Figures. The alleged "new Sony APS-C flagship" will be nothing of the sort; and it won't be coming in May as originally expected, either. Sony Alpha Rumors now predicts that it will be called the "ZV-E10." They say journalists have had it in their hands for a long time now and are just waiting around for the NDA to expire, that it will have no viewfinder and the same old 24mm sensor (Seinfeldism: not that there's anything wrong with that), and is to be positioned as a vlogging/streaming camera.
In other words, nothing to see here, move along. By the way, did you know that the venerable RX100 series 1" point-and-shoots have morphed into the ZV-1 (below), a version specifically made for vlogging?
More videos of me!
Bleh. Maybe I'm crotchety this morning*, but I'm tired of camcorders oppressing cameras. I don't want a camcorder. I'm a photographer. I like "stills cameras," previously known throughout most of history as "cameras." It might be old-fashioned, but I grew up pointing cameras away from my head.
Sorry, I'll stop now. Nothing against vloggers; it's a cool thing to do and it's a dynamic arena right now. My only gripe is that I don't want my bow-and-arrow to also shoot bullets. At least not all the choices. Actually, what's probably happening is that Sony wants to push serious photographers into its full-frame product lines, and not-so-subtly discourage buyers from thinking that "little" 1-inch and APS-C sensors are appropriate for anything but video.
Anyway, so much for my attempts to soften the ground for a review of the new top-o'-the-line.
And by the way, this is a good example of why I don't typically talk about products that aren't here yet. There's plenty of time to talk about products after they're out in the sunlight.
Dogs and Dawgs
Most people know the expression "Pavlov's dog." Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov was studying in the 1890s how dogs salivate when presented with food when he noticed that the test animals began to salivate when they heard the footsteps of the assistant approaching with the food. He became fascinated with what became known as "classical conditioning" and spent the rest of his life studying this kind of learning.
We Photo Dawgs are not above that...we've been conditioned to salivate, figuratively speaking, over the next new thing, the enthusiasm for which I once called neomania. I don't know about you, but I'm actually kinda tired of neomania and the constellation of conditioned behaviors surrounding it in Internet culture...all the breathless speculation, wish-lists, ultimatums in advance ("It better have x or I'll..."), arguments over what the coming product will or will not have (when all you need to do, all you can do, is wait and see), and the inevitable let-downs. I don't know why I still get snared every once in a while...it was a lesson I learned in the early '90s waiting for the Nikon N8008s! Boy, how I admire people who just find a box, learn to make it do what they want to do, and get on with it. It ain't the golf club, it's the swing that counts.
Anyway, I'm getting an A6600, because I want to explore the Sigma Contemporary Trio on APS-C. But that's a different subject, about which more later. Sorry for the wasted bandwidth earlier in the month.
Mike
*I used to call myself a "curmudgeon in training," but I finished my training and got my certificate....
Book of Interest this week:
Ralph Eugene Meatyard: American Mystic (Fraenkel Gallery, 2017). An excellent introduction to Meatyard's quirky, spooky worlds, and Fraenkel Gallery's productions are always a cut above. The link is a doorway to Amazon.
Also sponsored by...
Original contents copyright 2021 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.
(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:
John Krill: "Re 'I don't want a camcorder. I'm a photographer.' YES. That's why I love Fujifilm. When I read reviews of the Fujifilm X-E4 that mentioned poor vlogging experience I knew I made the right choice. Because I'm a still photographer not a videographer or whatever they call themselves. P.S. The X-E4 has turned out to be a better camera than I thought it would be."
Stephen Scharf: "Camera companies, YouTubers, and as audio reviewer Hans Beekhuizen calls it, 'the social media,' spend an incredible amount of time and resources to convince you that if only you'll buy the latest and greatest camera, you will be a better photographer. This is bullish*t.
"As you mentioned in an article you posted back in 2008 entitled 'Big Sticks' (remember that one?), it's not about the size of the bat you use, it's how hard you swing it that matters. At the end of the day, you're gong to find that an A6600 doesn't take photos that engage with your viewers any more than your X-H1. Or your X-T1, for that matter.
[Ed note: Jeff S. and DavidB found that post—here it is. Featuring Stephen's great shot of Chris the V. Thanks, Jeff and David.]
"Just give me a camera with excellent shutter life, a fit-for-purpose AF system (Canon 1D MkII-level), a proper-sized grip, and a stiff and strong lens mount on a durable and rugged body, and I'm good to go. How successful my photographs are is overwhelmingly due to how well my vision and execution can realize my intention, rather than having eye-AF or 30 FPS. And, having the discipline to show up for the shot."
Mike replies: But Stephen, the X-H1 is no longer new. (Kidding.)
My Fujis are not going anywhere.
Albert Smith: "Re 'I don't want a camcorder. I'm a photographer. I like "stills cameras," previously known throughout most of history as "cameras..."' Yes, yes, yes! I have several Swiss Army knives and Leatherman multi-tools, and if you need a screw driver or a small file in a situation where you don't have a proper tool box, they can really bail you out. But you wouldn't use them for serious work under the hood of your car or home repair. Why use a Swiss Army camera?
Mike replies: Ah, I'm going to steal that term, if you don't mind.
Thomas Walsh: "Amen to Stephen Scharf's comment."
Know your market. Know your customers. Give them what they want and possibly need. TOP's customers are photographers and we are served well.
Sony knows its market(s). They are photographers, vloggers, videographers, cinematographers and casual shooters who want something as convenient as a phone but which makes better pictures. Sony serves these overlapping markets well -- don't stop, Sony
The fun for us comes from watching how they do it and using one of their products now and then.
We also enjoy reading what Mike has to say about them. All of them. Mike is one of us -- don't stop, Mike.
Posted by: Speed | Monday, 31 May 2021 at 09:28 AM
Wait. You'e saying I wasted my money on my new Cobra single-length golf clubs?
[Not necessarily. You have to hit the ball with something. :-) --Mike]
Posted by: John Camp | Monday, 31 May 2021 at 12:50 PM
"Sorry for the wasted bandwidth earlier in the month."
None wasted here; saw subject, moved on.
"neomania"
It is actually possible to let the tides of new product info wash over and retain only those that add significant function.
Oly comes up with in camera focus bracketing, it's bye-bye Canon, hello Oly, hello amazing photos I could not make before, elation, then contentment.
The camera you were obsessing about was clearly not going to offer anything really new; perhaps some modest, incremental improvements in doing the same things. Meh.
" . . . the venerable RX100 series 1" point-and-shoots have been replaced by the ZV-1 (below), now billed as a vlogging camera?"
Fortunately, the Panny ZS200 uses the same sensor in a body with longer zoom, better EVF ergonomics. I chose it, and have been happy with it. I also have a Sony RX10 IV, so I can confidently say I don't see any secret sauce in the Sony 1" sensor, electronics and firmware that Panny missed. The Panny is very slightly larger, in return for better battery life.
Posted by: Moose | Monday, 31 May 2021 at 01:42 PM
I'm sure that the Swiss army has only the best cameras. I'd love to have one of the Alpa 11si cameras that they were using in the 70s
Posted by: hugh crawford | Monday, 31 May 2021 at 02:40 PM
Is this the article you and Stephen Scharf are talking about?
Big Sticks.
Posted by: DavidB | Monday, 31 May 2021 at 03:41 PM
Your post about ‘Big Sticks’ (and Stephen) was in 2008
https://the_online_photographer/2008/12/i-think-its-imp.html
Posted by: Jeff | Monday, 31 May 2021 at 04:36 PM
It's unfortunate that the ZV-1 completely missed the mark for vloggers. What that group wants is a really wide lens, great image stabilization, and great AF. Well, Sony innovated a bit with the AF, but stuck a not-very-wide lens on it, which gets cropped in further when using the electronic image stabilization that is required because the optical image stabilization isn't that great. It utterly failed to achieve what it is marketed to be good at.
Posted by: Stephen S. | Monday, 31 May 2021 at 04:57 PM
I just got a Leica M Type 240 the other day. The only complaint I have is the wasted weight and complexity added by having it be able to do video.
I'll never do video with it.
Lots of stills with my Voigtlander 50/1.5 Nokton though :D
Of course, unlike some companies, Leica _sometimes_ learns from their mistakes and I note that the M-10 does not do video.
Posted by: William A Lewis | Monday, 31 May 2021 at 06:40 PM
I have no interest in video, but bought a ZV1 for clips of my toddler niece before she moved overseas. Well, when the ZV1 is running video it can also use its everything-detection to judge when to autonomously take full-resolution still photos, too. That’s how I got one of my favourite photos, and a rare one of the two of us together, at that. The Sony, sitting off on a tripod, let me be an uncle instead of the guy with a camera.
Sometimes the right tool is a swiss army knife. And sometimes cameras designed with a clarity of purpose, even if it’s a purpose that I don’t particularly care for, are the easiest to adapt for off-label use. Like a vlogging camera with amazing autofocus being an easy camera to quickly flip open, grab a shot, and pocket again before the little one gets into something she shouldn’t.
Posted by: Matthew | Monday, 31 May 2021 at 07:25 PM
Wait, there’s a new camera? I’m still excited about my Pen F!
Posted by: Cliff McMann | Monday, 31 May 2021 at 08:04 PM
Devil's advocacy here?: While I, too, want a photography-centric camera, I also want the camera manufacturers to survive, especially against the "Evil Empire" of those other image-generating devices. But if including video features results in survivability, then I'll learn to live with it.
My PEN-F has the video and photography aspects and controls pretty much isolated from each other, so I can basically ignore anything relating to videography. I'll settle for that.
Posted by: George Davis | Monday, 31 May 2021 at 08:13 PM
How many new cameras releases Sony per week? per hour? So tiring. And yes I am a photographer too.
Posted by: Carlos Quijano A | Monday, 31 May 2021 at 09:02 PM
The ZV1 is a strange beast. The most viewed videos are VERTICAL! But the ZV1 doesn’t shoot Vertical Video. Why not?
It’s OK that the ZV1 isn’t aimed at still photographers. There are still plenty of cameras available on Amazon and B&H.
I’m an Image Maker, not a photographer. I can make drawings and paintings from Digital Files! Ain’t software wonderful!
Posted by: c.d.embrey | Tuesday, 01 June 2021 at 12:06 AM
I don't worry much about the extra features on today's cameras. I just ignore what I'm not interested in. The women who have passed through my life, agree that's my defining skill.
Posted by: Grant | Tuesday, 01 June 2021 at 02:39 AM
"How successful my photographs are is overwhelmingly due to how well my vision and execution can realize my intention" - That is extremely well put, Stephen. It has an almost Shakespearean cadence to it if you read it out loud. Each camera webshop should have two checkboxes just before checkout:
1. I have read and understood the Terms and Conditions.
2. How successful my photographs are is overwhelmingly due to how well my vision and execution can realize my intention.
Posted by: Gerard Kingma | Tuesday, 01 June 2021 at 03:10 AM
I think Fuji really hit on a great concept with the X-T4 in light of this discussion. For all the upheaval and noise about all the new video-centric features it received thus rendering it "useless" for stills, it's really become a great stills-only camera for me because of one small thing: the still/movie switch.
With this simple little change, when you're in 'still' mode, every shred of video-related menu, on-screen elements, and custom buttons are hidden away and basically non-existent. If one were so inclined, a little strategically applied super glue on that switch would result in a class-leading stills-only mirrorless camera.
The flippy screen is another matter, but I see that as the central challenge for Fuji's engineers with the X-T5 (or perhaps the X-H2) to develop a screen that both tilts and flips to satisfy both stills and video users. This was *clearly* the loudest bit of yelling when the X-T4 was announced, so if they can create a solution for that (something more svelte and Fuji-like than what Panasonic did on the S1h) I think they'll have it nailed. Or, again, our old friend superglue could keep that screen folded facing in or out (to the user's preference, natch) for a more "pure" experience.
Posted by: Adam Lanigan | Tuesday, 01 June 2021 at 08:02 AM
dpreview has just published an article “Best Cameras for Landscape Photography 2021”, and their pick is the Nikon Z7ii. Well, OK, it’s a very good camera but expensive. Then I looked at their reasons for preferring it over competing cameras. In the case of what you might think of as the leading three contenders - Canon R5, Fuji XT-4 and Nikon D850 - their reasons were almost entirely video-centric. The Canon had “limited battery life with EVF at 120fps”, the Fuji was a criticised for having “Limited tools for video exposure”, and the D850 - surely the last, great all-round DSLR - for having “poor autofocus in live view/video mode”. And these were being assessed for landscape photography! What happened to horses for courses?
Of course, with landscape photography especially, the skill and dedication of the photographer is a key component, as are the other tools they might have and use - graduated filters, for example. The actual camera is quite secondary, it seems to me. There’s really no need to spend nearly £3000 on a camera for landscape photography! In fact I became quite incenses by this, and I looked at my local photo dealer’s s/hand listing (I\m fortunate to live in a city with one such…) to see what might be available for much more reasonable cost. I could get a Canon 300D, the first Digital Rebel, for £35! Going for something slightly more recent, a 500D or 550D (T1i/T2i) were available for less than £200 each. Looking at Nikon my eye was immediately taken by a D300 for £165.
I’m sure that any of these cameras would be plenty good enough, with sufficient technique and processing, to produce excellent landscape images; and all for a fraction of the prices of the cameras dpreview assessed. IN fact, I’m quite tempted….
Posted by: Tom Burke | Tuesday, 01 June 2021 at 09:49 AM
Single length golf clubs? Change your name to Bryson deCampo!
Posted by: James Weekes | Tuesday, 01 June 2021 at 09:51 AM
Yep. That is why buying new in some products is not advisable (for most folks). Digital ILC cameras and cars come to mind. Anyway, trying to keep up with digital is a fool’s errand. If you buy the Mk.1 version that has just been introduced then the Mk.2 is 3-6 months away from shipping. The factory is already being configured for the Mk.3 and the design phase of the Mk.4 is well along. This whole life cycle is at most 3-5 years.
Posted by: John Robison | Tuesday, 01 June 2021 at 10:06 AM
At first glance the ZV-1 appears to have been overcome with a terrible fungal infection. Or is that the back end of a baby possum sitting on the camera?
Posted by: Ian Douglas | Tuesday, 01 June 2021 at 04:31 PM
Stephen Scharf nailed it, ( not the first time on these pages)
You can't really blame the camera companies, that are in business to sell cameras. In fact, I'd like to think that at least part of the huge drop off is sales of new cameras is due to many good Photographers really believing that their current camera is all they need to fulfill their vision.
Personally, I find great satisfaction in using a camera that I know well and has served me well. It feels like a trusted companion.
Posted by: Michael Perini | Tuesday, 01 June 2021 at 05:15 PM
As an experiment, I recently bought a video focused camera (a GH5) to learn more about video. TL;DR I mostly use it for stills photography.
Old habits are hard to change! But it has been a learning experience. It has been very intraspective on how much I prefer stills and how hard it is to move to video. I also find that there's a lot more video resources online for videographers, fitting of the media being produced (and I prefer web pages for photos, I guess you need silent time for reflection).
Also other technical lessons learnt along the way such as the changes in workflow, hardware (notably processing and storage), software, and the somewhat large gaping hole in my wallet!
For me, stills photography has been good enough for the last 5-8 years or so. I haven't seen a new stills camera that has made me want to change ever since high-ISO got good enough and shutters became relatively quiet...
Posted by: Pak | Wednesday, 02 June 2021 at 05:31 AM
It looks like a point-and-shoot with a tribble on top...
Posted by: Peter Klein | Wednesday, 02 June 2021 at 08:46 PM