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Sony's DSC-F707 Digital Camera. Copyright (c) 2001, The Imaging Resource. All rights reserved. Third new Cyber-shot of the day updates 'F505' line to a whopping 5 megapixels...
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(Tuesday, August 21, 2001 - 09:35 EDT)

Sony Electronics has announced an updated version of its Cyber-shot F505 series digital camera, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-F707.

Sporting a useful 5x optical zoom lens similar to the F505 and F505V cameras, the DSC-F707 packs a healthy resolution 'punch' courtesy of a 5.24 megapixel (5.02 megapixel effective) image sensor. Other changes include a laser 'Hologram AF' feature which projects a pattern of laser light on dark or low-contrast subjects suitable for focusing, and NightShot / NightFraming modes for framing and shooting images in little or no light. There's also through-the-lens flash metering, which should offer more accurate flash exposures in situations where other flash metering methods can cause problems. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-F707 will ship in September at a price of $999. Full specifications for the camera are in our database, and highlights follow:

(Click here to read our FULL review of the DSC-F707!)

Specification Highlights - full specifications here
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-F707
Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-F707 digital camera. Copyright © 2001 The Imaging Resource. All rights reserved. Click for a bigger picture!
General
Model Number: DSC-F707
Camera Format: Swivel
Price: $999
Date Available: September 2001
Image Capture
Image Sensor: 5.24 megapixel (5.02 megapixel effective)
Image Resolution: 2560x1920, 2560x1712, 2048x1536, 1280x960, 640x480
Lens
Focal Length (effective): 38 - 190mm (5x optical zoom)
Digital Zoom: Up to 2x
Auto Focus: Yes
Manual Focus: Yes ('fly-by-wire' focusing ring on lens)
Normal Focus Range: 50 cm to Infinity; 20.4 in to Infinity
Macro Focus Range: 20 cm to 50cm; 8.2 to 20.4 in
Aperture Range: f/2.0 - f/8.0
Display
Optical Viewfinder: Yes (180,000 pixel Eye-level LCD)
LCD Viewfinder: Yes (1.8 inch, 123,000 pixels)
Exposure
ISO Settings: Auto (100 - 400), 100, 200, 400
White Balance Settings: Auto, Indoor, Outdoor, One-Push
Manual White Balance: Yes
Shutter Speeds: 30 - 1/1000 second
Exp Adj Range: +/- 2.0EV in 1/3EV steps
Metering Modes: Multi-Pattern, Center Weighted, Spot
Exposure Modes: Auto, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Manual
Self Timer: 10 seconds
Flash
Internal Flash: Yes
Flash Modes: Auto, Auto w/ Red-eye Reduction, On, On w/ Red-eye Reduction, Off
Flash Range Description: 1.6 - 16.4 feet (0.5 - 5 meters)
Ext Flash: Yes (Sync for HVL-F1000)
Image Storage
Flash Memory: Memory Stick
Memory Included: 16MB
File Formats: TIFF, JPEG, GIF, MPEG
More Information
Weight: 635 g; 22.2 oz
Weight With Batteries? Yes
Size: 162 x 124 x 68 mm; 6.4 x 4.9 x 2.7 in
Notes & Features: 14-bit A/D conversion. Has focus confirmation feature (magnifies image on LCD display) for manual focusing. Hologram AF feature projects pattern of laser light to aid focusing. User-adjustable sharpening (+/-2 steps). Flash brightness adjustment (Auto, High, Low). LCD brightness adjustment (On, Off, Adjustable). Viewfinder is 180k pixel eye-level LCD. InfoLithium Acu-power meter shows battery life remaining in minutes. As well as resolutions above, also has 320x240 pixel 'email' mode. Voice memo mode allows annotation of images with audio clips. Clip Motion mode records 160x120 or 80x72 pixel Animated GIF files. MPEG recording at 160x112 or 320x240 pixels, 8 fps to media capacity, or 16fps up to 15 seconds. Movies allow cue/review and in-camera dividing. Comes bundled with neck strap, lens cap with tether, 16MB Memory Stick, NP-FM50 Infolithium battery, AC adapter, AV cable, USB cable, software CD and user guide.
More Photos
Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-F707 digital camera. Copyright © 2001 The Imaging Resource. All rights reserved. Click for a bigger picture!
Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-F707 digital camera. Copyright © 2001 The Imaging Resource. All rights reserved. Click for a bigger picture!
 
Click here to read our review of the DSC-F707!

Original Source Press Release:

SONY INTRODUCES FIVE-MEGAPIXEL CYBER-SHOT CAMERA

Offers Fun and Performance for Consumer Market

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 21, 2001 – Now all digital photographers can achieve professional results with the introduction of Sony’s Cyber-shot® DSC-F707 digital still camera, featuring new technologies that make previously difficult pictures a whole lot easier to shoot. Priced at about $1,000, the five-megapixel (MP) camera is the first of its kind to be aimed at, and priced for, the broad consumer market.
This new Cyber-shot model offers numerous options for both manual and automatic controls, so photographers can do as much, or as little, as they want to achieve extraordinary images. Built-in photo quality comes with a 5.24 MP CCD (5.02 MP effective), Carl Zeiss™ optics, and an advanced automatic flash system. Other controls have been added to enhance focus, exposure and composition.
“We’re establishing a new benchmark with this camera for all photography – not just in the digital realm,” said Takashi Kondo, senior vice president of Sony Electronics’ Digital Imaging Product Division. “Not only does it take better pictures, it also offers new tools to challenge the creativity of even the most experienced photographer.”

- more -

Among its features are:
� Resolution – Sony’s new 5.24 MP CCD image sensor (5.02 MP effective) provides the Cyber-shot DSC-F707 camera with a maximum image size of 2560 x 1920. At this resolution, photographers can capture images with the detail required for vibrant, lifelike photographs.
� Zoom - To catch high-resolution images from afar, the camera has a pivoting Carl Zeiss™ Vario Sonnar 5X optical zoom lens with F2.0 aperture, giving it extraordinary light gathering capability.
� Two LCDs - Photographers can compose shots with either the 1.8-inch LCD screen or a new eye-level electronic viewfinder they can hold up directly to their eye.
� Focus
o High-speed AutoFocus and Manual Focus Ring with LCD Magnifier
o Hologram AF - Ideal for photographing a smooth beach on a moonless night, Hologram AF is a Sony-exclusive laser focusing system designed to achieve accurate focus on subjects with little contrast in dark conditions. It projects a visible Class 1 laser hologram pattern directly onto the subject so the camera can detect the contrast between the edge of the laser pattern and the subject itself.
� Exposure
o Multi-Pattern Metering - To get accurate exposure in uneven lighting, like a scene with the sun in one corner and a shaded hammock in the other, a multi-pattern metering option is included for the first time in a Sony digital still camera. By dividing the scene into a matrix of separate cells, each which can be metered independently, it accurately calculates exposure when highlights and shadows exist outside the center of the frame.
o Pre-flash Metering - To get the best shots with the flash, the camera incorporates Sony’s new pre-flash metering system. Unlike other flash metering systems, pre-flash metering actually measures the light from the flash as it passes through the lens to calculate correct exposure. At the time of exposure, the flash fires twice – once to illuminate the subject and calculate correct exposure, then a second time to record the image with the best exposure possible.
o Spot Metering and Center-Weighted Averaging - Also available when needed.

- more -


� Special Features
o NightShot® - Sony’s DSC-F707 makes it easy to take pictures in low- and no-light situations. With the flip of a switch, the infrared NightShot mode is activated, which defeats the flash and an infrared picture is captured with no visible light at all. NightShot makes it possible to take pictures or MPEG movies of sleeping children and nocturnal wildlife in a way that is impossible with all other digital still cameras.
o NightFraming® - In order to compose pictures in a dimly lit restaurant or other settings with challenging light, NightFraming, another Sony exclusive feature, integrates NightShot technology, Hologram AF and TTL pre-flash metering. This seamless system enables the photographer to properly frame the subject, attain accurate focus and achieve correct flash exposure for consistently excellent flash shots.
� Noise Reduction
o Clear Color NR - The DSC-F707 model introduces this new noise reduction tool for the first time. Clear Color NR reduces noise in the color signal, which is useful when the subject includes areas of similar color, such as blue sky backgrounds.
o Slow Shutter NR – In order to capture strikingly natural night scenes with available light, Slow Shutter NR overcomes the problem of CCD noise in long time exposures. The camera first captures the image. It then closes the iris while it captures a black frame – just the noise pattern of the CCD. The camera then subtracts the noise pattern from the image and leaves it virtually noise-free.

Sony’s new Cyber-shot DSC-F707 camera captures the moment in a variety of formats, including: JPEG, TIFF, voice memo, e-mail and text. It also has MPEG-HQ and MPEG-EX video modes, Clip Motion animated GIF modes and in-camera editing functions. The camera ships with a 16MB Memory Stick® media card, an InfoLithium M battery, an AC adapter/in-camera charger, an A/V output cable, a USB cable, a shoulder strap and a lens cap.

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