Here's one to shake up the market. A good start from Sony, after their purchase of Konica Minolta?
On paper it looks like a bit of a weapon, 10MP sensor, anti shake, anti dust and something called Dynamic Range Optimiser. All for around a body only price of £600.
Will this spark a reaction from the two big guns?

On paper yes it looks good but in reality it may face much stiffer competition than you’d imagine. For a start, the Alpha's sensor is the same as the Cyber-shot DSC-R1 which isn’t necessarily such a good thing. If I were in the market for a new camera in that price range and wasn’t already tied into one of the other proprietary systems I would probably choose the Fuji S3 Pro over the Sony. True, it’s an older model but it still has one of the best sensors around with more power and better dynamic range than most of its more expensive rivals - including the Alpha. The sturdy construction, compatibility with Nikon accessories and a raft of price cuts that have made it very affordable would make it a far more compelling purchase.

Sony wants Alpha SLR as famous as PlayStation @ caedes-dot-net

Sony Alpha 100 dSLR @ DSL-reports

Alpha A100 Photo Gallery @ DSL-reports


;o)

Lol, i'm only 3 months behind you Keith:) Thanks for the sample images though.
I'm certainly going to be in the market for a lower end DSLR at some point, probably the middle of next year. Hopefully by then anti shake and anti dust will be standard in all new models. The Dynamic Range Optimser looks like something that can easily be recreated in most RAW software. I can see the Sony selling well because Megapixels and gimmicks sell, I'm a sucker for a pyramid tea bag!
Has the Fuji dropped in price due to a newer model on the horizon?

Yes - the S4 is due soon - again based on Nikon hardware but with a new 14mp Fuji sensor but that shouldn’t deter anyone from buying an S3 which is more than a match for the majority of it's newer rivals - even models at twice it's price. Similarly, the Canon 20D is still kicking around the retailers heavily discounted to the point of being little more expensive than a 350D/Rebel XT.