D-Photo: Where was Sony 15 years
ago, and what was its flagship
product at the time?
Jun Yoon: Back in 2004, we released
12 Cyber-Shot compact cameras,
all with sensors in the 4–7MP range.
This was pretty impressive for the
time, given that the first Cyber-Shot
camera, released back in ’96, had a
0.3MP sensor. The flagship model
was the DSC-F88, which had a
3x Zeiss lens that swivelled so you
could take a selfie. We called them
‘self-portraits’ back then, if you can
imagine that. Of course, that was the
year that Konica Minolta launched
the Alpha 7 Digital, the predecessor
of Sony’s Alpha range of cameras.
What are some of the major
developments Sony has had
since then?
A lot has happened since then. We
purchased Minolta’s camera business
more than 10 years ago! We launched
the a100 D-SLR in 2006 and went
on to pioneer full-frame mirrorless
with the launch of the Alpha 7 series
in 2013. It’s really been a game
changer, and it’s hard to believe that
this was only six years ago. Since
then, every new generation of Alpha
camera has brought significant
advancements to meet the needs
of photographers, particularly in
terms of AF [autofocus] speed
and accuracy.
There’s been talk of an expansion to
your full-frame mirrorless line-up
with the Sony a7S III. What can we
expect from the addition, and when
can Kiwis get their hands on one?
We love the sense of anticipation
that is building; however, currentlywe don’t have any information
to provide.
Sony seems to have been putting
a lot into its full-frame mirrorless
models, but it’s clearly putting
energy into other areas as well,
such as with the release of the Sony
a6400 earlier this year. Where
does your focus lie next?
We’re in the unique position of
having a common lens mount
across our APS-C and full-frame
mirrorless range, so products like
the a6000 and a6400 offer a
great way to get familiar with our
Alpha system. Photographers
can start shooting on an a6000,
and progress to something like an
a9 if sports photography is their
interest or an FS7 if their direction is
filmmaking. The benefit is that you
can use the same lenses when you
upgrade your camera body, so you
are not needlessly throwing away
your investment.
Of course, outside of our innovation
in camera bodies, we realize that
investment in lens development is
crucial. That’s what makes or breaks
a system, and that is why you have
seen so many great lenses from us
recently, with more than 30 full-
frame E-mount lenses now available,
including the 200–600mm zoom
and incredible 600mm G Master
super-telephoto prime lens.
Where do you see the major
developments in photography
taking place, and what sort of
changes will the photographic
industry have to make?
Interest in photography is at an
all-time high, with more photosbeing taken than ever before, largely
due to the rise of Instagram and the
smartphone. Phone cameras have
their limits, though, and for people
who really care about getting the best
shots possible, interchangeable-lens
cameras will always be the ultimate
tool for the job.
Looking into the future, we are
witnessing major breakthroughs in
digital imaging coming from advances
in machine vision and AI [artificial
intelligence], like our own Eye AF
and Real-Time Tracking technology.
As the world’s leading manufacturer
of imaging sensors, Sony is uniquely
positioned to bring these kinds
of technology to market, giving
photographers experiences and
abilities that would have seemed like
science fiction 15 years agoSONY A7R IIISONY A6400RETROSPECTIVE | SPONSORED CONTENT
REFLECTING ON 15 YEARS WITH TWO TOP CAMERA BRANDSSONYFifteen years is a long time, especially if you’re looking at technological progress. We talk to Sony’s head of digital
imaging for Australia and New Zealand, Jun Yoon, and Panasonic’s Andrew Reid, product manager, to find out what
was happening with these two iconic camera manufacturers at the time of D-Photo’s inception in 2004. We also
look at where they’ve been since and their plans for the future