Sony - camera buying ethics

[MikeMac]

I've just finished the Canon G1X field report, and at the end sidebar Michael mentions Sony as a company just hitting their stride and how fierce a competitor they are in markets they enter. I had also just been reading an article on Slashdot about Sony:
http://games.slashdot.org/story/12/03/28/130253/sony-taking-down-psp-titles-in-response-to-vita-hackers
There is a lot of hate for Sony (the company, I don't doubt they make great cameras) there, a lot of it justifiable IMHO.
A couple of questions:
Does ethics of a camera company influence anyones camera buying decisions?
Are there any camera companies that have particularly 'good' or 'bad' 'ethics'? (A bit ambiguous but...)

[Rob C]

Generally, I'm advised that Ethics is to be found somewhere between Sussex and Essex.

Apart from that, I've heard tell that it sometimes comes to life as in Situation Ethics, which appears to be a place most volatile and given to time/location variables. FWIW, I'd be tempted to leave it well alone.

Rob C

[Isaac]

There is a lot of hate for Sony (the company, I don't doubt they make great cameras) there, a lot of it justifiable IMHO.

"One of the biggest problems the PlayStation Portable faced was piracy. It was absolutely rampant on Sony's debut handheld game system resulting in developers and publishers being scared off who might have otherwise supported it. ... The disappearance of a few games from the PlayStation Store -- which presumably will only be temporary until the exploit can be patched out -- may not sound like a big deal. ..."

Remember to hate the pirates.

[MikeMac]

Generally, I'm advised that Ethics is to be found somewhere between Sussex and Essex.

lol that would be a worrying place indeed!

Apart from that, I've heard tell that it sometimes comes to life as in Situation Ethics, which appears to be a place most volatile and given to time/location variables. FWIW, I'd be tempted to leave it well alone.

Rob C

Always happy to listen to advice, it's something that is important to me in all my buying decisions and I was interested in people's views on this, even if they are 'situational'.

[barryfitzgerald]

We could apply this to Olympus as well they fired the honest CEO which looked really bad in my books.
As for Sony they have had their rootkit issues, they have had some very poor taste in adverts (dead goat PS adverts), and they refuse to abandon memory stick despite the fact it's a dead format and nobody else uses it.

Sony are the company everyone loves to hate. But personally I won't buy Sony or Olympus products purely on the basis that they don't make anything that I want to buy, not just because of ethics. But the Oly scandal I have to say sealed the deal in regard to never buying an Olympus product ever again.

But I knew when 4/3 came out it was a dead end, and unlike some I never backed down on that. Olympus have effectively abandoned their DSLR market. You could argue micro 4/3 is something similar but I don't see it as the same. Oly dumped on their OM users too I remember that only too well. Not a company I would do business with

[MikeMac]

"One of the biggest problems the PlayStation Portable faced was piracy. It was absolutely rampant on Sony's debut handheld game system resulting in developers and publishers being scared off who might have otherwise supported it. ... The disappearance of a few games from the PlayStation Store -- which presumably will only be temporary until the exploit can be patched out -- may not sound like a big deal. ..."

Remember to hate the pirates.

I do hate the pirates, I hate all creative and intellectual property theft. But Sony seem to take a particularly hard line on it that often involves infringing on consumers rights or produce products that are destined for landfill in a relatively short time because of proprietary designs. I'm sure there are plenty other examples of companies that do this, maybe it is just flavour of the month to hate Sony, in the same way we have seen Apple Hate and MS Hate.

The question wasn't meant to particularly single out Sony, I was interested in people's buying decisions with respect to ethics, and whilst I didn't mention it in the questions, with regards to companies environmental ethics eg in manufacture as it is a discussion that occurs often in other markets eg clothing and food.

[Isaac]

...[Sony] refuse to abandon memory stick despite the fact it's a dead format and nobody else uses it.

I use a SDHC memory card in my SLT-A35.

[EduPerez]

I think you do not need to go to the higher levels of "morality" or "ethics" to be reluctant about this company, just plain old "consumer interests" is enough: both their DRM fiasco and their proprietary formats (just to name a couple of issues) make me want to stay away from this company.

[MikeMac]

We could apply this to Olympus as well they fired the honest CEO which looked really bad in my books.
As for Sony they have had their rootkit issues, they have had some very poor taste in adverts (dead goat PS adverts), and they refuse to abandon memory stick despite the fact it's a dead format and nobody else uses it.

Sony are the company everyone loves to hate. But personally I won't buy Sony or Olympus products purely on the basis that they don't make anything that I want to buy, not just because of ethics. But the Oly scandal I have to say sealed the deal in regard to never buying an Olympus product ever again.

But I knew when 4/3 came out it was a dead end, and unlike some I never backed down on that. Olympus have effectively abandoned their DSLR market. You could argue micro 4/3 is something similar but I don't see it as the same. Oly dumped on their OM users too I remember that only too well. Not a company I would do business with

I think being honest this is the case for me too, if a camera company made a must have product I would probably buy it, unless it was made from dead goats of course. AS RobC pointed out above it is quite situational as other products e.g. clothes, I am much more discerning about which companies I shop with. Maybe this is a result of feel good marketing on their part than morality on mine.
It's a shame with both companies as they have such a rich heritage of great products.

[MikeMac]

I think you do not need to go to the higher levels of "morality" or "ethics" to be reluctant about this company, just plain old "consumer interests" is enough: both their DRM fiasco and their proprietary formats (just to name a couple of issues) make me want to stay away from this company.

It's a shame as I used to love Sony when I was younger and had discovered the joys of real disposable income. But yes, consumer interests and a few crappy products i've bought from them in recent years generally keep me away now.

Are there any companies you feel good about buying from?

[EduPerez]

It's a shame as I used to love Sony when I was younger and had discovered the joys of real disposable income. But yes, consumer interests and a few crappy products i've bought from them in recent years generally keep me away now.

Are there any companies you feel good about buying from?

Yes, long time ago, in the times of Triniton and Betamax, Sony was also a "must have" for me; nowadays, the products it offers are no longer outstanding (in my humble opinion). On the consumer electronics league, Samsung is probably the brand that I would thrust the most today; but this is probably more an irrational feeling than a though conclusion.

[theguywitha645d]

I've just finished the Canon G1X field report, and at the end sidebar Michael mentions Sony as a company just hitting their stride and how fierce a competitor they are in markets they enter. I had also just been reading an article on Slashdot about Sony:
http://games.slashdot.org/story/12/03/28/130253/sony-taking-down-psp-titles-in-response-to-vita-hackers
There is a lot of hate for Sony (the company, I don't doubt they make great cameras) there, a lot of it justifiable IMHO.
A couple of questions:
Does ethics of a camera company influence anyones camera buying decisions?
Are there any camera companies that have particularly 'good' or 'bad' 'ethics'? (A bit ambiguous but...)

Huh? You mean a company deciding not to sell something because some individuals have illegally broken into it? And exactly who is being unethical?

Yes, there are some companies because of what they do will not get me as a customer. Bank of America for example.