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Sony: ‘Our company has a vision which is more important than profit alone’

12 Sep

Recently, DPReview was invited to Japan to visit both the Sony headquarters in Tokyo and Sony’s image sensor factory in Kumamoto. The trip was an opportunity to gain some insight into both the philosophy and the technology that underpins the company.

We spoke to both Sony Semiconductor Solutions, the company making the imaging sensors in your cameras and smartphones, and Sony Digital Imaging (DI), the division of Sony Imaging Products and Solutions (SIPS) that makes everything from interchangeable lens cameras (ILCs) to action-cams and camcorders, and lenses. Sony Corporation itself, the umbrella above all these groups, has its hands in a number of sectors – from consumer electronics to smartphones to professional services and motion pictures. Sony Semiconductor, as we previously reported, is its own company, which has some interesting implications we learned about through the course of our conversations.

Be the guinea pig

“The electronics industry is constantly searching for new ideas and there are still many products for us to make. If the guinea pig spirit means developing innovative ideas and embodying them in new products, then I think this is an admirable spirit.” These are the words of Sony co-founder Masaru Ibuka.

At the Kumamoto sensor factory hangs an image of co-founders Ibuka and Akio Morita arm-wrestling in good spirit.

At the Kumamoto sensor factory hangs an image of a golden guinea pig right below a candid of co-founders Ibuka and Akio Morita arm-wrestling in good spirit. On it these words appear, along with one of the principles set out in the Founding Prospectus: “To establish an ideal factory that stresses a spirit of freedom and open-mindedness, and where engineers with sincere motivation can exercise their technological skills to the highest level.”

“If the guinea pig spirit means developing innovative ideas and embodying them in new products, then I think this is an admirable spirit”

More than 70 years later, the ethos of the co-founders still persists in the mindsets of Sony employees. It’s evident in everything from the philosophy of Sony Semiconductor and its relationship with other manufacturers to Sony’s new flagship: the a9.

Planning innovation: Sony a9

Our testing has shown the Sony a9 to be a formidable camera, not just for stills but also video. At Sony, a new camera like the a9 takes two to three years to develop, we were told. Therefore, the photographic technologies the a9 offers had to be planned for years in advance, not long after Sony introduced the world’s first full-frame mirrorless cameras a mere 3.5 years ago. And as we learned during our visit, most of the advancements in the a9 stem from new sensor technologies.

Two to three years ago, how would it have been possible to predict sensor readout speeds that offer autofocus calculations at 60 fps and a fully electronic shutter that is only a stop behind the speed of mechanical shutters? The answer lies in the constant communication between Sony Semiconductor Solutions and Sony DI. And since Sony’s sensor foundry is one of the best in world, providing sensors for everything from cameras and smartphones to security and medical devices, this in-house knowledge and communication is a key advantage.

It takes 2 to 3 years to develop a camera like the Sony a9. Koji Hisamatsu, Mechanical Engineer of the a9, showed us its magnesium alloy body. It offers improved ergonomics and weather resistance over previous models.

Yasufumi Machitani, project leader on the a9, talked to us about the development of the camera. A number of its features, like blackout-free shooting and fast AF/AE calculation, require sensor readout speeds conventionally thought impossible. A stacked BSI-CMOS sensor with integral memory was necessary for these technologies, and the camera division’s awareness of such coming sensor technology years in advance allowed it to plan the a9.

Daisuke Miyakoshi, in charge of the image sensor portion of the product design division, elaborated on this cross-communication: his team is a bridge between Sony Semiconductor Solutions and SIPS (Sony Imaging Products and Solutions), the latter in charge of both product and system design and Sony DI’s parent company. The system design department sends new imager proposals to the product design teams making cameras, and together the teams evaluate success and pain points of actual sensor designs.

This information is then used to send new specification formulations to the image sensor development department at Sony Semiconductor. The communication between these three groups allows fine tuning of both sensor and camera.

Product strategy

Sony’s product strategy is simple. Imagine a pyramid with three customer types: at the top pros, in the middle high amateurs (‘enthusiasts’), and below that consumers. Products are intended to fall within one or span two of these segments.

Rice fields at dusk. Miyama Sansou, Kurokawa Onsen. Photo: Rishi Sanyal
Sony a7R II | 12-24 F4G @12mm | 1/30s, F4, ISO 5000.

Sony believes there is a growing market of pros and enthusiasts, with shrinking demand at the entry level (it’s hard to argue with that, given the death of the compacts and the rise of the smartphone). This brings a higher demand for better performing products, be it in terms of autofocus, speed, resolution or sensitivity. Therefore, Sony says its product strategy is to pack as much available technology into each product as possible, barring hardware limitations, to meet a certain price point. Machitani-san explicitly told us “there is no intention to limit functions of cameras to certain groups”. In fact, Sony claims it includes many of these functions – where others might remove them in an effort to segment products – just to see what creatives do with them.

It’s a strategy not always taken by other camera manufacturers, but one that makes sense in a post-smartphone era: target customers who want a dramatic step in quality and features from what smartphone imaging offers. It’s not entirely without its issues though. For one, some may find the user interfaces of some Sony cameras overwhelming due to the number of features. Sony is aware of this and constantly iterating – the a9 for example offers an encouraging ergonomic and usability refresh.

Of course, Sony’s own crowded camera lineup can sometimes be at odds with its intended strategy, since Sony is less afraid of cannibalizing itself than other camera companies. Take for instance the short product replacement cycles. Or the almost inevitable focus – since Sony believes in a growing pro and enthusiast market – on full-frame E-mount, which has left the impression among some that Sony is abandoning A-mount1 and APS-C.2 Or the appearance of advanced new technologies in more niche products before they find their way into other product lines. Many of these ‘issues’ stem from the pace of iteration and innovation at which Sony is moving, if not due simply to its relatively newcomer status. But Sony is actively learning, and recent market data suggest its strategy is working.

Vision over profit

You might think that Sony Corporation would like to keep the in-house knowledge of Sony Semiconductor Solutions for its own camera division, but that’s not the case. For one thing, the sales of the semiconductor division to third-parties is a large source of income for the corporation at large, but it goes beyond that.

Although Sony tends to hold its proprietary sensor technology for its own cameras for roughly two years,3 it publicly discloses sensors that are available for sale and their underlying technologies. This allows other manufacturers to integrate Sony sensors into their own products. And this is where it gets interesting: any manufacturer can approach Sony Semiconductor and ask for their own design requirements, often building on Sony’s own sensor advancements that are made public (take full-frame BSI-CMOS or dual-gain for example, two technologies found in the Nikon D850). But if an OEM does so, Sony Semiconductor is not allowed to communicate any intellectual property it gains to Sony’s camera division.

Having this wall (or more accurately, perhaps this two-way mirror) in place makes a lot of sense. After all, OEMs wouldn’t approach Sony about new designs if the sensor division leaked proprietary information to its own camera engineers. So, no folks, Sony’s camera team has not been aware of the Nikon D850’s sensor all along, prepping a response to it years in advance…

There are interesting implications of this wall between Sony Semiconductor and Sony DI: it means that newer, better technologies than those available in Sony’s own cameras may appear in any other manufacturer’s camera, despite using a ‘Sony’ sensor. Indeed, we’ve actually seen multiple examples of this: ISO 64 on the D810 and 16-bit analog-to-digital conversion on the Hasselblad X1D to name just two.

Could this threaten the growth of Sony’s own camera division?

Sony executive round-table. From left to right: Takashi Kondo, Chief Marketing Manager, Hiroshi Sakamoto, Senior General Manager of Marketing, Kenji Tanaka, Global Head of ILCs, and Masanori Kishi, Deputy General Manager of ILC lenses.

When we asked this question, the message from DI executives was clear: “Our focus is to increase the overall market”. Paraphrasing slightly, global head of ILCs Kenji Tanaka said: “Please think about vision. Our company has a vision, which is much more important than profit alone. Of course, if we cut our supply of sensors to other OEMs our camera market share might increase. But this is not our vision. Our vision is to grow the entire imaging market, and Sony alone cannot make every [imaging] product.”

While every manufacturer wants to be number one, no single company can make every product – even within a single sector. It is clear that Sony believes that competition is healthy, and that if Sony sensors help make better products, be it in a Sony device or other OEM device, the consumer wins. And ultimately, that is the purpose of the company.

“Our company has a vision, which is more important than profit alone”

It’s possible that the worst of the camera market collapse is over, but we do wonder whether Sony’s strategy might change if the market continues to shrink. Would the huge current investment in ILCs still pay off? Would sales of class-leading sensors to other OEMs still make sense? The answer from executives was “yes”.

Growing the market

Like every camera manufacturer, Sony wants to grow its market share. But it sees the gain of market share as a secondary effect, almost a byproduct, of growing the market overall. In fact, Sony admitted it doesn’t expect to continue to gain market share simply by getting users to switch systems. Tak Kondo, General Manager at Sony DI, remarked that “the industry is stagnated partly because of a lack of interesting products from camera manufacturers. It’s our obligation to increase the market size.”

We probed Sony about its strategy to move users away from smartphones, arguably the very cause for the declining camera industry. “We want to expand the photo-shooting culture” Tanaka-san told us. “By growing this culture, we hope to stimulate the desire for something [much] better than a smartphone”. Furthermore, Sony chooses to place its focus on mid- to high-end products, which show increased demand. The global decline in the industry is due to a drop in demand for low-end products – both DSLR and mirrorless – thanks to the smartphone.

By making versatile cameras that offer vast benefits over smartphones and more computational photography-oriented devices that widen its user-base, Sony hopes to reverse this trend. That is, grow the market through innovation, a message we’ve heard before.

Why Sony?

Sony believes that it is in a unique position to grow the imaging market. The communication between its image sensor development engineers at Sony Semiconductor and the camera teams at Sony DI give the company a unique advantage: an understanding of important sensor technologies to come two, five, or ten years down the line. The two-way communication between a cutting-edge sensor foundry and camera engineers that need sensor technologies to solve photographic problems is a unique advantage for Sony’s camera division. And Sony’s sensor design and fab group must stay cutting edge simply due to the number of sectors it has its hands in: from smartphones to the medical industry.

Shiraito Falls near Mount Fuji in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture. It’s often said that Mt. Fuji is shy, rarely revealing herself. This day was no exception: the entire region was covered in thick mist and rainfall, and the spray from the waterfalls themselves was intense. Photo: Rishi Sanyal

Sony a7R II | 24-70 F2.8GM @46mm | 0.5s, F11, ISO 100

Mirrorless cameras are still in their infancy. However, Tanaka-san stressed that when you compare the development speed of mechanical products vs. semiconductor technology, the latter is far faster. Since much of the capability of mirrorless cameras is derived from the image sensor itself, its development speed is much faster than DSLR. So while mirrorless camera technology is a relative newcomer to the field, Sony’s insight into semiconductor advances puts its camera division in a unique position to innovate and iterate quickly, bringing greater speed and functionality to consumer products across shorter refresh cycles.

Will Sony’s ‘guinea pig’ approach pay off? The latest U.S. dollar-based statistics from NPD are certainly encouraging: the first 6 months of 2017 showed a 36% growth in mirrorless camera sales compared to an 11% decline in DSLR sales. In the same period, Sony’s sales of full-frame ILCs grew 42% compared to a decline of 5% for all other manufacturers. It also maintained a #2 position in sales of full-frame ILCs (likely helped by the release of a flagship camera), while growing 26% in mirrorless ILC sales year-on-year. Sony is now at the top in mirrorless ILC sales in the U.S.

While these sales figures are all dollar-based, with many Sony products retailing at relatively high prices, they’re significant – especially when you consider the impact the Kumamoto earthquake must have had on the company.

Challenges

Despite these encouraging figures, Sony’s path will not be a smooth one. Canon and Nikon have been making cameras for a long time and are widely viewed as photography companies, as opposed to consumer electronics companies. Part of the reason the a9 is being targeted so aggressively at pros, and why Sony is working so hard on expanding pro support, is to overcome the perception of the company as a manufacturer of TVs, Walkmans and PlayStations.

At the opposite end of the pyramid, smartphone cameras offer something that most, if not all, standalone cameras to-date lack: convenience of image ingestion, curation and sharing. While Sony PlayMemories apps offer some solutions,4 they leave much to be desired. Thankfully, Sony is well aware of the importance of integrating with cloud services and smartphones.

The hillsides near the Kuju Mountain Range in Kumamoto prefecture provide endless vistas. I shot this through a window of a moving bus on the way to Kurokawa Onsen. The volcanic region offers many hot springs and resorts within Kurokawa’s ‘enchanted’ forest. Photo: Rishi Sanyal

Sony a9 | 24-70 F2.8GM @35mm | 1/1000s, F2.8, ISO 1250

And then there’s video. Increasingly, cameras that do both stills and video well are more attractive than those that can’t. Sony is on the right track here, offering cameras that are highly capable at both, but there’s still work to be done. The Sony a9 offers some of the sharpest video around thanks to the fact it oversamples a full-frame sensor, yet it lacks a Log profile or an intuitive autofocus interface in video.5

Meanwhile of course, competitors aren’t standing still. Canon’s Dual Pixel AF in video offers a clear user benefit in combining performance and UI/UX. Four Thirds cameras offer 4K video with compelling (mechanical + digital) stabilization. The Panasonic GH5 offers 6K Photo, pre-capture, and effectively simultaneous video and stills capture in its high-resolution anamorphic mode. RED Cinema cameras – albeit in a very different price bracket – can capture at 120 fps for stills extraction or for 24p video.6

But theoretically, these are all challenges that Sony is well placed to face. Sony’s executives see the relationship between Sony Semiconductor and Sony DI as being key to planning for the future, and they assure us that the founders’ spirit of innovation will continue to bring compelling products to the market.

Footnotes:

1 Tanaka-san assured us that ‘the A-mount customer base is small, but loyal, and we need to serve them.’ While Sony does not intend A-mount users to transition to E-mount, it does see the a9 as a potential body for A-mount lenses, via adaption. To that end Sony assures us the disadvantages associated with adapters – like the lack of proper subject tracking – are addressable, though it won’t officially support or offer a solution for Canon lenses natively.

2 Expressing very frank surprise at the idea that some of our readers feel Sony is less committed to APS-C, Sony DI executives assured us that, on the contrary, they are fully committed to APS-C. They pointed in particular to its potential to increase business by its adoption as a second camera for pros (a6300/6500) or a first-time camera for casual users (a5100/6000).

3 While we weren’t explicitly told this, one might surmise it from the fact that the sensor in the a7R II has not appeared in any other manufacturer’s camera since its launch over 2 years ago.

4 For example, ‘Sync to Smartphone’ ensures all my JPEGs from my a7R II end up on Google Photos via my Google Pixel in full resolution original quality without me moving a finger.

5 We asked Sony about the omission of S-Log2 and PlayMemories on the a9. We suggested it ostensibly appeared like forced product segmentation, uncharacteristic of Sony’s product strategy. While it still appears that may indeed have been the case, we were assured that Sony takes our negative feedback about these omissions seriously.

6 Some RED cinema cameras are capable of assembling 24p footage from 120p capture by frame averaging, which removes the stutter that would otherwise result from the higher shutter speeds you’d likely shoot 120p footage at. It’s quite clever.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Sony interview: ‘Our focus is to increase the overall market’

18 Apr

On a recent trip to Thailand to visit Sony’s Chonburi factory, where all Sony ILC cameras and lenses are assembled, our tech editor Rishi Sanyal had the honor of sitting down with Kenji Tanaka, who is head of interchangeable lens cameras globally. Also joining the discussion was Daisuke Goh, product manager at Sony, and Matt Parnell, senior marketing communications manager at Sony.

Kenji Tanaka, Senior General Manager, Business Unit 1, Digital Imaging Group, Imaging Products and Solutions Sector. Photo: Rishi Sanyal

We discussed a number of topics, ranging from Sony’s intent to stimulate the market overall as opposed to segmenting it or supplanting any one manufacturer, to future sensor developments we can expect, to the role of computational photography and the internet in future cameras. It was an impressively open and honest discussion, and we thank everyone involved for the opportunity.

Please note that this interview has been edited for clarity and flow.

Thank you so much for this opportunity, Tanaka-san. Your recent market share data is quite impressive. What do you see as your widest user base, and what is your biggest target group?

Kenji Tanaka: Our biggest focus is to increase the [existing] market, not to segment it. The overall market is decreasing, and it’s been a challenge to increase the market, overall. We believe we can do so by targeting professionals and enthusiasts.

‘Our biggest focus is to increase the market, not segment it.’

Amongst professionals and enthusiasts, who do you feel you still need to attract to your products?

KT: There are many types of professionals. Our target for the a7R II are landscape and portrait shooters. The a7S II has been adopted by many professional videographers. Right now we are already reaching these professionals successfully. But as of last year (2016), our products have gained significant capability in terms of speed. Therefore, we would like to target sports shooters and photojournalists by continually improving the speed, performance and usability of our products.

What about wedding and events shooters?

KT: Yes, these professionals have been adopting our products as well, and they’ve particularly appreciated Eye AF and the resolution of our products. However, they require more durability. We are actively working to address their needs.

Matt Parnell: In particular, one piece of feedback we frequently get from all of our wedding photographers is that the low light performance of our products has changed the way they can shoot events.

KT: And wedding videographers particularly in Asian countries have invested in our products.

Technologies like Eye AF depend upon close integration between the imaging sensor, processing pipeline and AF algorithms programmed into the camera. Sony’s close integration between the image sensor and camera divisions allow for quick iteration on such technologies. As photographers, we win: the compositional freedom Eye AF-C affords me for (unpredictable) newborn photography is unparalleled. Even with the pocketable RX100 V. Photo: Rishi Sanyal

Which camera do your users gravitate toward in particular for autofocus capability?

KT: Professionals largely use the a7R II for autofocus ability. a7S II for video.

The form factor of an a7S II and FS7 are very different. Do you see a convergence of these products and, if not, how will you target these user bases separately?

MP: We see many professionals and documentarians that use both the FS7 and a7S II to complement one another. A and B cameras, for example.

Daisuke Goh: But they are very different in terms of ergonomics and features, with Raw recording and high-frame rate being core technologies of the FS7. Those who need these gradually step up to the FS7, often from the a7S II.

You’ve stated your intention to re-stimulate this declining market via innovation. How do you think your competitors should do the same?

KT: I can’t comment on other companies, but I can explain our position. The most important thing is the image sensor. As you know well, every camera function is related to the image sensor. For example, the AF sensor and exposure sensor are all based off the image sensor. So the image sensor is key, and we develop it in-house. This means we can customize our future products with more intention [by having our camera and sensor development teams working together]. This is a differentiator compared to our competitors.

‘Every camera function is related to the image sensor… [which] we develop in-house. This means we can customize our future products with more intention.’

Speaking of sensors, are you interested in lowering ISO sensitivities? Particularly by increasing full-well capacities of pixels to increase dynamic range and achievable signal:noise ratios (a la Nikon D810)? I think many landscape and current medium format shooters would be interested in this.

KT: Both high and low ISO sensitivities are important. In case of low sensitivities, we are working on increasing saturation capacities, or well depth, of pixels. In case of high sensitivities, pixel size matters.

The future is certainly bright for Sony, and photography in general. One thing I’d love to see is extended (lower) base ISO dynamic range via higher saturation capacities of pixels, a la the Nikon D810 at ISO 64. While this a7R II certainly did the job perfectly well capturing this high dynamic range scene on my recent trip to Iceland, a lower base ISO that would have allowed me to give the sensor even more exposure before clipping the highlights to the left, yielding an even cleaner image. Technically speaking, an image with higher overall signal:noise ratio – the reason people love medium format images. It’s great to hear that Sony’s sensor division is fully aware of this need for lower, not just higher, sensitivities. Photo: Rishi Sanyal

But your a7R II, which has very similar low light stills performance to the a7S II, suggests otherwise. Could you elaborate?

KT: Think about 8K video. To get that sort of resolution on a sensor, you need larger sensors, otherwise pixel sizes are too small. To get 8K from a micro four thirds sensor, for example, the sizes of the pixels have to be very small, around 2.3 microns. I think larger sensors are important to maintain image quality as we go to higher resolution video and stills.

Right, it’s more sensor size that is key.

KT: Yes, this is why we choose to concentrate on full-frame.

Is 8K video something you’re already working on?

KT: We can’t comment on future product plans; however, we can confirm that we are paying close attention to all trends in the video marketplace, including 8K.

And you already have products that are sampling 6K: the a6500 oversamples its 4K footage by 2.4-fold yielding extremely crisp footage. Meanwhile we have some professional videographers intent on using high-end pro- 6K and 8K products to get oversampled 4K; yet you offer it in a consumer product. I find that interesting.

KT: Yes, we already have 6K sampling.

Are you also focusing on global shutter?

KT: Yes, that is one technique to remove rolling shutter artifacts. However, there are other choices to remove this artifact, like a mechanical shutter.

Increasingly we’re seeing computational approaches to get better imaging performance from limited hardware.1 When do you feel computational technologies attempting to simulate the effects of larger sensors and optics will truly challenge more traditional approaches?

KT: These approaches work in some occasions, but it’s hard to realize for all scenarios. And a lot of the computational products I’ve seen so far need very large, fixed F-number primes [Editor’s note: presumably to compensate for smaller sensor sizes].

Are you trying to build in any computational approaches into your current cameras today?

KT: No. But speaking of light field, of course we are studying it. But not at a production level.

Do you think that as megapixel counts get higher and higher, it would make sense to devote some of those pixels to light field?

KT: There’s currently too much of a resolution cost. You need to devote at least a 5×5 pixel array just for one output pixel.

Do you benchmark against competitor products when developing your own products?

KT: Of course. We benchmark against the best product for any use-case. We learn from other companies. We must, because we are still beginners. The challengers.

Daisuke Goh, Manager, Product Planning & Business Management, Digital Imaging. Goh-san was product planner on the a7R II, and is pictured here looking out upon the Gulf of Thailand at moonrise during a recent trip to Sony’s Chonburi factory. To say the least, talking directly to these brilliant engineers was a unique opportunity to relay our, and our readers’, feedback for future iterations of Sony products. Photo: Rishi Sanyal

The convenience of the smartphone is a challenge to cameras. I’ll often see friends pick up their smartphone2 instead of the ILC sitting in front of them to snap a photo of their child. What is Sony doing to help the parent, the hobbyist get assets off the camera and into a library accessible from all devices?

KT: We have apps like PlayMemories to make things easier for smartphone users. In the future, we cannot avoid making this process even easier via better integration with internet/cloud services. This is a big topic of discussion and something we are investing in. One issue with direct communication from camera to internet services is that regulation, not technical, issues make this difficult. Everyone already has a smartphone, so we want to use the smartphone.

One thing Sony can’t be blamed for is a lack of caring when it comes to quality. From Betamax to Blu-Ray to LCOS displays, how do you maintain a culture of insistence on quality and innovation across such a large company?

KT: For me, Sony’s founders are incredibly important. They are no longer alive, but the founders’ spirits and will are alive and well.

DG: Have you had a chance to read the founders’ spirits? It’s written. It basically says: ‘Always have a playful mind, and do something that others don’t do.’ This is basically in our blood.

‘Always have a playful mind, and do something that others don’t do.’ This is basically in our blood.

That’s a great philosophy. Thank you for your time!

KT, DG, MP: Thank you!

Editor’s Note:

We nab every opportunity we can get to sit down with engineers at camera companies, and are particularly honored when we get a chance to speak with executives like Tanaka-san, who is head of Interchangeable lens (ILC) products globally, and Daisuke Goh, who was product planner on arguably one of the most exciting cameras we’ve seen in recent times: the a7R II.

Recent data over a two month span show Sony to have pulled ahead from #3 to #2 in full-frame ILC market share, based on revenue. Sony stresses this was no easy task, in particular given the shortages it recently experienced in delivering one of its most popular – and most revenue-generating thanks to its price – products due to the earthquake: the a7R II. It was interesting to hear Sony’s response to this (for them) exciting news: Tanaka-san stressed that the overall goal of Sony Digital Imaging products is to grow the (now declining) market, not segment it or pull ahead at the cost of its competitors. Sony believes it can do so through innovation, which should spur the expansion of the hobbyist segment. By offering imaging experiences and quality far above and beyond what is capable with smartphones, Sony hopes to rekindle interest in cameras and dedicated imaging products.

Given their focus on quality, it’s not surprising that Sony is pouring so much effort into their full frame products. It was only a little over 3 years ago that Sony launched the world’s first full frame mirrorless system, just a short year after launching the world’s first full frame camcorder (NEX-VG900). Since then, Sony has seen a remarkable adoption rate: they claim they are #1 in 4K camcorder sales, and hold over 80% of the mirrorless market share in North America. The largest adoption of full frame products has been in China and the US, and Sony’s projections estimate an additional growth of 30% in the full frame market. While some may argue that is optimistic, Sony cites the general market increase with the release of the Alpha 7R II, showing that innovation drives growth.

And Sony is particularly innovating in the image sensor sector, where they claim they are investing more than most. It’s interesting to note that the smartphone industry – the very one threatening dedicated imaging products – itself helps Sony, since Sony is a major supplier of smartphone camera sensors. So when it comes to image sensors, Sony’s return on investment is multi-fold: technologies like 3-layer stacked CMOS for smartphone cameras that allow 4x faster readout speeds than conventional chips for minimal rolling shutter and 1000 fps video capture will not only make our smartphones better, but will also trickle into ILC products and allow Sony to re-invest resulting earnings in even more exciting sensor technologies. It’s not just Sony that benefits from this – like smartphone manufacturers, other camera manufacturers also benefit from Sony sensor advances. What Sony has to offer though, as stressed by Tanaka-san, is the ability to work closely with the sensor team to develop better products and features around the strengths of those sensor developments. Autofocus and subject recognition improvements, for example.

Technologies like incredibly intelligent AF in 4K video with no hunting, or 24 fps Raw stills capture to nail the decisive moment (shown above), not only help professionals and enthusiasts, but arguably kindle the inner spark of us all to capture the memorable moments of our lives. Sony believes that focusing on innovation will bring more people back into photography and videography.

Sony’s approach certainly appears sound: exciting technologies offering new imaging experiences spark the curiosity of not only enthusiasts and hobbyists, but professionals looking to differentiate their work as well. And many others as well: documenting the fleeting moments of our lives is arguably a very human interest. Devices that allow us to do so more easily, more readily, and in higher quality are certain to appeal even to the amateur mother or father capturing the irreplaceable moments of their little ones’ lives. With the iteration we’ve seen in Sony ILCs and premium compacts in just the last 3 years, it’s no surprise that Sony aims to be the #1 premium imaging company. And we will all benefit from its relentless drive.

Footnotes:

1Lytro for example. More recent approaches include the Light L16, which combines lenses of multiple focal lengths to achieve high-res imagery and a large zoom range. The Google Pixel smartphone uses multi-imaging techniques to get impressive image quality out of a small sensor. iPhone 7 uses two lenses to create a depth map to simulate shallow depth-of-field. Computational approaches of recent are seriously challenging traditional cameras for general users that aren’t too too attentive to the outcome.

2Largely because of the ease of backup, curation, and sharing to services like Google/Apple Photos and Facebook.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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‘Our goal is to satisfy everyone’: an interview with Fujifilm execs

16 Jul

Following the launch of the Fujifilm X-T2 last week, we sat down with senior executives from Fujifilm.

  • Yuji Igarashi, general manager of Fujifilm’s Electronic Imaging Division.
  • Takashi Ueno, manager of Fujifilm’s Electronic Imaging Group Sales and Marketing and Optical Device and Electronic Imaging Products Divisions.
  • Ryouichi Takamoto, Optical Device & Electronic Imaging Products Division, Sales and Marketing Staff.

We talked about the X-T2, Fujifilm’s plans for lenses, and why the company is putting a lot of energy into video. 

The following interview is taken from on-record portions of our conversation, and has been edited slightly for flow and clarity. 

Fujifilm now has two flagship product lines – the X-Pro and the X-T. How do you see these two lines as being distinct?

We think that the character of the two cameras is completely different. The X-Pro series are special cameras for snapshooting, reportage and so on. But the X-T2 is a multipurpose camera, so we’re trying to sell the X-T2 to DSLR users, compact camera users – all photo enthusiasts and professional photographers. That’s the target with the X-T2.

The X-Pro 2 doesn’t have a 4K movie function, because we see the X-Pro 2 as being a stills camera. But the X-T2 needed 4K movie.

The X-T2 is compatible with a new ‘Vertical Power Booster Grip’ which can accomodate two batteries, making a maximum of three in total. This takes the X-T2’s endurance to a CIPA-rated total of 1000 shots.  

Apart from the 4K movie function, what other features differentiate the X-T2?

Durability. And that doesn’t just mean toughness, but also battery consumption. That’s why we made the Power Booster grip for the X-T2. And autofocus performance. We want the X-T2 to be able to capture all subjects. The X-Pro 2 doesn’t need such fast AF, because for snap-shooting and portrait shooting it’s not necessary. But our target users for the X-T series include sports photographers.

If you look at the body shape and balance, we have the booster grip for the X-T2 which works well if you’re using telephoto lenses, whereas with the X-Pro 2 it’s designed to be more discrete, and for use with prime lenses. The body style itself is different.

Some of our readers have expressed disappointment that the X-T2 costs more than the X-T1. Why is this?

It’s a combination of two factors. One is the exchange rate, of course [editor’s note: the value of the yen relative to the dollar fluctuated significantly from 2014-16] and the other is the features included in the camera. We’ve added 4K video, a new 24MP sensor, a new shutter and so on. These factors have resulted in an increase in price.

In the X-T2, is the autofocus system different to the X-Pro 2?

Yes, the algorithm is completely different. But we’re planning to add this [improvement] to the X-Pro 2 in FW 2.0, in October. But the AF-C custom functions will only be available in the X-T2.

 

 The X-T2 offers several Canon-style AF ‘sets’, which allow the camera’s continuous autofocus performance to be tweaked depending on the subject. Although the X-Pro 2’s autofocus will be updated with firmware this autumn, these AF sets will remain unique to the X-T2.

Why did you choose to include 4K video in the X-T2?

The movie function is one of the most important functions of digital cameras. Many of our competitors had offered 4K, but we didn’t. Fujifilm is a popular company in the broadcast industry, because we’ve developed so many lenses for broadcast cameras. So we are familiar with the industry, we just been able to utilize that knowledge [until now].

Video has long been a weak area in the X-series…

Yes. Our X-Trans color filter array is more complicated than that of bayer array, but we have developed a new, very powerful processor – the X Processor Pro. This can read data faster than the processor in previous X-series cameras, which means we could add 4K movie recording to the X-T2. But we don’t think that the X-Pro 2 necessarily needs 4K.

Could 4K movie recording be added to the X-Pro 2 with firmware?

No. Because of hardware issues. We’d need to add a heatsink, which the X-Pro 2 doesn’t have because we wanted to maintain its body size.

Does that explain the slight weight increase from the X-T1 to the X-T2?

Yes.

In adding 4K video to the X-T2, were you responding to existing X-series users’ demands, or to market expectations?

People are taking more movies now. In the past, maybe it was OK for us to release video that was not great, but now, the movie specification is one of the most important reasons why someone might buy a camera. Even if someone takes primarily stills. So the importance of video has grown and grown and we’re trying to make improvements. Hopefully video will be one of our strengths in the future. Every day our X-series photographers are asking us to improve movie quality.

Despite having an articulating rear LCD screen, the X-T2 is limited to physical dial and button-based controls. It seems that touch-sensitivity is still some way off, in high-end X-series cameras.  

Why did you decide not to include a touchscreen on the X-T2?

One reason is that a key feature of the X-series is dial operation. And dial operation and touch operation are completely different, so combining them could be confusing. The typical way of shooting with X-series cameras is with your eye to the viewfinder, and to use a touchscreen you’d have to take your eye away from the finder.

Our priority for the X-T2 for now is to focus on the viewfinder. We’d like the user to use the finder primarily, with dial operation. But the X70 for example we introduced a touch sensitive screen, because that camera doesn’t have a viewfinder.

Will future X-series cameras continue to look much the same, or will you experiment with ergonomic changes?

Dial operation is part of our identity. This concept and style of operation will be maintained in order to distinguish our cameras from competitors. We also think that this design is the most intuitive for general photography.

A lot of our readers continue to be a little disappointed by the AF speed of some of the X-mount lenses. Is this something you’re working on improving?

Lenses like the 35mm F1.4 and 60mm F1.4 use DC coil motors, and the focusing elements are very heavy. For example the weight of the focusing group in the XF 35mm F1.4 is more than 100g. It’s almost unbelievable compared to most current autofocus lenses. On the other hand, in the XF 18-55mm zoom lens, the weight of the focusing group is only around ten grams.

Because of the weight of these groups in this fast prime lenses, we cannot make them focus faster. But that’s why we’re making new F2 lenses. Our 35mm F1.4 is designed for the best image quality, whereas our 35mm F2 – while we also care about image quality – is designed for fast autofocus and lighter overall weight.

Most autofocus lenses have only one focusing element, but our 35mm F1.4 for example, all of the elements in that lens move [to achieve focus].

Still on the topic of lenses, where do you see the biggest gaps in your XF lens lineup, right now?

Long focal length prime lenses, fisheye lenses, and tilt/shift lenses. Of course, the demand for these lenses is very small, and we have to prioritise. Currently we are prioritizing lenses like the 35mm F2, 23mm F2 and 50mm F2.

 Hasselblad’s X1D is a relatively compact medium-format camera. Exactly the same kind of camera, in other words, that Fujifilm used to be known for, back when a roll of Velvia was the memory card of choice for enthusiast photographers.  

Hasselblad just released the X1D – a relatively compact medium format camera. Do you think there is an opportunity for Fujfilm in this market in the future?

We’re keeping our eye on that market, and the full-frame market too, but we’re still focusing on our APS-C range.

Are you interested in attacking the full-frame market in the future?

We’re attacking this market with our X-series. And with X-Trans III, we think that when people actually see what our cameras can deliver, we think there’s a good chance that photographers will use our X-series in the future.

The question of sensor size depends on what the user wants, as an output. If you’re using a medium format camera and you definitely need that for the work you’re doing, maybe APS-C is too small. But for general use, I think our [current] APS-C sensor is comparable to full-frame image quality. I think we can satisfy most people. But in future our goal is to satisfy everyone.

Is Fujfilm committed to the sub-APS-C market anymore, or are you focused now on APS-C?

We still do well with tough cameras. Because smartphones haven’t been able to replace them. So we’ve not completely abandoned that market. As long as there’s opportunity we’ll continue to look into it.

Some manufacturers are moving into virtual reality imaging with products like the Nikon Key Mission, the Samsung Gear and so on. Is this a market segment that Fujifilm is interested in?

At the moment we don’t have anything planned.

When a photographer thinks about Fujifilm as a brand, what kind of qualities do you want them to associate with the company?

Image quality. We are a photography company – not a camera company. That’s what our boss is always saying to us (Toru Takahashi – interviewed in January). That’s very important. We are still a film maker. So image quality and color reproduction. 

Editor’s note:

In many ways, the on-record portions of this interview offer a message consistent with that delivered by Mr Takahashi and Mr Iida when I spoke to them earlier this year. Fujfilm is committing to two flagship APS-C platforms, X-Pro and X-T, and with the release of the X-T2, this strategy has reached a degree of maturity.

The similarities between the two cameras are arguably less interesting than the differences. The X-T2 is the faster of the two, and is designed to appeal to a wider audience. Not necessarily a more professional audience, but perhaps a more commercial one. Several times, the executives I spoke to stressed the importance of satisfying the needs of sports photographers and the inclusion in the X-T2 of Canon-style AF ‘sets’ is clearly intended to ease the hypothetical transition for prospective DSLR defectors. Meanwhile, 4K video (and from what we can tell at present, pretty good 4K video) is of course, a feature that is currently unavailable to most DSLR photographers, regardless of brand.

Whether or not the X-T2 can actually attract these dyed-in-the-wool DSLR shooters is of course another matter altogether. Ironically, I get the sense that it is the rangefinder-style X-Pro and X100-series that have attracted more attention among traditional enthusiasts, possibly because they are so un DSLR-like. Fortunately, the X-T2 is an excellent camera. Both ergonomically and in terms of image quality, the X-T2 continues to impress us in studio and real-world testing, and as we’d expect from a product with this kind of lineage, it’s a pleasure to shoot with. I like how the X-Pro2 looks, but I must say, I greatly prefer how the X-T2 handles.

Publicly, Fujifilm is fully committed to its APS-C system, with its twin flagships, but I’d be very surprised if some of the company’s engineers aren’t looking jealously westward to Sweden, where Hasselblad recently announced the X1D. This, after all, is precisely the kind of medium format camera that Fujifilm used to be known for, back in the film days. Lightweight (ish), easy-to-use, and relatively affordable next to more traditional SLRs.

One of the gentlemen I spoke to last week said that ‘in future our goal is to satisfy everyone’. Only he knows exactly what he meant by that, but it’s fun to speculate. What do you think? Let us know in the comments.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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CP+ 2015: Fujifilm interview – ‘our lenses are waiting for higher-resolution sensors’

28 Feb

We recently returned from the CP+ show in Yokohama, Japan. When we were there we sat down with executives from most of the major camera and lens manufacturers to get their insights and opinions on the challenges facing their companies and the market as a whole. One of them was Toshihisa Iida, Senior Manager Sales & Marketing at Fujifilm’s Optical Device & Electronic Imaging products division. Click through for the full interview

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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CP+ 2014: Olympus – ‘our reason to exist is to push the envelope’

26 Feb

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After the CP+ show in Yokohama closed last week, editor Barnaby Britton journeyed out to Olympus’s design facility in Hachioji to speak to executives and engineers. Among the people he spoke to was Hirofumi Imano, Division Manager of Product Strategy. In a broad-ranging interview, Mr. Imano explained the company’s strategies for competing in a tough market, the genesis of the OM-D line, opportunities in video and why he thinks Canon and Nikon might not be making high-end mirrorless cameras. 

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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CP+ 2014: Nikon Interview – ‘our cameras need to evolve’

17 Feb

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The CP+ show in Yokohama Japan has just closed, but in between visits to the various booths we made time to sit down with four senior Nikon executives to get their thoughts on the state of the market, future opportunities and the inevitable coming together of stills and video. Click through to read the full interview. 

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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