A feedback email to Sony

[luca.f]

As I'm getting involved in the Sony world of camera, after bough the A7R, I decided to write them an email about my using experience. After been pinballed from many department, the professional costumer service was so kind to forward my impressions to the developing of new products. I paste my email below.

Do you agree or disagree on some point with my feedback? Let's speak about

 

Goodmorning,

I took my time to write down this email and provide the best suggestions I can give with my experience.
I try to give suggestions and a feedback about my personal experience and the way I use cameras, I work in marketing but for completely different business (watch industry) so I don't know how does marketing is exactly in photography.

I take pictures mainly about landscape (I love to climb, hike and travel) and, for my work, to watches and food.
On my side, are very important the portability of the body and the cleanness/sharpness of the photos.

Compact
In 2013 I bought a Rx100-II. What a great gear!
Compact and with a great quality. I think you are doing a great work with the new models (evaluating if to buy the IV, but a bit of concerns about the quality, that would be similar to mk-II, please read below).
Best add Sony made to the Mk-III and IV is the viewfinder, great thing. I also love that this camera allow us to shoot everything in manual (aperture, shutter, iso and focus, with RAW). I dislike Sony removed the multi interface slot, instead of this, just remove the flash, the standard one is just useless (I used it like in 5 pictures on over 70.000 shots with this camera).
For the kind of photos I take, I think Sony can improve this product in 2 ways:
- weight: is Sony using the lightest material as in the A7R? For travelers/climbers every gram of weight is important.
- quality: quality of the 1' sensor is very good. But has Sony ever evaluated to make a bigger sensor in this camera? I know that the body size would improve, but Sony may consider to remove the zoom option. Honestly, for my kind of use, a fix lens around 28mm (I refer of 35mm equivalent) would be the best.
Maybe Sony can consider to make an R version with these characteristics, but I don't want to enter too much in the marketing side.

Full Frame
From the late 2014 I'm considering to buy also a full frame. I listened to the rumors about the new A7R-II so I waited until Sony presented it.
At the end of the game, I bought the A7R Mk-I, but the reason was not the price.
I always loved the A7 body for it's super-light weight and small body, to be a full frame. A7R-II is much bigger and much heavier than the mk-I (200grams....considering that the Zeiss 2.8/35 is 120g, mk-I+lens is less heavy than mk-II body only). I know that new features were added, as the Steady Shoot, but I preferred a light body with not this feature.
A7R-II is super on the sensor side and autofocus. Have you ever considered to make a "super-light" version of the A7R? Something with the advanced specs of A7R-II on the quality side, but around 350/400grams? I think many users may give up on the Steady Shoot in order to have a so light body.
I think Sony would focus the development of this kind of cameras, instead of a big and heavy reflex as A99. Mirrorless are the future, also on the professional side, and the other brands are years on late.

Lens
With A7R, I bought the Zeiss 2.8/35 and the Macro G 90mm.
I know that A7R-II is great with other brand lens, but I would like to make some considerations about the e-mount lens.
Remember my kind of costumer: I look mainly to quality and weight, for those, I'm ready to give up on some feature or to spend good money (for a quality product).
I only use fix lens as they are the lighter and (usually) the best quality, as well as I have better feeling with this kind of lens.
Zeiss 2.8/35 is a great lens (super quality, light and compact), so, I think for landscape photographers Sony may consider to improve this kind of lens.
At the moment, there isn't a wide prime lens, something around 20mm with an aperture around 2.8 or less (2.0/28 is not enought, adapter add weigh, and the one with E-mount is not a prime lens). Zeiss 16-35 is really too big and heavy, we are speaking about +500grams lens, on a 400g body! And, as the main usage of a wild lens is landscape, people will probably love to bring the lens everywhere, so it have to be light (less than 200g).
Sony could consider also to improve the tele-lens area, making a prime fix lens around 150/200mm (24-240 is not a prime lens). At the moment I'm using the Macro 90mm for telephoto (I bought it to take picture to watches), but it's not what it is supposed to be used, and anyway 90mm is not enough.

My considerations are just suggestions from a simple costumer and are based on my kind of photography, so I know that they are not valid of all kind of photographers and maybe they don't match with your marketing development.

Thanks for your attention,

Best regards,
Luca Fontana

[Damo]

Your letter covers what I would like to see from Sony. I, too, have the a7R and NOT go with the a7Rii due to the added weight. The a7r/35mm zeiss is the deal for me. 

[pilsburypie]

A company such as Sony have many clever people working out how many units they can sell. Their number 1 priority is to make stuff they can shift the most of thus make the most money. While you raise many good points specific to you, they will be doing their research on what the majority want. That is what they'll be making next.

[luca.f]

A company such as Sony have many clever people working out how many units they can sell. Their number 1 priority is to make stuff they can shift the most of thus make the most money. While you raise many good points specific to you, they will be doing their research on what the majority want. That is what they'll be making next.

 

100% agree. Every company follow what the market want, or tend to create the demand (mirrorless was a great example of a new product that created a new kind of demand), I follow the marketing and product developement for a company too (not in the electronics), so I know very well how does it work.

 

I tried to give some hints with the goal to have a better quality. Better quality means more satisfied costumers: loyal costumers.

I hope the majority of their costumers will think the same thing of me, let's see.

 

Is like what happened with food:

untile about 2000, the market asked for take down the price, so the big company focused on industrial food.

After 2000, organic and local was, and is, the trend.

So the big food company started to make organic and local food, not because they had a mission (like they say), but because it's were is the monay.

But, at the end of the game, the result is that we have more healty food, that's not a so bad

[Snowfun]

Marketing in the watch industry must be fun. To convince people to spend a fortune on obselete technology which adds absolutely no functionality as the cost increases can't be easy!

Tim

Ps I wear JLeC so am allowed to say that in a self derogatory sense!