Sony Cyber-shot RX1: A compact camera with a full-frame sensor

The RX1's sensor-size-to-body-size ratio does not seem possible.

There are quite a few premium fixed-lens cameras available with F2.0 lenses, manual exposure controls, and sensors that are larger than the ones found in run-of-the-mill compact cameras. However, there has never been a compact camera with a sensor size anywhere close to that of the just-announced Sony Cyber-shot RX1. The RX1 somehow packs a full-frame sensor into a relatively compact, fixed-lens body.

The RX1's F2.0 lens has a fixed focal length of 35mm.

To put that sensor-size-to-body-size ratio in perspective, most consumer-level DSLRs don't have a sensor nearly as big as the one found in the Cyber-shot RX1. Only the biggest and most-expensive DSLR cameras offer full-frame sensors, and professional photographers are usually the only people who buy them.

A full-frame sensor measures 36mm by 24mm, which is about 2.3 times the size of the APS-C-size sensors found in most entry- to mid-level DSLRs. It's about 20 times the size of the 1/1.7-inch-type sensors found in most premium point-and-shoot cameras.

The RX1's 24.3-megapixel full-frame sensor is also about 7.4 times the size of the sensor found in the Sony Cyber-shot RX100. You may remember the Cyber-shot RX100 as the camera the photography world was drooling over when it was announced earlier this year, primarily due to the fact that it had a very big sensor for a pocket camera—a "very big sensor" that's 0.13 times the size of the one tucked in the RX1.

In practical terms, that full-frame sensor should mean the RX1 performs extremely well in low light, especially when you consider its wide-aperture F2.0 lens and its maximum ISO setting of 25,600. That sensor/aperture combo should also capture very shallow depth of field in macro mode.

As you'd expect, the RX1 also comes loaded with all the features found in Sony's higher-end cameras, such as 1080p video recording at 60fps or 24fps, manual exposure controls for both stills and video, RAW shooting, and automated modes for HDR photography and other creative effects. The camera also features a control ring around the lens for adjusting aperture settings, a pop-up flash, and a standard ISO hot shoe for external accessories.

The RX1 has a large body size for a compact camera, but that provides room for physical controls.

With bigger sensors come bigger body sizes, and the RX1 isn't exactly a "pocket camera," even though it's impressively small for its imaging prowess. At 4.5 inches wide and 3 inches tall, it's closer to the size of beefier cameras such as the Canon PowerShot G12 and Nikon Coolpix P7700 than it is to the size of its Cyber-shot RX100 sibling.

Bigger sensors also translate to bigger prices, as well, and the RX1's asking price puts it firmly in the realm of enthusiast niche cameras. If the $2800 price tag isn't enough to make you flinch, then the fixed focal length of 35mm on the RX1's F2.0 lens might. That means you can't zoom unless you move your feet.

If you're interested, start doing calisthenics and saving up now, because the Cyber-shot RX1 is due in November.

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Sony's latest interchangeable-lens camcorder has a full-frame sensor

The Sony Handycam NEX-VG900 has a full-frame CMOS sensor.

Sony seems to be pretty jazzed about its new 24.3-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor, because they're adding it to everything: Premium point-and-shoot cameras, translucent-mirror models, and now, interchangeable-lens camcorders.

The Sony Handycam NEX-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 cameras. Sony says the camcorder's full-frame sensor offers many of the same benefits you'd get from shooting still images with a full-frame DSLR, such as dramatically shallow depth-of-field effects, good performance in low light, and capturing much greater detail and a wider range of colors than your average prosumer-level camcorder.

Given the camcorder's sensor size and Sony's first 4K HDTV announcement just a few weeks ago, it's a bit surprising that this is "only" a 1080p video camera. The Handycam NEX-VG900 shoots 1080p AVCHD Progressive video (28Mbps) at both 60fps and 24fps, as well as 24.3-megapixel stills in JPEG, RAW, or RAW+JPEG format. You can capture frames as still images while you're recording video, but resolution for those images is limited to 1920-by-1080 resolution (2.1 megapixels).

In addition to an eye-level OLED viewfinder, the VG900 has a touchscreen monitor.

The VG900 also comes with a mount adapter that supports A-mount lenses, and the camera switches automatically from full-frame mode to a cropped mode depending on the lens that's attached to it. It's also compatible with the LA-EA2 lens-mount adaptor introduced last year, which will add phase-detection autofocus capabilities to the camcorder; the VG900's native system is contrast-detection autofocus.

The VG900 has manual controls for shutter, aperture, and white balance in both video and still-shooting modes, as well as creative effects filters for both movies and photos. In addition to an eye-level, 2.3-million-dot OLED viewfinder, the camcorder has an adjustable 3-inch touchscreen.

In addition to the full-frame sensor, the VG900 also offers improved audio-input capabilities as compared to previous camcorders in the NEX-VG lineup, although you'll need to purchase a separately-sold XLR-input kit for about $800 to use professional-grade microphones. The camcorder also has a 5.1-channel surround-sound microphone array built into it, a headphone jack, and a visual audio-level monitor. Storage is handled by a pair of slots that accept both SDHC/SDXC and MemoryStick Pro cards.

Another enhancement as compared to previous NEX-VG camcorders is a built-in zoom lever that supports Sony's new powered zoom lenses. Unlike shooting video with a DSLR, that means you can operate compatible power-zoom lenses without having to twist the lens barrel with your hand.

Due in November, the Handycam NEX-VG900 will cost $3300 for the body only.

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Sony brings a full-frame sensor to its SLT line with the Alpha A99

The Sony Alpha SLT-A99 is the company's first full-frame camera with a translucent mirror.

It took a few years to complete the transition, but Sony has completely phased out its traditional DSLR lineup. The company just introduced a new full-frame, translucent-mirror camera that will replace Sony's flagship Alpha A900 DSLR.

The new 24.3-megapixel Sony Alpha SLT-A99 has a full-frame CMOS sensor that measures 36mm by 24mm, which is about 2.3 times the size of the APS-C size sensors found in most consumer DSLRs. Compared to an APS-C-based DSLR with the same lens attached, a full-frame camera generally translates to three things: Phenomenal low-light and high-ISO performance, very shallow depth-of-field effects in macro shots, and extreme wide-angle capabilities.

A knob on the front of the camera is designed for quiet adjustments while capturing video.

According to Sony, the A99 is designed for both professional photographers and filmmakers; the new camera shoots 1080p video at up to 60 frames per second in video mode, and it also features manual exposure controls and support for an XLR adapter kit that can be used with professional-level microphones. Other high-end video features include full-time phase-detection autofocus while shooting movies, the ability to output video to a monitor while filming via HDMI, and a front-mounted knob on the front of the camera that can be used for quiet in-camera adjustments while recording video.

The A99 has body-based image stabilization and all the modes you'd expect in a high-end DSLR—RAW shooting, manual exposure controls, and ISO settings that reach up to 25,800—but it doesn't have a built-in flash or an optical viewfinder. The A99 also has the look and feel of a traditional DSLR, but there are a couple of key differences under the hood that distinguish it from its predecessor, the A900.

The big hardware change is that the Alpha A99 uses a fixed translucent mirror that directs light toward a dedicated phase-detection autofocus sensor rather than a through-the-lens optical viewfinder. Instead of the optical viewfinder found in a traditional DSLR, the A99 has a 2.3-million-dot OLED EVF, as well as a 3-inch adjustable LCD on the back.

The A99 has both an eye-level OLED viewfinder and an adjustable LCD screen.

This isn't the first Sony camera with the fixed translucent mirror—previous models such as the Alpha SLT-A57 and Alpha SLT-A77 also feature that technology—but it is Sony's first full-frame camera to use the system. Like the other translucent-mirror cameras in Sony's lineup, the A99 also has a peppy continuous-shooting mode. At full resolution, the A99 snaps 6 frames per second, and you can ramp it up to 10fps in the camera's APS-C crop mode with exposure locked on the first shot in a sequence.

The A99 is Sony's first camera to boast two phase-detection autofocus sensors: A dedicated 19-point sensor driven by the camera's fixed translucent mirror, as well as a 102-point phase-detection system on the imaging sensor itself. That dual-autofocus system powers two new focus modes that Sony is introducing in the camera: An "AF Depth" option, which lets the shooter limit the autofocus system to a specific distance from the lens, as well as an "AF Range" option that lets the shooter set a minimum and maximum distance for the AF system to work within.

You always pay more for a bigger sensor, and the Alpha A99 will be no exception when it becomes available in October. At $2800 for the body only, it's priced purely for the professional crowd, but it does come in at a lower price than full-frame DSLR rivals such as the Nikon D800 ($3000) and Canon EOS 5D Mark III ($3500).

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