Every other year, one of the world’s biggest photography fairs is being held in Cologne, Germany. We’re of course talking about photokina, which was last held in 2012 and is scheduled again for September this year. Since there was no photokina in 2013, Sony instead chose Photo Plus Expo in New York as the place to show off its brand new duo of 35mm full-frame mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras. Now reports are coming in that around photokina this year, Sony will introduce two more full-frame E-mount cameras.
Sony Alpha Rumors has received word from ‘multiple trusted sources’ that the launch of two new E-mount cameras with 35mm full-frame is planned within the next 5 to 6 months, which would put the announcement sometime between mid-August and mid-September, just ahead of photokina 2014. Which means that it is very likely that both cameras will be shown there. Whether or not visitors will be able to touch them remains to be seen. At photokina 2012, the then-new full-frame compact RX1 was hidden behind plexiglass.
As for details, little is known about the two new shooters, except that they are not going to replace the A7 and the A7R. This could in theory mean that we’ll either get to see higher-end models, presumably labelled A8 and/or A9, or lower-end models, or both–that is, one higher-end camera and one lower-end camera. What is certain is that the new full-frame Alphas will feature a more advanced hybrid autofocus system similar to that in the new A6000.
So, what kind of full-frame E-mount camera would you like to see? Do you dig the SLR-style of the A7 and A7R, or would you rather have a rangefinder-like A6 in the style of the NEX-6/7 and A6000? Or something entirely different? Let us know, we’re curious!