A fake illustration of an application oriented NEX camera (Source: Tinhte)
Got another small info from one trusted source. As you know the NEX-5R and NEX-6 will have integrated WiFi and Application support. Some of you asked me if the operation system is based on Android. I now have been told it is not so. I can’t wait to see how this will work for real. As you know there may be a NEX related announcement on August 28th.
Two are the main innovation son the NEX camera, the APP support and the Phase detection AF pixels on the sensor. And three new lenses are coming soon too (11-18mm f/4.0 zoom (not a pancake!), 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 pancake and 35mm f/1.8 prime lens)
68 Responses
i guessing their os will be part psp/a100(mobile phone)? ^^
I wish there was a constant f2.8 zoom on the way!
BTW…2nd!!…LOL
…at least in the meantime while waiting you can play some online games!
Andrea do you know if nex 6 will come with a hotshoe?? Keep up the awesome work!!
“APP Support”…?
Of course that means “Alpha Professional Photographer”… right?
So we can expect it on the a99 too… Yay!
This is cool
It should be AAP as it will only be used by amateurs.
Your lack of foresight is matched only by your lack of sincerity.
Sorry but this is a big mistake from Sony. Interesting apps are already available on Android; who should make this apps just for 2 NEX models? How long would it take before we see anything useful as software? Unexplainable choice; moreover Nikon on that simple compact camera is already moving to Android. So baaaaaaaaad…
Do you wanna play angry birds on your nex ??? There may be a lotta apps on android but no serious photography apps and no apps tailor-made for nex.Moreover i don’t want my nex crashing all the time because of poorly coded apps and nor do i wanna upgrade to a new nex with another GB ram every year beacuse my old nex can’t run x, or z app.
Android phones take forever to power up comparatively… can you imagine waiting 30sec to 1 minute for your camera to power on just to take a picture? Plus, there would be no way for a standard Android app to access and take advantage of the more powerful camera-specific hardware using the standard Android SDK, so a photography app would still need to be specifically written for the camera anyways.
‘who should make this apps just for 2 NEX models’
Adobe.
If I was them, writing an app for the only dedicated optical device that officially allows third party software would be a must, because its the way cameras will be going. Photoshop express for starters.
Its also in the interests of Sony to get at least one ‘killer app’ on the system on release, so I’m guessing money will change hands to make something like this happen.
“operation system is based on Android”. Android is a Linux-based operating system. There is some confusion on what Android is, but for this article I would say that Sony uses Linux and I would suspect that the Nex OS would be based on Linux just like Android.
I wouldn’t link Android to Linux too much. Linux in various forms is used on so many devices that it’s just not worth bothering about it much – My refrigerator in that sense is also based on Linux. But I somehow don’t try to remind about it to everyone passing by.
As of today Android is it’s own creation, derivative OS with core completely separated from main, stable Linux kernel. It’s infringing countless patents, to a degree even violating Linux license itself, and without any will from Google to actually be a Linux-family OS. It’s living it’s own life as a core of various different devices much like Linux does on it’s own, larger scale.
Either way – yea, probably it will use Linux as a core, much like many, many other products Sony distributed so far. It doesn’t have anything to deal with Android though. Nor my refrigerator.
Andrea, wouldn’t it be fun to have something like this – http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/ – here? For example, I just wondered for when the 11-18 was rumored and needed to go through pages and pages of the blog.
Of course, I mean something simpler, like just gear model and date.
Yes Vlad! It’s my plan to do a complete redesign and add new fucntions. But I need a few months to save the money for that…
Great! Looking forward to it.
The reason why Google and other manufacturers are paying those licenses to Microsoft. Android was a community derivation Linux format for micro and small devices and later Google acquired the platform. Oracle tried to get through to the court some money from Google because of Java similar code found inside of Android OS.
Recently there was similar developments from Linux platforms on mobile phones like Bada from Samsung and MeeGo from Nokia and Intel.
Android can be much faster it depends how they implement the system as you can see now the new Android Jelly Bean system is 3 times much faster than the current Ice Cream Sandwich(ICS).
Oh my Gosh…. Enough with three solid days worth of NEX stuff!!!!
More a99 stuff, please!
+10000000 😉
huh? do you want another recap of A99 rumor again?
ufff… what a relief.
Last thing I need is camera with unreliable OS and market full of malware and trash or stolen apps.
Good news, now I might actually by interested in it. I’m very curious what programming language will they use for writing apps. With a little bit of luck… ^_^
What would really make sense is for Sony to somehow allow other lenses used on adapters to autofocus on the NEX cameras. If that happened Sony would indeed become the digital Kodak, instead of film they use cameras and then go and choose whatever glass they please.
Doing this would cause the other camera brands and lens makers to tighten up their operations and produce the very best glass to attract more customers. Yes of course this is how things are already but there seems to be a lot of slacking behind with these compact systems when it comes to releasing lenses.
If Samyang produces good autofocus lenses that perform like their manual focus 35 1.4 and 85 1.4 that would be super especially if they come out with a 24- 70 2.8 or some autofocus primes to compete with the zeiss 24 1.8. If they could have some sort of image stabilization. that would be great too.
JAVA 😉
Surely it will be Linux-based anyway.
However, Android would have been a good choice because there is this whole active community and ecosystem around it (in particular, the developer tools). If it is something Sony-made, Sony has to re-invent everything, which can only be second to Android with its years of development by many companies.
If it’s a Linux-based then I wouldn’t worry – there’s such an enormous support in Linux world for programmers&developers that I’m sure soon we’ll see countless apps. 🙂
“be second to Android” ? Why? It’ll likely be first to all. Simply because it’ll be first OS with apps support for ILCs. If you can compare it with smartphone system, then perhaps you should compare it with Linux itself which has even more applications then Android?
I wouldn’t just dismiss it already – Sony starts first thing of it’s own kind, and thanks to this – they’ll have largest userbase and support of all in a long term run! Enjoy man. There’s nothing to regret.
Imagine that Sony’s competitors launched Android cameras — then the consumer would have the choice between an ideosyncratic system with 80 apps, a manufacturer-controlled app-store on the one hand.
And on the other hand, a system with an OS he already knows, with thousands of apps and new every hour because there are tons of developers who are already competent in developing for this system.
Granted, most apps won’t be useful on a camera. But that’s besides the point, which is: The useful apps will also be by a factor more than on non-Androids.
There won’t be “thousands of apps and new every hour”. None of them will be very much compatibile with camera itself. It’ll be worse then trying to run iPhone apps on iPad. Such camera would have as many apps as NEX with completely new OS plus countless useless trash apps. (though I guess from reading some comments that few of Android users love digging in a trash bins)
Meanwhile it’ll struggle with various issues, not even saying about less-known things like Android being allowed by a license to send any images you take back to Google.
Thanks, but no thanks – I prefer my photographs being kept with me, or between me and my “clients”.
That is called choice. Different than digging into the thrash bin.
I don’t see how it’s different. Almazar80 made a very nice post on that – if we need apps at all, we need these that are designed to work natively on camera and extend it’s feature. Android won’t bring much choice in that.
Unless you live for things like Instagram.
@Torsten: Exactly!!
Why would you want Android? I have yet to be impressed by Android and its development model. When a ninety nine cent program is widely pirated causing the developer just to give it away, what does that say to you?
There is no reason that Sony can’t have a proprietary linux based (or whatever) system that provides an app framework with the api exposed for their cameras. I am just glad it’s not Android. I can actually be something that works well with the machine it is residing on – a camera.
I don’t know about you. but when I use a camera, I want the software that’s running on it to be designed for the camera (or at least a camera). I don’t need thousands of apps. Just apps that give me better control of the camera (tethering anyone?), apps that enhance features the camera is already capable of doing, etc. I don’t need everyone in the Android world developing software for me. And it needs to be secure so that people who take the time and care to develop useful apps are justly compensated. And I need to have an “apps authority” that make sure the apps are secure and work well within the confines of its environment. And Google is not going to be the one doing that for my camera.
All Sony Alpha and NEX cams since 2010 are Linux based. 😉
The source code can be downlaoded from Sony website 😉
That’s exactly what I meant.
whuaoooooooooooowww NEX pancake 11-18mm/f4 would be great!!! this is what i expected for! 😀 really can’t wait!! with SEL 11-18mm/4, cz 24mm/1.8, and sEL 50mm/1.8 my day’s photograph would be fun!! 😀
11-18 f/4 won’t be a pancake. It’s physically impossible unless they invented some new type of glass.
it’s ok as not big like 11-18mm/4-4.5 A-mount hahaha 😀
A-mount 11-18mm isn’t big either. You ever seen a big lens? o_O
that’s big hahaha 😀
70-200 is big. 300mm is big. 11-18 is average 🙂
Make me wonder if sdk Will be free or Sony will charge an arm and a leg to author apps.
Another wild idea could it be iOS based?
iOS-based? You mean, an iCam without an Apple logo? No way. Apple has never adapted its OS’es to non-Apple hardware.
Andreas,
your assignment due date is 25th august which is 3 days before 28th august 😀 lol…
SAR Members
Android??
Would surely be a reason not to buy one! I shit on “Smart Cameras”. Just build in a solid OS with WIFI-Support and leave the rest to the Smartphone/Tablet/Computer itself with compatible apps. Who really wants to write Text on a Camera Display? And who wants crappy instagram/facebook on his camera? Now call me old fashioned, but I don’t want that…
….so, I take it there won’t be any Angry Birds? LOL
App support, I still don’t see what the excitement is about. I cannot see any really useful app for a NEX camera that contains functionality which should not be inherently present in the camera’s firmware.
The only type of app I see is the same casual gimmicky stuff you see on the mobile phones. Apps to add “fun” filters to the photos on the camera. But if you are really serious about photo editing you won’t do that on the NEX itself.
Same for surfing the internet: not something you will want to do on your camera. All these gimmicks only amount to a greatly reduced battery life and no real advantages imo.
I still believe a canera should stick to what it was designed to do: shoot photographs with the best options possible. Everything else surrounding that is mostly unnecessary fluff.
We may not need tons of useless apps like the android market place but a tightly controlled app store with a few (prolly in the low hundreds or so) good quality apps will greatly enhance user experience.Imagine an app that allows you to take time lapse videos,allow ur iphone or android devices to be used as a remote shutter, or say processes images to give it the look of those frm an olympus camera? ,sw that corrects shaky vidz,allow noobs to take better photos,software that corrects tints, exposure(something sony is too lazy to do) etc,etc.As long as it doesn’t drain battery life or slows down start-up time, crashes the camera i am all for it.
Time-lapse video/photography should be part of the firmware. Remote shutter via your smartphone can be done with wi-fi. Deshaking video and especially correcting tints and exposure is something that is not an entirely automatic process and imo not smart to do on a tiny non calibrated screen of a camera.
Besides: app support gives Sony a reason to become lazy. They no longer have to care for all kinds of features anymore. For all Sony cares they can start releasing camera’s where the only thing it does is saving the raw sensor data. Want more? Let the community develop an app for it, because we won’t.
I know, I am exaggerating a lot here.
“App support, I still don’t see what the excitement is about. I cannot see any really useful app for a NEX camera that contains functionality which should not be inherently present in the camera’s firmware.”
That’s okey, I can’t see it either. But if someone actually can see this, and develops a useful app, then, hey, I’m all for it.
I suppose that how useful these apps will be depends if the Sony will allow direct access to RAW data and let apps save RAWs in any way they want (eg. JPG, 16 bit TIFF, ARW, DNG). Without it I hardly can see useful apps related to image manipulation in camera.
@Weakling : Just for intervallometer ?
It’s a shame we can’t found it on a Nex and some ten years old cheap cameras have it.
I am still unsure why ‘Pancake’ is still confused with ‘Collapsible’…two different things. The RX100 does not have a pancake lens, right?
Because most of the lenses are “collapsible”, including cheapest kits, or 18-200mm?
While pancake lens according to wikipedia is “colloquial term for a flat, thin lens” – and that includes collapsible-to-flat-form zooms as well. Pancake lens is colloquialism – and as all colloquialisms it doesn’t have any very strict definition.
IOS would be great 🙂
No it wouldn’t! iOS is a closed system. It’s not just closed like OSX, it is 99.99999% closed. You only get apple hardware. You can only get updates from apple. You can only buy software from apple. You can only manage ios devices with other apple software. You do not want to go down this road with something that you rely on for business — like a camera. Of course, you could jail break your device but then you’re out of support and just waiting for malware to come find you.
I hope it will be possible to completly disable WiFi and application support. While WiFi may be usefull ie. for tethering, application support is just too much for me. Sony, please, support us old fashioned camera users and give us abilitiy to completly disable application support so we can enjoy stable and responsive NEX cameras.
On second thought. This may be DOA feature. Much like Asus and HTC have failed in the passed with proprietary APIs. Even if free very little set of developers will invest time and money in closed eco system without clear business case. PSP is ok since games sell a lot. Even crappy games for right price stand some chance.
Makes me wonder how Sony will turn the app market for cameras working with closed eco system.
They can open it to partners mostly maybe e.g. Adobe, DxO and/or other imaging companies etc. these will release their own software. The sales model will be nothing like Apple and google. Rather the software will be in the range of 30 to 100 Euro/Usd and will offer very advanced features. Think in camera Lightroom or DxO, Photoshop elements, advanced 3d, de-noise plug-ins, advanced panorama. May be Sony themselves will have parts of Vegas for NEX.
So may be it will be very professional oriented platform with few players and premium apps.
Hopefully this means they will open a lot of the hardware. So we can see some real nice things for video. Various encodings, clean HDMI, grading of video etc.
**canikon autofocus app
so the only thing that the nex9 wont have is autofocus and aperture with canon and nikon lenses? now with the canon/nikon adapters to sony e-mount, that have the electical pinout nodes for aperture, you could now install an app for autofocus too.
install the autofocus nikon app on your fullframe sony nex, and why on earth would you pay double of $7000 for a nikon d4 that will be slower than the nex9? canon 1dx sweating too.
I like the way you’re thinking!
If apps can access low-level hardware, a lot of unimaginable things can happen.
One of them would be to develop sw and external hw together as one product.
… there is a USB connector, right… ?
I seriously doubt Sony will give you so deep access. I even doubt programmers will be allowed to mess with all buttons that are on the body. My highest hopes reach into messing with RAW data, focus control and CPU powerful enough to allow live view image analysis.
im’m shure apple had nothing to do with jailbreaks! no, they do not care about losing market shareto samsung in phones their customers with money could not otherwise get just because at&t was so loyal and exclusive to the iphone.
Very soon you might remove the lens, hold the E-Mount to your ear and phone with your NEX, yeah…
Not Android? THANK GOODNESS!!! I am not anti-android, but I think it presents too many challenges. The kernel is too unstable and bloated.
Nex-5R and Nex-6 picture leaked
chinese.vr-zone. com/30172/sony-nex5r-nex6-ncc-08212012/ <–add http and remove space
Thanks a lot!!!!!!!
A damn shame now that it won’t since Nikon has a Cool Pix branded camera with the Android OS
Hi Admin, please do not misslead Sony users due to you ignorance.
Sony used Linux operating system in NEX-5/3.
The linux souce code is on Sony home page.
http://www.sony.net/Products/Linux/DI/NEX-5.html
I downloaded some of the source code on Sep. 9, 2010.
SO, sony opend NEX-5/3 source code before it.
Sony is ahead Android.
Android uses two open source:
1.Operating system is Linux,
2.Application developing environment is Java developing environment.
I don’t know Sony’s application developing environment, but it is clearly object based system.
Application is developed on top of “Application developing environment”, Java Developing Environment is one of these application developing environment.