CES is this week, and naturally, we have new cameras being announced already. Sony is the second camera maker this year, after Samsung, to make their first camera announcement for 2010. Like Samsung, Sony also has a new interchangeable lens camera to bring to the table, and it comes in the form of a traditional ‘with mirror and optical viewfinder’ digital SLR. The Alpha A450 is yet another sub-$1000 digital SLR which, as its name suggests, sits below the current Alpha A500 in terms of feature set. Still, there are still some things (ie the image sensor) which it receives as a ‘pass-me-down’ from the higher end Alpha A550.

Sony Alpha A450
(Basic digital SLR)

• 14.2 effective megapixels (APS-C sensor, 1.5X crop) for Alpha A450
• Sony/Minolta lens mount (1.5X crop factor))
• Dust reduction
• In-body sensor-shift image stabilization
• 2.6 inch fixed LCD (The Alpha A500/A550 have larger displays which can be tilted outwards)
• 95% viewfinder with 0.80X magnification
• ISO speed range of 200 – 12800
• Live view uses secondary CCD sensor inside viewfinder chamber
• Auto HDR (High dynamic range) takes two pictures and combines them into one
• 5 FPS burst mode, goes up to 7 FPS in “Speed” mode (which locks focus and exposure)
• Full manual controls with RAW mode and hotshoe
• 9 point AF
• No movie mode
• Dual memory card slots for SD/SDHC and Memory Stick Duo
• Uses a lithium-ion battery (NP-FM500H); 1050 shot per charge battery life rating
• Available in February, price to-be-announced (All Sony USA tells us now is “under $1000″ , presumably with 18-55 mm kit lens)

Samsung NX10
(Interchangeable lens camera)

Well, Samsung did it – they achieved two things today: being the first camera manufacturer to launch something new for the year 2010, and releasing the first (out of many to come) camera in the new mirrorless, interchangeable lens NX camera system. Let me introduce to you, the new Samsung NX10!

What makes the Samsung NX10 different is that it’s a whole lot smaller than conventional digital SLR cameras, and roughly the same size as Panasonic’s G1/GH1 cameras. That’s been made possible by removing the mirror mechanism and optical viewfinder prism found in traditional SLRs. The NX10 features a 14.6 megapixel APS-C sized CMOS sensor, 3 inch display (along with a VGA resolution electronic viewfinder), full manual controls that you’d expect in a digital SLR and 720p HD movie recording capabilities. A more complete of specifications include:

• 14.6 megapixel CMOS sensor (2.0X crop factor)
• New Samsung NX lens mount (see below for 3 announced lenses)
• Dust reduction
• 3 inch high resolution AMOLED display has 514,000 pixels; promises better contrast ratio and viewing angles versus LCD
• Electronic viewfinder has 921,000 pixels (VGA resolution), 0.86X magnification
• On-board flash
• Smart Auto mode simplifies automatic shooting; Smart Range feature improves dynamic range
• Full manual controls with RAW mode and flash hotshoe
• 720p (1280 x 720 at 30 FPS) movie mode with sound; H.264 codec
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Available this spring; exact price and availability to be announced

Samsung will also be releasing completely new lenses made specifically for the NX camera system (means that you won’t be able to use any existing camera lenses with the NX10 at the moment). Unlike digital SLR makers like Olympus, Pentax and Sony which have in-body image stabilization, Samsung here is taking the same route as Canon, Nikon and Panasonic – with in-lens image stabilization (also known as optical image stabilization). As usual, the presence of optical image stabilization inside the lens is denoted by the “IS” in the name. The three lenses that they’ve announced today are a 18-55 mm f3.5-f5.6 IS kit lens, 55-200 mm f4-f.5.6 IS telephoto zoom lens and 30 mm f2.0 pancake lens. The Samsung NX10’s APS-C sized sensor means all lenses will be subjected to a 1.5X focal length crop factor.

2009 has certainly been an eventful year in the consumer electronics world. The digital camera area has seen more and more new camera models, digital SLR cameras have been getting more affordable and are now almost mainstream. And of course, Digital Photography Interface here has taken another step further in playing an even important, growing role to potential camera shoppers and existing camera owners alike. Average readership numbers (and so has bandwidth) in 2009 have increased significantly compared to previous years … and I’ve only got you readers to thank.

The year that was… 2009. In 2009, DPInterface posted over 60 digital camera reviews and three preview articles covering three very big camera launches. Notably, we were the first ever independent digital camera review party to review the Olympus E620 digital SLR, as well as one of the few who first got to look at the Panasonic Lumix GF1 Micro Four Thirds camera when it first came out. We’re excited for 2010, as we continue to bring you digital camera news and reviews, and also strive for even higher quality reviews, even bigger galleries, new site features and more.

Again, a big thank you to all our readers (especially long time visitors) and welcome aboard to newer readers. Here’s to a bigger, better 2010. Not just for us, but for everyone, everything (including the economy!).

DPInterface editor – Brad