Sony

The Sony stand plays host to large chunks of the company's vast range of products, from Cyber-Shot compacts through to Handycam camcorders but most of the buzz is, understandably, around the black and orange Alpha DSLR corner.

Already shown behind glass at several trade shows over the last eighteen months or so, Photokina 2008 sees the official debut of Sony's new flagship DSLR, the 24.6 MP Alpha 900. And it is the A900 that takes pride of place, surrounded by the ever-growing range of lenses and accessories that Sony offers for it. Both the Sony G and Carl Zeiss lens ranges are extensively covered, from the 16mm F2.8 Fisheye all the way up to prototypes of the newly announced 70-400mm F4-5.6. The new SAL 16-35mm ZA is also here, expanding the range of lenses with the classy, minimalist look of the Carl Zeiss ZA lenses. But it's the new full-frame A900 that is catching everyone's imagination.

On the compact camera side there are bubbles everywhere, including the plastic ones containing the three new super-slim Cyber-Shots (all announced during August, but getting their first showing at Photokina), the DSC-T700, DSC-T77 and DSC-T500.