Sony: Video recording will be a necessity in dSLRs

Leonard Goh | Jun 12, 2009

Katsumoto with the Alpha DSLR-A330. (Credit: Leonard Goh/CNET Asia)

It is ironic for Sony to comment that a video-recording feature will be a necessity for dSLRs, because its recently launched Alpha DSLR-A230, A330 and A380 entry-level models don't sport this function.

The trio will face fierce competition from Canon's EOS 500D and Nikon's D5000 which offer a minimum of HD-quality movie recording. Also, the pricing of the A380 in the US (US$850) is almost similar to the Canon dSLR. So why should consumers pick the Alpha over the 500D?

Regarding this issue, Sony's Toru Katsumoto commented that the company has noticed that HD movie capture in dSLRs has boomed since Canon introduced the EOS 5D Mark II last year. The , senior general manager of the AMC Division in Sony's Digital Imaging Business group said that if the market desire for such a function increases, Sony will definitely meet consumers' needs. But for now, the company is targeting first-time dSLR users/buyers. To ease the learning curve, the A380 and its siblings employ a user-friendly interface so even newbies can learn how to operate the snapper easily.

Currently none of the video-equipped dSLRs in the market can offer an intuitive autofocus (AF) function (you have to press a button to engage AF while recording), and this is a challenge for Sony. Katsumoto told CNET Asia the company's Handycam camcorders have long established themselves with consumers. If the firm should decide to make a dSLR with movie capture feature, it will want to make this as good as its Handycam.

According to Katsumoto, the Alpha lineup currently dominates 12 percent of the entry-level dSLR market, which makes up 80 percent of the overall dSLR industry. As more shutterbugs ditch point-and-shoots for dSLRs, Sony will continue to develop its products to grow with these photographers.

Right now, the company isn't too concerned about the Micro Four Thirds system which was announced last year. However, Sony is keeping a close tab on the market and gathering consumer feedback to see if it should develop a similar standard. If the Japanese giant does decide to engineer a new camera based on the Micro Four Thirds philosophy, it will definitely make the shooter compatible with Alpha lenses, Katsumoto said.

Filed under: Digital Cameras
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