TOKYO -- Makers of single lens reflex (SLR) digital camera are focusing on new models for professional and semi-professional users, and displaying prototypes at the Photo Imaging Expo 2007 being held in Tokyo.
Sony, Pentax, and Olympus are among those highlighting new SLR models; Canon showed a new model ready for release.
Sony Revamps Alpha
Sony unveiled its plans for releasing two high-end versions of its popular Alpha 100 digital camera. Released last year, the Alpha 100 is the first camera to be developed jointly with Konica Minolta's former camera division, which Sony bought in 2005. Sony is displaying a mock-up and the new models don't have product names yet. For now, one is being called the "high amateur user" model and the other, the "flagship model" for professionals. Both models are scheduled to have the image stabilization feature already in the Alpha 100. The new models will include a new image sensor called the "BIONZ."
"We aren't releasing details on the price or features for these two new models," said Toshio Nagai, communication planning manager of the digital imaging business group at Sony.
Nagai would not say what resolution image sensors the high-end models would have. Some recent digital SLR cameras have sensors with resolutions as high as 30 megapixels.
The Alpha 100 has a 10-megapixel sensor, and the newer models will surely have more megapixels, be larger in size and heavier in weight, Nagai said. They are also showing eight new lenses for the Alpha series at the show.
"One of the two cameras will be released within the year, but we're not saying which," Nagai said. "We will be releasing five new lenses for the Alpha 100 within the year as well."
Pentax 645 Debuts
Meanwhile, Pentax is displaying a digital SLR prototype, provisionally known as the 645 Digital. It plans to use a CCD (charge-coupled device) sensor with a resolution of more than 30 megapixels.
"This is the third mock-up we have shown since the fall of 2005. We've been changing our specs--we were originally going to offer 18 megapixels for this model--based on user feedback," said Pentax spokesperson Hiraku Kawauchi. He had no information about pricing or release date for the camera. It was previously shown at the PMA show earlier this month.
The lenses for the Pentax 645 will be compatible with the 645 Digital, he said. It will have two memory slots, one for Secure Digital (SD) memory cards and the other for CompactFlash.
Next-Gen Olympus E-1
Olympus had a mock-up digital camera called the "successor to the E-1" on display.
"We are planning on unveiling and releasing this model by the end of the year," Olympus spokesperson Atsushi Hatakeyama said.
The company would give no further details other than that the new camera will have a dust reduction system. That was also a feature of the original E-1, which came out in late 2003 with a resolution of 5 megapixels.
Canon's New EOS
A huge crowd gathered around the Canon booth, where visitors were able to actually hold the EOS-1D Mark III, which will go on sale by the end of May in Japan. The Mark III has a resolution of 10 megapixels, shoots at 10 frames per second, and will be priced at around $4254.
"People coming up to our booth are being blown away with the camera's live view mode," said Kiyokazu Danura, a Canon salesperson.
The Photo Imaging Expo 2007 runs through Sunday, March 25 at the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition center.
"High-End Digicams Shown" Comments