Hot: Sony talks a bit about their plans in 2012!
I really don’t speak japanese so I have to rely on google translation tool to read the following document: https://www.impressjapan.jp/pr/monitor/1112_dcm/271201_free.pdf. That magazine contains an interview with Sony. And here is what we can expect in 2012:
1) Smaller NEX lenses: Sony confirms what we have reported here on SonyAlphaRumors some time ago. There is a new NEX lens roadmap and it includes smaller lenses (yeah, pancakes!).
2) 100 Megapixel sensor: Sony can do a 100 Megapixel sensor. Now I guess this doesn’t necessary mean there will be a camera with such a sensor. It will be more a “look at my muscles Canon” statement 
3) electronic shutter: This is a big news and very important technology. I bet this is coming for real at Photokina 2012!
Sony also confirms that the next FF cameras will be SLT (electronic viewfinder). Japanese readers may help me to get a full translation of the text? Thanks!
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Comment from Adhib: Oh great the A900's successor will be SL...
Comment from sgts: true about the displays - unless you are...
Comment from Boooe: Thanks for translation
"I think there i...
Comment from Arnold: The greater the resolution, the lesser n...
Miroslav
6 months ago |Electronic shutter – that’s great news! About the only thing missing from NEX-7 – beside IBIS
.
Geir E
6 months ago |The NEX-7 has electronic shutter, only first curtain but still.
Miroslav
6 months ago |Yes, but is there a way to achieve faster flash sync speed than 1/160 ?
pancanikonpus
6 months ago |electronic shutter not same to 1st curtain?
Maximus
6 months ago |electronic shutter means that also the secon curtain is electronic, so no mechanical shutter at all.
pancanikonpus
6 months ago |is it something like global shutter?
Carl
6 months ago |Global shutter is the “right” way to do an electronic shutter, but until I hear otherwise I will take it as meaning sequential shutter.
The kind of readout it a property of the chip itself, and none of Sony’s current DSLR sensors output globally. I’ve also heard nothing to suggest the next generation will, either.
We’re probably in for a long wait.
misu
6 months ago |nobody cares about Nikon 1 having electronic shutter.
I will be big if promoted big.
Geir E
6 months ago |small sensors makes electronic shutters easier. thats why every compact has electronic shutters and no DSLR (well, the D1, D1X, D1H and D70 had a hybrid shutter as well)
Spoon
6 months ago |Compact cameras usually have a mechanical one too, just open one up and you’ll usually find a type of leaf shutter or the aperture blades acting as one. If the maximum (fastest) shutterspeed varies with the aperture (which usually changes at longer focal lengths too), you can be quite sure of the fact that your compact has a leaf shutter.
Fully electronic shutters in combination with CMOS sensors can still result in a rolling shutter or smear effect at faster shutterspeeds and the J1 is no exception. As read out speeds from sensors increase, this problem will diminish too.
Dave Cox
6 months ago |May I take this opportunity to wish Andrea (admin) a very Merry Christmas!
Thanks for all your dedication to Sony rumours and for keeping us all entertained and informed. All the more impressive when considering that English is not your first language!
Merry Christmas and all the best for 2012 to all other SAR readers too!!
Cheers,
Dave.
Boinz
6 months ago |+1
jg
6 months ago |Many wishes and thanks from me too
Don Cox
6 months ago |Yes indeed. This is an excellent site and Andrea works very hard.
Jonathan Geach
6 months ago |+2
sholky
6 months ago |+1
Stefan
6 months ago |+1
Li Chen
6 months ago |+1
Jean-Michel
6 months ago |++1!
Rover
6 months ago |+ a lot
startowa13
6 months ago |+1!
Dulaney Ward
6 months ago |Andrea, I add my wishes for a merry Christmas and felicitations for the new year. Congratulations on the many well-deserved remarks about how good this site is. May you, and Sony, prosper in the new year.
C
6 months ago |One could say that a shutter isn’t needed on a CMOS sensor. See also; video mode.
That said, however, not including a shutter is a little alarming.
LEdgars
6 months ago |Global shutter is absolutely quiet, no shake, no shuter lag limitations!
However regular shutter protect sensor.
Spoon
6 months ago |You’ll still end up with bent lines (that are supposed to be straight) and other artifacts in certain situations. Still imaging makes that more obvious than videos with a fast refresh.
waldomarek
6 months ago |wow @ smaller lenses! hmm, anyone got more details as in HOW small?
Pacman
6 months ago |How about PDAF sensor in the future?
michel v
6 months ago |Smaller lenses, but more reliance on in-camera correction?
Carl
6 months ago |That one is probably unavoidable, given the sensor size relative to flange distance. It’s not really possible to make small lenses with good corners at palatable price points.
torode
6 months ago |Here is a translation of the title and first “Keyword” section of the linked PDF:
Currently considering compact E-mount lenses.
Will they also roll out translucent technology in their top-end models?
Keywords
> Small E-mount lenses for NEX cameras
E-mount lenses have been large considering the size of the NEX bodies, but it looks like high-performance compact lenses are on the way. Sony is emphatic that they won’t compromise in terms of either image quality or lens aberrations. With remarks along the lines of “Buy a NEX and stay tuned,” we might see an announcement early on next year.
> A 100 megapixel sensor is not outside the realm of possibility
While this remark was made in response to a question about increasing megapixel counts, even the a77 takes advantage of its 24 megapixels in the form of a smart teleconverter to a achieve a zoom function. The odds are good that camera development will move forward on the premise of increased megapixel counts in the future.
> Every company is looking to commercialize electronic shutters
This was a remark made in response to a question about the shift from mechanical to electronic cameras, but seems to allude to the direction the industry will take in terms of camera production. With the a77 fitted with an OLED EVF instead of an OVF, we will be watching Sony’s transition to more electronics with keen interest in the future.
Mistral75
6 months ago |Thank you torode, much appreciated.
torode
6 months ago |Translation of the Sony Interview, Part 1:
There is a certain inevitability in the style of SLR cameras
—With things like the Tohoku Earthquake and flooding in Thailand, I think it was a year full of hardships. And I assume it was also a tough year for you in the sense that you released many new products.
Nagata: I think we managed to launch a number of models that only happens once every few years.
—Translucent mirrors have been filling out Sony’s lineup of interchangeable lens cameras. As for the flagship model, the successor to the a900, are you going to make it an orthodox SLR camera and stick to the optical viewfinder?
Nagata: At this stage I can’t comment on that, but we do feel that the OLED viewfinders in the a77 and NEX-7 have been well received beyond expectations.
—Can EVFs be improved even more?
Nagata: I think everything made up of electronic devices will continue to evolve in an amazing way.
—That said, the viewfinder in the a900 is far and away the most amazing among interchangeable lens cameras. Is the a900 the last we’ll see of an OVF?
Nagata: Well (wry smile), what’s certain is that it’s difficult to continue producing that product at that price.
torode
6 months ago |Translation of the Sony Interview, Part 2:
—A change of topic, then. Are you going to continue to preserve the orthodox style of the SLR camera? What I mean is, using translucent mirror technology, it should not be impossible to come up with a more revolutionary style of camera.
Nagata: If we put our minds to it we can produce such a camera, yes.
—Does that mean that more people are responsive to an SLR-like style?
Nagata: Rather than that, I think there is a certain inevitability in the form of an SLR camera. It’s preferable for the viewfinder to be above the optical axis of the lens, and it’s better for the flash to be above the optical axis as well as having some degree of height to avoid the lens. Then you need a grip component so you can grasp the camera firmly. When give shape to these inevitabilities, that’s the form you end up with.
—So you’re saying that SLR cameras are always going to keep this kind of style, this kind of form.
Nagata: Right. Of course since we’ve moved to translucent mirrors we have a greater degree of freedom in the pentaprism area. I think batteries will also continue to evolve and probably undergo a slight change in shape as well.
—Speaking of NEX cameras, the lenses are large considering the size of the bodies. Are you considering smaller lenses?
Nagata: Yes, of course.
—What kind of lenses would those be?
Nagata: To start with, we don’t want to compromise in terms of image quality or distortion. We can make them smaller and we have many other ideas, including whether to make longer focal lengths as well.
—Still, we have not seen many small, light lenses be released. But you’re saying that you’ve come up with a way to maintain performance and produce a smaller, lighter lens that keeps its high performance?
Nagata: That’s right. It might be a good idea to get your hands on a body and stay tuned (laughs).
Boooe
6 months ago |Thanks for translation
“I think there is a certain inevitability in the form of an SLR camera”
right, repeat design of a camera with film roll and OVF into a camera that has neither. so that user nose sticks to camera and size of camera is greater.
it’s bad that they mantain in-lens correction of distortion. better to have distorted, but sharper image.
Brian Toward
6 months ago |Thank you very much, Torode, this is very interesting and helpful.
waldomarek
6 months ago |thanks for the translation and indeed very exciting news. hm dang, would this affect my decision as to buying the 24mm zeiss or not? o_O
Jiri
6 months ago |Many thanks Torode for your translation!
jg
6 months ago |Thanks a lot for the translation!
I am surprised to see the shape of a DSLR being mentioned here as something rather static for the future.
We now have the NEX cameras and the new translucent mirror adapter for Alpha lenses … I wouldn’t be surprised to see a NEX-look-alike camera with a integrated/ built-in ‘adapter’, since it could be significantly smaller than current DSLRs.
Alfonso Cuitiño
6 months ago |Pancakes pancakes pancakes
cal
6 months ago |Wait n see. Sony is an electronic giant. they can have every wonder but whether their produce can product photogenic picture which engage people… this is one thing I am keep monitoring Sony. So far their product’s output is very sharp, vivid, clear and electronic look.
###
6 months ago |>whether their produce can product photogenic picture which engage people…
>electronic look.
You know, you should not exert yourself so much and freely drop all this obfuscating… “sarcasm”?…
Just rant about how everything coming from sony cameras is “lifeless” and “artificial” compared with output of *your* camera manufacturer.
And that is BECAUSE Sony is “electronic giant” and does not care, compared with *your* company that is solely dedicated to art of photography.
It seems that Sony produced relatively affordable fullframe with one of the brightest and largest OVF and best color separation (sacrificing low noise in high iso) just to troll senile Minolta fans.
Well, now i have to think again how to spend another 15 minutes doing something useless.
SRL
6 months ago |Very interesting comments about the a900 replacement and the OVF in general.
We already know that the costs in making OVF with the quality of the a900/a850 product is high and this was said again if the translation is correct. Although it doesn’t sound like not making one more OVF (aka a950) is casted into stone yet. I would not be surprised if a OFV prototype to replace the a900 is not setting on some engineer or product designers desk in Tokyo.
Peter S
6 months ago |When there’s a compact 30-40mm prime, I’m in for a NEX7, and I suspect many others would be as well.
ggweci
6 months ago |+1
Count me in that list.
SRL
6 months ago |I have a question for the SAR readers that have an understanding in optical design and limitations.
Posters have been going back and forth about the size of lens, but what about resolution and the optical qualities needed as sensors move from 24 to 36 or 100MP?
At what point do we hit the wall were lenses can no longer keep up with the ability of the sensor to resolve?
I try to purchase the highest quality lenses I can for my A-Mounts, realizing that the Minolta lenses I purchased in 1986 for my Minolta 9000 will still work on my Sony camera now 26 years later on my a850.
I see lenses as more of an investment with a much greater life that the camera body but I question how long will this continue to be true, 36MP, 48MP, 100MP???
Vivek
6 months ago |I put in a suggestion here:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/carlzeisslenses/discuss/72157628147189651/
The 32/4 is one the sharpest lens that I know of (based on the official MTF charts)- sharper than any photographic lens made by Zeiss (ie., other than macro).
SonyA77
6 months ago |You don’t run out of resolution. There’s a lot of crap going around about sensors out-resolving lenses.
Cliff
6 months ago |“There’s a lot of crap going around about sensors out-resolving lenses”
“crap”…why do you call that “crap”? And what do you mean when you say: “You don’t run out of resolution”
So you are trying to say that lenses have an “unlimited” resolution that you “dont run out of”?
Don Cox
6 months ago |In theory you can work this out from the size of the Airy disc produced by diffraction in a lens at f/1.2 or whatever your widest aperture lens might be.
But do you want the disc on just one pixel, or should it cover several pixels? If several pixels, a deconvolution filter might be able to sharpen the image further.
If your lens has optical aberrations (as well as diffraction), it is not going to get worse as the sensor improves. It will just be easier to tell good lenses from bad – but “bad” lenses can take good photos in the hands of a good photographer. Lenses have different characters, and you can use this if the sensor is good enough to distinguish them.
In my opinion the sensor should be better than the best lens at its best aperture.
So I look forward to 80 or 100 Mpix sensors, and the computers needed to handle these large image files.
PhotoNut
6 months ago |Don,
What is the point of tens of megapixels of image resolution for a non-professional consumer (Sony’s main market) when the user will not be able to see any more details than that produced by a 12-16mpx camera? Given that computer display devices which are the #1 output device for DSLR images are still stuck at one or two megapixels (720P laptops and 1080P desktops/flat screens) and a vast majority of the images taken by the users are not printed at sizes beyond 4×6 or at most 8×10, where is the concern from electronic giants like Sony about the low resolution of display devices?
Since consumer printing of images will only decline in the future, I predict that electronic displays are the new “print” and that that is the real factor which sets expectations for consumer digital camera resolution. When Sony starts coming out with affordable four or eight megapixel electronic displays then we can start talking about the consumer real need for very high resolution cameras.
Hopefully the next IPad, HDTV or Macbooks from Apple will move the industry forward to much higher resolutions that are needed to take advantage of the high quality image capture devices/cameras that are available today.
This impedance between electronic capture resolution and display resolution is one of my big pet peeves. On many laptops today from all the big PC makers, even the cheap webcams on the lids have more resolution than the display of the laptop. This is ridiculous! While camera resolution keeps going up, display resolution is going down or remaining the same due to the stupid belief that computer displays are only good for watching low resolution wide-screen movies.
Don Cox
6 months ago |“What is the point of tens of megapixels of image resolution for a non-professional consumer (Sony’s main market) when the user will not be able to see any more details than that produced by a 12-16mpx camera? ”
The tens of Mpix are for the high end cameras like the NEX-7 or higher. There will certainly be cheaper models aimed at beginners or ordinary consumers, just like the C3 today.
But you know, even a beginner might get a lucky shot that would justify blowing up to a big print. Many people have access to big inkjet printers at their college or business.
And who knows how good TVs will be in 20 or 30 years’ time? Looking back on my older transparencies, I wish I had shot them all on Kodachrome (or on medium format). Ektachrome or even half-frame Ektachrome seemed “good enough” at the time. Now there are many unrepeatable photos which are just too low in quality to be printed even at A3 size.
Think ahead.
Don Cox
6 months ago |“While camera resolution keeps going up, display resolution is going down or remaining the same due to the stupid belief that computer displays are only good for watching low resolution wide-screen movies.”
I agree with you that there is an urgent need for much higher resolution displays. After all, until very recently many wide screen movies were shot on 70mm film, with a much higher resolution than the stills from a NEX-7.
But while we wait for these better displays, we need to be shooting images that will be ready for them.
Almond
6 months ago |Megapixel counts can increase forever. If you scale output down to a common size where the max lens performance is reached, you will not see a difference.
Carl
6 months ago |The only true limit would be a camera with such small pixel size that it hit the diffraction limit before the the widest aperture of the lens you’re using. You see this on cheapie cellphone cameras from time to time (which were never intended to make large prints in the first place), but larger format cameras have way to go before that happens.
Ultimately, unless you plan to print larger than A0 size regularly, it’s not something that needs to be worried about for quite some time.
Cliff
6 months ago |But what good is having incredibly dense sensors when a viewer isn’t seeing that many pixels.
Let’s create a 1 GIGA Pixel sensor and take a photo. Let’s then downsample and interpolate or scale down the image to 5 megapixel. You have just “thrown away” 95% of the pixels you have captured. And, in the process created a strong moiré problem.
Can you imagine a sensor like that for video? You could only read out like 1 line for every 50 lines or something? lol Read 1, skip 50, read another, skip 50. (you really never want that for video..ever)
As far as moiré, the higher percentage you throw away in the downsizing process, the higher the spacial gaps in your image, making moiré that much stronger.
Unless you are printing high resolution posters or billboards, super high resolution sensors will hurt your image more than they will help it. (You gotta USE a very high percentage of the data to make it worthwhile)
Me? Right now, I’ll take a I’ll take a highly sensitive, damn good 16MP sensor over a 36MP low sensitivity one.
I’d rather use 50-100% of a 16 Megapixel sensor over using 20-50% of a 36 megapixel sensor….anyday. Throwing away a high percentage of image data has a price.
passer-by
6 months ago |Interesting. I was told the opposite, downscaled picture is better. The presence of moire indicates weak AA filter… which is preferred by some.
BTW, downscaling picture doesn’t throw away image data. Cropping does. Okay, maybe a little bit, but it still has more data than the native small resolution sensor. I rather have that option.
Arnold
6 months ago |The greater the resolution, the lesser need for an AA filter.
calxn
6 months ago |Just to point out some info, Canon already showed off a 100mp sensor.
Maxwell
6 months ago |Interesting interview it looks like.
I guess there will be some nice news from Sony in 2012 also.
Happy new year!
Jan
6 months ago |Well… Canon has made 120 Mpx. sensor a year ago…
Carl
6 months ago |Sony’s comment was probably directed at Canon. As in “we could do that too, if we wanted”.
Cliff
6 months ago |I’d love to see a standard “Alpha” lens sized E mount Sony “Active” Steady Shot lens that is a constant aperture F2.8 and 16-50mm zoom. (or close)
That would be a great walk around lens for NEX VG20 video/stills. I’d pay $1K or less for that.
Poki
6 months ago |So the 35mm f/2 and 85mm f/2.8 are coming! Hell, it’s about time …
But imagine the lens roadmap after these two lenses + the three already promised lenses for 2012. Could it get any better (except for super telephoto lenses)?
ted
6 months ago |where does it say that a 35mm f/2 lens is coming, or are you just guessing? i’m debating whether i should get the voigtlander 35mm f/1.4 nokton or wait for a similar pancake from sony
Clyde
6 months ago |Why are my comments marked as spam?
passer-by
6 months ago |You are not?
Just playing..
sgts
6 months ago |true about the displays – unless you are printing a1 lamdas etc etc then the 36mp will be no use to you – but i got 44in inkjet you say – well even those dont really reproduce black tonalities very well. I mean they do pretty good – but theyre still not quite finished yet. The point about digital displays is v.interesting and worth thinking about.
Adhib
6 months ago |Oh great the A900′s successor will be SLT -_- It’s a shame they are turning it into an SLT, The A900 surely has to be best compact FF DSLR, with a great OVF and so many good features, but now they’re wasting it by making it an SLT. If I were creating the A900 succesor I would of kept it as a DSLR.