Sony marketing...DSLR GEAR NO IDEA

[bfitzgerald]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... ApO_BDRE8M

I had not seen this video which is aimed at promoting NEX products. But it's the first time I've seen a company poke fun at it's own product range (can't imagine Canon ever making a video like this) You can clearly see the Sony products as the DSLR shooters (with the logo removed)

Comments disabled of course (wonder why)
I won't deny some DSLR users are clueless, probably not quite as dumb as the video makes out. But I'm surprised a company would put out such a video it's called negative marketing from where I come. Rather than promote the potential advantages of NEX, it's merely using cliché's of dim DSLR users.

Not the best move ever IMO.

[Atgets_Apprentice]

I said it the other day, but I'll say it again: SLT will soon go the way of the OVF, when Sony finally realise that the a99 is not going to make it with Pro users, and the SLT was the wrong way to go for anyone but those switching from a bridge camera.

[Greg Beetham]

I thought it was quite funny but I guess I've got a warped sense of humour. Thing is though I don't grasp how anyone is automatically going to shoot better photos in many of those situations just by switching to a NEX. (if that's the aim of the add, that is)
Greg

[bakubo]

Oh boy, that was funny! From Sony Australia? The accents sound Australian...

[bfitzgerald]

Appreciate the "Aussie" humour angle (some like it some don't)
Not sure I get the NEX element to it though, you can be clueless with any camera

[KevinBarrett]

There was a lot of older and obscure gear in there! Plenty of A99s, but also a couple of A700s and a Minolta 80-200/2.8 HS APO G.
Wait, I think I know which one I am now...

[bakubo]

Nobody Knows Anything

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essay ... hing.shtml

[Greg Beetham]

It’s probably a good thing that nobody knows anything then neither the camera makers nor the buying public would know if a given camera was (a) going to sell well or (b) be worth buying.
The camera maker’s job is to make something that people will be attracted too, hopefully, that’s the main thing they have to know but do they actually know? and our job is to know how to buy em, if we know how to do that, that is, then it all works according to plan.
But it’s looking lately like someone is slipping up on their job.
Seeing as how there are only two main participants (maker and buyer) one would think it wouldn’t be too difficult to narrow down just which one that would be (not doing their job), the worst case scenario would be that it is both, and that is distinctly possible if nobody knows anything.
Greg

[mikeriach]

I'm a reasonably seasoned aviation photographer with over 30 years of Minolta 35mm MD system, A mount film and digital yet I am constantly amazed at the incredible questions I get asked buy guys using mid range DSLR/SLT or whatever. It seems standard kit is a 3k/5k/7k series Nikon or XXX/XX series Canon with a 80/100-400 and a kit zoom so we're talking a minimum £1500 package yet they have no idea what effect changing the shutter speed, aperture or ISO has. Set to P and auto ISO and then wonder why they get doggie-doo photos.
I learnt by myself, read magazines, spoke to other photographers and with the benefit of a fully manual camera (pre-Minlota) began to understand what everything did. As I got older, I upgraded equipment to meet my new skills utill I filled my small brain to capacity. Still have loads to learn but realise I've probably topped out skill wise.
Mike

[classiccameras]

Mike, sadly, this seems to be quite common amongst the DSLR users who have only ever known digital photography. They have had no experience of using film cameras. They have this digital camera and they think most good pictures are done by 'magic' with minimal input from themselves.
The number of people I have seen including a few I know who have DSLR cameras of various levels, walk around with it stuck on auto. I wonder what they would do if Canikon removed the 'Auto' option, oh dear, oh dear.

I too was an aviation photographer using Rolleiflex and Canon FD SLR cameras, all manual focus, right through the 60's to 90's. I had stuff published by the media during the Falklands war, all slides [E6 mostly, with some Kodachrome and Agfachrome as well ] for reproduction purposes. I still use the occasional roll of Fujichrome in my old Rollei SL-35E/50-mm Zeiss F/1.4 Planar and a few other Zeiss lenses from 28 wide to 200 long, non of your plastic stuff here. I also have two of my favourite SLR's, a Minolta X-500 and an XD-7, both recently serviced, light seals mainly with light meters re calibrated.
Pete
I'm happy to talk film with any one interested.

[Greg Beetham]

I'm a reasonably seasoned aviation photographer with over 30 years of Minolta 35mm MD system, A mount film and digital yet I am constantly amazed at the incredible questions I get asked buy guys using mid range DSLR/SLT or whatever. It seems standard kit is a 3k/5k/7k series Nikon or XXX/XX series Canon with a 80/100-400 and a kit zoom so we're talking a minimum £1500 package yet they have no idea what effect changing the shutter speed, aperture or ISO has. Set to P and auto ISO and then wonder why they get doggie-doo photos.
I learnt by myself, read magazines, spoke to other photographers and with the benefit of a fully manual camera (pre-Minlota) began to understand what everything did. As I got older, I upgraded equipment to meet my new skills utill I filled my small brain to capacity. Still have loads to learn but realise I've probably topped out skill wise.
Mike

I’ve seen your photos Mike and they are pretty good, of course you do seem to enjoy better and more regular access then the average weekend warrior, but what counts is the photos are good so the equipment must be working well too.
Not that I’m surprised, Sony cameras do have pretty fast accurate focus, I can’t take that away from them, it’s just that I’m not over the moon with SLT’s myself or the whole EVF thing. Nikon are still having some problems with LH focus points according to the threads at dpr and Barry had a shocker with Pentax AF; I haven’t researched Canon AF yet but I think that if they are no.1 they should know how to make accurate fast AF…one would think.

I’m not concerned about the AF in my old cameras anyhow I don’t seem to have problems doing what I do with them, they even worked ok at the first air show we’ve had here since I’ve had digital cameras, that’s how long it’s been between air shows here. Most if not all shots I took were straight panning from the side, not overhead, which makes it a lot easier than trying to follow focus while planes are approaching or departing at high speed, not totally easy but easier.
I’d guess there wouldn’t be a great likelihood of doing any better at air shows with an alternate system camera ‘body wise’ but there is the question of lens choice, or the opportunity of selecting from a larger available range of lens models; which could be a consideration perhaps.

I suppose when it comes to photographic knowledge there is always an opportunity to learn something new, I don’t claim to know a lot but I’m pretty I sure know what I like, same as most others I guess; there could be a population of photographers now who were brought up in the midst of compact camera users and then just used a cell phone for their own photographic needs. The problem with that is neither are adequate for air shows, (hence the SLR newbies), and neither are going to impart much actual photographic knowledge either.
Greg

[Greg Beetham]

Pete I think film is staging a mini comeback of sorts, Kodak have said they had to keep some films in production because of increasing demand, (is it that some people are sick of the digital artificial look?), they also said they couldn't keep their E6 stuff in production because there wasn't sufficient demand and there is no cost sharing with anything else, the entire product is unique...apparently.
As far as film goes here it would be a problem, I don't think there are very many places that could do processing now, the local store in the city center, the one close to me said they haven't done any film work for years.
If I wanted to do film myself I'd have to try to import the chemistry I think and process it myself, either that or send it to Melbourne, there is a place there that sells Polaroid (the Fujifilm equivalent) and quite a range of film types as well.
Greg

[mikeriach]

...... I also have two of my favourite SLR's, a Minolta X-500 and an XD-7, both recently serviced.....

I also had the X500 and XD7. The latter was a high end, excellent quality yet compact camera however my main combi for action was the X500 plus MD1 and 70-210 f4 MD zoom. Boy do I miss that lens.

Mike

[classiccameras]

Greg, Mike, I used a Vivitar 70-210 for most of my flying shots, but for static work a MD Rokkor 28F/2.8 and Rokkor 50/F1.4. I mostly used Kodachrome 25 and some E6 Ektachrome and I got so used to it I could guess the exposure for the lighting. In bright sunny weather it was 125 / F/8, trust me it worked. I also preferred using my Weston Master light meter with the invercone incident reading method rather than TTL.

As for digital colours and general IQ, I still prefer colour reversal for truer colour reproduction and the subtle hues that digital doesn't always portray. Its been a bit of a mission for me to see what digital camera brand gets closest to my old colour slides. So far Fuji is ahead on that count. However, with some experiment and trial and error I have got my A57 [in Jpeg] to produce images very much like the old Kodak Portra, which is very pleasing, no more harsh over cooked colours and slightly better definition.
I can recommend Peak imaging in Sheffield for E6/Fujichrome developing, they offer a ready mounted or un mounted 24 hour service and guess what, they told me business is expanding as more people are sending films for developing. Its the same story from Fuji UK, sales of Velvia and astia and colour Neg are on the increase.
Pete

[bfitzgerald]

The Sony ads are a re-run of the David Bailey Olympus adverts (IMO that is)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWlj9ZJkliA