Our reader BEN T. sent us the full translation of the Sony interview at Impressjapan (https://www.impressjapan.jp/pr/monitor/1112_dcm/271201_free.pdf).
Key info:
> Small E-mount lenses for NEX cameras
E-mount lenses have been large considering the size of the NEX bodies, but it looks like high-performance compact lenses are on the way. Sony is emphatic that they won’t compromise in terms of either image quality or lens aberrations. With remarks along the lines of “Buy a NEX and stay tuned,” we might see an announcement at the early on next year.
> A 100 megapixel sensor is not outside the realm of possibility
While this remark was made in response to a question about increasing megapixel counts, even the a77 takes advantage of its 24 megapixels in the form of a smart teleconverter to a achieve a zoom function. The odds are good that camera development will move forward on the premise of increased megapixel counts in the future.
> Every company is looking to commercialize electronic shutters
This was a remark made in response to a question about the shift from mechanical to electronic cameras, but seems to allude to the direction the industry will take in terms of camera production. With the a77 fitted with an OLED EVF instead of an OVF, we will be watching Sony’s transition to more electronics with keep interest in the future.
Interview:
There is a certain inevitability in the style of SLR cameras
—With things like the Tohoku Earthquake and flooding in Thailand, I think it was a year full of hardships. And I assume it was also a tough year for you in the sense that you released many new products.
Nagata: I think we managed to launch a number of models that only happens once every few years.
—Translucent mirrors have been filling out Sony’s lineup of interchangeable lens cameras. As for the flagship model, the successor to the a900, are you going to make it an orthodox SLR camera and stick to the optical viewfinder?
Nagata: At this stage I can’t comment on that, but we do feel that the OLED viewfinders in the a77 and NEX-7 have been well received beyond expectations.
—Can EVFs be improved even more?
Nagata: I think everything made up of electronic devices will continue to evolve in an amazing way.
—That said, the viewfinder in the a900 is far and away the more amazing among interchangeable lens cameras. Is the a900 the last we’ll see of an OVF?
Nagata: Well (wry smile), what’s certain is that it’s difficult to continue producing that product at that price.
—A change of topic, then. Are you going to continue to preserve the orthodox style of the SLR camera? What I mean is, using translucent mirror technology, it should be impossible to come up with a more revolutionary style of camera.
Nagata: If we put our minds to it we can produce such a camera, yes.
—Does that mean that more people are responsive to an SLR-like style?
Nagata: Rather than that, I think there is a certain inevitability in the form of an SLR camera. It’s preferable for the viewfinder to be above the optical axis of the lens, and it’s better for the flash to be above the optical axis as well as having some degree of height to avoid the lens. Then you need a grip component so you can grasp the camera firmly. When give shape to these inevitabilities, that’s the form you end up with.
—So you’re saying that SLR cameras are always going to keep this kind of style, this kind of form.
Nagata: Right. Of course since we’ve moved to translucent mirrors we have a greater degree of freedom in the pentaprism area. I think batteries will also continue to evolve and probably undergo a slight change in shape as well.
—Speaking of NEX cameras, the lenses are large considering the size of the bodies. Are you considering smaller lenses?
Nagata: Yes, of course.
—What kind of lenses would those be?
Nagata: To start with, we don’t want to compromise in terms of image quality or distortion. We can make them smaller and we have many other ideas, including whether to make longer focal lengths as well.
—Still, we have not seen many small, light lenses be released. But you’re saying that you’ve come up with a way to maintain performance and produce a smaller, lighter lens that keeps its high performance?
Nagata: That’s right. It might be a good idea to get your hands on a body and stay tuned (laughs).
24 Responses
“it’s difficult to continue producing that product at that price”
In other words… the A900 is gonna be worth a lot to specific users and collectors soon.
Might mean that they want to compete with the 1DX and D4. IMHO they need a new line for that.
I see that almost impossible to happen!!
Must be a translation error given that the A900 is already long discontinued. (right!?) They sold it cheap and had a small margin, that’s probably what he meant.
Nagata basically confirmed that the primary reason for moving to translucent mirrors in their DSLRs was to lower production costs.
Sounds promising 🙂
that dude basically want’s to sell you a camera
“Buy a NEX and stay tuned,” Gatta love that quote, lol
Best,
Jay
Hell, he can’t bet I am not that crazy to follow such an advice at this moment!!
That´s exactly what I am going to do with the NEX-7. I hope I won´t be disapointed by Sony´s progress in E-mount lenses. My interest is mainly in the wide and ultra wide sector. I would like to believe that some of such lenses will come in 2012.
Did you think about Voigtlanders as a choice of wide and UW lenses for Nex?
Yes, I am considering them too. The Luminous Landscape review gives a hope that they could work well with the NEX-7 if you use a Cornerfix correction. But may be Sony will have a surprise for us …
thx @ BEN T. for the well written translation!
looks like your going to have to invest in new batteries for the a99, etc….
“batteries will also continue to evolve and probably undergo a slight change in shape as well”. Makes sense with a bigger OVF, quad-bionz, and whatever else goes inside.
Is Nagata the same guy that promised ISO in the hundreds of thousands for the A77? I would love to see small and excellent lenses, but as long as it’s just a mystifying “we have ideas how to”-statement, I won’t believe it. Sure thing, after decades of research in the field of optical lenses, Sony suddenly came up with a magical method to produce tiny telephoto lenses that have amazing quality. And the short flange distance causes no problems, neither does the steep angle at which the light will hit the borders of the sensor when the last element is too close to the sensor.
I would be more than happy to see such amazing lenses coming, but for now I think this is just pure marketing blabla and/or someone from Sony’s public relations department that was just told some essentials and only knows that yes, there are good lenses coming up and also tiny pancakes. We shouldn’t over-interpret the statements of some business dude. If anyone could find a leading engineer and interview him, that would be a different story, as those people usually don’t promise stuff which they won’t be able to produce.
Odd,..they guy had a chance to shut the door on classic SLR design in Sony’s future. Instead, he chose not to do that and not answer the question directly.
Why didn’t he say: “Yes, Sony is finished with the old SLR design and we will not make any more of those cameras….not even for the Pro market”
Sony wants to get deeper into the Pro market. The Pro industry is loaded full of snobby, old school, sharp, sophisticated, tech-type people! Sony will have a very difficult time convincing “Canikons” that they NEED a translucent mirror in their cameras.
Very interesting.
When he was speaking about SLR design, I think he meant the overall shape and ergonomics.
A900/850 was sold WELL below its value and wasn’t too popular for Sony to make a profit, I believe. They can’t produce them at this price point, customers have a price expectation of around 3K for FF bodies now. I guess they may introduce the Optical Design later as a high end product after the SLT FF bodies will have been out for public to try out. That’s my guess.
http://www.photographyblog.com/
I’d much sooner see Sony release a mirrorless FF body for their A-mount lenses than come out with another DSLR with a translucent mirror. They need to make image quality their #1 priority in their pro line.
Very true! The Pro crowd has vastly different mindset than typical everyday consumers. As we all know its dominated by Canon and NIKON lovers. Sony must deliver cameras that will really appeal to them in performance. Even then, its still going to be a tough sell for Sony.
‘—That said, the viewfinder in the a900 is far and away the more amazing among interchangeable lens cameras. Is the a900 the last we’ll see of an OVF?
Nagata: Well (wry smile), what’s certain is that it’s difficult to continue producing that product at that price.’
what this says to me: We all know Sony is looking to do more than 1 FF model, at the price point of previous FF it may be impossible to produce a model with OVF, so entry level FF/s will have EVF. However he certainly doesn’t exclude there being an OVF in a higher end model. It is still possible that Sony will produce a ‘hybrid’ focused product (think full frame A77) with high MP count, SLT, EVF and good video capabilities. Then another ‘photo’ focused product with OVF, lower pixel count, poor (comparatively) video – at a higher price point (think more ‘pro’ A900 with video, new sensor, new AF, faster, bigger buffer etc).
I think this first product will be in their replacement line for a merged A850/A900 line. The second above anything Sony have sold before. Just a thought anyway.
It might even be something above and beyond our expectations, like an electrically charged translucent mirror that changes its translucency instantly and a hybrid pentaprism OVF/EVF.
I’d like to think the same. Sony may well be preparing people to accept a reasonably priced EVF FF and a much higher priced FF with OVF.
bad translation ,he or she just seems to have translated the short online version of the interview. it actually gets much longer if you know the whole interview article on the published mag(the mag is just published on 19th of this month, so a couple of days a go).
this is really nothing,meaningless effort because all interesting part of this interview is in invisible(on line) part of the article.
and there is no way you know the whole article unelss you actually buy the phisical mag.