Hasta La Gadget!

Quality cameras are about to get a whole lot smaller. Sony has revealed its plans for 2010, and alongside updates to the DSLR line comes a new interchangeable-lens compact to compete against the Micro Four Thirds format. Sony is using a larger APS-C sensor, the size seen in most DSLRs.

The camera, which will come out under the Alpha brand used for its DSLRs, sits between the Olympus Pen and Panasonic GF1 — with their small bodies — and the Samsung NX10 with its larger sensor.

The mockup has typical Sony style: a flat slab with a rather chunky, comfortable-looking handgrip and a lens-hole. The only actual spec Sony has given is for the sensor, a newly developed Exmor APS HD CMOS that will also shoot video (AVCHD-format). It’ll come with a small, flat “pancake” prime lens, presumably giving a 40-50mm equivalent focal length.

This segment, the high-quality “EVIL” (Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens) compact, will surely take off this year. So far, Panasonic and Olympus have had it all to themselves with the purpose-made Micro Four Thirds format, and Samsung’s only effort so far is the too-big NX10. With Sony in the game, we hope to see some great lenses (Sony uses Carl Zeiss glass) and some aggressive pricing, like that seen with Sony’s high-end DSLRs.

We wonder what Canon and Nikon will do about this. They’re certainly aware of the demand (I spoke to Nikon at CES and was told that there have been a lot of people asking about an EVIL camera), and both companies can easily squeeze one of their great APS-C sensors into a small body. In fact, Nikon used to make the rather good S-series of rangefinders.

The problem is the lenses. The advantage for Panasonic is that it has no heritage of lenses, and was free to start from scratch with M4/3. Both Nikon and Canon are heavily invested in DSLR lenses, and pretty much any Nikon lens ever made will fit on today’s cameras. My guess is that this is the holdup, and that we’ll see a small range of compact, purpose-made glass along with new bodies, coupled with proper adapters that allow you to use legacy lenses with autofocus and auto-exposure intact.

At least I hope so. Right now I can use most lenses ever made, from any manufacturer, on my Panasonic GF1, with a cheap adapter. If we don’t get at least that, why will anyone bother to buy a different brand?

Press release [Sony]

See Also:

• 5 Reasons to Ditch Your Digital SLR
• Hands-On With Panasonic's Leica-Lite GF1
• Olympus Pen E-P1
• New Olympus Pen Adds Flash, Loses Good Looks
• Adapter Puts Nikon and Pentax Lenses on Micro Four Thirds Cameras