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Sony to Challenge Ze Micro Four Thirds?

By Wong Casandra - on 22 Feb 2010, 3:49pm

While the whole fledging Micro Four Thirds ecosystem is still in its infancy, reception to the cameras has been nothing short of good - well honestly, not everyone is a fan of lugging around a heavy 1-2kg DSLR and a hefty 70-300mm zoom lens around. However, they might soon have to share the spotlight with Sony, as they have recently unveiled a mockup unit of their mysterious "Alpha dSLR" during the ever exciting Photo Marketing Association (PMA) this year.

Looking... familiar?

Banking on a similar ultra-compact "interchangeable lens" concept, the "Alpha dSLR" - technically, a deceiving term since it isn't a "Single Lens Reflex" camera, but rather a mirror-less contraption boasting of an 'DSLR-sized' sensor - is slated to come with the Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor, allowing the camera to capture 1080p video footage with its existing AVCHD codec. An interesting thing to note: the APS-C sensor is slightly larger than the sensors found in current Olympus and Panasonic Micro Four Thirds models, promising better image quality within an equally compact body.

Tech news sites have all reported on Sony's tight-lipped reluctance to reveal more about its new line-up (there's no mention of even its megapixel count, despite relentless online searches), but we will keep looking, and updating. Sadly, there's no word on the release date either, but Sony has promised that it will come this year, so for now, it is just a matter of months for those looking for an alternative to Panasonic and Olympus' Micro Four Thirds cameras.

Not to mention, we are left with a couple of niggling questions... one of the most interesting ones will be how will this play out in the field of the Micro Four Thirds, and will the other two giants be joining in the party?

Wong Casandra

Wong Casandra / Former Tech Writer

A regular self-confessed gamer, and consumer-tech geek. Also, an amateur photographer who currently shoots on a Nikon DSLR 90. BOOYAH!

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