RSSSony to Debut First Digital SLR in July
By Ed Oswald | Published June 6, 2006, 1:00 PM
Sony entered the digital SLR camera market Tuesday, announcing that it would begin shipping its first model in July. By the end of its current fiscal year, ending in March 2007, the company hopes to grab as much as ten percent of a market currently dominated by Canon and Nikon.
Canon has about an 53.3 percent share of the market, with Nikon garnering a 28.3 percent share, according to recent research by IDC.
Even without any digital SLRs in its lineup, Sony has become the second largest camera maker behind Canon by selling cheaper compact models. However, moving into the market could prove lucrative; more expensive and better performing, DSLRs offer a higher profit margin for manufacturers.
The camera will have a 10.2-megapixel APS CCD sensnor, and would be introduced with 19 Sony-branded lenses, the company said. Additionally, most Konica-Minolta lenses will fit, making it an ideal upgrade candidate for those customers.
Additionally, the camera includes technology built in that would help to cut down on fuzzy pictures. The technology works similar to that of image stabilization on video cameras.
Sony believes that it will be able to cash in quickly on the market, as loyal customers look to migrate to higher quality cameras, and Konica-Minolta users upgrade. Sony recently purchased most of the assets of Konica-Minolta.
"Our system will be attractive to people who are ready for something beyond what's available in D-SLR cameras today," Sony's marketing director for digital imaging James Neal said.
The camera would be competitively priced, although it would be more expensive than most entry-level DSLRs. A model with the body only would retail for 100,000 yen ($890 USD), while a kit that includes a lens would run for 120,000 yen ($1,070).
I was not impressed by their startup line of semi pro digi cams when i shot pics at nighttime with flash (spots). so i would not waste more money on sony for pro cams too.
Similarly, they always use memory stick (pro) or duo which is quite expensive as compared to other rival memories of the same speed or faster
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|I am wondering if they going to include their own proprietary image format? You know Sony has a history of not following standard, always want to have their own proprietary format.
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|I think every camera company uses their own proprietary RAW format and proprietary extension of EXIF data, so that would be nothing new. At least they learned their lesson about using CF cards...
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|I don't get what all the hype is about. This isn't really a whole new camera. Sony just simply bought Konica-Minolta and stamped their name on Minolta's latest DSLR. Even the image stabilization is stuff that has been built into other mintola cameras for a while now. The only real new products are the line of Zeiss lenses.
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|Hmm.. I wonder if this has a rootkit installed aswell.
The Cybershots have gained high appraisal in the compact-digital scene, although it might take a bit to knock Canon's SLRs aside.
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|I loved Sony cameras (from the F505 up to and including the F828) but after waiting nearly 2 years for a DSLR to follow the F828, I gave up and bought a Nikon D200. For me that's a fantastic camera, well worth the higher price tag. Does Sony expect people to flock back because of brand loyalty? I don't think so, not when there are well established and better products out there.
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|Loyal customers? Imagine the proprietary nature of the camera software. If it's anything like MiniDisc or other such garbage, only Sony FanBoys will be happy. Good luck Sony. I guarantee you I'd rather go with Canon, Olympus, or Nikon.
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|If I want to buy a digital SLR I'll stick with Canon or Nikon. If Sony decided to do allow different type of storage available eg: SD (instead of the Stick), then maybe it has a chance. Remeber the Sony pda's? Personally I dislike products that use proprietory storage mediums.
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|The new SLR from sony does accept CF I/II, Microdrive, and Memory Sticks. It will be interesting to see how well this does for Sony. I have a Canon SLR along with $3k in lenses so I don't think I will ever leave Canon just because of the lense investment unless they change there lens mount. The bottom line as always will be price.
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|That is always the thing with the SLR market.... people make their investment in glass and just buy the best body they can afford for their glass. I doubt this will be a amrketable product except for:
1) DSLR newcommers that might already be sony users
2) Mintola SLR shooters, who have invested in that lens mount.
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