Swearing in with Sony

I do not know where to share this. I was watching the swearing in of the new Dutch government and noticed the (female) photographer was using a Sony E-mount camera with either the 24/1.4GM or 14/1.8GM (it clearly is showing the orange GM logo).

You can find the pictures she took here: https://www.anpfoto.nl/search.pp?eventid=6036725

Interesting fact: in early 2020 the ANP news agency renewed their contract with Canon (https://www.anp.nl/kennis/82/canon-camera-anp-fotograven) and nowhere on the site do they mention they switched to Sony. I do not know if they switched, if the photographer was using her private camera or that she is an independent photographer hired by the ANP news agency.

See the photographer with the Sony lens and camera here at 29.49 - 29.50: https://youtu.be/EasSruANo4A?t=1789

Sometimes people say only a small number of news agencies switched to Sony and that the majority is using Canon or (to a lesser extend) Nikon.

I thought it interesting.

addy landzaat wrote: ... Sometimes people say only a small number of news agencies switched to Sony and that the majority is using Canon or (to a lesser extend) Nikon ...

Everybody's making really really good gear these days.

The gear doesn't look like a substantive reason to change; rather the opposite, actually: sunken costs (of existing/owned gear (and up-front replacement costs)) may be a major part of a "stay with existing vendor" choice since getting that "other" (Sony) gear isn't inherently motivating.

But also -- I wonder about the support contracts. On paper, Sony "Pro" support looked comparable last time I compared, but they had minor differences; those bigger agencies may have had criteria I've never considered, and "minor" to me might be an major issue for them.

Last but not least, I wonder about "execution" -- does Sony reliably "meet or exceed" pro-level support expectations? It has been a long time since I "rubbed shoulders" in person with any pro shooters, but I recall hearing enviously about support they were getting from CaNikon... And frankly, Sony's attitude towards their customers (not just with cameras; other divisions too) leaves a lot to be desired.

On the ANP site it says the photographer is SEM VAN DER WAL, which is a guy (if you google) and not the woman on the video.

Alfasud1972 wrote: On the ANP site it says the photographer is SEM VAN DER WAL, which is a guy (if you google) and not the woman on the video.

Possibly an error in the database driving the website?

Possibly the 'tog in question had an assistant / 2nd-shooter, who was the one captured in the news story?


Edited by Steve-S - 13 October 2022 at 20:17

Steve-S wrote: addy landzaat wrote: ... with either the 24/1.4GM or 14/1.8GM (it clearly is showing the orange GM logo)... I thought it interesting. 14mm. Look at that front element! I don't think it could be any other GM-badged lens.

Except Sony FE 2.8/12-24 GM, which I would be my first guess since the lens looks to be a tad larger than FE 1.8/14 GM.