Finally expected to ship very shortly is Sony’s latest addition to their Cyber- shot digital camera range, the DSC-W200
which sports a 12.1-megapixel sensor, a slimline form factor and high-definition output for plugging in the camera to a HD TV.
With an asking price lurking around the £270 ($400) mark, the Cyber-shot W200 packs a fair amount of features for your buck, boasting Super Steady Shot image stabilisation and an advanced Super HAD (Hole Accumulated Diode) CCD design promising good low light performance and blur-free photos.
The 35-105mm 3x zoom range isn’t going to excite hedge-dwelling twitchers or wannabe paparazzi, but the 3 9/16″ x 2 5/16″ x 1 1/16″ (91 x 58.5 x 27.3 mm) dimensions make it a pocketable, carry anywhere number.
Nowadays, no modern consumer camera is complete without some of that trendy Face Detection technology bolted on, and Sony has obliged with their version which boldly claims to automatically control focus, exposure, colour and flash and, err, “capture the personalities and emotions that make memories come alive.”
Keeping with current trends, the camera’s top ISO rating has also had a mighty shove upwards, with the W200 managing an impressive top end sensitivity of ISO 6400, albeit at a much reduced resolution of just 3 MP.
We haven’t seen any examples of what to expect at this lofty sensitivity yet, but we’d expect more noise than a Motorhead gig.
Sony reckons you can expect better photos thanks to its Sony Bionz high-speed processing engine, which utilises D-range optimisation to control bright highlights and retain detail in shadows and backlit areas.
Video support comes in the shape of ‘MPEG Movie VX Fine Mode’, which can capture VGA (640 x 480) audio/video clips at a high frame rate (up to 30 frames per second), with recording length limited only by memory capacity.
Finishing off the feature set, there’s 9 point auto focus, in-camera retouching and red-eye reduction, TV slideshow playback accompanied by MP3 tunes, a large 2.5″ LCD Screen and a handy built-in optical viewfinder.
Punters looking to show off their swanky HD plasma screens will be chuffed to learn that the W200 is compatible with the Sony VMC-MHC1 high-definition component cable, making it easy to hook it up to a TV and start boring friends and relatives with family snaps in glorious high definition .
Sony are doggedly sticking to their proprietary Memory Stick DUO PRO slot, backed with 31MB of internal memory, and according to Sony Japan, there’s optional wideangle and zoom lens attachments available.
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W200 Digital Cameras specs
LCD: 2.5″2 (115K Pixels) TFT LCD screen
Viewfinder: Optical
Lens Construction: 6 Elements in 5 Groups, 3 Aspheric Elements
Microphone/Speaker: Yes/ Yes
Lens Type: Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar
Docking Station: Yes, via optional HD Cradle
General
Recording Media: 31 MB internal Flash Memory, optional Memory Stick DUO Media, optional
Memory Stick DUO PRO Media
Imaging Device: 1/1.72″ Super HAD™ CCD
Megapixel: 12.1 MP
Optics/Lens
Total Zoom: 6X
Optical Zoom: 3X
Digital Zoom: 0-2.0X (Precision)
Exposure Compensation: ±2.0 EV, 1/3 EV Step Increments
Minimum Focus Distance: 19.7″ (50cm) Normal, 0.74″ (2cm) Macro
Focal Length: 2.8 – 5.5mm
35mm Equivalent: 35 – 105mm
Focus: 9-Area Multi-Point AF, Centre AF, Spot AF
ISO: Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400
Shutter Speed: 1/4-1/1600 sec. (Auto), 1-1/1600 sec. (Program Auto)
Aperture Range: Auto, f2.8-8(W)/f5.2-14.8(T)
Filter Diameter: N/A
Macro Mode: Yes
Features
Date/Time Stamp: No/ No
Erase/Protect: Yes/Yes
Media/Battery Indicator: Yes/Yes
Memory Stick PRO™ Media Compatibility: Tested to support up to 8GB Memory Stick DUO
PRO media capacity; does not support Access Control security function.
Colour Mode(s): Black & White, Natural, Sepia, Vivid
Red-Eye Reduction: Yes (On/Off all modes)
Self Timer: Yes (10 seconds, 2 seconds, Off)
Still Image Mode(s): Normal, Burst, Bracket Exposure
White Balance: Automatic, Cloudy, Daylight, Fluorescent 1, Fluorescent 2, Fluorescent 3,
Incandescent, Flash
Auto Features
Movie Mode(s): MPEG VX Fine with Audio (640×480 at 30fps) (MPEG VX Fine requires Memory
Stick DUO PRO media), MPEG VX Standard with Audio (640×480 at 16fps), Presentation (320 x240 at 8fps)
Power Save Mode: Yes (after approx. 3 min. of inactivity)
Scene Mode(s): Beach, High Sensitivity (ISO3200), Extra High Sensitivity(ISO6400), Fireworks,
Landscape, Snow, Soft Snap, Twilight, Twilight Portrait
AF Illuminator Light: Yes
PictBridge Compatible: Yes
Multi-Pattern Measuring: Yes
SteadyShot Image Stabilization: Yes
Inputs and Outputs
Accessory Terminal: N/A
Audio/Video Output(s): Yes via Multi-Use Connector
USB Port(s): Yes (Supports USB 2.0
Operating Conditions
Flash Effective Range: TBA
Flash Mode(s): Auto, Forced On, Forced Off, Slow Synch
Power
Battery Capacity: 3.6V, 960 mAh
Battery Type: Lithium-Ion NP-BG1
Service and Warranty Information
Limited Warranty: 1 Year Parts & Labour
More noise than a Motorhead Gig…. love it.
This is going to sell more Flash memory for Sony and perhaps require a new home computer for those that buy it.
The Memory Stick DUO Media is a bad idea on this beast.
Read the specs! It’s not just high MP. Its CCD is 57% larger than majority of other point and shoots, which means less noise at all MP levels.
Take a 7MP picture with W200 and any other Point and Shoot (Canon 850 IS or any other leading brand/model) and compare the results… you’ll be amazed to see the magic of larger CCD.
Hi Rajeev
Sony’s sensor is still absolutely tiny compared to dSLRs, and seeing as Sony have crammed 12MP onto such a tiny area, I would expect the camera to have high noise at anything over 400ISO.
You can read more about sensor noise on digital compacts here:
http://www.dpreview.com/articles/compactcamerahighiso/
If you’re looking for a digital compact that can perform well in low light, the Fuji F31d (and earlier F30, F11 and F10 models) are worth checking out.
We have reviewed most of those cameras on this site.
All major Point and Shoot: 1/2.5″ = 10.16 mm diagonal
Sony DSC-W200: 1/1.7″ = 14.9 mm (57% larger)
Fujifilm F30, F31: 1/1.7″ = 14.9 mm (same as W200)
Fujifilm S5 Pro: 23mm x 15.5 mm = 27.7 mm diagonal, which means 85% larger than W200 or F30 series.
I don’t think you can compare point and shoot cameras with SLRs. If you think 60% jump in CCD size is nothing, then 85% jump in CCD size from W200 to dSLR S5 Pro shouldn’t amaze you either.
It’s not about cramming 12.1 MP in 1/1.7″ CCD. You can take your 7MP picture (no one is stopping you) with 60% larger CCD and be amazed with results. The camera is not going to use smaller portion of the CCD for pictures at lower megapixels!!