Sony announces 2 megapixel 3x zoom CD-RW digicam! (UPDATED)
By
Mike Tomkins
(Wednesday, February 28, 2001 - 16:00 EST)
Full specifications on the first of Sony's two announcements, the Mavica MVC-CD200...
Sony has today announced two new digital cameras featuring CD-RW drives in a compact point'n'shoot style design. Both cameras feature 3x optical zoom lenses, along with Mini CD-RW storage, answering the issue that was raised of its previous MVC-CD1000 CD-R digicam, the fact that the camera could not reuse the discs or delete unwanted images. The new cameras both feature a CD-RW implementation that allows images to be deleted, with one proviso - only the most recent image can be deleted; to delete an older image you must first delete any images taken after it. The cameras can also accept cheaper Mini CD-R discs, although obviously the ability to reuse the media and delete images only applies to the rewriteable Mini CD-RW media. Both the Mini CD-R and CD-RW discs have a capacity of 156MB, and the cameras both come bundled with one of each type to allow users to experiment and see which they prefer.
The first of the two cameras, the Mavica MVC-CD200 features a 1/2.7" 2.11 megapixel image sensor, which gives an effective zoom range of 39-117mm on the camera's 3x optical zoom lens. The camera will cost $799 when it reaches the market at the end of May... Full specifications for the MVC-CD200 are already in our database, and highlights are below, along with pictures of the camera body. We have the camera in-house for testing at the moment, and should have a full set of test shots up by Friday AM, whilst our review itself will follow next week. The announcement of the Sony Mavica MVC-CD300, which costs $200 more and has a 3.34 megapixel sensor resolution, a burst mode, brighter/wider lens due to a larger CCD, and a slightly deeper camera body is covered in a separate news item.
| Specification Highlights - full specifications here | | Sony Mavica MVC-CD200 |  | | General | | Model Number: | MVC-CD200 | | Camera Format: | Compact | | Retail Price: | $799 | | Date Available: | 2001-05-31 | | Image Capture | | Image Sensor: | 0.37" 2.11 megapixel RGBG CCD | | Image Resolution: | 1600x1200, 1600x1072, 1024x768, 640x480, 320x240 | | Movie Resolution: | 320x240, 160x112 | | Lens | | Focal Length (effective): | 39 - 117 mm (3.00x optical zoom) | | Digital Zoom: | Yes (2x) | | Auto Focus: | Yes | | Manual Focus: | Yes | | Normal Focus Range: | 50 cm to Infinity; 19.7 in to Infinity | | Macro Focus Range: | 3 - 50 cm; 1.2 - 19.7 in | | Aperture Range: | f/2.8 (wide) / 3.9 (tele) - f/11.0 | | Display | | Optical Viewfinder: | No | | LCD Viewfinder: | Yes (2.5 inch, 123000 pixel) | | Exposure | | ISO Settings: | Auto, 100, 200, 400 | | White Balance Settings: | Auto, Indoor, Outdoor, One Touch | | Manual White Balance: | Yes | | Shutter Speeds: | 8 - 1/800 second | | Exp Adj Range: | +/- 2.0 EV in 1/3 EV steps | | Metering Modes: | Center-weighted, Spot | | Exposure Modes: | Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Manual | | Self Timer (seconds): | Unknown | | Flash | | Internal Flash: | Yes | | Flash Modes: | Auto w/ red-eye reduction, Auto, Forced with redeye reduction, Forced, Off | | Flash Range Description: | 1 - 8.2 feet (0.3 - 2.5 meters) | | Ext Flash: | Yes | | Ext Flash Connection: | HVL-F1000 external flash sync | | Image Storage | | Storage: | Mini CD-R, Mini CD-RW | | Memory Included (MB): | 312 | | File Formats: | TIFF, JPEG, MPEG, GIF | | More Information | | Remote Control: | No | | Tripod Mount: | Yes (Metal) | | Weight: | 610 g; 21.5 oz | | Weight With Batteries? | Yes | | Size: | 143 x 92 x 89 mm; 5.6 x 3.6 x 3.5 in | | Notes & Features: | Uses 8-cm mini CD-R or mini CD-RW disks. Supports deleting and rewriting on CD-RW disks, but deleting is sequential only (ie. you can only delete the last photo taken - to delete the previous photo you have to also delete the photo after it.) AF Illuminator light can be turned on/off. 14-bit A/D conversion. 5 in-camera sharpening settings. Flash output can be set to auto, high or low. LCD backlight is adjustable and has solar-assist feature. Has Acu-Power battery meter to show battery life remaining in minutes. Has voice memo mode. Can record GIF animations at 160 x 120 or 80 x 72 pixels. Supports in-camera trimming and resizing, MPEG 6X cue/review. Bundled with lens cap, battery, charger, 1 x 156MB CD-R disc, 1 x 156MB CD-RW disc. | | More Photos |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | | |
UPDATED 2001-02-28 16:57ET: Steve's Digicams just posted their first-look of the Sony Mavica MVC-CD200!
UPDATED 2001-03-01 11:32ET: Official Sony press release covering both new camera launches has been added to the news item for Sony's other announcement, the MVC-CD300...
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