Announced in April, launching in July, the glossies are starting to call it the “must-have” digital camera for the serious photographer. Sony’s Alpha 100, priced at around $1000 (£700), is giving Canon and Nikon a good run for their money.

The Alpha is a powerful 10MP DSLR (Sony’s first) which has been specifically designed to allow amateur photographers to take professional-quality shots. The claim is that it’s as simple to use as a compact, with a SteadyShot anti-shake system that will be a boon to recovering alcoholics in particular.

The Alpha’s USP (unique selling point) seems to be its amazing versatility. More than 20 bespoke lenses will be available at launch. Even better, Sony (an electronics company) has worked with lens specialists Konica Minolta, resulting in lenses that are compatible with the Dynax range produced for Konica’s 35mm SLR cameras.

Sony has obviously excelled itself here and we await the launch with interest.

A question that’s increasingly asked by newcomers to digital photography is, which should I buy, a compact, point-and-shoot model or a digital single lens reflex (DSLR)?

Darren gives a very comprehensive answer to this over at Digital Photography School. His conclusions are:

This is ultimately a question that you need to answer for yourself. My answer is to have both (I’m fortunate to be able to do so) but if I had to choose between one or the other I’d get a DSLR based upon my experience level, the type of photos I take, my desire to use manual settings and the quality of image that I’m after. If your situation is different to mine however and you want a portable camera that takes good pictures that you’ll mainly use for small prints and emailing that you’ll mainly shoot in auto mode - you’ll probably be quite happy with a cheaper point and shoot.

For myself, I’ve always used SLR-type cameras, usually Canons, and I have no complaints about them, except that they are bulky and heavy to carry for many excursions.

On these occasions I’ve relied on my camera-phone to snap anything interesting I see along the way. But the quality is dismal and I’ve been considering a middle way for a while. The main problem is that I don’t do enough of the opportunistic stuff to justify a high-priced digicam.

I solved the problem by purchasing a very cheap Advent MP8 (yes, 8 megapixels) from an online discount house for £130 ($245 US). This is good enough, small enough and flexible enough for the needs I have, and I rate it as a very good buy.

Update: This post is having a good run in TechMeme. Check it here.