Sony, which is desperately trying to catch up with brands like Canon and Panasonic with its Lumix brand in the digital camera market, has shown a new EVIL product in the form of a digital camera with an electronic viewfinder and interchangeable lens.The device, which looks remarkably like a Panasonic Lumix offering, went on show at the US PMA show this weekend.
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Sony claims that the new Alpha offering would have a compact body but the “quality of a DSLR” camera; however, Sony is holding back detailed specification information.
A handful of conventional DSLRs are also on show. The flagship of these is a mid-range model that would use a CMOS sensor capable of supporting HD video. While its resolution and other specs aren’t provided, it would encode video in AVCHD (H.264). Some mainstream Alphas are also on show but again don’t have new information.
During the past 12 months, Sony Australia has seen a significant decline in digital camera sales. The new offering is designed to try and stimulate interest in the brand.
Two lenses join the previews and include Sony’s first real super-telephoto for the Alpha system, a 500mm f4 with “class-leading” performance. A Distagon-labeled 24mm f2 lens would provide a fast, wide-angle prime for landscapes and certain portraits.
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None of the products on show have a set launch date; Sony has occasionally shown concepts and launched them as finished products several months later.
Media attending the show claim that Sony relatively late to both fields and is more than a year late with both an EVIL camera and video DSLRs.
