FX3/FX30: Sony feature request contact?

F

firehawk

Veteran
Few years ago I contacted Panasonic about my requests for upgrading the AG UX180 / HC-X1 and sure enough they did pretty much everything I asked for with the HC-X2. After we got our hands on the X2 I contacted them again and posted contact links on here asking others to do the same requesting they fix a few annoyances with the X2, such as the dumb no face tracking auto focus N/A except in full auto AE mode, and with the firmware upgrade, they did fix it.
Who do we contact at Sony for feature requests? I would like the FX6 and FX9 to offer XAVC-S like the FX3 and A7 line do, and 2ndary wish would be AVCHD.
In addition, I would be very insterested in buying an FX6 body with the FX30 sensor.
Anyone else interested?
 
firehawk said:
Anyone else interested?
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Nope.
AVCHD would be a huge step backwards. Not going to happen. I would strongly lobby against it.

The main difference between XAVC-S and regular XAVC is that the files are in an MP4 wrapper instead of MXF. Why would a professional care one way or the other?

We certainly don't need more codecs cluttering up the Sony cameras, when too many customers can't figure out what is already there.
 
I think Panasonic fixing anything you wanted fixed was likely because of existent worldwide feedback (meaning it wasn't directly because of your email or a few other correspondences but because what you likely brought up was already in motion to be changed).

These companies usually only work on stuff they consistently hear about loud and clear.
 
NorBro said:
I think Panasonic fixing anything you wanted fixed was likely because of existent worldwide feedback (meaning it wasn't directly because of your email or a few other correspondences but because what you likely brought up was already in motion to be changed).

These companies usually only work on stuff they consistently hear about loud and clear.
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Yes, I agree. I have been successful at lobbying for some changes over the years at Sony, but I have a unique relationship with them, and most of my suggestions didn't get implemented until there was a new model. And even then, only a fraction of my suggestions are ever acted upon. You really have to speak to the Japanese engineers in-person and work to convince them WHY your suggestion(s) are important to the general customer base. That is one of the best parts about NAB. Face-to-face lobbying for changes and improvments.

My advice is to accept whatever limitations you find in any gear you buy and just workaround them . . . or choose something else that suits your needs better.
 
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thanks. While I understand your views, avchd is useful for long events where you might capture 20 hrs of footage in a day and don’t need a better codec. Inferior codec indeed but good enough for some things and less storage needed for lots of footage.

Panasonic doing as asked about the ux 180, hcx2 and hck 10 was almost certainly due to a number of people contacting them, far more than my emails but they did put me in contact with engineers so my communication attempts may have helped some.
I don’t know who to contact at Sony.
Thanks again for the thoughts
 
firehawk said:
thanks. While I understand your views, avchd is useful for long events where you might capture 20 hrs of footage in a day and don’t need a better codec. Inferior codec indeed but good enough for some things and less storage needed for lots of footage.
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I have a suggestion for you to propose to Sony that might actually be easier to implement than adding AVCHD -- which is never going to happen anyway.

Many of Sony's cameras, including the FX6, already have a lightweight CODEC that is a superior option to AVCHD. It's called PROXY.
Don't let the name "proxy" fool you. The files are 1920x1080, 8-bit 4:2:0, H.264, LongGOP @ 9 Mbps in an MP4 wrapper. 9Mbps is basically the same bitrate Netflix uses for HD, and that ought to be good enough for the kind of events you are talking about. In a couple of my videos on YouTube I show some split-screen shots with Proxy on one side and XAVC-I on the other. You cannot tell the difference unless you look really close or want to do heavily grading in post.

The catch right now on the FX6, is that you can only record proxies while you are also recording the full-blown XAVC clips. Obviously, that defeats your purpose. So, the change that you need to suggest to Sony is that they update the camera so you are allowed to record proxies only. You press a button and only 9Mbps proxies are recorded.

The codec and necessary processing is already onboard the camera, so the change should be much easier than trying to shoe-horn AVCHD into a camera that probably can't do it.

There is precedent for this. I have progammed an Assign Button on my Z750 that works as a record start/stop button for proxies only. I use it all the time. And in those cases, the files are not really even proxies anymore because they are the only file being recorded. The technical specifications of the Z750 proxies are exactly the same as the FX6 proxies, and they look great.

So, rather than pushing for AVCHD, try pushing for independent proxy recording instead.
Just an idea.
 
One more thought.

You can already use the FX6 to get about 26 hours of XAVC-L35 footage on a cheap 512GB SD card. I'll take that over AVCHD any day . . . and no lobbying Sony necessary. You can do it today.
 
Interesting will that 9mbit “proxy” mp4 hold up as well in post as 28 mbit avchd?

xavc L35 is 35mbit? Sounds like good superior and not much bigger than avchd.

I agree that implementing avchd is about 0 chance since they don’t do it on so many of their cams. But they do xavc s on many already
And an fx60 type cam (fx30 in fx6 body) would use mostly existing tech. That I would love.
Actually what I’d prefer over that would be an nex ea50 body with fx30 sensor and ND. I’d sell all my cams for several of those but no way that’s happening.
 
I agree that it was coincidence that your requests were addressed. I find in general these companies make very odd decisions and rarely ever fix bad design. They're more likely to do nothing or discontinue the camera line and move on to another camera with it's own set of issues. In fairness they're not spending money fixing something unless they see sales benefit. I'm not talking about bugs they address those in a firmware updates because fixes you probably are talking are features you want.

What exactly did you ask for? Because I didn't see much that was fixed in the X2. Off the top of my head:
1. They added 10bit but that seemed to apply to any modern camera.
2. The LCD and touch screen was light years better but again I think this was just tech advance you saw everywhere.
3. Low light is a little better but its done via a boost that needs to be turn on or off in the menu when the camera isn't recording.
4. They added V-log. I haven't found a use for it but haven't had that much time to play with it. I'm not convinced there is much benefit using log in 1" camcorder...

I was upset when they switched to LANC, iris/aperture control no longer works.
I think the menu in someways got more complicated and I don't like the layout of the menu or the buttons on the camera. My gripe with the button layout is if Panasonic has been building video cameras for decades you'd thing they would have settled on what's best and makes the most sense. Why for example in 3 different models the white balance button moved and works differently? Maybe if they took the time to decide what's best and just leave it in the same location. Imagine if car companies switched the location of the brake and gas pedals?
 
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Peter C. said:
Imagine if car companies switched the location of the brake and gas pedals?
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That's one of the best things about the shoulder-mount ENG cameras. If you've run one before, even a Betacam from 25 years ago, you can step into a that kind of camera from any manufacturer without any trouble at all. Everyone agreed on the placement of controls decades ago, and nobody wants to change it.
 
I was emailed in February by someone asking about my experience with the Sony Monitor and Control app. I assume he saw me either on dvxuser or sonyalpharumors.com talking about using wifi remotes. Except I don't use monitor and control, I use the 3rd party app Monitor+.

So I'm assuming he sent me a form letter he sent to a bunch of people. I emailed him back with my thoughts and never heard from him again. Maybe he can help you.

Hi Abe,

I apologize for the random connect…

I saw a post that you use Sony Monitor & Control. As always we are working on improvements…

I wanted to see if you were interested in having a quick chat on how you use it and what you like/don’t like about it?

Thanks.

Dan Perry | Sony | Cinematic Production | 714-396-8306
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Daniel.Perry@sony.com

I'm guessing this is his LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-perry-34a85a1

They came out with a major update to Monitor and Control a couple months later. I didn't look closely enough to determine if they used my advice. But I did see that they have a feature on iPad for connecting to and monitoring 4 cameras simultaneously, and I had stressed the importance of connecting to multiple cameras.
 
Doug Jensen said:
Yes, I agree. I have been successful at lobbying for some changes over the years at Sony, but I have a unique relationship with them, and most of my suggestions didn't get implemented until there was a new model. And even then, only a fraction of my suggestions are ever acted upon. You really have to speak to the Japanese engineers in-person and work to convince them WHY your suggestion(s) are important to the general customer base. That is one of the best parts about NAB. Face-to-face lobbying for changes and improvments.

My advice is to accept whatever limitations you find in any gear you buy and just workaround them . . . or choose something else that suits your needs better.
Click to expand...
Most Japanese companies still have a product-out (we know better than our customers, so we create what we think is the best product then put it in the marketplace) vs a market-in (focus on customer needs and feedback) mindset.

Obviously, the first approach is very arrogant, patriarchal and obsolete.

As the Japanese say: Shōganai. ("It is what it is.")
 
norway said:
Most Japanese companies still have a product-out (we know better than our customers, so we create what we think is the best product then put it in the marketplace) vs a market-in (focus on customer needs and feedback) mindset.

Obviously, the first approach is very arrogant, patriarchal and obsolete.

As the Japanese say: Shōganai. ("It is what it is.")
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That's the impression I get that they know better.

Black Magic was a revelation their home screen shows you all important settings shutter, iso, wb, aperture, recording format, click on any to change it.
 
Peter C. said:
That's the impression I get that they know better.

Black Magic was a revelation their home screen shows you all important settings shutter, iso, wb, aperture, recording format, click on any to change it.
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Blackmagic strikes me as one of the companies that are great at "market-in" - i.e. creating a community, making them feel included, and taking feedback from them. What do they get in return? Loyal customers and a lot of free customer feedback and research.
 
norway said:
Most Japanese companies still have a product-out (we know better than our customers, so we create what we think is the best product then put it in the marketplace) vs a market-in (focus on customer needs and feedback) mindset.

Obviously, the first approach is very arrogant, patriarchal and obsolete.

As the Japanese say: Shōganai. ("It is what it is.")
Click to expand...
Sooo many games on Steam from developers all over the world include the community in the 'early access' development process for 2-3-4+ years and the final products have something in the games that literally almost everyone wanted.

It's the best thing ever (and I'm talking massively successful games that are right up there with some of the biggest titles in the world that don't do that).
 
ahalpert said:
I was emailed in February by someone asking about my experience with the Sony Monitor and Control app.
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Dan Perry is a heavy hitter at Sony and I'm sure his initial outreach to you was personal and legitimate. He's an ASC associate member and you can see a full-page picture of Dan on page 11 of the June issue of AC getting an award at the ASC Awards. Getting ghosted later, after he found you didn't actually use the software he was talking about, well, unfortunately, that's pretty common with everyone at Sony.

In my opinion, Dan is NOT someone who would be good to lobby for technical changes to a particular camera. That is not his bag, baby. Save your breath.
If you want changes, you have to speak with the Japanese engineers if you expect to have an impact.
 
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