Quality of Reputable Chinese company v Sony

[Danzka 0]

Hi there,

 

I have a customer who wants to be supplied Sony CCTV systems and I'm trying to find out whether the Chinese companies that use Sony chipsets make an equivalent product to what Sony do.

 

Or rather, how big a difference is there in quality? I've used some cameras that have Sony chipsets and the quality is very good. I would prefer to supply the Chinese gear with Sony chipsets but they want to go with branded gear.

 

Is there THAT much difference between the two if you get a good Chinese company like I have at the moment?

 

Any helpful comments would be greatly appreciated.

[thewireguys 3]

You can't use good and Chinese in the same sentence. If the customer whats Sony give them Sony.

[Soundy 1]

Sony isn't the big name they once were.

[thewireguys 3]

Sony isn't the big name they once were.

 

The image quality from there HD and PTZ cameras is very nice.

[Soundy 1]

Nice, sure... nothing special. Sony has been coasting on their name for years.

 

OP: I would guess the vast majority of CCD-based CCTV cameras use Sony sensors. Doesn't mean F-all. The magic is in the processing and the quality of the rest of the design and construction.

 

Like thewireguys says, customer wants Sony branded stuff... give them Sony branded stuff. Then if they're not happy with it, they can't blame you.

[Danzka 0]

Thanks for your feedback so far guys.

 

The minor/major problem with Sony is that I am in Zimbabwe, and getting hold of Sony products at reasonable prices out there is a tad difficult.

 

I can't go via South Africa as their prices are absolutely horrendous. Noone imports CCTV via SA the market can't afford it.

 

Does anyone here have any ways of getting hold of Sony CCTV equipment at decent prices?

 

 

thanks in advance

[thewireguys 3]

Nice, sure... nothing special. Sony has been coasting on their name for years.

 

OP: I would guess the vast majority of CCD-based CCTV cameras use Sony sensors. Doesn't mean F-all. The magic is in the processing and the quality of the rest of the design and construction.

 

Like thewireguys says, customer wants Sony branded stuff... give them Sony branded stuff. Then if they're not happy with it, they can't blame you.

 

Soundy I am talking about the HD megapixel stuff. The image WDR is one the the best I have seen also very good in low light but at a price.

[rory 0]

Sony cameras are nothing special. And I mean their normal cameras as per the topic.

Sounds like this customer will be a headache.

Might be able to find Sony cameras online, but going by the price they generally arent worth it.

You dont have to go Chinese by the way, Koreans make good quality cameras also.

if they can afford Sony then they might go for it. Give them 2 options incase.

[Gator 0]

Sony isn't the big name they once were.

 

They have tarnished their name such that my household will not buy Sony goods. The last straw was a notebook computer advertised to run 3-4 hours on battery than never worked more than 2-1/4 hours when brand new. We had a Sony TV from the eighties that lasted over twenty years, and a newer one that lasted only three. I had similar experience with their top of the line VCR and Hi-8 stereo Camcorder. No more Sony for me. They've lost their touch.

[Soundy 1]

Thanks for your feedback so far guys.

 

The minor/major problem with Sony is that I am in Zimbabwe, and getting hold of Sony products at reasonable prices out there is a tad difficult.

 

I can't go via South Africa as their prices are absolutely horrendous. Noone imports CCTV via SA the market can't afford it.

 

Does anyone here have any ways of getting hold of Sony CCTV equipment at decent prices?

 

 

thanks in advance

Like Rory says, sounds like these guys could be a headache... be sure to build an "annoyance fee" into your pricing. And tell them exactly what you just told us: "we are in Zimbabwe, and getting hold of Sony products at reasonable prices out there is a tad difficult." (Except, change "a tad difficult" to "damn near impossible").

 

Figure out what the price will be... present them with that, as well as a lower-cost option... then let THEM worry about the price difference.

[Soundy 1]

Sony isn't the big name they once were.

 

They have tarnished their name such that my household will not buy Sony goods. The last straw was a notebook computer advertised to run 3-4 hours on battery than never worked more than 2-1/4 hours when brand new. We had a Sony TV from the eighties that lasted over twenty years, and a newer one that lasted only three. I had similar experience with their top of the line VCR and Hi-8 stereo Camcorder. No more Sony for me. They've lost their touch.

Seconded. The last Sony we bought was a VAIO laptop my son selected before heading off to university. The USB ports stopped working on it... we sent it in for warranty repair, and they told us the warranty was void because of "liquid damage". After getting it back, I opened it up for a look and found a LITTLE water stain on the casing around the hard drive, nowhere near the USB board... but that bit of water was all it took for them to fully void the warranty.

 

Repair quote was nearly $1000 (just over, after taxes). That included replacing the power jack (which I found was only loose - reseated it and it was fine), the keyboard (a couple of rarely-used keys were intermittent from the water damage), a piece of the case that had a small, inconsequential crack, and the hard drive (which they claimed was failing). The hard drive, BTW, is a 250GB Hitachi drive... would have cost me about $80 at the time to replace, from my local retailer (they're about $55 now). Sony's price: nearly $600. Just for the drive. Cost of the damaged USB board - the only thing we really wanted fixed - was $50. BTW, that original hard drive is still running fine now, a year and a half later...

 

That wasn't my first bad experience with Sony "support" but I sure hope it'll be my last.