It was a pretty clear shot across Sony’s bow a few months back when Panasonic announced their new FZ1000, a direct competitor to the Sony RX10 with one clear advantage – 4K video capabilities. Many in the media, myself included, wondered how long it would take Sony to respond.

According to a new rumor from the Sony rumor mill, it will not take long at all, mid-October to be exact. Yes, according to the new report Sony will launch a new RX20 in mid-October, which will feature – you guessed it – 4K video recording, as well as Sony’s XAVC-S codec. Most of the other features of the camera will be minor upgrades, if not exactly the same as the current RX10.

[REWIND: Panasonic Announces The FZ1000]

Another interesting tidbit, Sony would keep the current RX10 on the market, just with a $100-$200 price drop – based on the RX10’s current price that would bring it down into the $700-$800 range. The rumor also says that the new RX20 would come in around $1200 or $1300.

I feel like this is about as much as Sony could do on such short notice, but it will be interesting to see how the market responds to such a camera. The Panasonic FZ1000, despite matching or beating the Sony RX10 in many areas prices out at only $899. So pricing the new RX20 around $1300, is a pretty significant price gap.

If I had to guess, I would say that if this camera is happening, it could make its debut at PhotoPlus in NYC at the end of October. We will see.

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What are your thoughts on this new Sony rumor? Do you think that a slightly upgraded RX10 (the RX20) can compete at $1300 against the $899 FZ1000? Leave a comment below!

[via Sony Alpha Rumors]