Interview with Sony Malaysia’s Managing Director, Mr. Satoru Arai

Earlier, Sony Malaysia announced their ultra-compact Digital Camera, RX0 and their successor to RX10 III, the RX10 IV and a new Handycam FDR-AX700. We also had the chance to interview their Managing Director of Sony Malaysia, Satoru Arai about their RX0 and more.

First of all, it was a great launch today and we had tons of fun, especially with the RX0. With the RX0, I have few Questions to ask. What do you classify the RX0 as? Is it a Digital Camera or more of an Action Camera?

The Sony RX0 is a new category for us. Yes, it does look like a GoPro, but if we were to classify under the same category as Action Camera, we mislead people in a lot of way.  One of the very strong specification is the picture quality with the RX0. As the RX0 falls under the RX Series, it features a 1.0″ inch sensor which is pretty huge for that particular form factor. So, the picture quality is on par with the RX. Our RX0 also has the capability to shoot movies but we also don’t want to limit the RX0 only to a certain extent. We want to stimulate people to make their imagination, creativity become a reality. And that is why the RX0 is an entirely new category and not the same as GoPro. 

With this RX0, what kind of consumers are you targeting in the Market?

One of the field we see the RX0 excel is among the Production House. As we demonstrated today, the RX0 can be used under various condition like under rain, shoot in a very low angle and at a high frame rate like the Super Slow Motion Shooting. And of course, we do not limit just to the Production House, it’s also meant for camera Lovers out there, even I like it as a gadget. It also has the potential to be a secondary camera for Professional, Semi-Professional and Amateur photographers. Well, yes they do have their primary camera like a DSLR which doesn’t compromise picture quality. But when they can’t use their primary camera, our ultra compact RX0 will let them take the shot they want.

You were mentioning about production House People. So, during the Avengers BTS, they used DSLRs to shoot Action sequence in spaces where a huge camera wasn’t easy to bring in. Which brings me to the question, will we be seeing RX0 in the film industry?  Now that Sony has a ultra compact camera with the potential to do that.

Hopefully. Haha. Because our PlayMemories Remote Function and the Control Remote that we demonstrated today, can control upto 5 RX0s cameras for multi angle shooting. So, yes. It’s possible.

What are your future plans with the RX0? Will we be seeing any upcoming generation, like the Mark II?

The market among the Premium Compact Camera  segment is increasing. And that’s why we have various RX Series like the RX100 (Mark I to V), RX10 (Mark I to IV) and the RX0, which generates new demand. For the RX0, this is our first generation for a new concept camera like this. And of course, we expect the RX0 Series to develop in future.

But before that, I am looking for consumers, to know what they use it for and what’s their feedback. Because that’s what makes it interesting.

Just Recently, Sony was the Official Photographer for KL SEA Games. Will Sony play a huge role in Sports Photography in the future, like for instance, being the official photographer for the next Olympics?

Well, it’s not confirmed yet. However, One of the reason why we became the sponsor, is we unveiled our new camera, Sony a9. Our Sony a9 has the capability to shoot 24 fps Continuous Shooting with High Speed AF. A feature which we believed that Professional Photographers will be satisfied. But most of the Professional Photographer use Canon and Nikon Cameras. Which makes it a very challenging field for Sony to compete. We also have our Full Frame Sony a7 Series, which we have a huge success rate in the Market. But the Sony a9 is our first iteration for us, which gives us the opportunity to approach Sports Photographers.

In order to give them the chance to touch and try our a9, we became one of the sponsors. In fact, we gave them the chance to test it out and received a lot of positive feedback.

Our dream is to see Sony Alpha series being used by professional photographers in these scenes.

What can we expect from the entire Imaging division in the future and in what way will you maintain your position as number one sensor manufacturer in Malaysia? 

First of all, we have a huge line up of cameras catered for every one, from younger generation all the way up to Professionals. That’s the strength of Sony Lineup. But before Smartphones, photography was pretty niche. So, we started off with Smartphones. We believe many people have the experience to take a photo and share it with their friends, thanks to Smartphone. And more consumers, became interested in Photography by stepping up their game to the next level, by using dedicated Cameras which has the potential to shoot images, which Smartphones can’t. So, to satisfy the needs and the demands, we started off with the Entry Level CyberShot all the way upto Premium offerings like our Alpha series. These offerings cover almost everyone’s demand and cater to their demand as well. That’s important for us.

As long as we continue this marketing and our lineup that fills our customers demands, we are confident that we can be the Number One in Malaysia.

It’s beautiful to know that Satoru Arai-san is very particular about consumers feedback and cater product according to their needs. It was a pleasure and I’m definitely looking forward for the upcoming announcements and what Sony has to offer in the future. Again, huge thanks to Sony Malaysia for giving the opportunity to interview Mr. Satoru Arai.

ありがとうございました, Sony Malaysia.