@Toxic: I don't know if you read the same review as I did, but the A55 got a great review. Its only major flaw was processing speed after a large continuous burst.
The AF doesn't perform as good as a $3000+ DSLR, but it doesn't necessarily prove that the AF is bad. It's probably an AF speed and accuracy that's just as capable of shooting fast moving subjects as any $800 DSLR, but with the added benefit of phase-detect AF, and perhaps(???) better AF when shooting at 6 fps or slower.
Sony just came out with NEX. Why would they stop releasing camera models when two competitors, Olympus + Panasonic, have sold a LOT of these smaller model EVIL cameras, while Samsung has also joined the market? In fact, sales of interchangeable lens cameras has risen due to significant sales of m4/3 cameras by Olympus and Panasonic. They're not going to give competitors massive sales numbers by leaving without a fight. This segment of the market isn't really developed yet, and Sony could make a real dent, since Canon and Nikon haven't come out with an answer, and it's getting late.
And with regards to NEX: even if you're serious about photography as a hobby, there is room for both EVIL cameras and DSLRs. A prosumer can own a NEX-5. Whether it's good depends on what you shoot. It's clearly not going to be great a shooting sports or birds, but if you like shooting landscapes, or possibly even macros, I don't see what's holding you back (as long as macro lenses are released).
Contrast-detect AF is not slower than Phase-detect AF due to the lack of processing power. There may be more data to process with Contrast-AF, but the processor isn't the limiting factor. The limiting factor is how quickly the lens elements that help the lens focus can move through its entire focusing range, and then move back to where it thinks contrast was highest.
The system is new, and lenses take a long time to develop. It has always been so for SLRs, and I doubt they're doing much better with EVIL camera mounts.
The only reason SLR cameras have more lenses available is because they have been around longer.
The AF doesn't perform as good as a $3000+ DSLR, but it doesn't necessarily prove that the AF is bad. It's probably an AF speed and accuracy that's just as capable of shooting fast moving subjects as any $800 DSLR, but with the added benefit of phase-detect AF, and perhaps(???) better AF when shooting at 6 fps or slower.
Sony just came out with NEX. Why would they stop releasing camera models when two competitors, Olympus + Panasonic, have sold a LOT of these smaller model EVIL cameras, while Samsung has also joined the market? In fact, sales of interchangeable lens cameras has risen due to significant sales of m4/3 cameras by Olympus and Panasonic. They're not going to give competitors massive sales numbers by leaving without a fight. This segment of the market isn't really developed yet, and Sony could make a real dent, since Canon and Nikon haven't come out with an answer, and it's getting late.
And with regards to NEX: even if you're serious about photography as a hobby, there is room for both EVIL cameras and DSLRs. A prosumer can own a NEX-5. Whether it's good depends on what you shoot. It's clearly not going to be great a shooting sports or birds, but if you like shooting landscapes, or possibly even macros, I don't see what's holding you back (as long as macro lenses are released).
Contrast-detect AF is not slower than Phase-detect AF due to the lack of processing power. There may be more data to process with Contrast-AF, but the processor isn't the limiting factor. The limiting factor is how quickly the lens elements that help the lens focus can move through its entire focusing range, and then move back to where it thinks contrast was highest.
The system is new, and lenses take a long time to develop. It has always been so for SLRs, and I doubt they're doing much better with EVIL camera mounts.
The only reason SLR cameras have more lenses available is because they have been around longer.