A Chinese company has unveiled a new camera that has caught the attention of the Sony and Micro Four Thirds (MFT) communities.
Revealed at the IFA 2026 show in Berlin earlier this month, the camera from NBD – a sister brand to Songdian, both owned by Sonida – looks a lot like a Sony A7C II and seems to be about the size of the new OM System PEN.
And it is being widely speculated that this is the new Micro Four Thirds camera that was teased by Songdian earlier this year… but is this actually an MFT camera?
"N-Mount" or Micro Four Thirds?
That's certainly what the folks at 43 Rumors think. The outlet shared images from an IFA attendee, who identified it as "a prototype – or possibly just a mockup – of a camera with an MFT sensor".
However, closer inspection reveals that the mount is clearly labelled "N-Mount" (no doubt after the NBD brand) and only has ten electrical contacts instead of the eleven possessed by the Micro Four Thirds mount.
As such, while this may indeed be the anticipated Songdian / NBD camera, it doesn't actually appear to be an MFT camera. Yes, it appears to use a Four Thirds sensor, but if it's using a proprietary N-Mount then it's a new format altogether. Indeed, the camera was displayed with an unbranded lens possessing the same 11-contact mount – so this NBD camera could be a completely separate proposition to what Songdian teased.
Of course, it's completely possible that the people creating the mockup simply got the number of contacts wrong and this is in fact a Micro Four Thirds camera. And it's also possible that "N-Mount" is just a bit of visual decoration for the purposes of the show, which will not actually be on the production camera. Speaking of which…
Sony lawsuit in waiting?
The NBD camera is clearly styled after an A7C body, aping the Sony styling right down to the orange ring around the lens mount. And, as pointed out by a 43 Rumors user, that orange ring is part of Sony's "trade dress".
Designing a camera that so overtly bites on Sony's design grammar might be fair game for a prototype product trying to drum up interest at a trade show, but if this product ever made it to market than you can be pretty sure Sony will send an army of lawyers after it.
This wouldn't be the first time such a thing has happened. Once upon a time, Sakar licensed the Polaroid name and made a camera that brazenly stole its design from the Nikon 1 series. Following a trade dress lawsuit by the Big N, the Polaroid IM1836 was pulled from sale.
Smart money says that this camera has a visual overhaul before launch, otherwise it's likely to fall foul of the courts.
Songdian / NBD camera specifications
So, mount and lawsuit-inciting design aside, what do we know about this camera? Precious little, but enough to start forming opinions.
First of all, it appears to be about the size of the newly-released OM System PEN – or, indeed, perhaps even the Sony A7C. As you can see in the image below, the NBD camera is slightly bigger than the older (and smaller) Olympus PEN E-PL8, putting it in PEN 2026 territory.
In fact, it has more than a few things in common with the older PEN models. The NBD camera eschews an electronic viewfinder (EVF), relying instead on a fully articulating rear screen. However, according to 43 Rumors, it also possesses an expansion port beneath the hotshoe that is "likely" for an optional external electronic EVF.
This is one of my favorite features on smaller cameras, giving the option to forego the EVF for compactness and convenience when you need to, and I'd personally love to see it return.
While the NBD camera does boast dual exposure control dials, in addition to a dedicated exposure compensation dial on the left shoulder, a big thing it's lacking is in-body image stabilization (IBIS). The 43 Rumors source voiced to the representative on the stand that consumers would like IBIS and an EVF, but was told that the company is emphasizing "compactness".
We know nothing in terms of specs, but it's fairly safe to say that this probably won't set new standards for cutting-edge imaging. After all, Amateur Photographer called one of Sonida's other products "the worst camera I've ever used" – so we're probably looking at something more remedial than the much maligned Yongnuo YN450 camera using an MFT sensor.
Still, as a longtime Micro Four Thirds user, I'm fascinated to see how this product develops! Make sure to check out the full article at 43 Rumors for more pictures of the camera along with observations from the MFT faithful.
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