Sony announce new CD Mavica's!

Sony, expanding its line of CD Mavica's which started last year with the CD1000 has today announced the 3x zoom 2.1 megapixel CD200 and the 3x zoom 3.3 megapixel CD300 (based on the DSC-S75). These two cameras now become the first digital cameras with the ability to write to 8cm CD-RW as well as CD-R. The CD200 will have a list price of $800 and the CD300 a list price of $1,000.

Click here for full specifications of the CD200 and CD300 in our cameras database

Note: we have both of these cameras in-house and will be publishing our review before the end of the week (our server transfer process has delayed the release of these reviews).

Press release:

DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY GOES EVEN MORE MAINSTREAM WITH SONY'S NEW COMPACT CD MAVICA®CAMERAS

Two New High-Resolution Digital Still Cameras Launched Based on CD-R and CD-RW Technology

PARK RIDGE, N.J., Feb. 28, 2001 ­ Sony Electronics today introduced two new CD Mavica digital still cameras that take high-capacity, disc-based photography to new levels, with the ability to use CD-RW media in addition to lower cost, archivable CD-R media.

The MVC-CD200 and MVC-CD300, with 2.1 and 3.3 megapixel resolution, respectively, both capture photos and MPEG videos to CD-R and CD-RW media. These two new cameras follow the lead of Sony's first CD-based camera, the acclaimed MVC-CD1000, introduced last year. Both of the new models will be available in June, and will sell for around $800 and $1,000, respectively.

Sony's new CD Mavica cameras record images to an 8 cm CD-R disc that costs about $5 and gives photographers 156MB of storage. CD-RW discs, at about $8 per disc, with the same 156MB capacity, can be erased and reused for hundreds of cycles.

“These media provide the lowest cost-per-megabyte of storage in the digital camera industry,” said Greg Young, Sony Electronics' general manager of digital camera and printer marketing.

“The high capacity of CD-R media, its affordability, archive ability and its ability to be used in virtually any PC is what's expected of a CD Mavica camera,” Young continued. ”But adding the option of CD-RW, a design that's easy to handle, and a truly competitive price is what give these cameras broad appeal.”

Extraordinary Storage Advantages

With 156MB capacity, the CD can store more than 1000 VGA still images and more than 90 minutes of MPEG video. The media is directly compatible with virtually any personal computer, so image transfer is as simple and, at about $5 a disc, sharing and archiving photos is cost-effective.

Break-Through Features and High Resolution Imagers

The new CD Mavica models offer more than just a great way to store images. They incorporate new ergonomic and photographic advancements as well as a choice of resolutions and lens configurations. The MVC-CD200 provides 2.1 Megapixel resolution and a 3X optical zoom lens with 6X digital zoom. The MVC-CD300 adds 3.3 megapixel resolution, a 3X Carl Zeiss? Vario Sonnar zoom lens, and three-shot, two-frames-per-second burst or exposure bracketing modes. Both models include AF illuminator assisted autofocus, extensive manual focus and exposure controls, and a choice of three MPEG movie modes, including Sony's MPEG HQ, which offers full screen playback of 320 x 240 video clips with high sampling rate audio.

For fast, intuitive handling, the MVC-CD200 and MVC-CD300 include a top mounted mode selector for shooting, playback and exposure preferences, and a Jog Dial? navigator for easier and faster control of manual focus, aperture and shutter settings. Highlighted by a contemporary new chassis design, these models are the most compact Mavica cameras ever. At 3-5/8” in height, they are just 3/8” taller than the 3-inch CD media itself.

The cameras' features include:

MVC-CD200 CD Mavica

• 1/2.7” 2.1 Megapixel Super HAD? CCD image sensor
• 1600 x 1200 maximum picture size
• Records images to a 8 cm Mavica CD-R or RW Disc (156 MB)
• 3x optical, 6x digital zoom
• High-speed scan AF with AF illuminator light and manual focus modes
• 2½” 123K pixel precision LCD viewfinder
• 13-step Aperture priority, 39-step shutter priority, manual exposure modes
• 3-mode auto pop-up flash w/selectable red-eye reduction, compatible w/HVL-F1000 flash
• MPEG Movie, MPEG HQ, Voice memo, text modes
• JPEG, GIF, uncompressed TIFF or MPEG file formats
• UXGA/XGA/VGA, 3:2 UXGA image resolution
• USB transfer allows use as an external CD-R/RW drive
• InfoLithium® rechargeable battery, AC adapter/charger supplied

MVC-CD300 CD Mavica

• 1/1.8” 3.34 Megapixel Super HAD CCD image sensor
• 2048 x 1536 maximum picture size
• Records images to a 8 cm Mavica CD-R or RW Disc (156 MB)
• Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar 3x optical, 6x digital zoom
• High-speed scan AF with AF illuminator light and manual focus modes
• 2½” 123K pixel precision LCD viewfinder
• 13-step Aperture priority, 39-step shutter priority, manual exposure modes
• 3-mode auto pop-up flash w/selectable red-eye reduction, compatible w/HVL-F1000 flash
• 3-shot burst, AE bracketing, MPEG/MPEG HQ, Voice memo, text modes
• JPEG, GIF, uncompressed TIFF or MPEG file formats
• UXGA/XGA/VGA, 3:2 UXGA image resolution
• USB transfer allows use as an external CD-R/RW drive
• InfoLithium® rechargeable battery, AC adapter/charger supplied

Reviews

• Imaging-Resource's CD300 review
• Steves Digicam's CD300 review, CD200 review

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