Sony decided to interview the team that designed the NEX cameras. Finally we know the “human beeings” behind the project. -> Taken from the Sony website: “The NEX-5/NEX-3 design project team discuss the project’s background and their individual goals in creating a totally new breed of camera with unprecedented form and functionality.”
Many Thanks to Sony for letting us meet those guys!
Read the article on sony.com.ph!
21 Responses
Cool! 😀
Very nice! The A7XX designers would also be welcome. Darn interesting to listen to them and even to ask some questions))
the 700th anniversary of the company will premiere A700
Now we know the name of enemy – Okumura (GUI design)!
Because of NEX success A7XX designers now designs NEX-7…
No, LEdgars, the NEX cameras are successful BECAUSE of their design, not in spite of it. I did notice, however, that Okumura talked about a touch screen & soft buttons–and I didn’t think that the camera had a touch screen or soft buttons. If a touch screen was eliminated at the last moment, that’s really too bad. I think that’s really the concept–along with the control wheel, that the GUI was designed around.
Is there anything that could be describes as a touch screen in the NEX cameras?
Coming from the Philippines (and knowing how outdate the Sony.com.ph website is in terms of prodcuts), I’m surprised it came out on our site!
Nex does have two soft buttons.
I want to kill that Okumura guy. He should be fired, responsible for bad NEX reviews.
@Abi
The only people responsible for the bad reviews are the Reviewers. Sony have clearly – time and time again – stressed that the NEX bodies thus-far were aimed at people hoping to move into the DSLR market.
What Sony did wrong is under-estimate the demand for such a product in the Amateur / Enthusiast / Semi-Pro / Pro markets.
Sony have proven that they are more than caperble of making a GUI that is suited to an experienced SLR user. If they had intended the NEX3/5 to be for that market you can bet the UI would be different.
It is unfortunate that because the Image Quality of the NEX is soo good, the camera is being treated as if its aimed at DSLR users, and being reviewed by avid DSLR reviewers. All these reviews happen to shadow the NEX GUI with negative comments.
Look at the NEX reviews done by Electronic sites like (Trusted-Reviews) and you’ll notice that the GUI is hardly a concern. Its a point-of-view and unfortunately the majority of reviewers will be experienced photographers who will not appreciate the direction Sony has taken with the GUI.
That all being said, I, like you, will be waiting for a NEX aimed at an A700 type user. There is certainly a market for it, and Sony now realise that. I can’t believe it’ll be a hard thing to achieve… Tweaked Firmware and new Backplate / buttons and they have a hi-earning NEX body for DSLR users and Rangefinder Enthusiasts.
Well, Sony did what he thought will bring most income – shooting in the market of entry-level DSLRs. So Futile – I don’t think they under-estimated the demand. They looked for best income – most widest group of receivers. NEX5 wasn’t a camera for semi-pro people to take. NEX-7 will be it.
Reviewers look at it like… they look at DSLRs – want many buttons and quick controls. Sony looked at it as a wife looking for camera with best possible picture quality. Small, very pretty, yet solid camera with best-of-all picture quality. They did amazing work with it, bit pity that NEX-7 wasn’t released along with NEX-5 & 3 as than perhaps some of reviewers (YES dPreview, I’m talking about You!) would understand the purpose of this camera.
@Abi
wow, you want to kill someone over something to do with a camera? Seek help dude.
Actually I was kidding before 🙂
However it is all about software and I couldn’t see any reason not to add Quick Navi screen/menu already used for Sony cameras.
Not a single woman among them? Gender bias lives.
A very diverse team: seven Asian males. That speaks volume both about how Sony perceives itself, its culture, and its vision.
Sorry I missed your satire, LEdgars. And I agree that something like QuickNavi could easily be an alternative–not a substitute, but an alternative.
Btw the guy who desgned the NEX5 hit a bases-loaded home run,to use a baseball metaphor. And Sony Alpha obviously knows it–he is front center in the picture, between the project manager & producer. His design, inho, is likely responsible for a good half of the sales–maybe more.
“What Sony did wrong is under-estimate the demand for such a product in the Amateur / Enthusiast / Semi-Pro / Pro markets.”
Not underestimate, just not giving a crap. 😐 (so far?)
“A very diverse team: seven Asian males. That speaks volume both about how Sony perceives itself, its culture, and its vision.”
Well to be fair, two of them are wearing hats.
They are all male, asian, and what else? Should they also make sure to hire a gay guy? Can we find anything else to bitch about? Do you see where being politically correct has taken us all? What is happening in California? Do you think the paddle should be reinstated into our school systems? Did you hear the rumor that Toyota will buy out Sony Alpha division in the future? Enjoy the rest of your week.
@Sky_Walker
What I meant when I say “Sony under-estimated demand” was that Sony aimed at one market and under-estimated that the other markets would have such interest. I believe had they realised that existing avid DSLR users would want such a System, we might have seen a 3rd NEX or even a different UI.
Still, it doesn’t change the concept – They aimed for greater income with simpler and less expensive (NEX3 + pancacke is the cheapest ILC available) camera aiming for wide audience of people looking for DSLR quality camera in small pack (till recently this group of people was a reason why DSLRs become smaller and smaller and smaller till they reached point below reason – eg. Olympus DSLRs which I cannot hold comfortably & access all the buttons due to minimalistic size)
I’m certain they did know that the other markets will have the interest in it. Otherwise we wouldn’t heard the rumors about NEX-7 before the release of NEX-3/5. They always wanted to develop a camera for the DSLR owners, though timeframe of creating such more advanced product is longer, so they had to release the simple cameras first, if they wanted to hit the market in right time, fair good enough before the Canikon and new, upgraded products from existing competition (Panasonic most notably with it’s GF-2). That’s also the reason why they released the unfinished products – and we don’t have AF on the A-mount lenses with SSM/SAM, or we didn’t have the 3D panorama at the date of release.
Lego, though the all male cast is offensive, there’s a practical reason why it is not a good idea: a more diverse group may have, you know, noticed that the menu system sucks.
On the political side, yeah it is offensive that Sony has promoted all these guys and no women into being the designers of its NEX series. That’s just against all odds, so it must be corporate bias, which is just depressing on a human level. But as I say, there’s a purely selfish reason (the menu system) that you may be able to relate to better.
Re the smarmy comment about gays, from the looks of that group I think they have that covered.