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Sony UP-DR150 - What we Think
The UP-DR150 / 3 Digital Digital Dye Sub Photo Printer produces photo lab quality prints every time.
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| What we think of the Sony UP-DR150 Photo Printer |
Jan 2008 - Sony launch the UP-DR200 as a replacement for the UP-DR150
Sony is of course a household name in the electronics industry but not many people would know that it also makes dye sublimation printers and photo ID and Passport printing systems.
Sony has a range of photo printers although not all of the models they sell are their own as they buy in printers from other suppliers and re-badge them. They do have a well established market share within the medical industry where there products are also used.
Physical Characteristics
The UP-DR150 roll fed printer is quite a larger piece of equipment and may be more suited to a studio environment rather than for event use because of it's size and weight.
It does seem a sturdy and well built piece of equipment although early models may have had an issue with the door mechanism (see UP-DR150 customer reviews) although one hopes that these should have been resolved by now.
Print Sizes
Sony's UP-DR150 printer can print 6x4, 7x5 and 8x6 but the popular 9x6 media is not supported (full frame on quite a few cameras these days) by the printer which seems strange as this is supported by the Mitsubishi CP9550, CP9600, CP9800, Hi-Ti P710L and the Citizen CW-01.
Support
It does seem surprising that Sony doesn't provide it's own servicing for this (amongst others) printer and entrusts this critical element to a third party company (who actually do offer good support). We are always a little concerned when a manufacturer does this as we believe that it shows a lack of commitment to the product and relies heavily on a third party company to provide the after sales support.
Print Speed & Quality
As with all Dye Sub printers the quality is going to be very good (there are a few exceptions) but the Sony is not one of them, print speed is fast but as we mention elsewhere for event photographers this is often not an issue.
Overview
The Sony is not a bad printer by any means but the lack of 9x6, the size and weight of the printer, non-direct support and the fact that changing the media means removing the printer from a flight case means that it's not our first choice. Sorry Sony, but their are better printers out their and the UP-DR150 just seems like a first generation printer in our opinion.
New Model - UP-DR200
Jan 2008 - Sony have launched the UP-DR200 as a replacement to the UP-DR150, although details are sketchy at the moment it looks like the printer still doesn't support 9x6 media.
Contact us for more details.
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