The Dawn of the Innovated Dead.

 
Photokina started a few hours ago, and Sony is banging its drums. And loud!

Kazuo Hirai, the brand new CEO (since April), seems to finally come to the realization that in order to compete with Canon and Nikon in the HDSLR arena the company needs to provide products that photographers and filmmakers need, and understand.

The most impressive announcement is the Cyber-shot RX1, which is basically a point-and-shoot with a full-frame sensor.

• The Specs:
35mm full-frame 24.3MP Exmor CMOS sensor, ISO 100-25600, 14-bit RAW image capture, f/2.0 Carl Zeiss Sonnar T lens with 9 aperture blades, P/A/S/M modes, Full HD 24p/60i/60p video with manual control. Check all the features here.

• The Good:
1080p video recording at 60fps or 24fps.
Manual exposure controls for both stills and video.
RAW shooting.
Automated modes for HDR photography.

• The Bad:
35mm fixed lens, even if it is an F2.0.
For $2,800 it is pretty hard to consider this camera over a full-featured HDSLR. If you are still interested, Amazon is taking pre orders now.

The second announcement is the Alpha SLT-A99, Sony’s first translucent-mirror full-frame camera. This camera effectively replaces Sony’s flagship Alpha A900 DSLR.

• The Specs:
24.3MP 35mm full-frame sensor, 14-bit RAW output, uncompressed Full 1080 HDMI output in 24p/60p/60i, up to 25600 ISO, Dual AF, continuous AF in all modes, up to 10 fps in Tele-zoom mode, 3″ tiltable LCD. Check all the features here.

• The Good:
A knob for quiet adjustments while capturing video.
1080p video at up to 60 fps.
Autofocus for video.
Body-based, not lens based image stabilization.
2.3-million-dot OLED EVF.
3-inch adjustable LCD.
AF Depth option, which allows to limit the AF system to a specific distance from the lens.
Same price ($2,800) as the RX1, which makes the SLT-99 seem a bargain.

• The Bad:
Support for an XLR adapter kit. What does this mean?
No optical viewfinder.

The third and perhaps most interesting system is the Handycam NEX-VG900, a new high-end mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera that offers built-in Wi-Fi and the ability to run apps like Sony’s NEX-6. The VG900 is the company’s first full-frame camcorder, and it shares the same E-mount system used by the Alpha NEX line of mirrorless still cameras.

• The Specs:
24.3MP full-frame 35mm Exmor™ HD CMOS sensor, Full HD 1080/60i/60p/24p, Quad Capsule Spatial Array Surround mic (5.1 channel), A-mount lens compatible via included adapter. Complete specs here.

• The Good:
It can shoot 24.3 megapixels, 14-bit RAW and JPEG stills.
XGA OLED eye-level electronic viewfinders.
1080p AVCHD Progressive video (28Mbps) at both 60fps and 24fps.
Manual controls for shutter, aperture, and white balance in both video and still-shooting modes.

• The Bad:
No ND Filters

“Sony’s business is in a very severe state. I am fully aware of this and I promise to change Sony, revive the company, and restore the sense of wonder consumers experienced from Sony products in the past” said Mr. Hirai at the company’s last annual shareholders’ meeting. This week he has achieved the last part.

Stay tuned! We will be sharing the most exciting news and products live from Photokina via Twitter and Facebook. If you are not yet following us, do so today!