Sony RX1, a Full Frame fixed lens camera?

[Sponge]

This isn't confirmed but there has been talk of Sony coming out with a Full Frame camera.

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/amazi...-new-a99-pics/

A few days ago Steve Huff was able to look at all the new Sony stuff that will be showcased at Photokina and though he wasn't allowed to talk about it, he did mention there was something great and unexpected coming from Sony. This leads me to believe the RX1 is what he saw.

The big questions for me are price, whether it's a fixed lens or interchangeable lens system (it appears fixed) and whether or not it has a viewfinder or not (I'm guessing they would have to have the option to add one at the very least).

There's some very interesting cameras coming from Sony lately.

[Melkus]

Won't surprised me

[ajohnw]

That one might be the answer to the fuji camera. Looking at the link if it has a viewfinder it's electronic. They seem to be more keen to sort out the problems with that than others - 2mp viewfinder and focus peaking. I assume the latter just slows down the process to produce more accurate AF results.

I'm expecting them to come out with something on the lines of micro 4/3. The nex is aps which makes the lenses look a little silly on a tiny body and for ease of carrying around doesn't make much sense. The have already introduced a sensor that is larger than most compacts but smaller than 4/3. I believe it's also larger than other manufacturers compact system cameras. Pity really as 4/3 is a sensible sensor size. A crop factor of 2 against 1.6 doesn't make all that much difference in practice. It's just a shame who is manufacturing them. Neither company has a very good long term reputation.

John

[Sponge]

It does look like competition for the Fuji X100 (or maybe a new X200). If it weren't a fixed lens system I think it could be a cheaper alternative to the Leica M9/M10. Either way it's a nice size for a full frame street camera, the 49mm filter size puts it at about only 60mm tall.

Personally I don't think Sony will make a micro 4/3 camera line. Apart from Panasonic and Olympus, Sony and all the other big manufacturers have chosen a different route for their mirrorless offerings. The new Nex cameras will have the hybrid auto-focus which if comparable to the Nikon 1 system should allow for excellent focus tracking and continuous focus but even so I'm not interested in the Nex system for the same reasons you mentioned and for the fact it's still lacking in lenses. I bought into micro 4/3 and am very happy with it as a system. I'm really tempted by the Olympus OM-D since it covers almost all the things I'm missing in my E-PL2 but I'm going to try to hold out for a version with hybrid-auto focus and that should be good enough for me for a long time.

[Hansm]

Price is 2799 USD
It is a very nice camera but no viewfinder? Optional you can attach a EVF or OVF.
I'm not so sure if there will be a big market for it.
Maybe it is a start of a new "FF NEX" line as Fuji started with the X-100?

[Dave Humphries]

As it is fixed focal length, I see little advantage for having a traditional EVF, an OVF (perhaps with some electronic projection of exposure settings and rangefinder info for focus confirmation) would be much better.

I shan't be buying one

[carloshpvp]

Price is 2799 USD
It is a very nice camera but no viewfinder? Optional you can attach a EVF or OVF.
I'm not so sure if there will be a big market for it.
Maybe it is a start of a new "FF NEX" line as Fuji started with the X-100?

Isn't Fuji x-100 an APS-C camera?

[Hansm]

Yep, the X-100 is an APS-C.

What I mean to tell is that the first Fuji X series was the X-100 with fixed lens. After that Fuji introduced the Pro-X1 with interchangeable lenses also APS-C. And now the X-E1. So if Sony follows the same path, they start with the FF RX1 with fixed lens and then maybe the next step is also a body with FF Sensor and interchangeable lenses.

The latest introductions shows that mirror-less is becoming more and more serious.

To my oppinion the big minus on the RX1 is that the OVF or EVF are optional and not built in

[dubaiphil]

To my oppinion the big minus on the RX1 is that the OVF or EVF are optional and not built in

Slightly bigger a minus may be the $2800 price with a 2/35 lens

Ouch

[ajohnw]

It does look like competition for the Fuji X100 (or maybe a new X200). If it weren't a fixed lens system I think it could be a cheaper alternative to the Leica M9/M10. Either way it's a nice size for a full frame street camera, the 49mm filter size puts it at about only 60mm tall.

Personally I don't think Sony will make a micro 4/3 camera line. Apart from Panasonic and Olympus, Sony and all the other big manufacturers have chosen a different route for their mirrorless offerings. The new Nex cameras will have the hybrid auto-focus which if comparable to the Nikon 1 system should allow for excellent focus tracking and continuous focus but even so I'm not interested in the Nex system for the same reasons you mentioned and for the fact it's still lacking in lenses. I bought into micro 4/3 and am very happy with it as a system. I'm really tempted by the Olympus OM-D since it covers almost all the things I'm missing in my E-PL2 but I'm going to try to hold out for a version with hybrid-auto focus and that should be good enough for me for a long time.

From what I can gather the new OM-D does cure the E range quirks but it seems a lot to fork out to find out it's limitations. It's also bigger than any of the Pens. The pixel count in the view finder is still too low for precise manual focusing without magnification and a restricted view but it seems that the image stabilisation does work when needed for focusing. I have just upgraded from an e-pl1 to an ep-3. Apart from 2 rotary controls all of the other gains are down to software that is locked out on the e-pl1. Posher metal case too but it's both bigger and heavier than the e-pl1 plus vastly reduced size buttons. Those no doubt to allow for a neat cosmetic appearance with the larger screen. The larger screen is a dubious improvement really. One of the software lock outs appears to be better focusing and better low light views. One good thing is that the newer 14-42mm zoom still appears to be a cracking lens.

Better AF? Any form of AF I am aware of will have it's problems from time to time. I took a shot of a duck recently. Precisely focused on it's near side or maybe a little short. That sort of thing and sometimes completely missing the intended target is pretty typical really. I also wonder why some of my compacts focus both quickly and accurately - not by Panasonic or Olympus I should add. One Panasonic compact I once owned was very poor in a number of respects.

I didn't suggest that Sony will produce a micro 4/3 camera only that I think that they will produce a CSC camera with a smaller sensor. Probably bigger than Nikon's for instance. Pity really as I'm finding that a crop factor of 2 as against 1.6 for aps is perfectly acceptable and I suspect Sony would produce a better sensor.

John