1. Compactness. Finally we have a modern digital equivalent of the original Leica M philosophy. Everything Sony makes tends to be smaller and lighter. This is especially important with glass.
2. Sony-made lenses. I do not know what happened behind the scenes. Maybe Sony, being a giant company, simply hired all the best lens designers. I see Sony glass as srème de la crème, something like what Leica and Zeiss used to be during the film era. And it's not just optical quality, it's build quality and variety too! You have tiny G-lenses for compactness, then you have optical perfection in the form of GMs, etc.
3. Superior sensors. There are 3 sensor manufacturers. Sony is about 5 years ahead of everyone else, and they don't let competitors use their best sensor tech. I am an IQ whore and I simply cannot tolerate the situation of not owning the best sensor on the market. It doesn't matter that all this extra resolution and dynamic range is more than I need. I won't be able to sleep unless I have them.
4. Great software. I need a good native RAW converter, tethered shooting, and a mobile app. Sony and Canon can do software. Others can't. This also results in the leading auto-focus performance, and most importantly, it will always be class-leading. Sony can afford https://ai.sony/ while others can't.
5. Lens selection. My favorite 3rd party E-mount lens brand is Voigtlander, which offers more lenses for the E-mount than anyone else, except only M.
6. And finally, ergonomics. Sony, along maybe with Fuji, has recognized that press+hold+rotate ergonomics while staring on a stupid top LCD is mega-retarded approach from the early 2000s. They brought back proper aperture rings, they gave us a great selection of dedicated buttons and dials, and made them infinitely customizeable. Yes, it takes some adjustment. Yes, setting up a new camera requires effort. But once you overcome your lazy, you'll have a hard time using the retro-ergos of other brands.
Jun 14, 2026 at 12:49 PM
Previous versions of old-gregg's message #17055477 « Why Sony »
