(SR5) Sony to announce the first two Pellix cameras at Photokina in September! The A55 and A33!
Reminder: We are a rumors website! We are not affiliated with Sony and this are not official Sony news. Please read our disclaimer to learn what “rumor” means!
In November 2009 we told you that Sony was working on a completely new type of camera, the Pellix camera. A Pellix camera has a semitransparent and fixed mirror. Canon was once one of the leaders of the semitransparent mirror tecnology (For example with the $loc = $_SESSION['geoip'];
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{?>Canon EOS RT) Those pellix cameras were all film cameras.
SonyAlphaRumors learned that Sony will launch two new Pellix cameras at Photokina (late September). This will be the first digital pellix cameras ever made. Both cameras will feature the new APS-C ExmorHD sensor.
Why should pellix be interesting?
1) Ken Rockwell said it few days ago: “why isn’t (video on DSLR) it good enough for me? Simple: DSLRs have no real autofocus!“. Current DSLR+video cameras like the Canon 5D MarkII
2) The mirror is fixed so there will be no moving parts. That should help you to get sharper images (like on
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3) The camera will be more silent!
4) The camera can take pictures (stills!) at over 10fps!
The only minor issue of Pellix cameras is that they have to split the light in two parts. A small part of the light goes to the phase detection sensor and a bigger part to the sensor. You should loose no more than 1/3 EV. We really shouldn’t worry about that 
It is clear that Sony wants to offer the best possible video expereince on DSLR cameras! The pellix tecnology combined with the new ExmorHD sensor will almost create the Killer DSLR+video camera. I say “almost” because there is also one more thing we still would need: Raw-video recording. But according to our sources the camea will record in AVCHD format (24/Mbit/s).
What’s the difference between the two cameras? The A55 will record in FullHD (1080 60i/50i) and the A33 in 720p. The body will be very small like current APS-C $loc = $_SESSION['geoip'];
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{?>Sony Alpha cameras. The price of the Pellix cameras? Cheap! I don’t know the price but I am certain it will be cheap!
One more thing. The cameras won’t be called DSLR anymore (Should be something like DSTR T=transparent). And yes it is a “classic” AlphaMount camera.
Design of the Pellix mirror
As you may remember in February we also posted a Sony patent which shows how it works: http://sonyalpharumors.com/sr5-and-here-it-is-the-sony-half-mirror-pellix-patent/
Some technical details about the Pellix mirror have been posted at EosHD.
So, keep following us! We are also on Facebook and Twitter! And send us your rumors at sonyalpharumors@gmail.com!
Thanks
Andrea
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This is it! 
ocal5
3 years ago |Thanks !
APS-C Sony Alpha cameras…. NEX style or Alpha style ?
mugen
3 years ago |Mount?
Mistral75
3 years ago |I like face detection autofocus
“A small part of the light goes to the face detection sensor and a bigger part to the sensor.”
admin
3 years ago |Lapsus
dk
3 years ago |The mirror is still there, so the mount must be alpha.
Though this can mean that Sony will have the best video DSLR, it’s not all that exciting for those who are not interested in video in the first place.
me
3 years ago |“The mirror is fixed so there will be no viewfinder blackouts when you take a picture”
There ist no optical viewfinder but the image clearly shows a shutter (no. 4). How will the EVF not blackout when the shutter is closed? It will close only for a very short time but it will certainly be closed at some point.
admin
3 years ago |Hi Me!
My mistake. I mad ecopy and paste from another article. That is clearly an error!
A3X
3 years ago |Feel a little bit sad!
No a Full Frame….
LukeLx
3 years ago |Awesome, i tought a lot about this kind of camera, and since Sony already did something similar on the 550 in live view, i was wondering what was Sony waiting.
The IQ of the new sensor is really awesome, if they couple it with a nice AF and decent fps, they’ll gain a big slice of the market.
A nice AF, with an effective tracking, would be a must for sport photographers; who usually shot at 6-10fps while manually tracking the subject despite mirror blackouts, knows what i’m talking of.
I’ve to say that Sony is the 1st big company that understand that DSLR doesn’t have to be simply a copy of the old film cameras. (If Nikon D90 substitute or Canon 60D doesn’t come out with a similar solution)
Don'z
3 years ago |could it be the 2 dSLR model shown that we though is a7XX and a6XX?
LukeLx
3 years ago |Mmm… the only reason for the presence of a shutter is that they couldn’t realize an eletronic 2nd curtain, but this would be a problem.
I say “the only reason” becouse there’s no prism or mirror for an optic viewfinder…
00aeiou00
3 years ago |Thats awesome news!! (I mean thats an awesome rumor!!)
I know whats going to be under my Christmas tree this year
kev
3 years ago |Thanks for this news, I was sure that it will be that.
Question : Will it be a ccd sensor ? I think sony will go ccd in HDSLR to bypass rolling shutter and flashlight problems due to cmos systems.
Moreover, I think that it will have an EVF since 1/3 EV part of the pelix mirror is taken to render VF, it would not be bright enough. Also knowing how good is sony in producing nice screens. (Looking at the patent, there’s no Optical Viewfinder, no prism at all…)
qbic
3 years ago |No FF+ = no buy, My C5dmk2 is still better videocam.
Abi
3 years ago |So… the six cameras would be A290, A390, A6xx, A7xx, A33, and A55 then?
Something AREN’t DSLR | Alpha Gallery α
3 years ago |[...] very trusted source and it will be very likely be true. For full storey of this post, click on this link to visit [...]
SONYはPellixミラーの一眼α55とα33を出す！（sonyalpharumors.com） | YOUのデジタルマニアックス！！dmaniax.com
3 years ago |[...] sonyalpharumors ? Blog Archive ? (SR5) Sony to announce the first two Pellix cameras at Photokina in… [...]
Sam
3 years ago |This is interesting but it doesn’t necessarily make it the best video in a dslr camera. It might make it the best autofocus camera, but that is very different from the best video.
dominik
3 years ago |..at Photokina (Spetember) ???
What’s spetember?
Dulaney
3 years ago |This is an Alpha utilizing the new apsc EXMOR HD sensor (cmos), I guess at 14 mpx, and utilizing the “classic” Alpha mount, or A-mount.
Please note that these are 3- and 5-level cameras. That is, they parallel the A3xx/5xx cameras and the NEX3/5 cameras (I expect) and are basically entry-level at this point. That is why Andrea says they will be cheap. I was hoping/fearing that the pellix would be introduce as a 7-level camera.
So now what about the question of which six cameras will be introduced in the next three months? Three months btw would end at the end of August. If we are to take that literally, and if we are to take today’s rumor literally, then the pellix cameras will be introduced at Photokina, not before–or at least not in August. In that scenario, there would be six other cameras introduced by the end of August. We have heard of and perhaps even seen the A290/390. Perhaps the others will be two A5xx and two A7x cameras? The current A5xx cameras are apparently a joy to use, but they apparently didn’t sell like hotcakes, have had really tough competition appear in the form of the T2i, and would be unquestionably dead in the water, what with a sea of more interesting Sony cameras, and new competition from other Nikon & Canon introductions, were Sony not to bring out a new A5xx series this year. I think they will, even though I don’t see shortages of the A500/550, as I do even with the A3xx cameras, which are off the shelves of several big electronics retailers. Furthermore, successors for the A 5xx cameras and the A700 were effectively promised for this year at PMA, and indications have been that the A7xx would appear before Photokina.
If the A33 & A55 AND the NEX 7 appear at Photokina, that doesn’t leave much room for a dramatic entrance by a new A950 camera at the same time–but who knows, maybe Sony Alpha is going for broke this year and will show every one of its cards.That, taken as a whole, would be truly dramatic, and would attract just a bit of attention. Maybe, as Sony’s World Cup site implies (go to FIFA, and click on the Sony logo), it’s Alpha time! World time by Alpha!
Miroslav
3 years ago |Very interesting and promising. Strange of Sony though to go both mirrorless and fixed mirror ways. You expect a manufacturer to lock its customers into a proprietary mount and system, but Sony will now have two barely compatible. As if they themselves do not know which is better. You could probably say that NEX is going to be aimed toward p&s upgraders, these fixed mirror cameras towards sports/action photographers and videographers, while “old style” DSLRs will be for night shooters
.
After a couple of dull years, these last two have seen very interesting development of high quality photo gear and since some big innovations like global shutter are yet to come, things are looking better and better. I wonder what Canon and Nikon have up their sleeves.
In the end, I will choose the most compact body/lens combination which offers optimal image quality and a satisfactory lens range.
Hashbrown
3 years ago |A Pellix mirror Video DSLR makes a lot of sense not because of Auto focus but because of manual focus. Filming video with an DSLR, manual focus is the only option to give you full control but with current options focusing is very difficult as you can only see a live-view screen. The viewfinder doesn’t work because the mirror is up. With a Pellix mirror you would be able to look through the viewfinder and see exactly what you are filming. This would be a real breakthrough for those serious about video but it’s not really something for filming the kid’s soccer matches.
Hashbrown
3 years ago |As usual Ken Rockwell is outspoken yet uninformed.
Erik
3 years ago |Light loss isn’t the only reason this type of SLR was a kind of dead end.
Internal reflection in the mirror causes a double image (ghosting). To reduce this as much as possible, the mirror is as thin as possible, a thin membrane (hence the name pellicle). But this makes the membrane move due to air pressure if the rear group of the lens moves during AF, problematic during tracking AF when the PD-AF system needs to take frequent readings. Also the membrane will gather dust which reduces IQ and it’s very hard to clean the delicate surface. Finally there’s a colour shift over the surface due to transmission varying with angle and wavelength. This would vary with the exit pupil location, so vary with lens and zoom setting, and hard to fully correct, I imagine.
Now, if you are desperate to get your old-tech SLR lenses to work with video AF maybe it’s worth suffering the drawbacks, but it’s no panacea.
Sam
3 years ago |@ Hashbrown
Thank you very much Hashbrown! You have highlighted something that I hadn’t even thought of, the ability to look through the viewfinder and see what you are filming. Attaining one of the most desired things by videographers, and optical viewfinder of sorts. If this is done well then it will be excellent and as you say fantastic for manual focussing, as well as the previously mentioned autofocus benefits.
jt
3 years ago |“It is clear that Sony wants to offer the best possible video expereince on DSLR cameras!”
I would like to believe this but I don’t. The video on the Nex is absolute crap. I get the feeling Sony does not want to compete with the upcoming Nex camcorder- so video in stills cameras will remain crap.
Din
3 years ago |Admin… those A33/A55 will have EVF or OVF??
Sony Said to Introduce New Pellix Cameras at Photokina 2010 | Pro Photo Home
3 years ago |[...] Sony is said to be getting into Pellix or pellicle digital cameras at Photokina. Canon tried the fixed Pellicle semi-transparent mirror back in the mid-60s. It was an idea that was way ahead of the curve since photographers could actually see the shot the moment that they pressed the button since the mirror didn’t pop-up darkening the viewfinder. Sony may be introducing at least 2 cameras that are based on this principle. With the recent introductions of the NEX-5 and NEX-3, assuming this will happen, Sony could be definitely on a roll and back as in “stronger than ever.” SonyAlphaRumors has additional info. Read More… [...]
momo
3 years ago |Sony DSLR Video = Fail
THey just don’t want to compete with their own Video cameras. Canon or Nikon are free (partial) from competing with their own cameras because they don’t have any Video cameras that are over 10K
Sky
3 years ago |BTW: Admin – didn’t the Pellix camera from Sony suppose to have the flippable mirror? So that you could choose – phase AF or high picture quality + contrast AF? I recall rumor you wrote about it. So it’s not Fixed Mirror as you wrote here… or something has changed?
“those A33/A55 will have EVF or OVF??” – EVF. If they’d have OVF than both – viewfinder and picture taken would be crap.
“THey just don’t want to compete with their own Video cameras. Canon or Nikon are free (partial) from competing with their own cameras because they don’t have any Video cameras that are over 10K” – ZOOOONK! Not true. Canon is a major video camera producer in the same way Sony is (obviously Sony is the leader, but Canon still produces camcoders.
Samuel
3 years ago |No A700 successor? Awwww….. I am looking forward for that only.
Sony Possibly Will Be Launching PELLIX Camera This Year - Erodov Forums
3 years ago |[...] [...]
Sony may launch PELLIX cameras this year
3 years ago |[...] DSLR that shoot videos have one drawback which is they can't use the Optical Viewfinder) Source sonyalpharumors Below is sonys patented design. . ch_client = "techenclave1"; ch_type = "mpu"; [...]
Dulaney Ward
3 years ago |Perhaps an A7xx will be among the cameras introduced BEFORE September.
Sammy
3 years ago |I love optical view finders but I dont mind if Sony replaced all there cameras with evf’s. After all, they know how to build amazing evf’s for there camcordrs. Besides i think an electronic view finder will elimnate the 1/3 loss in light to the findwe because the sensitivity can be slightly. boosted to comp….
Stephen Johnson
3 years ago |How is this the first Pellix digital camera? As I understand the definition of Pellix, both the Olympus E10 and E20 were Pellix, I think Olympus also produced at least one other but I forget the name.
joytek
3 years ago |Given a fixed mirror in front of the sensor … how would one go about cleaning the low-pass filter with sensor swabs? I know that newer cameras have the “sonic filters” but sometimes there still is a need for a wet wipe down. So how are they going to solve that? Do a removable fixed mirror?
sonyalpharumors » Blog Archive » (SR5) The two pellix cameras will record in AVCHD, have an electronic viewfinder,…
3 years ago |[...] infos about the Pellix cameras: 1) The Pellix camera will come with an electornic viewfinder (yes like it is shown on the Sony patent) 2) If you want you will be able to move-up the pellix mirror to avoid the light-loss (but phase [...]
Waarom nog een Digitale reflexcamera? - Pagina 7 - Belgiumdigital forum - Digitale fotografie
3 years ago |[...] [...]
Sony y los espejos semitransparentes | hasta los MEGAPÍXELES
3 years ago |[...] cuentan en SonyAlphaRumors, los planes de Sony van por este camino y ya prepara dos modelos para Photokina basados en dicha [...]
MuffinMan
3 years ago |umm, Noob here can I ask?
what is a Pellix camera?
does that mean that Pellix are better than the New a700 + HD cam series?…
Anonymous
3 years ago |[...] ya en una EVIL? Tampoco olvidemos que existe otro concepto de EVIL con espejo como el rumoreado de Sony y el que aparece en algunas patentes de Nikon. Saludos Citar [...]
Daniel
3 years ago |Sony should not waste time putting video into dslr…it just won’t work! A still reflex camera just ain’t built for that purpose. Wanna shoot movie, get a videocam…or fancy ur Alpha lens get the Sony NEX-VG10. A Hummer can never be a Lamborghini & a VTOL F35 can never imitate a Longbow.