| |
 |
|
| The Sony Alpha A100 provides the highest image quality of any DSLR for under $1,000—thanks, no doubt, to its 10.2MP (effective) CCD and Sony's years of experience making APS-format sensors and advanced image processing systems for Nikon, Pentax, and Konica Minolta DSLRs. |
LAS VEGAS--Sony today announced that it was developing two new digital SLRs to follow up the popular Alpha 100 and expanding its lens lineup with three new zooms.
Speaking at a press conference on the first day of the Photo Marketing Association's annual trade show in Las Vegas, Sony executives declined to provide many specifics, but did offer a few tantalizing details.
The two DSLRs, one of which the company promised would be in stores before the end of the year, are targeted at the "high amateur" and professional markets, respectively.
Sony says the "high amateur" model will incorporate the company's Super-steady Shot technology as well as more advanced features, although they did not elaborate.
The second DSLR in the works is called the "flagship" model, which will be aimed at the pro market.
"Sony says the sensor and processing engine are being worked on specifically for this camera," reports John Owens, Popular Photography & Imaging's editor-in-chief. "It looked like it had a glass pentaprism instead of a mirror, so this looks like a very serious camera. But they were under glass, and they were models, and Sony executives were very reticent to say anything more than what was in their prepared statement about these cameras."
As for the new pro-level glass, Sony says it will add three news lenses to the lineup of 21 currently available within the next 12 months. Those include a 24-70mm f/2.8, 70-300mm f/4-5.6, and 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3.
First introduced last July, the Alpha 100, which features a 1.5x lens factor, expanded on technology Sony acquired from the purchase of Konica Minolta. Based largely on the popular Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D and 5D models, which had chip-based image stabilization, the Alpha 100 was named Popular Photography & Imaging's Camera of the Year for 2006, and was the fifth most popular DSLR in the U.S. in January, according to the NPD Group, which tracks sales data.
|
