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Image courtesy: Photoscala

Sony just issued the new Q4 report (Click here to download). During the last three months of 2011 digital camera sales fell by 22.5%. Overall Sony sold 21 Million digital cameras in 2012. That’s 3 million less than expected. A bad news but certainly not a Sony’s fault. The Thai flood affected almost all companies (Nikon, Canon and so on). The new Sony CEO Hirai wants to reinforce the imaging business and bring it back to profit within 2012.

Via Photoscala

UPDATE via trusted sources: The new 18-200mm from Sony will be All Black and be announced on May 17th along the new NEX-F3. I certainly welcome the idea to make black version of the current NEX lenses. Would love to see a 50mm Black lens too! It has the same optical desing of the current 18-200mm lens!

Thanks Nini

Sony is active on three fornts, the NEX system, the APS-C system and the Full Frame system. But despite all the (well deserved) merit for launching new tehcnologies (like SLT or mirrorless) there are still many things that we are missing. Sony is still very slow in releaseing new NEX lenses while they are (too?) fast in releaseing new NEX cameras. All current FUll Frame models are disocntinued but there is no new A99 camera yet, we still need more lenses (primes and zooms) for the SLT system and so on.

Photojottings (Click here) analyzed the past and present Sony camera/lens strategy and came out with a very provocative statement: “My hope is that Sony abandons the full frame market, (too heavy, too expensive, totally unnecessary now for good images) and concentrates its resources on bringing out more inexpensive, but excellent quality lenses for its APS-C market, and making the NEX cameras capable of phase detect focusing without the adapter, with the addition of more great lenses like the CZ 24/1.8, and a high quality zoom or two.”

What’s your opinion on that???

P.S:: Good Luck in finding the “old” FF DSLR:
Sony A900 Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay.
Sony A850 Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay.

From time to time I post patents describing many new technologies like organic sensors and “foveon” alike vertical alligned pixels and so on. But as you know most of the time these patents just remain….patents. Now many top sources confirmed that there will be a new sensor design made for compact cameras. Sony will launch some compact cameras (with small sensor) by end of the year having a new RGBW sensor. It means it will have Red-Greeen-Blue and White sensible pixels. That new pattern will allow an increased dynamic range. I have no clue yet if that kind of sensor will sooner or later also find his way on larger APS-C an FF sensor. Certainly not within this year!

I am being asked by some SAR readers what’s the news on the fixed lens APS-C model and the Hybrid camera concept. The news I have says that the APS-C camera with fixed lens a là DSC-R1 (here on eBay) will arrive this summer and compete against the Canon G1 X ($799). Like the Canon it uses a very compact zoom lens and not a prime lens like the Sigma DP series the Fuji X100 and Leica X1.

The hybrid E-A or (A-E?) mount camera that will bring full support for both lens systems is still in being developed and will not come before 2013. At that stage I really don’t know how this camera will look and what exactly Sony wants to do in terms of design and features. How this will work remains a bit of a mystery. I only can think on a similar solution of the Zeiss Ikon Contax I, II and III that can still be found here on eBay.

After the May 17th NEX-F3 and Sony A37 announcement I will intensively work on the next A99 Full Frame camera release. I am crossing my finger that this will become a great camera!