Both Thom Hogan and Mirrorless Rumors are reporting that Sony may be planning to stop developing and producing FX-sized sensors. According to Thom, Sony management feel that full-frame sensors simply aren't providing the return on investment that was expected, and are unlikely to be profitable in the long term. Production of DX-sized sensors is estimated to cost 1/10th that of FX versions, so it seems likely Sony will concentrate more on their new NEX line of cameras.

But of course there's a Nikon angle to all this. Nikon have long partnered with Sony on sensor design and production - for example the D3x sensor is based on an improved Sony design, and is likely manufactured by Sony. If Sony stop developing the sensors that Nikon need, that means that Nikon may have to go it alone in designing future sensors.

Nikon designed the sensors in the D2H, D700/D3 and D3s, so this may not be an entirely bad thing - although there is yet no apparent Nikon-designed high-resolution sensor.