Sony today announced the Cyber-shot DSC-U40, the latest in line of 'U' ultra-compact digital cameras. The U40 has a fixed focal length lens and two megapixel CCD sensor, it stores its images on the smaller Memory Stick Duo or Memory Stick Pro Duo. The U40 is powered by AAA batteries (rechargeable NiMH's included) and of course supports direct printing using the PictBrdige standard. As with some other DSC-U digital cameras the U40 will be available in a range of four colors.

Press Release:

UPTOWN CHIC MEETS DOWNTOWN FUN IN SONY'S NEW CYBER-SHOT `U'

Ultra-Slim U40 Camera Captures Looks

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 21, 2003 — Lipstick: check. Car keys: check. Stylish camera to capture an evening with friends: check—if you have the latest Cyber-shot® U-series camera from Sony.

Expected in January for about $200, the stylish U40 camera will come in four colors (silver, black, dark blue and red) that match your mood or your outfit.

Slide the front cover sideways and the two-megapixel camera comes to life in under one second—giving enough time to capture candid shots.

"Life happens in the blink of an eye, and the U40 camera is ready when you are," said Steve Haber, senior vice president for Sony Electronics' Personal Mobile and Imaging Division. "It's about the size of a candy bar, but full featured enough to ensure that the shots turn out great."

The new camera accepts both the ultra small Memory Stick PRO Duo™ and Memory Stick Duo™ flash memory cards.

As with other Cyber-shot U-series cameras, the U40 model has a simple-to-use interface. But behind the scenes, advanced photographic features work invisibly to allow users to concentrate on capturing the moment without being distracted by camera settings. These include:

Pre-Flash Metering: For capturing a subject with a scenic background under low-light conditions, the camera illuminates the subject and calculates exposure through the lens directly from the CCD for accurate flash metering. Adjustable flash level and red-eye reduction insure great flash shots.

MPEG Movie Mode (Video only): For those moments when a simple still picture doesn't capture the entire mood, DSC-U40 camera captures up to 15 seconds of MPEG video (160 x 112 pixel resolution) that are perfect for emailing to family and friends.

Bright LCD Monitor: For framing a picture accurately, the reflective LCD absorbs and reflects the ambient light through the LCD to improve brightness outdoors.

Supplied Rechargeable NiMH Batteries: The unit comes supplied with Sony's Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) AAA Stamina batteries and an external charger.

Print Directly to Printers: Via a USB connection, users can print their images directly with any PictBridge™ compatible printer.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-U40 Specifications *

* Unfortunately Sony haven't yet published full specifications, as soon as we can find them we will update this table.