Sony firmware table on Dpreview.
Dpreview (Click here) posted that nice table that displays the firmware update details. That said I am disappointed that Sony hasn’t taken the chance to also improve other aspects of our SLT and NEX cameras. There are so many bug fix and features requests here and on other sites and none of them has been addressed. It seems like that some managers at Sony do not understand that by not supporting continually our cameras they will not gain the trust from customers. Sony has superb engineers and lots of tech. But service is crucial too!
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ABDurbs
5 months ago |If this is in fact the sole content of Sony’s firmware update, it’s pathetic. Sony get the ear plugs out your ears !! Aaaarrgghh I am so fed up with their attitude.
E
5 months ago |What are you missing and expecting ?
/E
timon
5 months ago |Maybe the thing itself is not so bad, but Sony have one issue that it is not good layout, too jumbled them, like the hybrid AF firmware should get resolved in earlier time before it began to launch the new nex6 5R a99.
People should remember in 2011 Nikon had indicted Sigma that the latter is pirate behavior on the Nikon patents. In very long period Sigma has been not pay royalties, and the Sigma lens’s AF drive device are through with the reverse crack means.
Sony in hybrid AF and lens compensation can be through the firmware way to prevent some piratic behavior.
Unlike Sigma, We did not hear bad reputation at Tamron or other Japanese lens makers.
Tamron’s biggest customer is Sony, and Sony is also a second big Shareholder.
“A high degree of Company’s sales depends on a Sony group company approximately 29% (FY2010) of our net sales (consolidated)”.
e
5 months ago |Sony Firmware behavior ridiculous and Drives away customers –
but worse yet is
LENS Development by 3rd party manufacturers is Minimal
( – Compared with Canon or Nikon Platforms – )
Lens manufactures will NOT put up with this SONY lack of support
Lens manufactures make more money on Canon and Nikon models
because of the shear vast install base of cameras they can sell to
Many of their Lens are Never available to us on a Sony platform
Spoon
5 months ago |Yes yes, the X100s and X20 are much better system cameras with lots of third party glass. Not to mention all the firmware updates in typical Fujifilm fashion adding features to a complete product, rather than fixing dozens of bugs and fatal flaws or omissions. Oh wait.
chenfei
5 months ago |@e
Yess especially in Sony journey to shaping up and in their effort to maturing is being badmouthed by “TROLLS” influence to new customer that makes 3rf party manufacturers stay away…
WTH
5 months ago |I think you are missing the point here…
If Sony had support, there wouldn’t be any trolls to begin with…
The Lotus Eater
5 months ago |False – there would be more of them, as Sony would be a bigger threat to Canikon.
WTH
5 months ago |Are you implying that people complaining here are Canikon trolls?
The Lotus Eater
5 months ago |Some are, I’m sure, but no, I’m implying that there would be more trolls overall.
WTH
5 months ago |Then I wouldn’t label it false, as I very much prefer more Canikon troll rather than angry Sony photogs.
F-828
5 months ago |Luck that we have no a worthy contender also at the mirrorless area. Fuji’s X system maybe the right choice. I do not want to invest more to the NEX if there is no support. Alpha is dead anyway it seems…
I will probably test waters with X100s or X20 and then go that way…
Freddo
5 months ago |Lens support is easy to list. Let’s hope, that there are some tweaks and fixes included in the updates that simply were too messy to include in the initial announcement. I have big faith in Sony, but they really need to adress some of the bugs people have been reporting. Soon.
And to those who claim Canon and Nikon are better at providing fixes and tweaks, they are not. Go Fujifilm if you like frequent updates.
Frank
5 months ago |To be fair, Canon’s 7D update was significant.
Emir
5 months ago |From what Ive heard the a700 got a big nice update… So Sony has been nice in the past. Thats why its so disaopointing to see their arrogance now
Frank
5 months ago |Exactly. The v4 A700 update was a great improvement.
Hellven
5 months ago |yep, but only 3 years later
Martin
5 months ago |Novadays it looks like Sony prefers to give out new models than work on existing “flagship” improvements.
Sucks. Next time, if I borrow money to buy new camera, I will think twice if it will be the Sony again.
EWven if I love the innovation spirit, I feel a bit scammed. I always think, that A77 is great piece of hardware, but I feel like the firmware can still improve a lot to give the most out of this machine.
chenfei
5 months ago |What Else Canikon update that “significant” other than 7D?
Canon 7D Launch @2009 it took 3years to release your “significant” fw update… It same with a700 significant fw update! So I called EVEN!
What now?
Frank
5 months ago |I suggest that you look at how many Canon models get firmware updates. They aren’t just lens profile updates either.
Freddo
5 months ago |The updates Sony provided for the NEX-3/5 were not only significant, they were fantastic. Adding bug fixes, performance improvements and several totally new features borrowed from NEX-5N. A similar update for the A77 today would be if they added tethering and AF range limiter from the A99. That’s how epic it was.
Jonathan
5 months ago |1+
John Maverick
5 months ago |Why does everyone keep referencing the 7D?. It took Canon 3 years to unlock the new functionality. And while the firmware updates were significant, they exist only to keep the camera sellable and on the market in the absence of a replacement! The 7D sensor is destroyed in ISO and especially DR performance compared with any SONY based camera.
Frank
5 months ago |Never-the-less, it demonstrates support for it.
Jonathan
5 months ago |What a joke of a ‘firmware update’ this is what I would prefer Sony to refer to as a lens profile update as it really has nothing to do with firmware of the camera other than profiles for lenses which is a function of the firmware…
Very, very, very disappointing, I really thought that after they got the A99 out the door Sony would have put time into adding some of the basics like tether support on the A77 which they did not get out on release and is a basic function. Even there A99 tether support is not great and Lightroom still can’t seamlessly work/talk directly to the Sony A99 which is also very disappointing…
Wow, disappointment all round (unless you are perhaps one of the people that have one of the lenses listed but lets be honest lens profiles are fantastic but it’s a very simple process and can be done at the click of a button during post so not a HUGE issue but is very nice for JPEG quick shots I agree and I do love and support the overall feature just wish Sony started to focus on some of the other issues raised and suggested!)
Tom L.
5 months ago |+1
Si
5 months ago |Excellent all my lenses can now use the superb range of AF in my A99.
Si
xspider
5 months ago |+1
Vincent
5 months ago |So the back dial of the NEX-6/5R is still left unused, just amazing. The lens support should’ve come as soon as the camera hit the market.
SONY did a good job manufacturing camera hardware, but the software is rubbish and they seemed to be perfectly fine with that. No wonder why they are in such bad financial situation.
The Lotus Eater
5 months ago |I struggle to see what the back dial could be used for. There aren’t many functions that can’t already be accessed very quickly using Fn/Quick Navi.
Yeah you could add something like exposure compensation, but that can already be changed quickly with the dedicated button and dial. In fact I’d rather not be able to change exp. compensation with the dial, as it would be quite easy to change it accidentally.
Vincent
5 months ago |For me I change ev comp quite often, and press down button – scroll dial – press middle button is no fun, especially when you are looking through evf, on the other hand nex-7 is just wonderful.
What Sony did is to add a upper dial, move the function of the back dial to it, and call it an upgrade over nex5n, it is pointless.
Perhaps I am spoiled by Pentax DSLRs.
John Maverick
5 months ago |I am very pleased with the firmware updates. The glaring omission has been the inability of the NEX 5R and 6 cameras to use phase detect AF with existing lenses. Likewise for the A99. Solving these issues as a matter of priority is exactly what firmware updates are for.
Frank
5 months ago |Yes, the support in terms of new lenses and firmware for the E-mount continues. I think that we’ll be seeing a LOT of support for E-mount…
John Maverick
5 months ago |Well you said it, not me. Let’s just hope all the Alpha users will take their combative entitlement elsewhere and poison some other brand.
Frank
5 months ago |Some people might be about to invest a lot of money in A-mount, they deserve to know that there is a possibility of E-mount being the focus for Sony. They can then research the rumours and make an informed choice.
Or, we could just not tell them…
I prefer the former.
John Maverick
5 months ago |There’s a clear distinction between informing about a future possibility, and whipping up fear and resentment that is detremental to the brand and all existing owner’s interest.
WTH
5 months ago |John,
Most good photographers knows what they need. They don’t need to be shielded from what others think.
This is an open forum. People are allowed to share their opinions as long as they respect others. Telling others how to think and not to complain only because you don’t want to hear about it is disrespectful.
Sony doesn’t need to be defended, they know what they are doing. They had many prototype cameras to choose from to designated for the A99. They obviously choose the one that centered around video. Are some happy, yes… are some unhappy, yes… That is life.
Unless you can guarantee the entire Sony photography community that the A-Mounts will not be retired, that Sony is committed to the professional photography community offering a professional care service support, I don’t you have the rights to label people as trolls or shills.
John Maverick
5 months ago |@WTH, It’s the exagerrated response by the Sony photography community that is guaranteeing the A-Mount will be retired.
WTH
5 months ago |Why will Sony retire the A-Mount because of customer complaints?
If they wish to keep the A-Mounts, wouldn’t it be wiser if they address the issue of trust and brand loyalty of the photography community?
Frank
5 months ago |^^ This ^^
It also doesn’t help that over night Sony have made their complete line-up of iISO flashes and accessories redundant and you have to use an adapter!
Yeah that REALLY makes me confident about A-mount…
WTH
5 months ago |hahaha!
at least you get to put a video mic on the hotshoe…. ohh wait, what good would that do for a photographer…
John Maverick
5 months ago |@WTH This entire forum is one giant advertisment for Canikon. No newbie who manages to stumble in here with the intention of researching Alpha, and who views the comments, will ever purchase the camera. You see that as a good thing for the mount, while I see it as entirely counter-productive. Fortunately other SONY forums are far more discerning and nuanced in their ability to both express their desires about SONY’s future direction, and maintain a positive and balanced attitude.
WTH
5 months ago |You see John,
I would rather people see things for what they are. Most of the posts here are reasonable within limits.
I wished I knew Sony Alpha Rumors when I entered the Sony system. The knowledge gained from reading the forums would have lead me to a different direction.
I am not going to sugar coat it, there is a general sense of feeling that there are many things lacking that Sony doesn’t seem to be addressing.
Frank
5 months ago |@John Maverick
If it means that the potential customer hasn’t lost money on what may be a dead-end system, then that’s a good thing.
It is for Sony to convince us, through the use of road maps and actions, that they are supporting the system for the next X number of years.
Not so long ago I was convincing people to take a look at Sony, now I would feel guilty recommending Sony as I suspect they are moving away from A-mount.
redfern
5 months ago |And which, pray tell, are you invested in? A-mount or E-mount? It seems to me that E-mount users are the entitled ones here. Whenever someone worries about the death of the A-mount, the responses from (relatively recent) E-mount users are always along the lines of, “Well, you should’ve seen that coming” or “You’re acting like the sky is falling” or, even worse, “RIP A-mount! Long live the E-mount!”
I shoot both A-mount (since Minolta) and E-mount (NEX-5 and NEX-6). I have FAR more lenses for the A-mount, and have often worried about Sony’s eventual retirement of the 28 year old mount design. This year, the change in roadmap seems to signal that the A-mount will be phased out. Or at least marginalized enough that it’s unlikely to see many new adopters in the future. It’s definitely not a “growing” system so much as a system barely holding stability: lenses and bodies being replaced with similar models instead of many new lenses and bodies being created.
The E-mount, on the other hand, has all the signs of growth. Maybe not as many as some would like, but it’s clear from the roadmap that it’s here to stay for a while. This gives the recent E-mount adopters a safety net that A-mount users no longer feel is there. So it’s easy for them to tell A-mount users to calm down, or to feel that it doesn’t affect them.
But for those of us who’ve been around in the Sony world for a while, we can tell you not to get too comfortable; if the situation were reversed, you would be fuming mad. And knowing how Sony works, that day may come sooner than you think.
John D.
5 months ago |Well said, Redfern.
Frank
5 months ago |Exactly.
Carl
5 months ago |Yes, that’s the situation in a nutshell. And keep in mind that a lot of us didn’t just buy a consumer camera and a kit zoom a couple of years back, but have been at it since the days when all photos were shot on funny little rolls of film.
John Maverick
5 months ago |I’am invested in E-mount. The faster you guys can wreck your camera system the better for me. For an outsider it’s hilarious, that whenever there’s a discussion about some new feature in NEX, fully two-thirds of the thread consists of Alpha users complaining how it doesn’t help A-mount!. You guys are simply comedians.
redfern
5 months ago |Your response goes a long way toward proving my point about the attitudes of E-mount newbies, and rendering your own point about negativity invalid. If you wish the A-mount to fail, you are no better than those you aim to criticize. Worse, in fact, as you mean to cut off other people from voicing complaints about something you hope will fail.
The other points I made will be proven once Sony changes directions in a way you don’t like. Don’t expect sympathy when you’re in the same boat and start complaining. It’ll happen.
John Maverick
5 months ago |@redfern The crucial distinction you’re missing is that I can separate what is in my personal interest, from what is good for SONY as a whole. The wholesale attack on SONY is simply ridiculous and unmatched in any other camera forum. It’s why Pentax will survive without having a fullframe camera, but A-mount is finished. It’s the users fault.
Frank
5 months ago |Well said Andrea, your “top sources” need to get back to whoever at Sony is responsible, sit them down and MAKE them read the various Sony forums.
Carl
5 months ago |Won’t work. If they were going to listen they would have done so already.
Frank
5 months ago |They disabled the movie button, so somebody listened.
WTH
5 months ago |lol,
Yes, that movie button was so damn annoying…
Salt added to the wound know that they made the button bigger than the rest, silver with a red dot painted into the center.
That was an epic fail.
I am surprised they didn’t make the button flash in the A99. Alas, I think Sony learned their lesson there. It only took 1 generation of cameras and 1 year to address the issue through software.
Frank
5 months ago |“I am surprised they didn’t make the button flash in the A99″
LOL
BreezyB
5 months ago |Got some issues with my SLT a57.
I’m having a constant 2.8 aperture lens, but the camera does increase the aperture when zooming, even in M-mode (Film) with AF off.
Why?
Does anyone else encounter this?
Carl
5 months ago |What lens? 16-50/2.8?
BreezyB
5 months ago |Tamron 17-50 2.8.
With the Kit Lens i set aperture to 6 at 18mm and when i zoom to 55 it does increase in the same way as i had set it wide open before zooming.
Carl
5 months ago |So you can still change the aperture back to f2.8 after zooming? Sounds like a strange quirk/bug, unfortunately I have no idea how you’d fix it. Have you tried emailing Tamron about it?
Freddo
5 months ago |The only possible explanation I can come up with is that the camera is identifying the lens wrong and thinks it is another zoom lens with non fixed minimum aperture. Is the lens identified correctly when you check the EXIF data?
BreezyB
5 months ago |Yes, that’s possible, but the EXIF data is correct.
Apart from this particular model.. Even when i’m using the Kit Lens, it should not change my aperture setting when i set it to 6 at 18mm and start zooming. But it does..
I don’t quite get it.
I’d be happy to know whether other Sony SLTs are reproducing this kind of “issue” or if it’s just my camera/model.
Would anyone be so kind to check this?
andrew
5 months ago |There seems to be a ridiculous sense of entitlement when it comes to firmware updates. The whole point is to fix bugs, not to add free features which you knew weren’t on the table when you bought the camera. Equally don’t expect announcements that bugs which sony hasn’t acknowledged exist have been fixed (can’t expect them to admit they screwed up, can we)…
Alex
5 months ago |So you’re saying that because Sony doesn’t acknowledge bugs, they are entitled to not fixing them?
That may actually be how they think. It’s nice to get lens support that should have been there on day one, but not fixing issues that are widely discussed and relayed to Sony already, is just inexcusable.
Proclaiming that this is a pro-camera, but doing everything they can to discourage the “pro’s”, isn’t helping either. I can totally understand the frustration and frankly, we shouldn’t even have this discussion. Bugs need to be fixed. Imagine you buy a car and the headlights don’t work. Would you want to wait maybe 1 year or longer for this to be fixed? This firmware should have addressed at least some issues people have with their cameras, but mostly it did nothing but adding lens profiles and lens support.
Honestly, if your headlights aren’t working, would you be happy if your car manufacturer gives you a new radio station instead of fixing the darn lights?
Tom S
5 months ago |A77 is a horribly limited camera for video users. As the top of the line cropped sensor model, one would expect that Sony had for instance added clear HDMI to it, especially in absence of a competitive FF competitor to the D600…
Vincent
5 months ago |Admin from this site, could you please refer our comments to SONY and let them know what we think? People who visit SAR frequently clearly is in SONY’s target market.
Babon
5 months ago |dis is why people dont like to buy sony… sony never give value the feed back of the customers…. really disappointing….
Brian
5 months ago |I am not buying any more Sony gear until they start showing they are serious about the pro market. Why would they use SD Cards on their flagship SLT?! The Nikon D4 gets the Sony XQD high speed media, why not the A99? Sony let go of the Memory Stick already!!! At least they offer two card slots.
Sony doesn’t do much in their firmware because they want you to buy a new camera, that is what it appears. I’ll keep shooting my A900 and my A77 and will wait to see if Sony every listens. If not, I might jump ship.
andrew
5 months ago |Brian – completely agree! Sony needs to have a dialogue with their customers to work out how to drive the alpha and nex brands forwards.
Binning alpha because nex is selling well doesn’t make much sense in the long term, but a lot of existing customers are worried that this is exactly what they’re going to do. People who’ve bought into a system are more likely to upgrade within the system, so it’s an opportunity to keep customers. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m already considering my options and won’t spend a penny on sony until I know that it’s a safe investment in the long term. I know they’re releasing new alpha bodies this year, but that could just be an attempt to cash in before pulling the plug next year.
BrianTO
5 months ago |+1
I am pretty sure my next camera will not be Sony.
WTH
5 months ago |+1
Wish they didn’t discontinued the A900/850.
Stan
5 months ago |+1
I sold my A55 in Dec in hopes that new cameras will be announced @ CES(dumb move). Then it seemed like CP+ will be the one. Now it seems like new cameras will be announced in March. Add on top of that possibly a new flash mount and no clear roadmap for A-Mount, and i’m already thinking of selling my Nissin DI866 Mk2 flash that has a legacy sony shoe mount and my only remaining lens SAL18250, and jumping ship to either Canon or Nikon. I can’t seem to be able to justify my stay with A-Mount.
ArtoS
5 months ago |I am very happy to this A99 FW-update
Now five of my seven lenses work with AF-D. I think that it takes more time to correct flash delay pugs etc. For me it is not very important because I hardly use flashes nowadays because high ISO quality is so good in these new bodies, especially with A99.
ArtoS, Minolta/Sony user from year 1967
Frank
5 months ago |Did they ever fix the flash delay on the A55…?
Frank
5 months ago |I’ll answer my own own question. After a search around it appears that they NEVER fixed the A55. Good luck with the delay on the A99 then…
WTH
5 months ago |Is the a55 still on v2.5?
If it is, I feel sorry for ya…
ArtoS
5 months ago |Just tried A99 with my F58-flash for curiosity. It works fine, I didn’t have any trouble to have good fotos with them. Am I now in trouble?
Frank
5 months ago |Good for you, now go and tell people that have the problem that it works. I’m sure you’ll get a warm reception.
ArtoS
5 months ago |no no, I was going to stay at home :-/
Seriously, I don’t know their problems so I am not right person to advice them. In my brief use I had no trouble, I used A99+FL58 both with ADI and pre-flash TTL, didn’t get lazy eyes or red eyes. I neither think that you are right person to advice me what to do.
Frank
5 months ago |Well don’t be too upset when you come across the problem and Sony don’t fix it.
Alex
5 months ago |Try to use a studio flash at 1/250th of a second directly connected or with a wireless trigger! Good luck!
ArtoS
5 months ago |Try to cool now
_http://500px.com/photo/23130955
CineAlta
5 months ago |Right now I have a choice..
Do I keep my Sony a77 (which I love) and keep investing in Sony/Zeiss lenses, keep buying Sony accessories and other products and eventually upgrade to an FS100 FS700 EVEN THOUGH it seems they are listening to their customers at all?
OR
Do I switch to Canon, buy a Canon DSLR that can record video invest in Canon L glass and upgrade to the Canon cinema system..
Hard decision.. I’ll have to see what happens, but great products aside the support needs to be there too otherwise it’s just not worth investing so heavily into a system. If I end up spending thousands of dollars on a video camera alone not to mention all the money spent on lenses I want to know it will be supported.
Frank
5 months ago |E-mount yes
Canon yes
A-mount no
Until Sony give a clear indication of the future of A-mount I would not invest in it, or you might find that you are having to use a E-mount to A-mount adapter from next year…
CineAlta
5 months ago |Any info to believe the a mount might be in trouble? I literally just bought a new a mount lens lol, luckily it was a cheap one.
ArtoS
5 months ago |Just asked from my seven A-lenses that are they in trouble?
The answer was NO, they are just fine and they promised to work with me and with my Sony-bodies at least seven years , lol
WTH
5 months ago |shhh… the lens haven’t told you that if Sony discontinues the A-Mount, they would be worth jack…
Carl
5 months ago |I recently bought a 300G SSM and don’t feel bad about it. Good glass doesn’t need a firmware update.
Frank
5 months ago |Nope, pure speculation based on the lack of support for A-mount through delays of lenses and the rumour of Sony not releasing another FF any time soon. It all smells of a move to native E-mount to me as per the rumour that the next FF is going to have a E-mount with adapter for A-mount.
I’m not about to invest thousands, but people like you should have a serious think about either delaying your purchases or swapping systems. Ultimately it’s you money and your decision.
CineAlta
5 months ago |Thanks, I had actually thought a little about that myself. It seems like a move to the E-mount is inevitable, luckily I only plan on investing in a few DT lenses for now as they also cover S35. I wasn’t planning on buying any expensive Zeiss or G a mount lenses anyway as I’d go with a Zeiss ZF before those.
I planned on buying the 16-50, I think I still will, but apart from that not much else.. Not until I upgrade anyway and that won’t be to to a mount lenses.
WTH
5 months ago |Frank, you seem to be one of the rare people with common sense.
I too have stop investing in A-Mount (Sony for that matter).
Was about to get the 135mm Zeiss… That glass is near perfection… What a waste.
No clear indication, roadmap or plans? No thanks.
As for all the people complaining about the whinging, they just aren’t able to comprehend the fact that Nikon and Canon users don’t have to question the commitment of their professional range cameras.
Hellven
5 months ago |A-mount will end, but EF (canon) and F mount (nikon) will also end, they will all go mirrorless one day!
but Sony is the one with the most advanced mirroless sistem of all 3, and has the best suport for the legacy lens (A-mount) of all 3 because of the translucid adapter that gives you the performance of an SLR PDAF on a mirroless.
and if you are interested in video, Sony is a no brainer!
Francisco G.
5 months ago |I don’t even know why you are comparing Sony’s top of the line FS700 with Canon’s laughable “Cinema” system. The Sony systems just TROUNCE their Canon equivalents. And you can also use your alpha lenses with the adapter on the FS models.
Anfotos
5 months ago |Why are all in this Sony public so angry?? Maybe is because canikon sees us down or what? Since I go away from canon and Nikon to Sony, I never been more happier then now. The Sony can make smart, easy, future and Carl Zeiss lens there outperformed all other lenses! And with IS on zeiss by Sony !! When I got the a900 I never wich for a firmware update. Is was perfect. Then Sony a99 comes, there is more perfect! And now the little firmware to get it more perfect. Overall the firmware updates from camera manufacture is rubbish against the computer/mobile world handle it…
John Maverick
5 months ago |Shills poisoning the well.
chenfei
5 months ago |+1
I’m ex 400D & 50D user, and my wife still using 7D till now. I’ve already compared the pic result using same setting & lens (tamron 90mm f2.8 & tamron 18-250mm) I realized that my A57 & A77 iq is clearly better than 7D.
I’m just a happy Sony shooter and I don’t see the the lack of my camera. But I think it will be perfect if they just add a Thetering features. Just that, everything else’s OK!
WTH
5 months ago |It’s simply because Sony doesn’t listen to the photographers.
Rolleiflex
5 months ago |There is a difference between constructive criticism and simply raising discontent among others. I bought into Sony after careful comparison between brands. Sony has the best compromise as is. That’s why I don’t understand these whingers. If you are so disappointed with the system, why don’t you sell all of your Sony stuff (still fetching a good price)? Move on to Canikon and be content and shoot as you’re supposed to. Why stay here and spell doom and gloom all the time?
Canon is good that they couldn’t even manage to have a decent DR for so long (the dreaded shadow banding at ISO 100 – where most people would shoot at). Nikon is good that not all D800s have been resolved of the focus issue. The D600 just got better with the sensor dirt and oil. The grass is always greener on the other side. To following the same tone of Frank and WTH, you guys are so incompetent to get into Sony when they didn’t even have the support features you want. Screaming “we’re all gonna die” is neither helpful nor making you appeared smarter.
I agree that Sony could have released new firmwares more frequent and quicker instead of keep coming up with new cameras. But it’s not like your camera just stop working. Happy shooting to all here.
Frank
5 months ago |“ou guys are so incompetent to get into Sony when they didn’t even have the support features you want. ”
Can you tell me the features that I wanted? Nope, because you just made that up. My cameras have all been and still are what I wanted, I have been accused many times in forums of being a Sony fanboy when up against the Canikon lot pushing people to that system. Now though, there is doubt and that is a BAD THING and that is directly attributable to Sony.
If you had bothered to read, my concern is the concentration on E-mount to the apparent detriment of A-mount. It feels like Sony are running down the A-mount system. If you are not concerned, then perhaps you should be.
Rolleiflex
5 months ago |Frank, that’s why it is funny to read your comments. You want the A-mount to last, yet at the same time, you are trying steer people away from buying into Sony. Such contradictory! Everyone has different needs. I don’t assume to know yours. But right now, I can shoot my A99 and NEX-7 as is, without any complain. Even if tomorrow Sony decides to abandon the system, I can still continue to take my pictures. However, there is no such indication. It’s just your pure speculation. And yet, you treated as a fact. Sony just released the A99, and now they are working on the FF NEX. It seems to be such a logical decision. Alpha has a much better established lens system than the E-mount, so I don’t see how Sony would just abandon alpha. Will Alpha be eventually phased out? I don’t pretend that I know. If there is time when Sony is no longer the suitable system for me, I would move on to a different brand. They don’t pay me to use their camera. So I would not worry too much about it. If a friend asks me today which system I would recommend. Depending on his need, I would give the appropriate advice. I would not just label Sony Alpha as a “dead-end” system. And so, again, it’s your incompetence to stick around and moan. In my line of work, if the current solution is no longer satisfactory, I would move on looking for a different one. I’m not going to stick around and moan to my boss.
WTH
5 months ago |“You want the A-mount to last, yet at the same time, you are trying steer people away from buying into Sony.”
I would do the same, at least I can sleep better at night.
I wouldn’t want to buy a $3K camera, only to discover that Sony will not design any more lenses for it.
Sony only has 3 weather sealed lenses… 2 of which is > $7k…
So, technically we only have 1 weather sealed lens…
You know what…. never-mind, forget it…
I am going to go take pictures of cats and dogs…
WTH
5 months ago |“incompetent to get into Sony when they didn’t even have the support features you want. Screaming “we’re all gonna die” is neither helpful nor making you appeared smarter.”
When people states their disapproval with Sonys action, it’s raising discontent in others?
If your perception of my disappointment is an attempt to make myself smarter, you are gravely mistaken in your judgment.
If you don’t like what some people post, you can choose not to read it instead of calling others incompetent.
Instead of exaggerating our posts in which we never stated that anyone is going to die… Why don’t you point us to a clear roadmap for their Full Frame lineup and show us a clear picture of what Sony is going to do for the next few years in regards to professional photography. As I have vested a lot of time and money into the Sony ecosystem in the past, I would like to invest more into their professional system now. However I am hesitant in making this decision as I can’t see a clear commitment from Sony.
I am not the only one in this boat…
A77 and happy
5 months ago |hmm …When i bought my A77 i made a conscious decision based on the question: Is this camera the right one for me AS IT IS ? I decided yes and went for it. So i was happy , i am happy and will be happy with it as it is. If Sony now releases a FW Update , then hey, welcome, i take it but i don’t blame them if they do not include any new features. It would be the same as if i’d expect BMW to release a firmware update for my 3 year old car that upgrades it (for free of course) to now include all the modern gimmicks mine doesn’t have yet. I do see a firware update primarily as a bug fix and would expect them to fix all know bugs. But quality improvements of the JPEG engine are hardly a bug-fix. I did evaluate the camera incl. the JPEG quality it can produce before i bought it and decided that it was sufficient for me to justify the purchase, so why should i now moan and cry for a FW update that “fixes” the JPEG quality ? Sure it would be nice if a camara manufacturer would change its policy in favor of ultimate customer satisfaction and retention and commit to relaease firwmware updates and feature updates for free .. no doubt, but that would be another factor i’d take into consideration when i choose the camera i want to buy (and for sure it would be a major plus …) .
WTH
5 months ago |Hate to burst your bubble, but BMW does update your onboard firmware. Sometimes it better regulates the engine and sometimes it improves electronics and performance, if you include the Sat nav upgrades and all, that is a bonus.
In fact, most car manufacturers does this. My Mazda recently got a new firmware that improves various things.
If I bought an analogue camera, then I get what I paid for.
Things work differently in the digital age.
So, lets take a look at Canon EOS 5D Mark III…
“In response to strong requests from professionals working in the fields of cinema and TV production, the new firmware upgrade will enable the use of HDMI output functionality, making possible more efficient video editing and monitoring procedures. Additionally, the upgrade supports the advanced needs of photographers through improved AF performance when capturing still images. The new free-of-charge firmware will allow users to boost the EOS 5D Mark III’s potential, opening the door to new imaging opportunities. “
Francisco G.
5 months ago |Nice try, but the Sony equivalent to the MarkIII, the A99, already does what that particular Canon model’s firmware update included. And sorry to burst your bubble, but not everybody needs clean HDMI out. The A77 destroys it equivalent Nikon and Canon counterparts on featurelist and performance already, so i still don’t get the whiners points.
Tom S
5 months ago |More concerning is that the D600 supports this. So for less than $2000 I can buy a Nikon with clean HDMI (incidentally, something I REALLY want), and I have no alternative from Sony DSLR division than to buy a almost $3000 camera with a dubious future.
I was planning on buying an Alpha camera, but for now, I will be using my Nex for some of my odd interests (IR, Astro, UV photography) while starting to look for another camera to do high end photo/video. At this point, the Nikon is looking mighty tempting.
A77 and still happy
5 months ago |That’s not my point. It doesn’t matter whether BMW or anyone else add features to a new firmware.
When i purchase something i make damn sure that it HAS all the features i want and i am willing to pay for. I do not puchase something because i hope (or pray ) for the manufacturer to add this feature for free in the future. To stay with the car analogy: Say you need aspecific feature in your car: e.g. say a fuel saving strategy whereby the engine automaticall shuts of half of the cylinders so that fuel consumption drops. This feature is a must have for you (for whatever reason, for the A77 it might be “tethering” ). Now decide for yourself: Brand A HAS IT, ready to use, built in. Brand B Dealer tells you (without any warrranty) that this could come in a future free of charge firmware release (but Bran B has no ad or spec sheet where this is even mentionned) .
Would you seriously buy BRAND B (supposed that for the rest of decision factors the two Brands a on par)? You disappointment is almost preprogrammed .
Certainly my example is a bit black&white and most puchase decisions are more complex but the pint is: If you buy something for a particular reason shouldn’t you make sure it fits the purpose you need it for rather than hoping for the manufaturer to hopefully get it there in the future ? Specifically in the digital age i prefer to verify whether features correspond to my needs since the future addition of features is subject o so many different factors but certainly not to my wishes/needs. SImple rule: Buy based on facts that match your needs and be happy if later on you get even more , makes live so much more enjoyable
Abit77
5 months ago |any new for 70-200G SSM-2 ???
Frank
5 months ago |and 70-400mm too.
Time to change the brand
5 months ago |Just stop purchase sony cameras and they will stop joking with us.they will face the fact that keeping the costumes this way will end with alpha and my change the game.that is only chance we have.
aardvark7
5 months ago |I find it a little ridiculous that so many hold up their hands in dismay at the lack of content of the update, yet, other than the list of lens support, there has been no indication of the exact contents.
How about waiting until it is actually available before pronouncing on the merits or not?
It may well be that there is little of substance, but I prefer to be pleasantly surprised, rather than find it is not all I hoped it to be. Furthermore, although I know Sony aren’t the quickest or most regular with improvements, there is no reason why it should be a one off update.
WTH
5 months ago |It’s not just the firmware…
There is no clear direction where Sony is headed with their professional system.
Scotty
5 months ago |Just fix what we the people who buy your products want fixed, is that such a big deal to keep us happier = more sales.
ColiNilok
5 months ago |I think, a firmware update is better than no update regardless.
Sony clearly needs to fix more bugs and introduce faster lenses and accessory support, but it doesn’t mean it’s time for us to bash the system again and again, why not just contact Sony if you are not happy?
It really amuses me that how many people spend time complaining about the system here and be all negative instead of trying to be positive and helpful and putting effort allowing their voice to be heard by Sony and let them see what we Photographer actually need. In the end don’t we all wish the system to be better and better?
Forget about comparing to CanNikon as they are more well established anyway, but look at another smaller system- Pentax, it is well know that system has more things to work on than Sony, by why not this much complain?
Let’s be helpful guys.
WTH
5 months ago |Ironic,
I find it that people complaining are actually helping Sony more than the people keeping quiet….
ColiNilok
5 months ago |Yes, in a way it should. I’m not suggesting stop the complain completely, Sony should take note, but no point arguing or over bashing things here, Area is doing a great job giving us info and freedom for us to comment and people can say what ever they want, but won’t communication to Sony more direct and effective? It is just in the end we all want the system to do better, no matter we defend the system or complain about it, fighting here does no good to the system and doesn’t solve issue, communication to Sony does.
Frank
5 months ago |Some of us do contact Sony through their forum and support channels. Unfortunately your chances of reaching anybody that can DO something is tiny.
There were a couple of issues with the A55 and later A77 that I know for a fact that Sony UK sent to Japan, they had NO RESPONSE!
Now if Sony Japan doesn’t listen to it’s own World-wide offices, what chance do we here have? There appears to be the attitude within Sony that Sony Japan knows best and everybody else is wrong.
ColiNilok
5 months ago |I understand totally Frank, and I know few of us here who are genuinely concerned and make efforts, which is great. Guess we can only try hope they do listen.
WTH
5 months ago |Believe it or not, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the things said here gets back to Sony…
Frank
5 months ago |Nope if people disagree with you, you are a “troll”.
Of course it’s irrelevant that I have been shooting since the manual Minolta days long before some here could hold a camera.
ColiNilok
5 months ago |I agree sometimes it is too not cool to label people that, but let people say what ever they like, troll or not troll, they have the rights, but doesn’t actually mean they are right, forums like this are made for people to freely express themselves, we communicate our concerns, try to be reasonable, that that’s it.
WTH
5 months ago |Which part of what people wrote are unreasonable?
Tethering support for the Alphas? Something that most leading brands offer…
Commitment to their professional FF camera system (notice no s on the end of camera)?
No clear direction as to where they are going besides E-Mount?
Is it unreasonable for people who have invested a lot of their savings and time into Sony to feel disappointed by these issues?
Renato S.
5 months ago |Sony, always so supportive, addressing feedback and problems right away, never taking long to solve anything and most of all, always adding new features to increase the life cycle of the last year hardware.
WTH
5 months ago |+1
Please pass me that sarcasm you are smoking…
That sure does sound very smooth.
ColiNilok
5 months ago |@ WTH
No I agree what you suggested are all reasonable, I didn’t say anything regarding these are unreasonable, in fact I didn’t mention anything you guys said are, just making a general comment about being reasonable not targeting anyone or anything.
WTH
5 months ago |All is good,
Guess that I’m just disappointed, partially my fault for expecting Sony to launch a flagship camera that would make a dent in the photography world.
I expected too much from the A99, hoping that it would be something that would stand out from the D4s and 5Ds.
If I was a videographer, I would be excited.
ColiNilok
5 months ago |I understand, many of us too( my self included) also hoped A99 to be the nuclear bomb from Sony that can go head to head with 1DX or D4 or at least has better specs. Well I guess if I be really honest, Sony has done reasonably well with A99, it is a good camera, and it will be enough for many and but yes it is not perfect and needs more support. In the end we just hope Sony push the limits more and continue to push the development of an even higher A mount model that can stand up against 1DX and D4 and truly makes the system stand out.
It does seem that Sony is putting a lot of emphasis on the E mount and video this days and A mount gets less interesting news, but I guess since they are making more money and are among the top against the competition naturally Sony will try to put more effort to strength it more and thus make more money and making the system more competitive. This indeed can be a worrying sign for the A mount though, as A mount does need lot of work too, but In my opinion, it does seems like Sony is trying to induce changes to move A mount though not as fast as we expect, and financially speaking for Sony it doesn’t seem right for Sony to ditch A mount, as it will loose more customers and making the whole company like a joke in the photography world.
I think Sony might be either:
1. Focus on E mount and video in short term and delay A mount to get more funding and then use the funding to develop A mount more and induce more pro support.
2. Sony might be planing to push completely new design forward and thus needs more time.
Anyway who knows, just my random thinking, In the end I certainly hope Sony step up to the game and be more supportive to all of us.
rick
5 months ago |I feel the same way, the A99 seemed great on paper, but if you look at DPreview Sony Alpha forums, the A99 can’t even shoot better video than the Nex5n – which is supposedly one of its halo features.
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/post/50591669
I was really close to buying into the A-mount, but I really feel that Sony is getting ready to transition to E-mount as its focus and just continue to roll out refreshed versions of A37/57/77 to try and squeeze more money out of the A-mount.
The lack of pro support and nothing comparable to Canon Professional Service means I’m just going to stick with Canon for the foreseeable future. I almost switched to the A99 before buying a 5d3 last week. I was ready to buy the A99, but it just doesn’t look like the A-mount is going to be around much longer.
Jhemp
5 months ago |Sweet update! I was hoping for AFD support for the 135 and 85 zeiss glass. SWEET!
Andrew
5 months ago |What about the 70-400G?
ArtoS
5 months ago |See Next post in SAR:
Q3 this year
Frank
5 months ago |Which is nearly TWO years after it was rumoured to be released.
kysham
5 months ago |hell yeah! all my lenses will be supported come 5th Feb!
iJAKE
5 months ago |What about the SAL24105???
Len
5 months ago |I love my A77, But I’m still a little sad. Sony ” Service after the sale ”
That will put you on top #1
Cody
5 months ago |I just bought an a99. I don’t have any lens but I’m about to buy the CZ 24-70mm f/2.8. Do I need to return my a99 and wait for a full frame nex a/e mount? I feel like the a-mount is being abandoned. Please help!
JB
5 months ago |The A-mount is not being abandoned. Sony simply moves more of its E-mount line and has been focusing there.
I have the CZ 24-70. It is an amazing lens. You will be very happy with it. My only complaint is that it isn’t weather sealed, other than that it takes phenomenal shots.
Frank
5 months ago |Only you can answer that.
If I was a new user I wouldn’t be investing in a full frame Sony and expensive A-mount lenses. At least with Canon and Nikon you are buying into a system that is going to be around for a LONG time.
I’m happy to keep my body and lens selection, it does what I want and does it very nicely. But until Sony give some clear indication of the future of A-mount, I will continue to express my doubts to the potential purchaser. Not doing so would just be misleading people into spending their hard earned cash and that is wrong.
WTH
5 months ago |The 24-70 CZ is a remarkable lens. You won’t be disappointed.
It is the lens Sony sticks on the A99 to showcase most of the time.
If Sony had half a brain, they would have created the A99 with both A and E mount capabilities.
IF they even had more of a brain, they would plan for the future and have the body ISS work with the OSS of the E-Mount. But I hear that is pretty difficult to do.
Greg
5 months ago |I too love my A77 and it has a lot of great features as it raised the bar in 2010 for cameras in the class. As a SONY person for many things i own, i have always found that firmware updates are lacking. They usually only seem to release a firmware update because of what they perceive to be an issue NOT what customers what and additional feature requests. What i have found is that i feed in to the trend of buying SONY and the replacing it with new SONY because it offers features that are very capable on the older device. I see this as blindly ignoring the customers requests, filling landfills with equipment that is more than capable. I need to get out of this cycle and in the future go with companies that value the customer feedback, update with new features, allow more open collaboration, and are more environment friendly.
Again, i do love my SONY equipment….and really do wish they would do better customer/feature request upgrades in Firmware. I’m sure you could really get more money in the end if you kept customer loyalty!! But i guess they know best…really shows in the stock and company moves over the last few years….maybe time to try something new? Voice of the Customer!
Little Monster
5 months ago |try fuji. fuji has been great on firmware update.
Martin
5 months ago |I absolutely agree with you
Jon Jay
5 months ago |I don’t know why people here seem to think that firmware updates are only to fix bugs. That’s early 2000s mentality. In today’s electronics chips are so powerful that with some software modifications you can do so much more. Even my TV gets firmware updates all the time. I’m a software engineer and I can tell you that you can always find a way to make your code more efficient and add new functionality. So it’s a matter of Sony letting their engineers spend more time working on current cameras as opposed to coming up with new cameras.
A77 and still happy
5 months ago |yup and in order to produce free of charge features and improvements sony has amn unlimited budget to spend due to the maintainence fees we are paying every year for our cameras.
Sorry to be a bit sarcastic here but as a company each and every hour of development you spend needs to be paid for, otherwise you’ll be out of business pretty quickly. The capability of the electronic parts used today does allow to optimze or add features that’s true but still it’s a question of whether, as a vendor, i really want this or whether i focus on producing something that get’s me more market share , better numbers , .etc..
Certainly a vendor must invest in support and maintenance of his goods but it’s a trade-off between investing in maintenance of (s)old goods that are already sold and investing the money into the development of future, revenue generating goods. Customer retention and ssatisfaction 8via firmware upgrades and feature additions) is a factor in this equation but there are limits to what a vendor can do there. These limits seem to be a bit on the “new revenues” side for sony , that’s clear and i too wish support and care about existing customers would be a bit more emphasized at Sony.
An alternative approach would be to make us paying for maintenance. Would we be willing to do that ? Typically SW industry where i work charges 10-20% of the license sale per year for that. In turn i’d expect a service relaese/upgrade every x months (whatever is defined in the SLA) .
Agin its a never ending discussion whether this should come for free (to make customers happy and stay with the brand) or whether it should be paid for (to ensure regular release and quality) . The truth is somewhere in between ….
Tom S
5 months ago |The truth is that some of the features we have asked for, it would take virtually no coding to fix. How many lines of code would you have to put in to open up for Clean HDMI? I’ll tell you, not many. Sony sells their cameras at quite good prices and they need to allocate money to support them. It feels like they hire for 4 hrs/month to support all their cameras…
Martin
5 months ago |Dear “vendor” (sure, not you “A77 and still happy”) …I absolutely agree with Tom S.
And next thing. When the A77 came to the shops, the firmware had strong issues (JPG quality for example). So for me, the actual firmware is still not at least the 1.00
So dear “vendor” Just give out 100% finished machines and people will not expect you to update the firmware (so much).
And most important, If you give out well finished products, many of the users will keep will stay with the brand and when the time will come, they will buy the replacement for their model (surely not one year later after your actual product reached the market).
Just to express how do I feel… do I have to replace my A77 with the A87 if I want the clean HDMI output ?! I don’t think so.
It could be interesting to talk with the users themselves, what they want, what they need, what do they expect before start to engineer the system and so on.
albin
5 months ago |looks like i’ll skip again
Carl G
5 months ago |My loaner NEX 6 from Sony takes at least 3-5 seconds to be fully operational on startup.
There’s an opportunity for a FW update that’s blatently obvious beyond common sense. I can go on too.
Carl
Weakling
5 months ago |That’s “progress” with the WiFi and app support for you. Bloated stuff I could happily live without. Just a clean NEX with only the basic settings like shutter speed, focus, aperture, ISO and EV would be a dream and I bet it could start within a second.
aaa
5 months ago |Just buy a NEX-5N then.
The Lotus Eater
5 months ago |Are you using the 16-50mm PZ lens? That does add a bit of time due to the lens extension, but it certainly isn’t 3-5 seconds with other lenses.
You alluded to other issues? What are they?
brahimcha
5 months ago |Firmware out in Japan
http://www.sony.jp/ichigan/update/index.html
Moritz
5 months ago |Thanks a lot for the information. Have you tried it and are all languages included? German or english too?
Moritz
5 months ago |Warning, after updating the firmware my eye-fi card is no longer recognized. There is no problem with a normal sd-card.
Moritz
5 months ago |It was my fault. I didnt remove the card while flashing because i dont understand japanese. After formatting it it works fine again.