Sony to quit making DSLR's? am I late?

http://www.techradar.c​om …loping-dslts-only-1070088

Is it possible to be more of a total gear head than to give a **** about DSLR vs DSLT?

Sony will still be making full sized cameras that accept their existing line of interchangeable lenses. If a mirror, even a translucent one, is used to direct light into the viewfinder then it's a "reflex" camera.

Looool

Sony have shown about as much interest in attracting serious photographers to their mount as Syria is currently an attractive holiday destination. Their recent announcement of their 500/f4 at a ludicrous $17000 built to order simply nails them as a brand to take seriously in the head. My mate's one of their advocates and is never going to get near one of them.

Sony's biggest role in photography is making and designing sensors. They're an electronics company, not a photographic one - they produce fantastic sensors and crap bodies. They should stick to doing what they do best, and Canon should outsource their sensors to Sony. That'd be an instant, overnight 2-stop DR improvement!

Shadowblade wrote in post #14059384
Sony's biggest role in photography is making and designing sensors. They're an electronics company, not a photographic one - they produce fantastic sensors and crap bodies. They should stick to doing what they do best, and Canon should outsource their sensors to Sony. That'd be an instant, overnight 2-stop DR improvement!

I've always believed that if Sony wanted to they could build Excellent DSLR's. But for whatever reason they choose not to, although the A850 and A900 are amazing bargains on the used market.

Worked for Nikon...

Well, they are heading in a different direction than anybody else. They also offer a ton of features for the money on the camera bodies. The image quality is also excellent on all of there cameras.

Hopefully they will focus a bit more on the Pro user this year and not the aspiring armature which is pretty much what they seem to be doing.

Best,
Jay

Shadowblade wrote in post #14059384
Sony's biggest role in photography is making and designing sensors. They're an electronics company, not a photographic one - they produce fantastic sensors and crap bodies. They should stick to doing what they do best, and Canon should outsource their sensors to Sony. That'd be an instant, overnight 2-stop DR improvement!

If all companies used Sony sensors, what incentive would Sony have to do any aggressive research and development?

That is a good point you raise Phrasikleia! Sony seems to give the edge to the competition for this exact reason I believe when it comes to the latest and greatest. Giving Nikon the exclusivity on the 36mp ff sensor for example. Sony will use it, but after Nikon makes a huge impact on the market.

It is a strange tactic, but it seems to make sense considering your statement above.

I could be totally wrong though of course

Best,
Jay

cankon wrote in post #14060079
I've always believed that if Sony wanted to they could build Excellent DSLR's. But for whatever reason they choose not to, although the A850 and A900 are amazing bargains on the used market.

I agree 100%.
Its kind of a shame too. I really wish I could get a 7D or D7000 with in cameras IS (Super Steady Shot).

I took this shot at 1/10th of a second going 50mph hanging out of a friends race spec Subaru STi (very stiff suspension) using a Sony A200.

Does it take much getting used to no VF blackout? Is MLU still available on SLT cameras?

Phrasikleia wrote in post #14072809
If all companies used Sony sensors, what incentive would Sony have to do any aggressive research and development?

Sony's advantage in the sensor department is entirely due to patented technology - it gives them a ~2-stop advantage in DR, no pattern noise and a high-ISO advantage at the same resolution.

If Canon don't buy into it, and don't have superior sensor technology of their own up their sleeve, they could be playing second fiddle for a very long time, given the duration of such patents. Which isn't ideal for those of us with large Canon lens collections.

Shadowblade wrote in post #14073677
Sony's advantage in the sensor department is entirely due to patented technology - it gives them a ~2-stop advantage in DR, no pattern noise and a high-ISO advantage at the same resolution.

If Canon don't buy into it, and don't have superior sensor technology of their own up their sleeve, they could be playing second fiddle for a very long time, given the duration of such patents. Which isn't ideal for those of us with large Canon lens collections.

Your response completely ignores my question.

Phrasikleia wrote in post #14073684
Your response completely ignores my question.

No it doesn't.

At present, Sony is so far ahead in the sensor game that it doesn't have to do much anyway. Without new technology, Canon cannot catch up. So, Sony can happily sit there selling the same sensor for the next few years, until the patent runs out.

Of course, to keep sales ticking over, they'll have to release incremental improvements every now and then, but nothing revolutionary.

In other words, there's not much incentive for them to invest heavily in sensor R&D - except to have the next generation of sensor ready for when either the patent expires or Canon catches up, so that they can extend their lead even longer.