I am one of those guys waiting for the 50mm f/1.8 E-mount lens and finally Sony is giving is a clue about the possible release date. Sony Japan (Click here) writes:
NEX-5n with 18-55 and 55-200mm lens release on May 12
50mm f/1.8 release on March 9
NEX-C3 with 18-55 and 55-200mm (production stop!)
NEX-C3 with 16mm and 18-55 lens release in June
NEX-C3 with 18-55 (production stop!)
My guess is that soon all [shoplink 7207]Sony NEX-C3[/shoplink] kits will be disocntinued pretty much like the [shoplink 3617]Sony A55[/shoplink]. I guess you know what will happen soon 🙂
P.S.: 50mm lens preorder search links at: [shopcountry 8448].
36 Responses
umm why? the C3 is barely half a year old
By the time stocks run out and its replacement is announced, it will be closer to a year old.
I’m confused though, so maybe Andrea can shed some light. If the C3 is discontinued, what does this mean?: “NEX-C3 with 16mm and 18-55 lens release in June”.
That is another SKU. Nothing new, Sony does this.Than to reduce the price they will release an SKU which includes the 16 mm. So you will still be able to get the camera.
I imagine that their production capacities are still limited. So even if they could increase the payback on C3 specific investments (which, after all are sunk costs), they are probably shifting to the new models to meet demand. Seems a perfectly wise decision.
I don’t know with you guys, but my faith in Sony is all gone. They are not even close to a restored production. Not of NEX-7 and not of lenses.
The roadmap for new lenses is just thin air. Even if Sony can provide us with more facts, who is going to believe they can deliver.
I was going to move to a NEX system because I thing it’s the best mirror less camera today. But now… With all the problems Sony have I will look around for some other system. Not that I wanted to, but I don’t trust Sony’s ability to solve there problems without a new management team.
The next best I can put in my camera bag is better than this mess.
“They are not even close to a restored production. Not of NEX-7 and not of lenses.”
Lars, how do you know this? Where did you get this information?
Isn’t it obvious if you follow all the news about changes of delivery times, cancelled orders, stopped production, and so on. Do Sony have to cut it in stone before you see what’s going on.
From what I’m hearing, most of these delayed products are going to start coming through in February and March, so that says to me that they ARE close to restored production.
The delivery time has not changed from official sony announcements post flood.
Wow short sited aren’t you. 2 WHOLE COUNTRIES not just parts but pretty much ENTIRE countries Manufactory was DESTROYED. Only nikon 1 is being made and that because it was always being made in China. I am not sad that Sony tried to use fabrication not in China.
If your business depends on a time-sensitive switch to a new system, then just go ahead and switch.
It’s not as if moving production of half a dozen products to a new facility is an easy task. Redirecting cargo ships that carry raw materials, setting up local infrastructure, refurbishing damaged or acquiring new production machines, hiring and training new or relocating existing laborers, and all the import & export agreements/regulations/contracts/visas etc — all while domestic facilities were already, and still are, affected by the earthquake and tsunamis.
Really, Sony management should be given some slack for footing the bill for all of this production relocation and loss of sales interim, without raising the estimated prices of the products they’re trying to deliver. The least we can do is be patient.
If that’s not good enough, I challenge you to find Sony a better management team that can predict and deal with two natural disasters at the same time! Everything else is just a case of (what the Internet likes to call) “First World Problems”. 😉
3n?
Agreed. I’m seriously considering the X1 Pro.
As per one of my previous comments, I’m kinda sick of how Sony responds to the market. Wishy washy.
Fuji on the other hand basically went,” alright, X100 was great but it’s stupid to limit ourselves. Let’s build on it and create an interchangeble system.”
Then BAM BAM BAM. Great body, great sensor, great lensES.
Also, Sony already knows that more pixels ≠ better IQ, and yet they crammed 24mp into the NEX7.
Hmm.
For once they respond great to the market and everyone complains. Didn’t they make a NEX-7? Didn’t they decide to modify the lens roadmap?
And I am perfectly happy with a 24MP sensor.
I agree, they just need to be more consistent and aggressive, IMHO.
I was ok with the 24mp…but I’ve got a similar experience with Steve Huff in that I’ve not gotten any ‘WOW!’ moments with my Sony cameras, when compared to some of the others I’ve tried…
But it could just be that I’m a lousy cam-man. =p
Then I think about the X1’s APS @ 16mp.
Come to think about it, I’d gladly get a NEX6 or something, Same body but with the NEX5N’s sensor.
But I’m nitpicking now haha
Of course, it’s a distaster for Sony and many other companies. I’m sure the whole staff has been under a great pressure to recover. But now it’s time to move on and plan for the future. The picture I get is that Sony more than most still don’t know the effect of the disaster. Most companies can now inform about what’s coming. With Sony there are changes more than often. I call this a management problem.
You call it whatever you want, just remember that it is an assumption. Hardly well based imho.
I’ve always been of the opinion that Sony can have better management, but in this particular case, what do you expect? Time to move on? What does that even mean in the current situation after two huge disasters?
And other companies are not necessarily a reference. Most of them weren’t hit as hard. It’s just luck, not good management.
Very nice comment. Thank you.
Japan is an interesting country, a lot of things to admire about them. Very hard working and honest people. But sometimes they can be overwhelmed with their perfectionism and the strict corporate and social hierarchical structure, especially when there are issues. But still I think Sony is handling the situation relatively well and personally I feel more positive about them than I did before.
— EDIT —
Replied to wrong post. This should have gone to fh’s comment above, reviewing the context the company is in.
More discontinued cameras?
The Sony lineup is a MESS, and half of it is unavailable. They really need to hurry up and fix things.
The NEX-C3 is not discontinued. Only the available kits with the NEX-C3 are changed.
Believe me…some kits are discontinued and the few left will be soon 🙂
That’s not what you said originally, Andrea. Your post originally said “NEX-C3 discontinued”. Pretty misleading really.
Yes! I corrected it. Some kits are disocntinued officially but I knwo form soruces that NEX-C3 will be soon COMPLETELY disocntinued. I shoudl have writtent that clearly int he post. My fault guys!
When the new C3 kit is to be released in June, it can’t be that soon.
NEX-C3 is not discontinued. Only specific lens kits have been discontinued. The press release states:
NEX-5NY (18-55 + 55-210 kit): In production, shipment in May
SEL50F18: In proudction, shipment on March 9
NEX-C3Y (18-55 + 55-210 kit): Cancelled (probably to fulfill aforementioned 5NY kits)
NEX-C3D (16 + 18-55 kit): In production, next shipment in June
NEX-C3K (18-55 kit): Discontinued
The announcement is intended for Japanese domestic sale, and does not necessarily reflect availability, estimated shipments, or cancellations in other markets.
Also, as tempting as it is, please try to double check translations, especially when it’s coming from Japanese! (Japanese-English machine translations are especially unreliable.)
There is also an article at DC Watch talking about the press release:
http://dc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/20120119_505832.html
In the article, it specifically mentions that the NEX-C3K kit has been cancelled -for the Japanese market-. So it only really affects people in Japan who are interested in either the C3K or C3Y kits. (As a reminder, NEX kits sold in Japan are region-locked to Japan and will display the interface in Japanese only, as is standard practice for most camera manufacturers in Japan.)
So again, it should be emphasized that it does not mean C3 kits for other markets are affected.
Yea boss. Not discontinued, only a change in packaging.
I would expect so. Few would want the ‘huge’ 55-200 and the price difference between the single and twin kits are small, most people just go for the twin.
Used to sell cameras and we had such a HARD (read: pain in the ass) TIME clearing single kit boxes for the NEX 3 and 5, especially those package with the 16mm pancake coz most people want ZOOOMMM…
And anyway, it’s still too early for the NEX C3 to go.
More of concentrating manufacturing and packaging effort into the item with the highest demand due to the floods to keep up with demand eh?
Dear trusted Admin,
Thanks for all of the information you post each day. I realize how difficult it must be not only to sort-out and sort-through information from various sources AND translate from Japanese and other languages and then post it to this site.
It saddens me how little slack you are given by some of the readers although, I guess its just a given that the “fanboys” won’t allow anything critical of Sony or anything negative of products posted by you or others without defending turf. I guess this is part of what the Internet and sites like this are all about.
Keep up the good work!
+1
+1
+1
NEX C3 has expensive parts and is not a high profit camera. It’s better to shift production efforts to higher model cameras that have higher markup. Especially if Sony’s production is extremely limited right now.
C3 is a waist of precious Sony resources today.
The C3 is only a waste of resources if it doesn’t sell. I’m sure that Sony are in a better position than you are to judge which of their products sell well. Just because you don’t agree, doesn’t make it so.
+1!
It’s a reshuffle that’s all it is. Sony are basically changing the NEX-5N kits from 18-55 + 16 to 18-55 + 55-210 and C3 from 18-55 + 55-210 to 18-55 + 16. Probably makes sense, especially with how few 55-210’s are around (might as well sell the few they have with the more expensive camera).
I don’t see the C3 being discontinued just yet, I hope not at least – they are extraordinarily cheap cam for what they are! Body only for $319, what’s not to like 🙂
The C3 is an amazing camera; I find that many users are spoiled guys (like me); so we like “easy” things; but after a couple of months I discovered that is not so hard use the C3. I would have wanted a C3 with viewfinder, but indeed it’s a pleasure the results I get with my C3; and I used to be a “serious DSLR” user. So I understand that a 5n or the Nex 7 are much more interesting in the market. Neverthless, in photographic matters, the C3 is amazing.