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 p.4 #10 · The Sony conundrum awesome tech with rough edges and high prices? | |
DWOfPaul wrote:
There is no doubt Sony is an extremely innovative company and has helped push the photography industry forward. Such as the first full frame mirrorless cameras, the first full frame stacked sensor cameras, the first full frame global shutter camera, and many innovative lenses.
But this innovation often comes with tradeoffs. Take, for instance, the 200-600mm f6.3, which changed the game for telephoto zooms, but has high focus breathing or the 400-800mm f8 that hits a lot of the right marks but then seems to suffer from high sample variation.
Now let's jump to the latest releases, the 100-400mm f4.5 and a7rVI. The 100-400mm f4.5 hits many notes right, but it's a $4,300 lens that seems to have sample variation going on with zoom creep. The a7rVI has the highest resolution of any full frame camera, and possibly the best dynamic range of any full frame camera, but most of the innovation seems to be around the electronic shutter, which is to slow for quickly moving subjects and negates the dynamic range advantage of a $4,500 camera. For example, I wish Sony had added a 15 FPS mechanical shutter to the a7rVI, then we could truly gain speed and dynamic range over the a7rV. But as it stands, we need to pick one or the other. I even find it strange that Sony does not put their best AF on a $4,500 camera. It's not like there is an a1r the a7rVI would be competing against.
This pattern of Sony making awesome tech, but the tech is coming with rough edges and premium prices, seems to be getting stronger by the year. I feel like this is hurting the Sony ecosystem. When Sony was the first/only company doing something and often times cheeper than their competitors, it was easier to look away at the rough edges. But now we have gotten to the point where Sony is often more expensive than the competitors, and the rough edges remain.
Personally, I was rooting for Sony that the a7V and a7rVI would be the grand slams we know Sony is capable of making. Unfortunately, I am left wondering if I want to stay in the Sony ecosystem. Maybe Sony will surprise us and the a7s line will turn into a true Z8 / R5II competitor, but I doubt it at this point. ...Show more →
I currently shoot with a Sony A7c, A7iv, and a Canon R6II (plus an OM System OM-5 for rainy days). The one big issue I find with Sony is the sample variations of their lenses. To "play it safe", I make sure to stick with Tamron lenses because they have performed flawlessly for me over the past couple of years (except for the Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 G2 which suffered from heavy vignetting). When I buy a Tamron lens, I can count on it being at least 95% great when it comes to sharpness, IQ, AF, and overall reliability. On the other hand, I can only count on a Sony lens being 50% either a good or bad copy (decentering issues).
I tried Viltrox and Samyang; both were way worse than even the usual bad Sony lenses I've owned. The Viltrox AF 16mm f1.8 had serious communucation issues with my A7c (froze my camera continuously) and the Samyang 35mm f1.8 had the worst AF noises and klunking that I've ever experienced on any lens ever.
Recently I needed to chose between a 24-105mm f4.0 for either my Sony or for my R6II, so after much thought I went with the RF 24-105 f4.0L. I just couldn't bring myself risking the frustration of wasting money and time on having to return multiple sample variations of the Sony 24-105mm f4.0 until I got a "keeper".
Edited on Jul 12, 2026 at 09:31 AM · View previous versions
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