Sony unveils RX1 Cyber-Shot camera with a Full-Frame sensor

For the past week or so there have been rumors about a Sony Cyber-Shot camera which will sit alongside the NEX line of mirror-less cameras and the Alpha line of DSLRs.
This particular camera was said to have a full-frame sensor in the body of a point and shoot. Today, Sony ended the cloak and dagger affair as it announced the CyberShot RX1 at PhotoKina.
Just to be clear about the RX1, the sensor found inside the camera is much larger than most consumer-level DSLRs and when one takes into account the fact its an incredibly portable piece of equipment it becomes a very desirable and rare product.
The RX1 packs in a full-frame 36mm by 24mm 24.3 -megapixel sensor which is about 2.3 times of the APS-C sensors found in most DSLRs. This particular sensor is also about 7.4 times larger than the sensor found in the recently released CyberShot RX100. Just to give some perspective, the RX100 itself has a laud worthy sensor and the sensor on the RX1 is about twenty times bigger than most 1/1.7-inch sensors found in most point and shoot cameras.
Another impressive aspect about the RX1 is that it has an extremely wide f/2.0 aperture and a maximum ISO setting 25,600. This type of sensor and aperture combination generally results in a very shallow depth of field in macro modes.
The RX1 borrows a lot of features from other Sony cameras. It can shoot 1080p video at either 60 frames per second or 24 frames per second. As far as modes are concerned, Sony offers a large gamut of options like manual exposure controls, RAW shooting, and automated modes for HDR. Additionally, the RX1 also has a control ring around the lens for adjusting aperture settings, a pop-up flash, and a standard ISO hot shoe for external accessories.
While Sony may bill it like a pocket Point and shoot, the RX1 is not exactly pocketable. It’s form factor is closer to the Canon Powershot G12 and the Nikon CoolPix P7700. At $2,799 it isn’t exactly cheap but then again, the RX1 touts a feature set that is more comparable to the great Leica M9 that costs around $7,000. Apart from this, the fact that the RX1 borrows some serious video chops from Alpha series of DSLRs it could become a potent threat to the some high end DSLRs.