I believe Samsung have recently teamed up with Pentax to produce their first SLR and for my money I really can't see why...I would prefer to buy a Pentax camera than a Pentax camera in a Samsung veil. The same goes for Sony...I would prefer to buy a Konica-Minolta Camera than a K.M. camera in a Sony veil - both are not very interesting cameras or potential cameras for that uninspiring fact....that said, and this goes for both Samsung and Sony, I would be VERY interested in checking out what new and original SLR cameras they could produce without just bringing out a copy of another brand!

That said, I expect Sony will cool up the very blocky, chunky and lacking in much cool K.M. series of SLRs...

...the more I think about it, the more I think Sony might be able to do well - if they can stick it out for a while to make a good name for themselves in the SLR level. I think buying into an SLR system requires a level of commitment and dedication to a brand from customers...to get that from customers, one needs to stick around and prove their product and products for a while. They have their sensors and their cool and a bunch of K.M. technology...could just work!

Thanks for your comments. Sony and Panasonic have excellent history as providers of components and OEM electronic appliances, but do not have an established track record for building SLR cameras, which which is why they need to team up with an industry giant in order to achieve product synergy. In short, they're buying their way into the top tier, which isn't a bad thing. It remains to be seen, however, if the individual licensing agreements and the required collaboration of their design teams will be able to come up with a camera that is an innovator and not just a compromise.