A7IV paid firmware update

[Matthias]

Sony saw the opportunity and took it...

https://petapixel.com/2023/11/28/for-150-sony-will-let-you-add-custom-gridlines-to-your-a7-iv/

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

What a con!

 

[spudhead]

Wow just what I would need if I had that camera, what a set of idiots, look like a test run for the future of meaningless Sony updates

 

[Deleted Member 5045]

Spending the initial outlay just doesn't quite get you a VIP seat. Hectic sh*t...

 

[evacguy]

WTF? Sony certainly does lead the pack, but not how we expected!

 

[spudhead]

WTF? Sony certainly does lead the pack, but not how we expected!

Did you just swear Edward? that is not like you

 

[spudhead]

Complete horsecrap. I had heard through rumors several months ago that they may try this with some A7S III updates. Sony can kiss my butt.

This boils down to $150 so you don't have to learn proper composition. Gridlines, indeed.

Would have thought horse crap might be more use even at a 150 bucks

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

Would have thought horse crap might be more use even at a 150 bucks

It would fertilise my garden nicely

 

[Deleted Member 5045]

Animal eye AF on the A9II would be red hot for $150. Your time is nearly here Gary, I just know it..!

 

[Deleted Member 5045]

BTW, this is nonsense and certainly not in Context:



Pansonic sold the S1 without those features at a lower price for people who didn't want the video features. That is a reasonable way to do it IF it can control the initial purchase price. I have no problem with selling a camera with fewer features or selling features ala-carte if it holds the price down. I have a HUGE problem with them approaching it from this direction. The difference is knowing or not knowing up-front.

The unexpected consequences? The used value of any A7 IV WITHOUT the gridlines option just became compromised.

Hello, Canon...

Maybe Sony will even do buy backs soon. $500 buy back for my video features, sounds like a sweet deal...

 

[iamdlewis]

I think if they want to go down this path then they at the very least need to change the way that they handle firmware/feature updates. I would be ok with paying for new features if firmware updates included the software features provided to other cameras were free for either X number of years or between generations of the camera. My thought on how this would work would be:
A1 - gets all the software features of all the other A7/9 camera lines
A9/7 - gets all the software features of all the other A7 camera lines

This would probably be easier to implement if it were by generation than number of years from purchase. This would allow for someone who bought a camera to not feel like they have been cheated because a lower model line got "cool new feature" that could easily have been on their camera 2 months later. It also just keeps the cameras more competitive for longer.

If they are going with the method they appear with this gridlines thing then they really need to work on their pricing AND be up front about what types of features they will provide through this process. If they go to the car model approach that is really going to put-off a lot of people.

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

Seriously though, who needs grid lines? Is this not just more dumbing down? It's just giving people the need not to bother learning techniques, as Tim iterated earlier.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Seriously though, who needs grid lines? Is this not just more dumbing down? It's just giving people the need not to bother learning techniques, as Tim iterated earlier.

4 years later, I still leave the rule of thirds and horizon level on my display. That said, I absolutely wouldn't pay extra for it or any custom gridline options.

 

[spudhead]

Animal eye AF on the A9II would be red hot for $150. Your time is nearly here Gary, I just know it..!

Yep but I would need the a9ii first, I only have the a9i

 

[spudhead]

4 years later, I still leave the rule of thirds and horizon level on my display. That said, I absolutely wouldn't pay extra for it or any custom gridline options.

Just draw them on the rear screen job done

 

[spudhead]

Now, if they could add train recognition to the A7 IV for a reasonable amount of money, then by God I'd jump! I'm deathly afraid to shoot a train without it! That'd be worth maybe $400-500!

You be able to see that coming down the grid lines on the camera

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

From what I can glean, this is a customizable option for specific applications. Say you shoot school photos. You can develop a grid to put around the kid's heads to they're all the same size in the yearbook. Or, maybe someone who does passport photos. While I can see the usefulness, it seems kind of a silly thing for $150. A screen protector and a Sharpie would do the same.

When I was on the cruise earlier this month, I wondered about the staff photographers: how good they were, what kind of experience they have. If the photography practices are heavily standardized, like with custom grids so the photographer knows where the company logo will go or a character will be digitally inserted, it might allow an employer like Disney to hire less experienced staff.

 

[Deleted Member 5045]

Yep but I would need the a9ii first, I only have the a9i

I need to stop writing messages when I'm half asleep...

 

[AlphaWorld]

Complete horsecrap. I had heard through rumors several months ago that they may try this with some A7S III updates. Sony can kiss my butt.

This boils down to $150 so you don't have to learn proper composition. Gridlines, indeed.

Someone pointed out that it was requested by (recently formed) "association of school photographers" - thoughts are it's to let the production line companies to hire non-photographers to churn out shots at schools and charge parents for pictures of their kids. I imagine shopping mall Santa photographers will be buying it, too.

It's not something any of us have to pay for, but people are playing the scare card - "this is the thin end of the wedge", "soon all firmware updates will be chargeable", "subscription fees for firmware updates" - what a load of <insert epithet of choice>!

This is Sony charging a demanding group a fee to implement something they didn't want to do for free. And keeping the camera clean for the rest of us - we don't have to install that rubbish!

All up, I think it's kind of disappointing that Petapixel indulges in this kind of gutter press journalism.

 

[spudhead]

Camera sales are falling for all makers, but Sony still want more money from fewer customers and still they are making cameras that may well be better than the other makers at the moment! but that is changing and needs to change because Sony are making cameras that might be ground breaking but for many are over kill ie a9iii that is a in your face Canon and Nikon statement from Sony and again not thinking about end users, but yet many hobby shooters state they will buy it and take a hit on pixel count, well lets see how that works out for people yes focus should be awesome but shooting 24mp is a lot different to shooting with 50+mp, I guess that why they dropped the 300 2.8 at the same time, lets hope the iffy 2x teleconverter can deliver.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

I still leave the rule of thirds and horizon level on my display.

Me too: I think I have rule-of-thirds vision. At least as a starting point.

 

[Landshark99]

From what I can glean, this is a customizable option for specific applications. Say you shoot school photos. You can develop a grid to put around the kid's heads to they're all the same size in the yearbook. Or, maybe someone who does passport photos. While I can see the usefulness, it seems kind of a silly thing for $150. A screen protector and a Sharpie would do the same.

I see it more for places with multiple photographers, so that all the camera will match the crop needs of the company, whether it is for publication, promotions or some other specific need. Back in the day there were times where the agency art director would provide a mask for the 4X5 or medium format camera to make sure the image fit their needs. One of the reasons editors for magazine cover shoots liked us to shoot 2 1/4 square was so they would be the one cropping the image not the photographer in camera. I have to admit when shooting covers it was at times easy to forget to leave space in the frame for the copy they need to run, especially when I shot 6X7 or 6X8.

 

[Matthias]

The unexpected consequences? The used value of any A7 IV WITHOUT the gridlines option just became compromised.

It might be developed for a specific target audience that needs this to make their lives easier. However, I expect that a lot of people outside or the target audience will buy this version of the firmware just because they can, want to experiment with it, or just to have the most up-to-date version of the camera.

When the money starts rolling in what will keep Sony from applying this to all future firmware updates?

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

It might be developed for a specific target audience that needs this to make their lives easier. However, I expect that a lot of people outside or the target audience will buy this version of the firmware just because they can, want to experiment with it, or just to have the most up-to-date version of the camera.

When the money starts rolling in what will keep Sony from applying this to all future firmware updates?

Nothing, and therein lies the issue. It's digusting IMO, they make a ton of money already.

 

[spudhead]

Someone pointed out that it was requested by (recently formed) "association of school photographers" - thoughts are it's to let the production line companies to hire non-photographers to churn out shots at schools and charge parents for pictures of their kids. I imagine shopping mall Santa photographers will be buying it, too.

It's not something any of us have to pay for, but people are playing the scare card - "this is the thin end of the wedge", "soon all firmware updates will be chargeable", "subscription fees for firmware updates" - what a load of <insert epithet of choice>!

This is Sony charging a demanding group a fee to implement something they didn't want to do for free. And keeping the camera clean for the rest of us - we don't have to install that rubbish!

All up, I think it's kind of disappointing that Petapixel indulges in this kind of gutter press journalism.

They used to be able to teach monkeys, it seems later generation monkeys are not as smart as their ancestors

 

[Landshark99]

They used to be able to teach monkeys, it seems later generation monkeys are not as smart as their ancestors

As I stated above this is for a specific audience that needs a consistent crop across their production, no matter how much you teach it is much better to have lines to follow, if that is what is required.