Phase detection or not phase detection….that’s the question! Mirrorless cameras are currently do lag behind most DSLR cameras in terms of autofocus speed. That’s why Sony is developing a sensor for NEX cameras that has built-in phase detection capabilities. I found (again) a new patent that describes the technology (Click here to see the publication at freepatentsonline). Fuji is already using it on the [shoplink 6047 ebay]Finepix Z800EXR (Click here to see that camera)[/shoplink]! See the Fuji camera specs at [shopcountry 6047]. There is also a nice article on Dpreview (Click here) that describes the Fuji technology.
But I don’t know if such a sensor will be ever implemented in NEX cameras. Rumors are saying that Olympus next PEN cameras will have an extremely fast and accurate autotofocus and catch up with DSLR cameras in terms of af speed. So maybe Sony is wasting time with it?