The BBC and others, some citing Tokyo-based Sony spokesman Yasuhiro Okada, are reporting this morning that Sony says it is postponing production of its new A77, A65, and NEX-7 cameras due to supply and production interruptions in Thailand, a result of the extensive flooding there.
The market for computer hard drives will also be affected, as Toshiba, Seagate, and Western Digital all have substantial production in Thailand that have been disrupted. Western Digital has 60% of its production in Thailand and estimates that it will need several quarters to recover.
The BBC quotes Tim Cook, the new CEO of Apple Computer, who said on Tuesday he is "virtually certain there will be an overall industry shortage of disk drives."
Mike
(Thanks to Dave Wilson)
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Original contents copyright 2011 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved.
Some claim that there is already a good stock of A77´s available. If true, a lot of us that were planning on a 65 will be digging deeper in the pocket, or waiting. We do have some experience at waiting.
Posted by: Clayton Lofgren | Thursday, 20 October 2011 at 12:29 PM
Every day I'm getting happier that I bought the camera I really wanted (a850) early this year. The progress of digital camera evolution has slowed. New models are going in directions I don't welcome (EVF, video), while still image quality has plateaued, at least at reasonable ISOs. No wonder dpreview.com is spending its space announcing software and accessory gadgets in the long months between camera announcements.
Nothing much in the product pipeline, and now the pipeline itself is failing. What are we to do? Actually use our year-old cameras? Taking pictures, looking at them and talking about it? Oh, the horror!
Posted by: John McMillin | Thursday, 20 October 2011 at 01:19 PM
Thanks Mike, thats either really good advice or you have just started a buying frenzy on hard drives which will insure that there is no stock :)
Posted by: Richard | Thursday, 20 October 2011 at 02:15 PM
I've waited many years for a digital camera like the NEX-7 (good size, great controls, fast, good image quality, adapters for almost any lens, integrated viewfinder, better manual focus than I ever had) and can wait a bit longer. Any inconvenience on my part though is minor compared to having your workplace and livelihood under water.
Posted by: Stephen Best | Thursday, 20 October 2011 at 05:25 PM
Every day I'm getting happier that I bought the camera I really wanted (a850) early this year. The progress of digital camera evolution has slowed. New models are going in directions I don't welcome (EVF, video), while still image quality has plateaued, at least at reasonable ISOs.
Posted by: John McMillin
This is how feel too... I just got an a900 and boy do I like it.
Posted by: Matt Stevens | Thursday, 20 October 2011 at 06:02 PM
@John - But I am using a very old Nex3 eagerly waiting for the new Nex7! What should I do now?
Posted by: Dennis Ng | Thursday, 20 October 2011 at 06:11 PM
"This is how feel too... I just got an a900 and boy do I like it."
Ditto here! I'm really happy I got one before the last ones were gone. The camera's now been officially discontinued.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Johnston | Thursday, 20 October 2011 at 07:00 PM
There is a kind of cosmic irony in this. They all started moving to countries where the manufacture will be cheaper and now this, which will cost them.
Furthermore, China is apparently repeating what Japan did after WWII - from a cheap manufacturer of ripped-off products to a manufacturer of premium products. Will the next circle of cutting costs mean moving factories to Africa?
Posted by: erlik | Friday, 21 October 2011 at 03:08 AM
Hurrah to globalis(z)ation.....maybe WD and it's cohort should set up shop in the USA (except you know where) or Europe again. Also good for Barack and Angela (Nicola and Carla are busy with diapers :-)).
Greetings, Ed
Posted by: Ed | Friday, 21 October 2011 at 06:16 AM
Kinda off-topic, but I bet Apple have just bought a copulation-ton of hard drives with a miniscule part of their cash reserves. That way, they can either raise the prices when other OEMs do ("Well, hard drives are just so expensive these days.") or play the saint card ("What, you think we'd raise prices just because the hard drives are expensive now? Nooooo, we're gonna absorb the hit so our customers don't have to.")
(Please note that I'm a full-fledged Apple fanboi, I just like playing armchair CEO.)
Posted by: juze | Friday, 21 October 2011 at 08:58 AM
And Apple is also very happy that they use so much flash memory and fewer hard drives every year... This might help speed that process up.
Posted by: Augie De Blieck Jr. | Friday, 21 October 2011 at 10:23 AM
If there is a big enough break in production hopefully people will be able to weather the withdrawal pains created by a lack of ever new digi googahs to lust after. Once the shakes subside they will be able to actually go out and shoot some photographs and maybe learn to get the most out of what they already have. Once mastering the camera in hand, maybe they will realize they don't need the latest and greatest.
I would probably never have bought my D700 if the D70s I was using didn't develop a row of dead pixels. I learned what the D70s could do and how to get the most out of it. Actually created some outstanding images IMHO with it too. Prints up to 11x14 were sharp, great colour saturation and good DR (similar to good old Kodachrome). B&W conversions held great shadow detail.
In the old days we use to spend countless hours fussing with film/developer/paper combinations to get just what we wanted. Now it seems people want to be able to buy their way to excellence rather than learn the craft of photography. Whether it be film or digital.
I got off the treadmill and spend my time creating the next image rather than trying to find "the magic camera". I suspect I will be using my D700 until it gives up the ghost. To bad they don't have the MTBF of the old film cameras. But hey that's the price of progress,,I guess.
Eric (see you out shooting rather than reading spec sheets)Rose.
Posted by: Eric Rose | Friday, 21 October 2011 at 11:06 AM
A900 +1
Just got mine second-hand in Japan just after Sony discontinued it.
Now, it is even hard to find it second-hand in Tokyo.
Posted by: hugo | Friday, 21 October 2011 at 11:07 AM
Very, very bad news for Sony & Nikon
Posted by: Nikola Ovcharski | Sunday, 23 October 2011 at 05:31 PM
We just got the a65 in stock at our store - it arrived last Friday- so I would not put much faith in this rumor. The a77 has not arrived, but is not due until early November anyway. Sony has not said anything about a delay.
Posted by: Larry Steiner | Tuesday, 25 October 2011 at 06:28 PM
We have 2 SONY SLT-A77s and the SONY 16-50MM 2.8 lens. We have taken over 6,000 excellent photos and we can assure all of you that the wait is well worth it! We have hands on reviews on both camera and lens and a few thousand sample photos on our site. Go to the SONY|MINOLTA tab at http://www.abetterdj.net
I've helped others get their SONY A77 body and one of the people I buy these from told me that SONY had some units already at the port in Thailand before the flooding. He said SONY told once those are gone there won't be any more until 2012. If you see one grab it while you can!
Posted by: MICHAEL | Saturday, 29 October 2011 at 02:54 PM