Digital Photo Pro just published a post with a video from the Kumamoto Earthquake. At prior media events, I had seen photos of the damage caused by the quake but didn’t understand the extent of the destruction. DPP took part in a Sony tour for select U.S. media of the Kumamoto plant. And, watched a video that Sony produced, showing the extraordinary effect of the quake, and the company’s response to it.
At the RX100 V and a6500 launch recovering from the quake was a point of pride and we were shown a slide of all the employees gathered outside of plant.
DPP asked Sony if they could share this video, and they agreed. In the video, there’s security camera footage and Sony shares how they completely rebuilt their automated clean rooms, nearly from scratch.
It’s a remarkable video and really indicates how hard Sony has worked to deliver their cameras. Not on this trip, but knowing the people involved, I can guess part of their success is related to rebuilding together, and what it took as a team. David Schloss, the editor of DPP, told me that all the factory employees were part of the cleanup and restoration project, and brought the plant—and Sony’s digital imaging business, back online.
In case you missed it, on April 2016 a massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Kumomoto, Japan, home to the Sony’s image sensor production facility. The massive quake, which followed a pre-quake of 6.2 devastated the facility. Because Sony’s imaging sensors are by many other camera manufacturers, the shock set back the release of new camera systems and development in the camera industry by at least a year.
…My daily shooter is Sony A1 with a vertical grip and various Sony lenses attached like the FE 20mm F1.8. Find more gear recommendations in our shop. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.