with your skill set and talent, I really think it’s time you move onto a cinema camera. I doubt you’ll ever get all you really want from these hybrids. And with the size getting smaller, and the specs getting better, an EVA1, or whatever, would be a better choice.

With that said, I agree with this silly RX100 update. Waste of engineer’s time. 

[OliKMIA]

I can understand your frustration and you raised many valid concerns but what's the point? Nowadays we have so many options to choose from: Sony, Panasonic S or GH series, BMPCC4k, Fuji, Nikon Z, etc.

The video DSLR revolution was all about creativity for the masses (amateurs, indie and small prod). This is what triggered the inception of this blog I believe. That's it! We have everything we ever dreamed of: anybody can spend $3 or $4k and get an excellent 4K60 camera with decent lenses and add a drone on top of that. All of which fits in a backpack.

But where is the film-making here?

[Mokara]

1 hour ago, mercer said:

Yeah, idk, I think they are all the same. The problem occurred in 2014 when they forced 4K on us a generation, or two, too soon so Sony and Panasonic could sell some 4K TVs. None of the companies had even perfected 1080p yet... and they still haven’t.

Andrew, with your skill set and talent, I really think it’s time you move onto a cinema camera. I doubt you’ll ever get all you really want from these hybrids. And with the size getting smaller, and the specs getting better, an EVA1, or whatever, would be a better choice.

With that said, I agree with this silly RX100 update. Waste of engineer’s time. 

Why is updating the electronics a waste of time? Do you think people would prefer to have older less effective components instead of the latest equivalents available at the company at the time? If you were in the market for an RX100, and were going to buy a RX100VI, wouldn't you rather have the same camera with better focusing and a more capable sensor? 

I am not sure I understand this "I would rather have less for the same price" mentality that some people have.

Why trouble engineers to improve their products constantly if all you want is the same thing you had 10 years ago even though it is inferior?

[Andrew Reid]

I think we should talk about the hype as well.

Sony adds a mic jack and all the YouTubers go mental.

Meanwhile Sigma Fp announced with Cinema DNG RAW video and they're all "EH".

Fucking joke.

[webrunner5]

Yeah but now the RX100 mk VII has unlimited video times and it can go at least an hour and not overheat in 4K. That is a Huge improvement for the model. Hell it was like a 5 minute cap for video in 4K before.

[gethin]

They are amazing little cameras, but the one I had (the IV) wasn't a joy to use.  But Sonys passion is not for photography it's for $$. That's capitalism for ya. On the plus side it creates space in the market for mavericks like sigma and the E2. I can't wait to see where they are going to go. 

[Andrew Reid]

I am told the 4K is not unlimited at all!

[webrunner5]

I ain't a fan of this guy at all,  but a pretty good video on the camera. But in his preview he states it is unlimited and he used it for over an hour and it never stopped or overheated. Who knows for sure. All I know that is a heck of a lot longer than the older ones can go. If true that makes it a damn good 4K travel camera if you can afford it..

 

[Video Hummus]

1 hour ago, webrunner5 said:

I ain't a fan of this guy at all,  but a pretty good video on the camera. But in his preview he states it is unlimited and he used it for over an hour and it never stopped or overheated. Who knows for sure. All I know that is a heck of a lot longer than the older ones can go. If true that makes it a damn good 4K travel camera if you can afford it..

 

When you you see the “Fro” just say no.

I honestly think we are seeing an acceleration in the camera industry when it comes to features. It still boggles my mind that a camera manufacturing hasn’t looked at the smartphone photography revolution and said, we need to innovate our processors and software to compete.

I like the physical buttons on my camera. They are fast, and easy, and Mostly customizable in anyway I want. It’s a tool. It should be able to adapt to how I want to use it without having to look down at a screen or take it away from my eye.

Blackmagic took a step the with the P4K with the large touch screen and slick UI and Internal ProRes and RAW.

In the next 5 years, if camera companies do not embrace fast processors, easy HDR, and computational photography they will wither on the vine and be relegated to camera nerds like us.

[Andrew Reid]

God the hype. It's unbearable.

The camera is virtually IDENTICAL to the last model.

Seems all Sony need to do to restart the YouTube hype machine is change the fucking number on the front of the case.

Last year's was not a mini-A9. Still had very fast AF, just like the year before, and the year before that.

Suddenly it's a mini-A9.

For me, a mini-A9 would be full frame, not a P&S compact with shit 1999 Canon IXUS style body design.

6 hours ago, chrisE said:

The only thing you can do is complain and whine. Is that what a "wanna be" needs to hopefully grow up one day? Disappointing. Following your blog for quite some time now, but it get's worse post by post. Could you please stick with productive things instead of bashing companies (especially Sony) for new gear, you don't understand?

How about you fuck off and go and lick Peter Mckinnon's ass.

[Video Hummus]

2 minutes ago, Andrew Reid said:

God the hype. It's unbearable.

The camera is virtually IDENTICAL to the last model.

Seems all Sony need to do to restart the YouTube hype machine is change the fucking number on the front of the case.

This is the big problem I have with YouTube. It has morphed into a corporate shill machine without much objectivity. Gotta get those brand deals or they leave you out in the cold.

[Andrew Reid]

It's the same on the front page of Google for most search queries.

The internet is going to be in crisis at this rate.

Trust already at an all-time low.

How long before people see through the hype and clickbait? Or are they all just too fucking stupid to notice or care...

The corporate shill machine is the direct result of company marketing strategies... BIG dollar spends shifting from traditional media (TV and print) to online... Namely social media and influencers. But the lack of backbone on behalf of the influencer takes it to a new level.

These people would go to the opening of a fucking envelope.

Why don't they be more picky FFS.

[Video Hummus]

10 minutes ago, Andrew Reid said:

How about you fuck off and go and lick Peter Mckinnon's ass.

He might find Canon’s RP up there. 

[Andrew Reid]

If you read this hyperbole, it isn't just a YouTuber thing. It is established backbone of the photographic press.

DPReview. ImagingResource and all the tech blogs like The Verge.

https://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2019/07/25/sony-rx100-vii-offers-the-flagship-a9s-speed-eye-af-plus-4k-video-tweaks-in

I don't mind hype when it's justified. Sometimes hype can be close to the truth. This time it's a fucking transparent shit show of shill-like Sony influenced PR spin. First bear in mind that the RX100 VII is the SAME as the VI, but it has a mic socket and the screen flips at an angle so you can do selfies. There are a few tweaks, the AF has got a BIT faster but it was already fast PDAF on the last 3 models. Same lens, same sensor size, same image quality, same body design, same EVF, same screen spec, same fundamental specs. $1200 upgrade for VI owners like me.

So with that in mind, I'd like to know how IR's writer Mike Tomkins justifies any of this hyperbole:

"Buckle in for the ride"

"We referred to [previous mode last Summer] in our headline as "an A7 III in your pocket". Well, with the RX100 VII, Sony is... delivering what it's referring to as "the speed of an A9 in your pocket."

"Yes, you read that right -- we're talking the performance of a US$3,000 flagship, professional-class full-frame mirrorless camera in a device that you can slip into a pants pocket."

(Because the AF is 5% faster???)

It reads like a marketing man's autocue on stage.

They are that desperate to get clicks from even the most boring camera update, and do the bidding for free of a massive corporation that is exploiting them and using them for all they're worth.

And not just one of them, but all of them repeating the same lines like "A9 performance" as if from a script.

Even if the AF speed is close to an A9, for me "A9 performance camera" is code word for full frame performance, and refers to far more than AF. It implies the image is similar. It's a lie, repeated again and again in clickbait headline after headline. We know it's a complete different class of image quality to full frame without the look of a full frame lens, but the average consumer on Facebook doesn't.

Liars.

Plain and simple shilling.

[User]

7 hours ago, starr666 said:

I am surprised that the top camera companies aren't trying to hire you as a consultant to help improve their products, Andrew.

Many of the things that you rant about are valid points. But the Japanese are a strange sort anyway, they embrace change very slowly.

Really? It didn't take them long to figure out that used panties sold in vending machines could turn a button... and a buck.

Say it with me... market segmentation... and quaaludes.

[Esguelha]

Yeah, "press" coverage for this is being pretty stupid. The real time AF is great and all, but who's gonna be shooting action with this thing? Eye AF is another gimmick, it's great when you're shooting FF and a 105mm F1.4 with razor thin DoF, it's worthless with this tiny sensor.
It's the unfortunate truth nowadays, you need the clicks to be someone, and no one is going to click "RX100 VII Review: Everything is the same as it was". 

[User]

6 hours ago, theraywong said:

We, as customers, should demand stuff outlined on Andrew's wish list - all right, we may not get it all but it would surely make sense to listen to user

Alrighy then.

Here ye. Here ye...

Nobody has a gun to your head... vote with your dollar... and carry a big stick.

[Media Kat]

What the hell more do you want them to add to it? instant upload to Instagram? This camera seems very feature packed and by features I do not mean gimmicks. So Far out of all the blogs and reviews this seems like the only negative one. Ergonomics is somewhat subjective, I like the feel of the line, but I also like the A7III.