interchangeable-lens compacts

Sony's magical mystery cameras

Ah, the concept display. It's a way for companies lagging behind competitors to promise wonderful and amazing things, throwing potential purchasers of seemingly less marvelous products into a paralytic tailspin, without actually have to deliver. They inspire media paeans and page-turning slideshows--guilty as charged, for the latter at least--creating buzz. Most often, the final product turns out to be drastically different (remember the Olympus Micro Four Thirds concept?) or at best is just a parity-match for the competition (Samsung NX10, anyone?).

Sony is this year's concept master, showcasing an entire line of fictional products--plus a couple prototypes, one … Read more