Sony Announces Development of New Interchangeable Lens Camcorder

— Sony announced today the development of a new AVCHD camcorder that will feature an interchangeable lens system. Unlike Sony's current professional camcorders that offer lens mounts, this new line of camcorders will be compatible with the E Mount lens system that was developed for Sony's new NEX line of DSLR cameras. The new camcorder will also be compatible with A Mount DSLR lenses with the purchase of a mount adapter.

This announcement from Sony comes on the heels of Panasonic's announcement of the AG-AF100—the company's first camcorder to use the Micro Four Thirds lens mount system. With the announcement of these two models it is clear that the line between video-capable DSLRs and traditional camcorders is starting to blur. It seems that consumers want to have cheaper, better options when it comes to interchangeable lens systems on camcorders—and these new products are a big step in making this happen.

A conceptual "mock-up" image for Sony's new
interchangeable lens camcorder.

Both the Panasonic AG-AF100 and the new Sony E Mount camcorder are still in development so the details are very scarce. Sony has yet to announce a release date, price, or any prominent specs for its new camcorder. The only internal specs we can detail for sure is that the new Sony camcorder will be equipped with the same CMOS sensor as Sony's new digital cameras: the NEX-5 and NEX-3.