There are times when form overcomes any missteps in function, and we'd probably say this is one of those times. On the downside, Brionvega's 19-inch Alpha LCD / DVD combo display tops out at 1,280 x 1,024 and obviously boasts a 4:3 aspect ratio, but it can be equipped with a digital DVB-T tuner. Beyond that, you'll find a 1,200:1 contrast ratio, 350 nits of brightness, five-millisecond response time, 160-degree viewing angles and a small array of ports. There's also a pair of three-watt stereo speakers in there, and the integrated DVD player even handles VCD, SVCD and MP3 discs. If you've found yourself overran with disposable income, you can grab yours in orange / silver / black for €1,950 ($3,016) and up.

[Via RetroToGo]

For some, tossing around phrases like "live preview" and "flip-out swivel screen" would be enough to sell Sony's Alpha A350, but we know you're more discerning than that, right? Right. Truth be told, Sony's feature-packed Alpha only turned out okay -- not great -- during a review session with the folks over at CNET. Still, the unit did offer a sturdy feel, a fantastically useful LCD monitor and satisfactory color / dynamic range. Unfortunately, the extra $200 or so you pay for 14-megapixels (over 10MP on the A300) wasn't deemed worthwhile, as the extra processing "exacted a performance toll" in real-world use. The bottom line? These critics felt the Rebel XSi would be a better bet if you're just looking for a nice resolution bump, but for the vast majority of folks, you're likely better off snagging the A300 and putting your leftover dough towards a decent piece of glass.

Although the A200 has been on store shelves for a tick since its US debut at CES, we wouldn't blame you for clutching that $700 / $900 tight until a handful of reviews hit the 'net. Thankfully, that time has come, and here's what we're hearing. Overall, the highly anticipated successor to the A100 was deemed a "solid entry-level DSLR that doesn't really stand out in its very competitive field," but that's not to say it's not worth checking out. When viewed in isolation, most reviewers found the build quality, built-in image stabilization, battery life, dust reduction system and respectable image quality to be above average, but those already slinging an A100 will find very few reasons to upgrade. Still, critics on the whole found more to love than despise about Sony's A200, so be sure and give those eyes a workout on the review links below if you've been fiddling with the idea of picking one up.

Read - PhotographyBLOG (4.5 out of 5; Highly Recommended)
Read - Steve's Digicams ("...a worthy competitor in the entry-level market...")
Read - CNET (7.0 out of 10; Very Good)
Read - Digital Camera Resource Page ("...reminded me a lot of my experiences with the Pentax K10D...")

We already spent some time grappling with Sony's monster full-frame Alpha A900 prototype at PMA, but the company's displaying an updated version at the Photo Imaging Expo in Japan, and reps are apparently now saying that the 24.6 megapixel DSLR will be launched during IFA in August or Photokina in September. Other than that, there's not much we didn't already know -- which means there's really not that much at all -- but there are some more shots of this nifty clear-bodied display unit at the read link for your ocular delight.

We're not sure why Sony didn't give its 25 megapixel full-frame DSLR a name other than "Flagship," but we can see why they'd want to invoke ocean-faring vessels when referring to this thing -- it's freaking huge. Check it out in the gallery below.

We knew they were coming, and here they are -- say hello to Sony's Alpha A300 and A350. The 10.2 megapixel A300 and 14.2 megapixel A350 are just as we'd heard, with flip-out 2.7-inch swivel screens and live preview that retains the ability to autofocus. The CompactFlash DSLRs also go up to ISO3200, and feature burst modes of 3fps (A300) and 2.5fps (A350). Both cams will hit in April, the A300 with a 18-70mm kit lens for $800, and the A350 in a $900 kit or an $800 body-only package. There are also a couple new lenses, but no word of the mysterious A900 yet.

Read - Alpha A300 and A350
Read - New Alpha lenses

With just days to go until PMA, it looks like security's starting to slip a little bit -- a little creative sonystyle.com URL trickery led Beline at the Dyxum forums to images of those Sony A300 and A350 DSLRs we'd heard about. The A300 is an update to the A200, adding in live preview and a flip-out swivel screen, while the A350 looks like it'll be a 14.2 megapixel unit and probably includes live preview and the swivel screen as well. We're hearing that an A900 is also in the works, but that's a just a whisper -- looks like there might be some surprises in store this week after all.

Update: Tons more pictures here, for the curious.

[Thanks, Mike]

Drop five grand on a HP Blackbird yet? Good, that means you don't have to start crying right now, because HP just unveiled its "best of the best" alpha system, complete with a Core 2 Extreme QX9650 processor, for a cool $5,499. There's also a PhysX card inside, and Dual CrossFire ATI Radeon X2900 XT 1GB graphics, but you still have to spring a few more hundies if you want Vista Ultimate and 4GB of ram -- Home Premium and 2GB come standard. Oh, and you'll also be thoroughly depressed the moment HP unveils some sort of "alpha alpha" system with that upcoming QX9770 processor inside. Good thing everything's upgradeable.

Well, Sony finally got official with its A200 DSLR this week, but it looks like Sony's got even more in store for camera nuts. According to the Dyxum forums -- which tracked down these images on some Chinese / Taiwan forums -- Sony's prepping this here DSLR with a flip-screen, and that's all that's known at the moment. The main body is pretty similar to that of the A200, but the internals and other modifications are anyone's guess.

[Via Dyxum]

Remember that post on the Sony A200 DSLR that we just posted, oh ... four hours ago? Well, they've gone ahead and confirmed that the camera's coming to the US and were even kind enough to bless us with a date and price for their new "mainstream" DSLR. The $700 DSLR-A200K kit comes with the body and a DT 18-70mm f3.5-5.6 3.9x zoom lens, while the $900 DSLR-A200W includes the camera body, the aforementioned lens, and a 75–300mm f4.5-5.6 lens. Strangely, there's no mention of a body-only option. Both models ship in February but you eager beavers out there can place your pre-orders online starting tomorrow. Go on, git!

Unfortunately, details are still thin on this one, but apparently Sony is looking to introduce not one, but three new DSLRs next year. At a recent press event at Sonimagfoto in Barcelona, Spain, it was reported that the firm is hoping to crank out an all new flagship model, a true A100 successor and another flavor that's likely to hit at a lower price point than its higher-end Alpha siblings. Additionally, it's looking to increase its lens collection from around 24 to 40 within the next two years, many of which will be new designs from Carl Zeiss. Beyond that, we're simply left to speculate, so be our guests in comments, would ya?

[Thanks, Jakob G.]

Rather than scraping the details off their Romanian flash pages, you can now take a more mature approach to your A700 fawning by reviewing Sony's official press release. Better yet, dpreview has a hands-on preview of the latest Konica Minolta Sony Alpha now packing a 12.1 megapixel APS-C "Exmor" CMOS sensor and all-new version of its Bionz image processor which combine for up to 5fps bursting. $1,400 for that sweet body starting in October. Now go read the multi-page preview in full after peeping all that hot, hot DSLR action in the gallery below.

Read -- Press Release
Read -- Hands-on preview

Anyone who's the least bit into digital photography knows that Sony is coming out with two new DSLRs -- the Flagship and Advanced Amateur models -- sometime in the future, but other than a few in the wild shots and rumored specs, we still don't know much about the mysterious duo. Info is slowing coming to light, however, with several of Sony's foreign sites now showing a flash video that clearly depicts the Advanced Amateur model branded as the a700 -- which would follow the original a100 and perhaps signal an a900 branding for the Flagship. Seems like we're getting close to an actual announcement here, so we'll keep you posted.

[Via Photography Blog]

It seems the rumor mill is in full swing for the entire DSLR universe these days, so it makes sense for Sony's Advanced Amateur Alpha to join the fray. According to an admittedly sketchy source, the specifications from the aforementioned camera have been discovered, so here's a quick rundown on what to (hopefully) expect. Aside from the 14.4-megapixel sensor, rumor has it that you'll find a 2.5-inch LCD monitor, NP-FM55H battery, a CompactFlash slot, support for JPEG / RAW image formats, anti red-eye technology, ISO 100 to 3200, and wireless flash support to boot. 'Course, we wouldn't bet the farm on any of this just yet, but if you're interested in delving into dodgy French sites for potential dirt on one of Sony's forthcoming beasts, you know where to head.

[Via Digital Camera Information, thanks Jim]