Article - Sony is a real innovator, Canon is not

Interesting article.

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"It’s simply stunning how much more tech Sony is fitting into their camera than Canon is in theirs. Not to harp on Canon (because Nikon isn’t much better), but Canon has essentially released the same 18MP camera over and over again for the last 3-4 years."

Spot on! My little A7R can testify to that. I haven't even touched my 5D3 since december, and I'm actually thinking about selling it. The much cheaper, lighter and smaller A7R, simply blows it out of the water.

I think we've all noticed how Canon seems to be stuck when it comes to new tech and innovation. Especially in the sensor department, and especially when compared to companies like Sony and Fuji.. Canon is a conservative company, and a little bit of conservatism can be a 'good' thing, but too much of it?.. Nope!

Edit: In before the market share experts. Yes, Canon still dominates the camera market, but then again, Toyota dominates the car market..

I agree with the article.

The fact that Canon just dropped a T5, which is a stripped down T2i (released in Feb 2010) speaks volumes!
If Sony understood lenses better, they could steal more share easily.

Osiriz: dead on with the Toyota reference

Well, I agree up to a point. The T5 would never be considered a technology statement. Its' just bottom feeding the DSLR market. The Canon tech statement would be the 70D. This has a new sensor, not a rehash. I'm a bit surprised they haven't enhanced the EOS-M line.

That said, that Sony really looks market shaking. That price point and feature set looks very "disruptive". I would guess Fuji and Panny and shaking in their boots.

Canon made a killing with that entry level camera in the Asian markets. Not everything they produce is taylor made for a wannabe pro.

Explains all the Sony cameras shooting the Olympics.

9I just hope canon remembers that they have to create better (cleaner high ISO, more DR) sensor at some point....

I wonder if the Canon brass read these kinds of articles and go "lol, just listen to these maroons" or "oh s*&t, we better get off our asses and fix our technology roadmap."

venom3300 wrote in post #16704600
9I just hope canon remembers that they have to create better (cleaner high ISO, more DR) sensor at some point....

They know it, but don't have the R&D for silicon sensors that Sony does, nor the sensor production volume over which to amortize the costs, so there's no way they're going to be able to move as fast. They appear to move in fewer, larger steps (witness the huge jump to the sensors in the 1DX, 5d3 and 6D from their predecessors), while Sony moves in smaller, but more frequent steps, so is ahead more than they're behind.

Interesting article and though both companies have a differing market view, this one sentence summed it up for me.

ANd it's been 5 1/2 years, not 3~4. Canon has done little to improve IQ since the 5DII and the 7D. Little things here and there and a big focus on video, but they are leaving the still shooters out of the picture.

Canon in a lot of ways seems to be a much more conservative Japanese company. They appear to be a lot more particular at developing their sensor technology in house as opposed to buying it from a specialist semiconductor house. They also I think manufacture a lot more of their lenses in Japan vs building it in China or other lower cost locations.

From a market-share standpoint Canon has a huge lead and it's really basic human nature that if you are out to a huge lead you simply cannot generate the self-will to keep up the same pace that got you the lead. Happens all the time in sports and, as we can see with Canon and Sony, in business too.

Sony is trying to carve out their own market share; it makes them hungrier and a lot more open to risky schemes. The a7 and a7R is a bold risky move. I love it. I'm benefiting from Sony's drive to compete.

Scrumhalf wrote in post #16704604
I wonder if the Canon brass read these kinds of articles and go "lol, just listen to these maroons" or "oh s*&t, we better get off our asses and fix our technology roadmap."

The Canon brass is already discussing the plans for the next 2-5 years. There is lots of extra information known inside companies that people speculating on forums or writing articles doesn't know about.

pwm2 wrote in post #16704728
The Canon brass is already discussing the plans for the next 2-5 years. There is lots of extra information known inside companies that people speculating on forums or writing articles doesn't know about.

You think?

And yet the Sony imaging division is barely profitable and canon is making cash.