The joint development of the Micro Four Thirds system by Olympus and Panasonic allowed them to be first in the market with mirrorless, interchangeable-lens compact digitals that offer DSLR-like image quality in sub-DSLR size camera bodies. Olympus announced their E-P1 in mid June 2009; Panasonic their GF1 in early September. The partners had this niche to themselves for the rest of 2009 and into the second quarter of 2010, but now there is competition looming.

Samsung has just introduced their NX10 and Sony has thrown their hat into the ring with the recently announced NEX-3 and alpha NEX-5, due in the market this July. Barely a week after the Sony announcement, an NEX-5 found its way to my door. The ink was hardly dry on my review of Samsung's NX10, so the opportunity to shoot the newest entries into the class back-to-back (along with the GF1 back in October 2009) has given me hands-on time with three of the four players in the field.

While Samsung drifted from the rectangular, boxy body shape that characterizes the Olympus and Panasonic cameras, Sony has embraced their concept with a vengeance. The NEX-5 press release calls it (and the NEX-3) the "world's smallest and lightest interchangeable lens digital cameras." Even so, the NEX-5 packs a 14.2 megapixel Sony APS-C Exmor CMOS sensor that results in a 1.5x crop factor (35mm equivalent) for any lenses mounted on the camera. One benefit of that sensor resolution is the ability to crop images fairly aggressively if necessary while still retaining sufficient data for quality photo enlargements. This shot cropped to 8 x 12 inch size still has 228 dots per inch and will produce a good quality print.

Sony will launch the camera with 16mm pancake and 18-55mm zoom lenses available; an 18-200mm zoom is due later in the year. The NEX cameras carry the "Alpha" designation (like the DSLR line), but the NEX lens mount is an "E" mount, not the "A" mount found on the big Sonys. An adaptor for "A" mount lenses is due in July, but will not support autofocus.

The NEX-5 has a 3.0-inch articulating monitor, can shoot 1080i HD video in the AVCHD format and provides automatic and full manual controls as well as JPEG and RAW shooting capabilities. There's face detection, smile shutter technology, Sony's Bionz processor and compatibility with Sony Memory Stick Pro Duo or SD/SDHC/SDXC memory media. Sony provides a compact clip-on flash and flash case with each camera, as well as battery and charger, USB cable, CD-ROM software, shoulder strap, instruction manual and the 16 or 18-55mm lens depending on the kit chosen.

It's small, it's light and it's the newest in this fight - let's see just what the NEX-5 brings to the arena.

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Nobody could accuse Sony of skimping on features for their Cyber-shot DSC-G3. With built-in WiFi, web browser, 4GB internal memory, and a sizable 3.5 inch touch screen, this slender camera differentiates itself from every other consumer digicam on the market. But is the G3 just a techno novelty, or is it worth its premium price tag?

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Sony launches their second full-frame DSLR today, the Alpha DSLR-A850. Like the flagship Alpha A900, the new A850 will feature a 35mm 24.6 megapixel CMOS sensor and a 3.0 inch 921k dot LCD. With a few exceptions, it's nearly identical to its predecessor. The A850 will start at $2000, a sweet price for a full-frame system.

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Sony announces the Alpha DSLR-A500 and DSLR-A550 this morning sporting the latest generation of CMOS sensors. Coupled with their BIONZ image processor, the 12.3 megapixel A500 and 14.2 megapixel A550 are optimized for low-light performance and boast shooting at up to 12800 ISO.

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When the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T500 was announced in the build-up to the Photokina trade show a few months ago, Sony's press materials for the camera implied something bold: although it doesn't look the part, the T500 may be the closest thing to a combination camcorder-digicam currently on the market.

Building on the foundation laid by Sony's long line of touch screen Cyber-shot T models, the T500 brings more advanced shooting features, 720p video recording, HDMI connectivity, and a more svelte and serious appearance to Sony's popular pocket cams.

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Review

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In the cut-throat digital camera market it's increasingly unusual for products to be shown in prototype form or announced more than a matter of weeks before they hit the stores. There's several reasons for the manufacturers' habit of playing their cards so close to their chests, not least that they can't afford to harm sales of the models they've already released. Sony, the newest 'new kid' on the DLSR block, has no such worries, this being its first proper 'high end' DSLR. In fact, if anything the pressure was on the company to show it was committed to becoming a major SLR system player and that it wasn't going to squander Minolta's long legacy in this market after picking up the assets Konica Minolta shed when it pulled out of the photography market. Thus we saw the first prototype of the Alpha 900 - Sony's flagship full frame digital SLR - back in early 2007 (it appeared behind glass at trade shows such as PMA in March 07), and information has been trickling out ever since; most significantly with the announcement in January of this year of a 35mm full frame CMOS sensor.

And so when Sony finally showed the finished Alpha 900 to us a month or so ago there were few surprises at the basic specification or the appearance of the camera. As we started to dig a little deeper, pore over the fine print and actually use the Alpha 900 we were, however, increasingly surprised - and almost always pleasantly so - at some of the decisions made by Sony's engineers when designing its flagship SLR.

The success of the Alpha 900 amongst the Minolta, Konica Minolta and Sony faithful seems assured; at a launch price of just shy of $3000 it offers a lot of 'bang for your buck' and there is undoubtedly a significant number of Minolta film SLR users who've been waiting years for a full frame digital body on which to use their existing lenses. The challenge for Sony, however, is to generate some interest from people without an existing investment in the Minolta (or subsequent Alpha) system. And on paper the Alpha 900 looks promising - and we're already impressed with the build, handling and viewfinder; we'll find out more about how well it actually performs when we finish our full review. For now enjoy this in-depth preview of the latest addition to the small but growing, exclusive full frame DSLR club.

Key features

* 24.6 MP 35mm format full-frame CMOS sensor (highest res in class)
* SteadyShot INSIDE full frame image sensor shift stabilization (world first)
* High Speed Dual Bionz processors
* Eye-level glass Penta-prism OVF, 100% coverage, 0.74x magnification
* 9 point AF with 10 assist points, center dual-cross AF w/2.8 sensor
* 5 frames per second burst, newly developed mirror box
* Intelligent Preview Function
* 3 User programmable custom memory modes on mode dial
* Advanced Dynamic Range Optimizer (5 step selectable)
* 40 segment honeycomb metering
* 3.0" 921K pixel Photo Quality (270 dpi) LCD display, 100% coverage
* Direct HDMI output
* ISO 200-3200 (ISO 100-6400 expanded range)
* User interchangeable focusing screens (3 options)
* CF Type I/II and MS slots, LI-ION battery, STAMINA 880 shots
* Weight 850g (without battery, card, accs)
* New Image Data Converter SR software (includes vignetting control)
* New Vertical Grip
* Supplied with wireless remote control
* Magnesium Alloy body and rubber seals for dust and moisture resistance
* AF micro adjustment
* $2999.99 body price; available late October 2008

Compared to Alpha 700 - key differences

As someone who has used the Alpha 700 extensively I was immediately struck by just how similar its new big brother is; the basic design and layout is almost identical, as are the user interface and the core feature set. Unlike Canon and Nikon, who tend to add further differentiation to their professional products with swathes of extra features and (especially) custom function options, Sony has gone for almost total consistency between the A700 and A900.

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SAN DIEGO, Aug. 7, 2008 - Sony is making the grade with the introduction of the stylish Cyber-shot® DSC-T700 and DSC-T77 digital cameras with “intelligent” shooting functions.

The 10-megapixel T77 camera is Sony’s thinnest model at less than 5/8 of an inch with a 3-inch, 16 x 9 touch panel LCD screen. It features updated intelligent scene recognition technology, Smile Shutter™ and face detection technologies with child and adult priority, as well as high sensitivity shooting (up to ISO 3200), eleven scene modes, and in-camera image management.

The T700 model earns extra points as a “photo album in your pocket.” It has all the features of the T77 unit plus 4GB of internal memory that can store nearly 1,000 full-resolution or 40,000 VGA-quality photos; a 3.5-inch, wide touch panel Xtra Fine LCD™ screen for photo-like viewing (210 pixel-per-inch resolution) with high contrast and wide-angle viewing; and a thin profile (slightly more than 5/8 of an inch) so it can easily slip into a pocket or purse.

“Sony is taking the lead in developing “intelligent” cameras so that taking great pictures is an automatic function and not a complicated process,” said Phil Lubell, director of digital camera marketing at Sony Electronics. “This is part of our effort to enhance the camera experience for customers by offering new functionality.”

Substance and Style
While rich in technologies, style was a key factor in the development of both cameras, said Lubell. They feature a newly-developed Carl Zeiss® lens that integrates a 4x optical zoom and Optical SteadyShot™ image stabilization, yet achieves a slim form factor. They will also be available in a wider selection of color options than previous T-series cameras.

Both cameras feature updated intelligent scene recognition technology that can now select up to eight different scene modes, including macro, portrait and landscape modes.

This technology also includes a new anti-blink function in portrait mode that will virtually make closed-eyed photos an “old school” memory. The cameras will automatically take two shots and then determine whether the subject(s) have closed eyes using their advanced face detection technology. They will only record images with open-eyed subjects. If both pictures have subject(s) with closed eyes, the cameras will record one and display a warning so you can try again.

Sony’s Smile Shutter technology has also been improved. It is easily accessible as a “smiley face” icon, which is now a permanent fixture on the camera’s LCD screen in record mode, and can be toggled off and on at the touch of a finger. And during smile capture, auto focus and zoom functions are available, as well as the ability to take a limitless number of shots.

Not One, But Two Photo Libraries in Your Pocket
The T700 camera is ideal for anyone who wants to have what Lubell calls “bragging” photos of their kids, pets, vacation or sports highlights with them at all times.

Owing to the model’s internal database, thousands of photos can be searched in-camera by event, date, smile or face, including children and infants; displayed in calendar or chronological views; organized in folders; and shared as slide shows or fun scrapbooks.

Unlike previous models, this one allows you to store and manage images on both its 4GB internal memory and an optional Memory Stick® media card. You can maximize the number of pictures stored on the camera with the bundled Picture Motion Browser (PMB) software application and its new PC Synch feature.

This new feature lets you downsize images from full-resolution to VGA and export them back to the camera’s internal photo album. The application operates intelligently with the camera so you can shoot more photos. It will only detect, downsize and export the new shots. This allows you to store literally thousands of your favorite photos in the camera

It is also possible to export photos shot by other cameras or archived on other media into the camera.

The PMB Portable software inside the camera lets you easily upload photos or videos to popular social networking sites like YouTube™ (a trademark of Google Inc.) using an internet connection with any compatible PC via the supplied USB cable. It even has pre-programmed sites in the camera.

The camera also has a scrapbook function that automatically creates simulated scrapbook pages. Now you can share, print or save your scrapbooks unlike previous models.

Pricing and Availability
The DSC-T77 camera replaces the former T70 model and will be available in brown, green, pink, black and silver in late September for about $300. The new DSC-T700 cameras ships at the same time in red, champagne gold, pink, dark gray and silver for about $400.

All cameras and a range of accessories can be purchased online at sonystyle.com, at Sony Style® retail stores (www.sonystyle.com/retail), at military base exchanges, and at authorized dealers nationwide. Pre-orders begin on Aug. 29 at www.sonystyle.com.

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Sony's start into the world of Digital SLRs was quite a slow paced one. The first Sony branded model, the A100, appeared on the scene in June 2006 and it took over a year for it to be joined by a companion, the A700 prosumer model which was launched in September 2007. More recently though Sony has stepped up a gear and launched not one, but three cameras to replace the A100 - the DSLR A200, A300 and A350.

There is now something for everybody in the Sony line-up. The A350 for the feature-loving photographer on a budget, the A200 for those whose number one buying criterion is value-for-money and the A300 for bargain hunters who want a balance of the two. The A200 is, in terms of specification, not a million miles away from the veteran A100. It's got a larger screen, comes with an ISO3200 mode and user controlled High ISO noise reduction but in turn lacks the A100's depth of field preview (it's unsurprisingly much cheaper though).

Sony is not the only manufacturer which is diversifying its offerings in the entry-level sector and the A200 will have to face fierce competition in the bottom bracket of the market. Let's see how it shapes up on the following pages.

10.2 megapixel APS-C CCD

The A200's 'central organ' is a APS-C sized CCD chip with 10.2 million photosites.


Bionz Image Processor
Like the A700 and A350, the A200 is powered by the Bionz imaging processor (although presumably it's not exactly the same one that was optimized for the A700's CMOS sensor).

Other new / upgraded features of note:

• Larger LCD
• 10.2 MP sensor
• New software bundle with all-new raw converter
• Creative Styles (expansion of color modes function on A100)
• ISO 3200
• Optional high ISO noise reduction
• RGB histograms

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