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Pentax had previous experience in the medium format sector. The 645D was a digital incarnation of the 645 series of film cameras, and was compatible with those older lenses too. So I wouldn’t compare Sony’s situation with Pentax.
Sony would be jumping into a whole new (and pretty competitive, quality-wise, although they could compete effectively in price) market if they did do this, and they would also need to develop a whole new line of lenses. This seems to me to be a bit over-optimistic in terms of their capbilities, keeping in mind they are continuing work on the Alpha line lenses (hopefully), as well as populating the woefully outnumbered E-mount lenses.

Sony has enough problems developing lenses for their current SLR/SLT and EVIL cameras. Don’t spread too thin.

Now if they want to SELL medium format sensors – by all means. Won’t that just mean a larger sensor cut?

Not profitable, not realistic.

Well, Sony have the money and resources to make MF cameras if they really want to, and Zeiss still have all the Contax 645 designs just sitting and gathering dust after Kyocera shafted them, so I wouldn’t rule out the possibility entirely, but having said that it doesn’t sound very likely, given the continuing gaps and deficiencies in both the A and E mounts.

Sony making sensors for medium format cameras makes much more sense. I could see Pentax asking Sony to make them up a custom sensor for their 645D, as it would probably give them a significant edge (especially in terms of high ISO) over their Dalsa and Kodak equipped competition.

I think MF rumor is an attempt by Sony Executives to determine where the leaks are originating. The source better watch his/her back.

Of course I could be wrong. Sony may just be doing a Market Study to determine if making a MF at a target price would be a good business decision.

i doubt… i’d go with a hi-res a9xx that would dominate the FF market both in MP and Price…
maybe the way to domination, is to release the canikon competitors after with a bit more MP and specs and lower price…

i can imagine Sony venturing into large sensors for still photography. they have already a solid name in the professional video world and making large still sensors would be more or less a logical extension.

a whole new MF camera is something different. very few of them are sold, so it would be hard to make it profitable, especially because then they also would have to offer lenses.

perhaps offering digital backs capable of up to 6×7 cm would be a interesting proposition. imagine a Mamiya RZ with a 6×7 digital back….a real (rotating) 645 back that could be fitted to third party cameras could also be interesting, especially if the price is right compared t products already available.

By the way. Is this related to the multi aps-c sensor camera rumor? It would make sense for such a camera to compete with MF digital in size.

Medium Format from SONY?

They have exactly zero lenses for a system like that. null, nix, nada.
This is not going to happen.

Since Sony are the largest manufacturer of sensors, if they have customers who want medium format sensors willing to pay a price where Sony will make money selling to them, it does not seem unlikely that Sony would manufacture them.

OTOH Sony manufacturing a medium format camera under their own name sounds pretty unlikely.

The reason of companies developing MF and larger digital formats is because film/format/sensor size is KING.
We have reached a point where the digital sensors out-resolved the lenses. Few lens out-resolve 16M at the moment. Although technically companies are still producing sensors with higher and higher resolution, I only get smoothed out blurs. The details are not there. Many Japanese designed and produced lenses have resolution lower than German designed lenses such as Leica and Zeiss. It makes sense for camera manufacturers and Photographers who look for details to head towards larger and larger formats.
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One may say that lens technology could improve and we will see lenses of much higher resolution. Even providing this will be the case, would it not be even more impressive if such super high resolution technology is used on lenses with larger format?

I could hardly imagine Sony would want to enter the MF market right now. But I’d LOVE it if they do.

I agree, if they are mf’g MF CMOS for other brands, they’d be much more inclined to sell a camera body or two. I dunno if they can find a way to allow A-mount lenses for reduced image circle. Seems way counter-productive IMHO.

I would dream of true premium Zeiss glass for 42-60MP sensors. A competitor to the Leica S2 and maybe a classic model (like a foldable or rangefinder?).

If Sony figured out how to get the data stream throughput to do upwards of 4.5 fps, SSS in-camera stabilization (maybe), translucent mirror, and GPS geo-tagging. I wonder if Sony would ONLY release one if they come up with some ground-breaking new technology. Could you imagine if they figured out how to use sensor-shift to capture R,G,B from adjoining pixels for VIDEO using the SLT and Exmor ‘R’?

You could have a 48MP MF body that could shoot full 48MP, or composited 16MP with sensor-shift to capture each color in each pixel for stills and video. Make that an Exmor ‘R’ CMOS for low-light. You’d have a game changer that likely would be handheld usable at ISO 1600. If this had DRO, HDR, Pano, wireless remote, wireless flash trigger. Add an articulating 3.5″ 920k-dot touch-screen LCD. Make the body and lenses weather-sealed for landscapes and environmental portraiture. Use USB 3.0 optimization. Offer 2 significant imaging formats for shooting: 30x45mm or 36x36mm square imaging. OMG.

Methinks there are enough people out there that would go berserk for this. Yeah, you’d be utilizing a 45x36mm CMOS sensor, if I had my way. The square would truly optimize the image quality of these superior lenses.

Especially if they figure a way to use any good legacy mount/system. Buy Contax rights (again?)? Didn’t Fuji have a system? Make an agreement w/ someone else. Whatever.

If Sony’s offering could be $32K-ish for body and 2-lens Zeiss Planar kit (maybe: 28mm f/4 landscape and 100/2.5 portrait), I wouldn’t be surprised if they could sell a few thousand kits fairly easily. That could realistically equate to $100+ million USD pretty quickly. Not a bad idea, IF they are already going to mfr sensors for someone else. AND meanwhile, it establishes a premium flagship system to gain attention and keep the Cine/Hollywood types interested in the Sony system for other purposes.