Sony A1 Hey A1, your new firmware update has been released

[Brownie]

And in typical Sony fashion, you get nothing. Some bugs fixes and the ever present "improves camera stability".

 

[RogerSmith]

This is really strange and disappointing from Sony. If the architecture of the A1 prevents adoption of new AI AF and other features, they should say so, otherwise the assumption that they are crippling capabilities to protect sales projections / forthcoming camera releases is all we are left to believe. This is one of the reasons I left Canon.

 

[Brownie]

This is really strange and disappointing from Sony. If the architecture of the A1 prevents adoption of new AI AF and other features, they should say so, otherwise the assumption that they are crippling capabilities to protect sales projections / forthcoming camera releases is all we are left to believe. This is one of the reasons I left Canon.

In all fairness, the new AI feature in the A7RV utilizes a dedicated chip, clearly not something that can be added to the camera. What they could do is update things like subject recognition. There are other things they could probably improve too. I think it's short sighted on their part not to provide a couple of new or improved/expanded features through firmware for their customers, though. To be honest, between their firmware updates and their prices, Sony is starting to look very much like an elitist company who believes they're above the crowd. I think Nikon is about to kick their ass.

 

[jav_eee]

This is really strange and disappointing from Sony. If the architecture of the A1 prevents adoption of new AI AF and other features, they should say so, otherwise the assumption that they are crippling capabilities to protect sales projections / forthcoming camera releases is all we are left to believe. This is one of the reasons I left Canon.

This is what tech companies do. May I introduce you to the Apple ecosystem?

 

[Brownie]

This is what tech companies do. May I introduce you to the Apple ecosystem?

It isn't how they all do. I've had other manufacturers do some really nice feature updates through firmware. Panasonic added a lot of stuff to my G9 when I had it. It's no secret Sony is really bad at it this, they are legend at being the bottom of the barrel.

 

[Deleted Member 5045]

I honestly wouldn't get too upset about 'missing out' on the AI labelled AF. I was pretty open about this before, and having owned this camera now for a while I can tell you 110% that the only real time AI processing going on in that camera is that it lays down drinking beers all day because there is absolutely zero of it being used for the autofocus system.

It's pretty piss poor on Sony's behalf to advertise it as they have, seeming that Canon's dual pixel AF no different than Sony's also incorporated AI to program the system, but it is what it is as those who believe the AI sales ploy ran out and purchased the camera, and people like myself still went out and bought it anyway.

My guess is that AI was able to run the autofocus simulations straight through a processor rather than have real people do physical simulations when they were programming it. Then just as a matter of the next stage of Sony's autofocus system they put a separate processing unit in there purely for AF only.

I do love this camera to death though, and I'm happy to know the AI is laying in there getting drunk while I'm taking photos, we're both enjoying ourselves. He's a lazy prick but I guess he's good for safety, he could call the ambulance if I fall off a waterfall or something...

 

[Landshark99]

It isn't how they all do. I've had other manufacturers do some really nice feature updates through firmware. Panasonic added a lot of stuff to my G9 when I had it. It's no secret Sony is really bad at it this, they are legend at being the bottom of the barrel.

I would give that title to Canon

 

[AlphaWorld]

I think the extra chip in the A7RV is handling the extra processing load required to do the image analysis for the “posture recognition” AF - that is a lot more than “dual pixel AF”. The work involved must be substantial. I imagine the marketing people called it AI because explaining what it did was hard. I doubt it is using machine learning inside the camera, but it may be using a neural net in the pattern matching. It does not have to be ML to come under the heading AI (let alone the marketing-speak term “AI” ).

@RogerSmith - I would have thought it was fairly obvious when they said “we added a chip to support our new AF” - anyone saying “Sony is refusing to give us the new AF in the A1!!!” is either clickbaiting or hasn’t thought about it.

There are features I imagine could have been included, like the bulb timer and maybe focus stacking. I have not looked to see if they were included.

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

Why give new features when you can put them in a new camera and watch the sheep rush to buy it.

 

[Brownie]

I would give that title to Canon

Yeah, but Canon is in a league of its own. Customer loyalty is off the charts with them, not sure anything they do is comparable to the common folk!