The DP Review article directly debunks most of the hype espoused by Sony zealots.
The belief system of the ardent Sony fan appears wrong on every count:
- Nikon designs Nikon sensors (not Sony);
- Sony offers foundry service to Nikon, not technology;
- Sony views Nikon (and others) as valuable customers, not competition;
- The D850 was not only a Nikon design (not a Sony design); it was also built by the Israeli company TowerJazz.
Even if the D850 sensor were built by Sony, Nikon's technology = Nikon's technology, it's not Sony's (this is why God created patents ).
But
TowerJazz produced the D850's sensor (they also produce Leica sensors).
Some relevant quotes:
DP Review:
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 manufacturers' cameras, despite using a 'Sony' sensor.
Sony:
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.
DP Review:
Could this threaten the growth of Sony's own camera division?Sony:
Our focus is to increase the overall market. (Paraphrasing slightly) 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.
DP Review:
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.
Sony:
Our company has a vision, which is more important than profit alone.
DP Review:
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?Sony:
Yes.
In the end, the takeaway is this:
- Nikon designs its own sensors, and Sony manufactures them;
- Nikon's best sensor to date, the class-leading D850 sensor, was designed by Nikon, and built by (if reports are true) TowerJazz;
- Sony's best sensors are not necessarily as good as the competition [they are obligated to mind the patent restrains of customers (e.g., Nikon) who create better sensors than they do];
- Sony has a great, contributing attitude to ALL camera manufacturers.
So, yes, Sony is "in it to win it" ... as well they should be ... but they are also 1) humble enough to concede better technologies, 2) helpful enough to provide foundry resources to any customers, and therefore 3) they appear to view their presence as truly great ambassadors for everyone.
Great article, IMO, and hats-off to Sony for the honest responses ...
Jack
