Looks like everyone will be naming their camera "CP" from now onwards, maybe it's a marketing technique... Anyway, here's some information on a very interesting new camera from Epson, read on...

Today Epson announced the CP-800 2.1 Megapixel digital camera. Brief details so far are that it has a basic resolution of 1600 x 1200 which can be increased to 1984 x 1488 (3 megapixels) by use of interpolation software called HyPict (which works on a similar basis to Agfa's Photogenie). (Note from Phil: Remember folks, you can't create detail you didn't capture)

Brief specifications

• 2.14 Megapixel 1/2" CCD
• Image sizes: 1984 x 1488 HyPict interpolated, 1600 x 1200, 640 x 480, 1984 x 744 panorama mode, 1600 x 600 panorama mode
• Various picture modes: Sports, Portrait, Scenery, Burst, Monochrome, Macro
• Image format: JPEG EXIF 2.1, conformity to new DCF and DPOF (digital print order format) standardsSpecial panorama mode which "clips" 25% top and bottom from the image
• Lens: 38mm (35mm equiv) F2.4
• Digital zoom: 2x (yurch)
• Aperture range: F2.4 - F8
• Shutter range: 1/2s - 1/750s (1/30s minimum for flash)
• Time lapse support
• Viewfinder: Optical
• Exposure compensation: +/-2.0EV in 0.2EV steps
• Aperture and Shutter priority
• Focus: Auto / Manual
• Auto/Manual white balance
• "High Sensitivty mode": ISO 200/400
• Playback: 9 or 4 thumbnails
• Playback zoom: 2x from any one of 16 "positions"
• Slideshow playback to TV
• Voice recording
• USB interface (Ideal for Windows98 / iMac)
• Storage: Compact Flash
• Included: USB cables, four NiMH AA batteries and charger, software, 8MB CompactFlash card

Full specifications in the comparison database

It's still not clear when the camera will be available in Japan (this was a Japanese announcement) and we can expect at least two months after that date for general worldwide release.

More CP-800 photos over at PC Watch.