Why is that so? My little Olympus XA did nicely with a full size 35mm film frame. And I still have a Pentax 28-90 zoom 35mm compact that's reasonably small.
What keeps a manufacturer from dropping a FF sensor, or even a 1.3x or 1.6x sensor, into a compact body like that? Surely the associated electronics aren't so bulky?
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Nill,
I misunderstood your initial point, sorry. Yes, there are probably not technical reasons why a compact with an APS sensor couldn't be done.
The reason why manufacturers aren't doing it is simple margins... the small sensors appear to be very cheap, almost free... but since most buyers only look at the MP figure, they would mostly not be willing to pay more for a larger sensor, which would mean much smaller margins.
Another reason I believe is that consumers have been used to compact digital cameras with zoom lenses covering a huge range. Look at the Sony 828 to see how big a lens has to be to cover an APS sensor with a similar range.
Besides, the camera manufacturers probably try to keep selling DSLRs that are a potentially much more profitable business in the long run thanks to lenses sales... and thanks to the fact that a DSLR kind of forces the customer to stick to the brand.
Finally, Sony appears to be the only provider of APS sensors on the market today, do we know for a fact that they agree to sell these sensors to companies willing to use them in compact digital cameras?
Considering all these facts, established camera companies appear to have all agreed not to go there. Sigma, playing their traditional role of independant company, is trying something now.
Regards,
Bernard
