Wednesday, June 16, 2010

So What is with Sony?

Just a quick post.  Actually more of a question.  What is with Sony?  They just released the A390 and A290 DSLR's.  Not a big deal I suppose, but if my math is right that makes 10 different DSLR cameras in their lineup, 8 of which are APSC sensor cameras.  This doesn't include their new NEX series cameras of course. 

A count by other manufacturers:
  • Pentax: 2
  • Olympus: 5
  • Sigma: 1
  • Fuji: 1 
  • Canon: 9 
  • Nikon: 7
Now Canon and Nikon are a close second and third by model number, but here is the thing, do they really need that many different cameras that are pretty much clones of each other?  I've seen this with point and shoots over the years.  Ten different varieties of pretty much the same camera just to flood the store shelves with your brand name, but is this really necessary with DSLR cameras?  Maybe I'm missing something.  And don't forget, Sony will probably replace the missing A700 soon, which should make a nice round number of eleven different cameras.  Weird.  
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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Actually the A290 and A390 are meant to replace the 3 entry level models they had up to now, so this move simplifies the line a bit.

The real problem with Sony is that their first generation DSLRs were very promising (including the excellent A700 and A900), but since then they seem to not know where they want to go. They've released entry level cameras targeted at those coming from compact cameras, they have released the NEX system, they've implemented some electronic tricks (HDR, twilight mode, panorama,...), fast focus in live view... But nothing for serious photographers.

I guess that once they release the replacements for the A700 and A900 (in the next 3 months?) we'll finally know "what is with Sony".

June 18, 2010 at 1:59 PM
Neil Gaudet said...

Thanks for clearing that up! It seemed rather odd to have so many entry level dslr's in their lineup. I was worried Olympus was trying the same stuff last year when they released the 420, 620 and 600 in their lineups. Not that it matters I guess, but saturating the market with 'so what' cameras just tells me they have no plan.

I'm a big supporter of competition being healthy for the market. The success of Sony, Pentax, Olympus, Fuji, Leica and Sigma are very important. Competition keeps companies honest and innovative. Well....relatively honest anyway. Thanks for the comment.

June 18, 2010 at 3:19 PM

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