Picture This and That: 2012 Exotic Creatures Edition

For reference, here's a chart of some of the exotic ILC cameras on the market (or announced and coming soon).  I haven't included makers of medium-format and large-format view cameras because they are just kits of parts, essentially, rather than complete cameras that are more-or-less usable out of the box.

	Uncommon			Unaffordable
Camera category	Fujifilm	Ricoh	Sigma	Hasselblad	Leica	Mamiya Leaf	Pentax	Phase One
RF-style MSC no sensor or lens	-	GXR *** n/a $350	-	-	-	-	-	-
Consumer DSLR / SLT / MSC body only	-	-	SD15 4.7MP * $1000	-	-	-	-	-
Professional DSLR / SLT body only	-	-	SD1 15.3MP * $2300	-	-	-	-	-
Rangefinder body only	X-Pro1 ** 16.0MP $1200	-	-	-	M9 18.1MP $7000	-	-	-
Fixed back medium format body only	-	-	-	-	S2 37.5MP $23000	-	645D 40.0MP $9000	-
Removable back medium format no lens or back	-	-	-	-	-	645DF n/a $6000	-	645DF n/a $6000
Removable back medium format with back no lens	-	-	-	HD4-40 40.0MP $18000	-	-	-	-
Removable back medium format with back and lens	-	-	-	HD4-31 31.7MP $14000	-	DM-28MP 28.0MP $10000	-	P 30+ 30MP $17000

* - output JPEG pixel count; actual photosite count is 3 times greater for the Foveon X3 sensor
** - shipping later in the year
*** - the GXR system uses bundled lens and sensor modules (aka lensors)

Picture This and That: March 2012 Comparison Chart Edition

Note: I post updated versions of this chart every six months or so.  Check the photography category for the latest.

Spring announcement season is over for 2012, so here's a chart of what's available today (or announced and coming soon).  The newcomers are the Nikon D4 and D800 digital single-lens reflex cameras, the Canon 5D Mk.III and 1D-X DSLRs, the Sony A57 single-lens translucent camera, the Olympus OM-D E-M5 mirrorless system camera, the Pentax K-01 MSC, and the Panasonic GX1 MSC.  Fujifulm re-entered the interchangeable lens camera market when introduced the X-Pro1 rangefinder-style camera in January, but I'm not including it for now because the high price means it will likely remain a relatively rare camera. Sony has put the last of its DSLR models to bed, and both Olympus and Samsung have probably discontinued all models as well.  Pentax announced the retirement of one camera, but it's still in stock.  The new cameras from Canon and Nikon replace similar existing models.

A previous version of this chart is here, and a general background post can be found here.  If you're a first-time ILC buyer, remember that cameras are just tools, and the raw pixel count is very likely not the most important feature to consider.  It's also important to consider what gets attached to the front of the camera body: glass.

		Big 2		Upstart	Little 4
Camera category	Brand (2010 ILC market share)	Canon (45%)	Nikon (30%)	Sony (12%)	Pentax (?)	Olympus (5%)	Panasonic (?)	Samsung (?)
RF-style MSC price w/ zoom	Low-end	-	-	NEX-C3 16.2MP $600	-	E-PM1 12.3MP $500	-	NX100 * 14.6MP $425
	Mid-Range	-	J1 10.1MP $650	NEX-5n 16.1M $700	-	E-PL3 12.3MP $650	DMC-GF3 12.1MP $550	-
	High-end	-	V1 10.1MP $900	NEX-7 24.1MP $1350	Q 12.4MP $900 **	E-P3 12.3MP $900	DMC-GX1 16.1MP $800	NX200 20.3MP $750
Consumer DSLR / SLT / MSC price w/ zoom	Beginner	1100D/T3 12.2MP $500	D3100 14.2MP $600	SLT-A35 16.2MP $650	K-r *** 12.4MP $600	E-620 * 12.2MP $600	-	NX10 * 14.6MP $700
	Mid-Range	600D/T3i 18.0MP $800	D5100 16.2MP $800	SLT-A57 16.2MP $800	K-01 16.3MP $999 **	E-M5 16.1MP $1000	DMC-G3 15.8MP $630	-
	Enthusiast	60D 18.0MP $1200	D7000 16.2MP $1450	SLT-A65 24.3MP $1000	K-5 16.3MP $1350	-	DMC-GH2 16.1MP $900	-
Professional DSLR / SLT price body only	Mid-size	7D 18.0MP $1600	D300s 12.3MP $1700	SLT-A77 24.3MP $1400	-	E-5 12.3MP $1600	-	-
	Mid-size full frame	5D Mk.III 22.3MP $3500	D800 36.3MP $3000	-	-	-	-	-
	Flagship action	1D X 18.1MP $6800	D4 16.2MP $6000	-	-	-	-	-
	Flagship studio	1Ds Mk.III 21.1MP $7000	D3x 24.5MP $8000	-	-	-	-	-

* - listed on manufacturer site but not in stores - probably discontinued
** - dual-lens kit
*** - still listed on manufacturer site and in stores, but officially discontinued
Update 2012-09-01: made minor edits