First look at the RX1, NEX-6, NEX-VG900E and A99

Sony has put out four new cameras ahead of the Photokina trade show, each of them targeted at a very different segment of the market. We take a look at what’s new.

The baby of the line-up is the RX1 (pictured above), branded by Sony as the world’s first 24-megapixel, 35mm sensor in a compact camera body. What that means is this tiny tot has a bigger sensor – and therefore in some ways better image quality – than some cameras three times its size and weight. The huge sensor allows ISO settings of up to 25600, meaning it does well in low light.

So what’s the catch? There has to be a trade-off and buyers should remember that the RX1 is a compact camera, not a DSLR. Its Carl Zeiss Sonnar F2 lens stays fixed at a relatively wide angle of 35mm, and you cannot zoom the lens or swap it for another lens.