SourceCode: Interchangeable Lens Cameras are pushing Innovation

The new Lumix GF3X from Panasonic offers an impressive 14-42mm collapsible zoom lens

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

During the past two weeks alone, we've seen some impressive developments in Interchangeable Lens Cameras (ILC) from Sony with its new line of NEX APS-C sensor cameras as well as Panasonic with their incredible shrinking Lumix line of Micro-Four Thirds cameras and lenses.

DSLRs and point-and-shoot cameras are maintaining course, features are getting better and prices are somewhat maintained and in some cases going down. The real innovation, however, is in the popular non-DSLR ILC market. Smaller bodies, insterchangeable lenses and a host of semi-professional features as well as impressive HD video recording capability are now standard but there's more.

Pentax has released what it calls the smallest ILC cameras in the market

One thing that is happening is the race to bring out the smallest ILC's in the market. While the first generation of Micro-Four Thirds and ILC cameras tried to emulate the features and manual complexity of DSLRs the approach has changed.

Newer models coming out this Fall move away from complexity and are more similar to point-and-shoot cameras with easier but fewer controls, multfunctional touchscreens and faster focus times and improved ISO for low light photography are the some of the prominent features today.

Last week we were invited to Sony's Alpha and NEX event where they revealed their latest DSLRs as well as the the next generation of their slim NEX ILC's. These NEX cameras offer sensors that are the same size as many DSLRs but in smaller bodies. Larger sensors accommodate more information work better in low light situations and take in more detail than smaller sensors.

Sony's flaghip NEX 7 ILC is (right)  the prime example of where innovation in small sized cameras is at today. 

Boasting an unprecedented 24.3 megapixel sensor, 10 frames per second shooting, ISO 20000 capability and the world's first OLED viewfinder, this is really the pocket camera for professionals and very serious (and wealthy) novices. The NEX-7 body ships in November and will cost $1400 without a lens.

Sony is offering a bevy of new lenses for the new NEX-7 as well as the more affordable but equally impressive NEX-5. We're particularly excited about the 50mm f/1.4 prime lens.

Panasonic, who just released the smallest Lumix GF3 (main photo), is innovating the functionality of both the camera and the lenses. Seeing that small bodied cameras with ginormous lenses look somewhat silly, Panasonic's new zoom lenses are half as large as previous models when fully extended and a fraction of the size when collapsed.

Aside from increased focus speed, the Lumix GF3 gives users easy photo control via the touchscreen which is very much oriented like popular smartphones and allows for a number of customizations.

Originally emulating DSLRs, Panasonic's new ILC's slant towards point-and-shoots in size and function

Less fiddling with knobs and levers is key but can users still make good pictures? Touch to focus technology offers realtime control over what the focal area is with a touch of the finger, the AI (Artificial Intelligence) on these new models is more advanced than ever with a wide range of presets and novelty settings and filters.

This is turning out to be one of the most eventful and entertaining segments of technology and consumer electronics today.