New Cyber-shot DSC-P51 from Sony!
By
Michael R. Tomkins, The Imaging Resource
(Wednesday, February 20, 2002 - 18:00 EST)
Similar to the P50, this camera swaps in a 2x optical zoom and a significant price reduction...
Sony Corp. today announces five new digital cameras due for sale in the US marketplace over the next few months. In the second of three additions to its P-series lineup, the company details the new Cyber-shot DSC-P51 compact digital camera. Featuring a 41 - 82mm-equivalent zoom lens, the camera is Sony's first P-series model to use a 2x optical zoom (all of the other zoom-equipped P-series cameras, including the DSC-P50 that the 'P51 most closely resembles, feature 3x zooms). The camera is a significant 17% smaller than the 'P50, and only slightly (6%) heavier with the battery installed.
Perhaps the most notable change, though, is an expected street price of $299 - fully $100 below the previous P50 model. Other specifications worth note include a 2.11 megapixel imager, 3-area autofocusing (with the area selected automatically by the camera) and both real-image and 1.6" LCD viewfinders. There's also ISO ratings from 100 to 400, shutter speeds from 2 to 1/1000 second, a choice of multi or spot metering, a built-in flash and MemoryStick storage. One further change of note is a switch from the MGI software bundles previous Sony cameras have included to a new package, Pixel ImageMixer v1.0.
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P51 will ship in May 2002 at a price of $299 (street). Full specifications for the camera are in our database, and highlights follow:
| Specification Highlights - full specifications here | | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P51 |  | | General | | Model Number: | DSC-P51 | | Camera Format: | Compact | | Price: | $299 (street) | | Date Available: | May 2002 | | Image Capture | | Image Sensor: | 2.11 megapixel | | Image Resolution: | 1600x1200, 1600x1072, 1280x960, 640x480, 320x240 | | Lens | | Focal Length (effective): | 41 - 82mm (2x optical zoom) | | Digital Zoom: | 3x | | Auto Focus: | Yes (Auto 3-Area Contrast Detect) | | Manual Focus: | Yes (5 step) | | Normal Focus Range: | 8 cm to Infinity; 3.3 in to Infinity | | Macro Focus Range: | See notes | | Aperture Range: | f/3.8 - 8.0 | | Display | | Optical Viewfinder: | Yes (Real Image Optical type) | | LCD Viewfinder: | Yes (1.6 inch, 61000 pixel) | | Exposure | | ISO Settings: | Auto (100 - 400), 100, 200, 400 | | White Balance Settings: | Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Incandescent | | Manual White Balance: | No | | Shutter Speeds: | 2 - 1/1000 second | | Exp Adj Range: | +/- 2.0EV in 1/3EV steps | | Metering Modes: | Multi-Pattern, Spot | | Exposure Modes: | Auto | | Self Timer: | Unknown | | Flash | | Internal Flash: | Yes | | Flash Modes: | Auto, Auto w/ red-eye reduction, On, On w/ red-eye reduction, Off | | Flash Range Description: | 1.3 - 9.2 feet (0.4 - 2.8 meters) | | Ext Flash: | No | | Image Storage | | Flash Memory: | MemoryStick | | Memory Included: | 16MB | | File Formats: | JPEG, MPEG, Animated GIF | | More Information | | Weight: | 275 g; 9.6 oz | | Weight With Batteries? | Yes | | Size: | 127 x 58 x 47mm; 5.0 x 2.3 x 1.9in | | Notes & Features: | Has integrated automatic lens cover.
12-bit DXP. Manual focus has 5 steps, autofocus has three areas selected automatically by the camera. AF illuminator light can be turned on/off manually. Has "auto macro" mode, minimum focusing distance unspecified. Shutter speeds of 1/2 to 2 seconds available in Slow Shutter NR mode only. Shutter speeds in auto are 1/30 to 1/1000 second. Has Clear Color and Luminance NR modes (flatten noise in areas of uniform color/luminance). Sharpening level can be adjusted +/- 2 steps in 1-step increments. Flash level can be set to auto, high or low. LCD backlight can be turned on/off and is adjustable. Shows shots taken and remaining, and battery life remaining. Can capture a burst of 16 consecutive frames at 320x240 pixel mode, speed unspecified. Clip motion mode captures an animated GIF file at 160x120 or 80x72 pixel resolution. Playback zoom allows display of images at 1.1 to 5x zoom. Has in-camera MPEG cue review and divide features, as well as image trimming/resizing. Maximum MPEG file length is limited only by available flash memory.
Supplied battery charger is part number BC-CS1. | | More Photos |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | | |
Source:
Sony Corp.
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