[interested_observer]

.

Sony Semiconductor division ---> Ricoh
.

Meanwhile, every Pentaxian's pipe dream would be: Ricoh/Pentax buys sensor divisions of Kodak and Sony, introduces 645DII and full-frame K-3 with otherworldly performance, opens up gates of paradise to Pentaxians.

Very true. Ricoh or Nikon should buy Kodak and start making their own sensors. Then maybe they can compete head to head with Canon. Pentax could have their FF if they want it and secure the 645 sensor needs. Nikon wouldn't have been stuck with a 36MP sensor for the D800 that no one is thrilled with. Canon's 5DMKIII at 23MP is just about the perfect camera for the target market.

And the nightmare for Ricoh/Pentax, as well as Nikon, Leica, Olympus and others, would be if Canon buys Sony's sensor division

Perhaps the RIcoh, Nikon, Olympus and other should join up and buy the sensor division jointly. Form a new company with the stock divided by the different camera manufacturers.

Ricoh posted a loss of $540 million this last year...... Actually the joint venture idea sounds excellent!

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Last edited by interested_observer; 05-13-2012 at 08:28 AM.

[Alizarine]

Sony Semiconductor division ---> Ricoh

+1 to this oh yes

[K-9]

I stopped buying Sony once their TV's stopped being made in Japan. I've only ever bought CD-R's by Sony since then, and that's about it. I won't be sad if the brand disappears. Their only good TV's are way overpriced and their low end ones are far surpassed by other brands.

[D0n]

Sony is like North Korea in the sense that they are isolated... except that in Sony's case, their policies of protectionism, and tendency to screw thier own customers, was a self inflicted form of economic sanctions against themselves.

I am sick of trying to shoot multicam video projects with sony products when every damned sony camcorder has it's own propriety battery and accessories... you might expect that between different brand cameras, but seriously, Sony? two F'K'N identical sized and shaped batteries won't interchange due to a propriety chip hidden inside?
Having a job screwed up due to a dead battery and yet a fully charged battery from one sony camcorder FITS but won't work on another sony camorder?
F U and good riddance!

[Rupert]

My bet....Samsung will pick up the pieces at a bargain price. They have a long history of this in their other divisions, it is one of the things they are known best at doing. Wreck it, then buy it cheap.

[philbaum]

This is an April 10, 2012 NYT article, a month older than OP but more details:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/11/business/global/sony-revises-expected-loss...lion.html?_r=1

Once a much-emulated and coveted darling of the technology industry, Sony is
a shadow of its former self, its problems mirroring a wider decline in the
Japanese consumer electronics industry.


Another struggling electronics maker, Sharp, announced
Tuesday that it now expected a loss of ¥380 billion for the financial year that
ended March 31, also far worse than its previous forecast of ¥290 billion.

Mr. Kato said that any job cuts would include
positions from a liquid crystal display unit and small chemical business, which
are being spun off from Sony. But the Nikkei business daily, which first
reported the larger job-cut figure, said that jobs were likely to go from
Sony’s money-losing TV business.

There was nothing about cameras

[Christine Tham]

Guys ... relax.

Sony's results are not much different than other Japanese conglomerates - the earthquake and tsunami has affected many companies.

Panasonic has just announced a $9.7 billion loss:
http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/13/panasonic-racks-up-a-record-loss-for-2012...rward-to-prof/

Neither company is about to go under just yet, but it will be tough times ahead for all companies, not just in Japan either.

[philbaum]

Good points Christine.

It isn't just the earthquake and Tsunami, altho that would be bad enough. The Koreans and Chinese are doing to Japan what Japan did to the US market decades ago. I have a Samsung TV and Samsung computer monitor.

[LaurenOE]

Sony is like North Korea in the sense that they are isolated... except that in Sony's case, their policies of protectionism, and tendency to screw thier own customers, was a self inflicted form of economic sanctions against themselves.

I am sick of trying to shoot multicam video projects with sony products when every damned sony camcorder has it's own propriety battery and accessories... you might expect that between different brand cameras, but seriously, Sony? two F'K'N identical sized and shaped batteries won't interchange due to a propriety chip hidden inside?
Having a job screwed up due to a dead battery and yet a fully charged battery from one sony camcorder FITS but won't work on another sony camorder?
F U and good riddance!

Yep. That's what I'm talk'n 'bout.

[kenafein]

Sony is like North Korea in the sense that they are isolated... except that in Sony's case, their policies of protectionism, and tendency to screw thier own customers, was a self inflicted form of economic sanctions against themselves.

I am sick of trying to shoot multicam video projects with sony products when every damned sony camcorder has it's own propriety battery and accessories... you might expect that between different brand cameras, but seriously, Sony? two F'K'N identical sized and shaped batteries won't interchange due to a propriety chip hidden inside?
Having a job screwed up due to a dead battery and yet a fully charged battery from one sony camcorder FITS but won't work on another sony camorder?
F U and good riddance!

All the NEX cameras, and I think one of the NEX camcorders share the same battery at least. Maybe they're getting the hint. The NEX batteries are absurdly costly though. It's about $75 for a replacement. Good thing for the aftermarket as I got 2 batteries and a charger/car charger for $35(Wasabi).

[D0n]

All the NEX cameras, and I think one of the NEX camcorders share the same battery at least. Maybe they're getting the hint. The NEX batteries are absurdly costly though. It's about $75 for a replacement. Good thing for the aftermarket as I got 2 batteries and a charger/car charger for $35(Wasabi).

now try putting in an aftermarket battery...... bet the propriety chips make them unusable sooner or later...

[kenafein]

now try putting in an aftermarket battery...... bet the propriety chips make them unusable sooner or later...

I'll let you know, they're working ok so far.

[D0n]

I'll let you know, they're working ok so far.

I had this issue with an optex battery.... it work great for two weeks, then the camera rejected it, optex replaced it.. it worked for six months then the camera started shutting off after ten minutes of recording... all instances... sony protection chip.... as the battery is fine.... so I'm left wondering WTF kind of malware sony has on my computer that occasionally updates the camera to disable the battery... or is this something built into the camera that it can somehow change the codes and know which is the aftermarket battery?

[kenafein]

I had this issue with an optex battery.... it work great for two weeks, then the camera rejected it, optex replaced it.. it worked for six months then the camera started shutting off after ten minutes of recording... all instances... sony protection chip.... as the battery is fine.... so I'm left wondering WTF kind of malware sony has on my computer that occasionally updates the camera to disable the battery... or is this something built into the camera that it can somehow change the codes and know which is the aftermarket battery?

It seems you are right, Sony chips all their batteries, but this company claims theirs are compatible. The reviews are good.

[lesmore49]

Great sensors that both Pentax and Nikon DSLR's use...worries me the most.