Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Sony Unpacks New Cyber-Shot Shooters

Sony has announced new Cyber-shot digital cameras, a slim fashionable point-and-shoot and fast pro-sumer models with 15x optical zooms.

Sony Electronics today announced a new selection of Cyber-shot digital cameras, one set designed to appeal to to the fashion-conscious point-and-shoot crowd, and another offering advanced features and a whopping 15×optical zoom for more demanding photographers.

First up, the Cyber-shot DSC-T100 and DSC-T20 offer 8 megapixel resolutions, slim profiles, and fashion-friendly colors. The T100 sports a 5×optical zoom, 3-inch LCD screen, and will be available red, black, or silver casings, while the T20 opts for a 2.5-inch LCD display, a 3× optical zoom, and will be available in pink, white, black, and silver. Both the T100 and T20 will offer face detection technology to make sure up to eight people might be recognizable in those photos you snap in one of those feverish party hazes (also helped by optical image stabilization built into the camera), and new shooters are compatible with optional cradles and accessories to push images and slide shows to high-definition televisions. Both cameras offer in-camera editing tools like cropping and red-eye reduction, and both offer more than 300 shots per battery charge and claim one-second startup times. Expect the T100 to hit retailers in March for about $400, while the T20 will be available in April for about $330; Sony wil begin accepting online pre-orders on February 28.

For more advanced photographers, Sony is offering up new Cyber-shot DSC-H7 and DSC-H9 super zoom cameras, offering 8 megapixel resolutions, 15× optical zooms, face recognition technology, and a new advanced sports shooting mode designed to appeal to "families with budding athletes in their broods." The H7 and H9 models offer shutter speeds of up to 1/4000th of a second, sensitivity down to ISO 3200, optical image stabilization, and use the Bionz processing engine employed in Sony's Alpha DSLR camera to offer fast processing speeds. The H7 offers a 2.5-inch LCD viewfinder, while the H9 sports a 3-inch flip-up LCD screen and Sony's "NightShot" technology for very low-light photography, and both can be connected to high-definition televisions with optional accessories for big-screen image viewing. Expect the H7 and H9 to ship in april with prices around $400 and $480, respectively; as above, pre-orders will be available online beginning February 28.


http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/12364