Yes Sony are very serious! A quick look at their position in the video camera market, in particular the high end professional equipment, should be enough to convince anyone they know what they are doing and how to do it well. Combined with the brains of Minolta it's a potent mix and remember they've been in the digital still camera business since 1981.

Well I'm convinced anyway - I've two of their dSLRs and half a dozen lenses