Crusaide for 1.25x CMOS - single stamp manufacturing process

[A1000]

I think that Sony should offer this sort of DSLR's. It could be made inexpensive since single stamping would be used in the CMOS manufacturing process and the FF lenses could be utilized better, and they would be sharper in this smaller cropped are.

The lineup could be e.g. like this:

FF:
A1000 weather seals, longer shutter life, more FPS, etc. $4K
A900 $3K
A800 pentamirror, flash, $2K

1.25x - forget the APS-C factor in this price range:
A700i $1.6K
A600 $1.3K

APS-C:
A500 $1K
A400 $800

A300i $600
A200i $500
A100 with OVF only $400

I think that having this type of A600-800range would give Sony big advantage over its competition.

Wouldn't you rather buy 1.25 camera than APS-C, if the cost difference would be minimal, and it would also have APS-C mode for that type of lenses?

One expense would be that Sony would have to develop new 1.25 factor SSS mechanism.

I wonder if Nikon is already working with Sony on having them develop 1.25 factor sensor and Sony is already developing SSS for this factor. If not, maybe someone should suggest it to them, maybe at PMA.

Wouldn't this type of lineup be preferred to just having FF with expensive sensor and APS-C?

[PhotoTraveler]

No,

It's still expensive going to that size. But you have forgot the R&D, NRE side of things to make an oddball sized sensor.

Canon has been doing 1.3x for years on one model, it's expensive to do. And the 1DIII will almost certainly be the last 1.3x crop camera they make, expect the gen 4 1D line to be both FF.

You have to build the camera around the sensor, the cost is not just the sensor. 1.3x means special mirror, shutter, AF sesnsor, view finder, focus screens, board sockets, and boards (sometimes you can make more than one model with the same board). It's very expensive to do.

Plus more sizes is not what is wanted. 2 sizes is nice. 1.5, 1.0. 2 nice numbers, simple and clean, people can do 1.5 crop factors in their head real easy. 1.25/1.3x is not easy to do. If you are doing FF, there is no reason to due 1.3x. The only company other than Canon to use it was Leica, and they did it on the DMR because that's as big as they could go and still fit between the film gates of the R8/R9. And when they did the M8, FF was to much of a challenge, so the recycled the sensor again.

There will be no 1.25x sensor from Sony. They have set the industry standards on formfactor. 1.5x, and 1.0x. No more. Those sizes let them sell to anyone. A 1.25x can't be sold to Pentax, Nikon has no interest (there will be no "EX" sensor size for nikon). If it was going to happen, it would have happened before the FX sensors.

There is also nothing to be gained, so you have made the sensor a little bit bigger. Still is smaller than FF, cost more than APS. Not good.

After Canon goes FF on the pro bodies, you can almost expect they will bump their entry level crop to 1.5x from 1.6x. Gives them a bit more room to work with, and unifies things better with 1.3x gone.

Another thing is you can do FF in one shot. That's what canon does now. They have a stepper than can do it. Sony doesn't. But if Sony can find a way to make the economics work out and someone to make them one, they might get one made, or just see about buying a stepper that size from Canon. They buy them from Nikon and AMSL, just go to the 3rd big vendor. As is, multi shot isn't fairly cost effective.

To make a special size work, Sony would need to sell a lot of them. Well, Sony isn't going to sell enough of a model to do it. They would need Nikon on board to even begin to justify the investment, and nikon isn't going there. Nikon is looking beyond FX with "MX" if the rumors are to believed and trying to do what Leica is doing with the S2.

[A1000]

makes sense

Now that the EXMOR-R becomes available, maybe Sony should make a size between APS-C and P&S sizes, which would be used in super P&S and new small factor EVIL cameras



So I'm modifying the lineup, now only w/FF and APS-C sensors

FF:
A1000 weather seals, longer shutter life, more FPS, etc. $4K
A900 $3K
A800 pentamirror, flash, $2K

APS-C:
A700i $1.5K
A500 $1K

A400 $800
A300i $600

A200i $500
A100 with OVF only $400