The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P31, -P51 and -P71 are replaced by the -P32, -P52 and -P72 respectively. The new DSC-P92 fills out the top of the line, coupling five megapixel resolution with a 3x optical zoom; the other cameras have three megapixel sensors (1/2.7" for the -P32 / -P52, and 1/1.8" for the -P72). In a pre-launch interview, we were told that Sony believes three megapixels will prove to be the sweet spot for digicam resolution in 2003.

The most obvious difference in the three megapixel cameras is the lens choice - starting with a fixed focal length lens for the DSC-P32, a 2x optical zoom for the -P52, and a 3x optical zoom for the -P52. The -P52's lens is a fixed design, adding some 19mm to its thickness compared to the other cameras. The lens used in the -P72 and the higher-resolution -P92 - incidentally, the same lens that Sony selected for last year's DSC-P9 - retracts into the camera body when powered off.

The new P-series cameras all accept Sony's new Memory Stick PRO cards (taking advantage of the higher capacity, but not the access control or high-speed transfer), and support USB 2.0 for image transfer. (Note that a standard 16MB Memory Stick is bundled with the cameras, in place of last year's 8MB stick). Active focus points for the three-area AF are now shown on the LCD display, and the shutter lag and startup times have been reduced significantly. The user interface has been given a significant overhaul - controls being grouped on the right side of the camera (when viewed from the rear) to allow one-handed operation and more function being moved to buttons on the camera body rather than being hidden in menus. For example, images can now be deleted in playback mode, and the image size can be changed, without entering the menu. Another UI change is that you can now opt for a slow-sync flash through the menu, without needing to select a specific scene mode for slow-sync.

Two new scene modes (Beach and Snow) have been added, and influence both exposure control and white balance. A two-shot burst-mode has been added, and movie capabilities have been greatly extended. The best-quality movies are now 640 x 480 pixels at 16 frames per second, and there are now both a built-in microphone and speaker for audio recording and playback with movies. The cameras can also capture 5-second audio clips to accompany still images.

One other interesting change is that digital zoom has been removed from the record mode, and replaced with what Sony calls "Smart Zoom" - a function that doesn't interpolate the image, but instead seamlessly reduces image size to allow you to crop the image to a size that you want - discarding the portion that you're not interested in so that you don't waste valuable storage space. You can still interpolate the cropped image up - in effect replicating the old digital zoom feature - but this is now either accomplished at home on your PC, or in Playback mode. The Playback interpolation now goes up to 5x interpolation, where the old cameras offered only a 2x digital zoom. Whilst theoretically there's a potential advantage in performing interpolation before JPEG compression is applied to images, most users will find the benefits of a (very) slight quality gain to be outweighed by the wasted flash media space where other images could have been stored - so we applaud Sony for considering this, and allowing users to make the decision whether to interpolate in-camera or on their PC.

One final note is that whilst the cameras retain AA power instead of Sony's InfoLithium batteries, the supplied AA rechargeables are now 2100 mAh NIMH instead of 1750 mAh, and the charger is now a 7-hour device instead of 13-hour.

The DSC-P72 will be first to arrive in March, at a price of $329 and with wide availability planned for late March or early April. The DSC-P32 will arrive in the USA in late March, and be widely available in April at a cost of $229. The DSC-P52 will follow at a cost of $279 in early April, with widespread availability later the same month. Finally, the DSC-P92 will arrive in late May and be widely available in early June at a price of $499.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P32
Imaging Device	1/2.7" 3.2 Megapixel Effective Super HAD™ CCD
Recording Media	Memory Stick® Media, Memory Stick PRO™ Media
Zoom	Fixed Focal Length 3.2X Smart Zoom (at VGA size)
Filter Diameter	N/A
Focal Length	5mm
35mm Equivalent	33mm
Aperture	f2.8 - 5.6
Focus	3 Area Multi-Point AF, 5 Step Manual Preset
Minimum Focus Distance	3.9" (10 cm)
Macro Mode	Auto
Shutter Speed	Auto, 1/30 - 1/1000 sec, Twilight 2 sec - 1/1000
Manual Exposure	±2.0 EV, 1/3 EV Steps
Color LCD	1.6" 61K Pixels Low Temperature Polysilicon TFT
Flash Modes	Auto / Forced On / Forced Off / Slow Synchro
Red-Eye Reduction	On / Off
Flash Effective Range	1.6 - 12.5 ft (0.5 - 3.8m)
White Balance	Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Incandescent
Picture Effects	Black & White, Solarize, Sepia, Negative Art
ISO	Auto, 100, 200, 400
Scene Modes	Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Landscape, Beach, Snow
Self Timer	Yes, 10 Seconds
Video Output	Yes NTSC / PAL Selectable
Still Image Modes	JPEG (Fine/Std.), Burst, Email, Voice Memo
MPEG Movie Modes	MPEG VX (640x480, 16fps, with audio) MPEG Video Mail (160x112, 8 fps with audio)
Clip Motion	Normal (160x120), Mobile (80x72)
Microphone / Speaker	Yes / Yes
USB Terminal	Yes, Supports USB 2.0
Memory Stick PRO™ Media Compatibility	Tested to support up to 1GB media capacity; does not support high speed transfer function; does not support Access Control security function
Battery Type / Capacity	NiMH AA, 2100 mAh rated
Supplied Software	Pixela™ Image Mixer Software for Sony v1.5, USB Driver SPVD-008
OS Compatibility	Microsoft® Windows® 98 / 98SE / Me / 2000 Professional / XP Home / Pro; Macintosh OS 8.5.1 / 8.6 / 9.0 / 9.1 / 9.2
Supplied Accessories	NH-AA-DA Rechargeable NiMH Batteries, BC-CS2 NiMH Battery Charger, A/V and USB Cables, Wrist Strap, MSA-16A 16MB Memory Stick® Media, Software CD-ROM
Dimensions (W / H / D)	4" x 2 1/4" x 1 5/16" (101 x 57.7 x 32.6mm)
Weight	7.9 oz (217g) (w/Battery, Memory Stick® Media, Strap)
Additional Features	2 Shot Burst Mode Clear Color / Clear Luminance NR MPEG1 Cue, Review and Divide 3:2 Aspect Ratio Mode Video Output (PAL/NTSC Selectable) 4 Mode In-Camera Picture Effects 5 Step Manual Preset Focus
Optional Accessories	ACC-3NP Starter Kit (AC-LS5, LCS-CP2, NH-AA-2DA, BC-CSQ) NH-AA-2DA / 4DA Rechargeable NiMH Batteries (2pk/4pk) AC-LS5 AC Power Supply LCS-PEA Soft Carrying Case LCS-CP2 General Carrying Case LCS-CSB Sport Style Carrying Case HVL-FSL1A External Slave Flash w/ Bracket MSA-32A, MSA-64A, MSA-128A Memory Stick® media MSA-128S2 Memory Stick® Media with Select Function (256MB total) MSX-256, MSX-512, MSX-1G Memory Stick PRO™ Media MSAC-HGA8 Memory Stick® Media Carrying Case MSAC-US70 Memory Stick PRO™ Media USB Adaptor / Mouse MSAC-US20 Memory Stick PRO™ Media USB Adaptor MSAC-PC3 Memory Stick PRO™ Media PC Card Adaptor VMC-14UMB Replacement USB Cable VCT-MTK Travel Tripod VCT-R640 Lightweight Tripod
.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P52
Imaging Device	1/2.7" 3.2 Megapixel Effective Super HAD™ CCD
Recording Media	Memory Stick® Media, Memory Stick PRO™ Media
Zoom	2X Optical, 3.2X Smart Zoom (at VGA size), 6.4X Total
Filter Diameter	N/A
Focal Length	6.3 - 12.6mm
35mm Equivalent	41 - 82mm
Aperture	f3.8
Focus	3 Area Multi-Point AF, 5 Step Manual Preset
Minimum Focus Distance	3.1" (8 cm)
Macro Mode	Auto
Shutter Speed	Auto, 1/30 - 1/1000 sec, Twilight 2 sec - 1/1000
Manual Exposure	±2.0 EV, 1/3 EV Steps
Color LCD	1.6" 61K Pixels Low Temperature Polysilicon TFT
Flash Modes	Auto / Forced On / Forced Off / Slow Synchro
Red-Eye Reduction	On / Off
Flash Effective Range	1.3 – 9.2 ft (0.4 – 2.8m)
White Balance	Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Incandescent
Picture Effects	Black & White, Solarize, Sepia, Negative Art
ISO	Auto, 100, 200, 400
Scene Modes	Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Landscape, Beach, Snow
Self Timer	Yes, 10 Seconds
Video Output	Yes NTSC / PAL Selectable
Still Image Modes	JPEG (Fine/Std.), Burst, Email, Voice Memo
MPEG Movie Modes	MPEG VX (640x480, 16fps, with audio) MPEG Video Mail (160x112, 8 fps with audio)
Clip Motion	Normal (160x120), Mobile (80x72)
Microphone / Speaker	Yes / Yes
USB Terminal	Yes, Supports USB 2.0
Memory Stick PRO™ Media Compatibility	Tested to support up to 1GB media capacity; does not support high speed transfer function; does not support Access Control security function
Battery Type / Capacity	NiMH AA, 2100 mAh rated
Supplied Software	Pixela™ Image Mixer Software for Sony v1.5, USB Driver SPVD-008
OS Compatibility	Microsoft® Windows® 98 / 98SE / Me / 2000 Professional / XP Home / Pro; Macintosh OS 8.5.1 / 8.6 / 9.0 / 9.1 / 9.2
Supplied Accessories	NH-AA-DA Rechargeable NiMH Batteries, BC-CS2 NiMH Battery Charger, A/V and USB Cables, Wrist Strap, MSA-16A 16MB Memory Stick® Media, Software CD-ROM
Dimensions (W / H / D)	4 7/8" x 2 1/4" x 2 1/16" (123.2 x 57.7 x 52mm)
Weight	7.9 oz (217g) (w/Battery, Memory Stick® Media, Strap)
Additional Features	2 Shot Burst Mode Clear Color / Clear Luminance NR MPEG1 Cue, Review and Divide 3:2 Aspect Ratio Mode Video Output (PAL/NTSC Selectable) 4 Mode In-Camera Picture Effects 5 Step Manual Preset Focus
Optional Accessories	ACC-3NP Starter Kit (AC-LS5, LCS-CP2, NH-AA-2DA, BC-CSQ) NH-AA-2DA / 4DA Rechargeable NiMH Batteries (2pk/4pk) AC-LS5 AC Power Supply LCS-PEA Soft Carrying Case LCS-CP2 General Carrying Case LCS-CSB Sport Style Carrying Case HVL-FSL1A External Slave Flash w/ Bracket MSA-32A, MSA-64A, MSA-128A Memory Stick® media MSA-128S2 Memory Stick® Media with Select Function (256MB total) MSX-256, MSX-512, MSX-1G Memory Stick PRO™ Media MSAC-HGA8 Memory Stick® Media Carrying Case MSAC-US70 Memory Stick PRO™ Media USB Adaptor / Mouse MSAC-US20 Memory Stick PRO™ Media USB Adaptor MSAC-PC3 Memory Stick PRO™ Media PC Card Adaptor VMC-14UMB Replacement USB Cable VCT-MTK Travel Tripod VCT-R640 Lightweight Tripod
.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P72
Imaging Device	1/1.8" 3.2 Megapixel Effective Super HAD™ CCD
Recording Media	Memory Stick® Media, Memory Stick PRO™ Media
Zoom	3X Optical, 3.2X Smart Zoom (at VGA size), 9.6X Total
Filter Diameter	N/A
Focal Length	6 - 18mm
35mm Equivalent	39 - 117mm
Aperture	f2.8 - 5.6
Focus	3 Area Multi-Point AF, 5 Step Manual Preset
Minimum Focus Distance	19.7" (50 cm)
Macro Focus Distance	3.9" (10 cm)
Shutter Speed	Auto, 1/30 - 1/2000 sec, Twilight 2 sec - 1/1000
Manual Exposure	±2.0 EV, 1/3 EV Steps
Color LCD	1.5" 123K Pixels Low Temperature Polysilicon TFT
Flash Modes	Auto / Forced On / Forced Off / Slow Synchro
Red-Eye Reduction	On / Off
Flash Effective Range	1.3 – 9.2 ft (0.4 – 2.8m)
White Balance	Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Incandescent
Picture Effects	Black & White, Solarize, Sepia, Negative Art
ISO	Auto, 100, 200, 400
Scene Modes	Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Landscape, Beach, Snow
Self Timer	Yes, 10 Seconds
Video Output	Yes NTSC / PAL Selectable
Still Image Modes	JPEG (Fine/Std.), Burst, Email, Voice Memo
MPEG Movie Modes	MPEG VX (640x480, 16fps, with audio) MPEG Video Mail (160x112, 8 fps with audio)
Clip Motion	Normal (160x120), Mobile (80x72)
Microphone / Speaker	Yes / Yes
USB Terminal	Yes, Supports USB 2.0
Memory Stick PRO™ Media Compatibility	Tested to support up to 1GB media capacity; does not support high speed transfer function; does not support Access Control security function
Battery Type / Capacity	NiMH AA, 2100 mAh rated
Supplied Software	Pixela™ Image Mixer Software for Sony v1.5, USB Driver SPVD-008
OS Compatibility	Microsoft® Windows® 98 / 98SE / Me / 2000 Professional / XP Home / Pro; Macintosh OS 8.5.1 / 8.6 / 9.0 / 9.1 / 9.2
Supplied Accessories	NH-AA-DA Rechargeable NiMH Batteries, BC-CS2 NiMH Battery Charger, A/V and USB Cables, Wrist Strap, MSA-16A 16MB Memory Stick® Media, Software CD-ROM
Dimensions (W / H / D)	4 11/16" x 2 1/4" x 1 5/16" (119.5 x 57.7 x 32.6mm)
Weight	9.5 oz (259g) (w/Battery, Memory Stick® Media, Strap)
Additional Features	2 Shot Burst Mode Clear Color / Clear Luminance NR MPEG1 Cue, Review and Divide 3:2 Aspect Ratio Mode Video Output (PAL/NTSC Selectable) 4 Mode In-Camera Picture Effects 5 Step Manual Preset Focus
Optional Accessories	ACC-3NP Starter Kit (AC-LS5, LCS-CP2, NH-AA-2DA, BC-CSQ) NH-AA-2DA / 4DA Rechargeable NiMH Batteries (2pk/4pk) AC-LS5 AC Power Supply LCS-PEA Soft Carrying Case LCS-CP2 General Carrying Case LCS-CSB Sport Style Carrying Case HVL-FSL1A External Slave Flash w/ Bracket VAD-PEA Conversion Lens Adaptor Mount VCL-DH0730 Wide Angle Conversion Lens* VCL-DH1730 Telephoto Conversion Lens* VF-30CPKS Polarizing Filter Kit* VF-30NK Neutral Density Filter Kit* VF-30SC Special Effects Filter Kit* MSA-32A, MSA-64A, MSA-128A Memory Stick® media MSA-128S2 Memory Stick® Media with Select Function (256MB total) MSX-256, MSX-512, MSX-1G Memory Stick PRO™ Media MSAC-HGA8 Memory Stick® Media Carrying Case MSAC-US70 Memory Stick PRO™ Media USB Adaptor / Mouse MSAC-US20 Memory Stick PRO™ Media USB Adaptor MSAC-PC3 Memory Stick PRO™ Media PC Card Adaptor VMC-14UMB Replacement USB Cable VCT-MTK Travel Tripod VCT-R640 Lightweight Tripod
.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P92
Imaging Device	1/1.8" 5.0 Megapixel Effective Super HAD™ CCD
Recording Media	Memory Stick® Media, Memory Stick PRO™ Media
Zoom	3X Optical, 4X Smart Zoom (at VGA size), 12X Total
Filter Diameter	N/A
Focal Length	7.9 - 23.7mm
35mm Equivalent	38 - 114mm
Aperture	f2.8 - 5.6
Focus	3 Area Multi-Point AF, 5 Step Manual Preset
Minimum Focus Distance	19.7" (50 cm)
Macro Focus Distance	3.9" (10 cm)
Shutter Speed	Auto, 1/30 - 1/2000 sec, Twilight 2 sec - 1/2000
Manual Exposure	±2.0 EV, 1/3 EV Steps
Color LCD	1.5" 123K Pixels Low Temperature Polysilicon TFT
Flash Modes	Auto / Forced On / Forced Off / Slow Synchro
Red-Eye Reduction	On / Off
Flash Effective Range	1.3 - 12.5 ft (0.4 - 3.8m)
White Balance	Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Incandescent
Picture Effects	Black & White, Solarize, Sepia, Negative Art
ISO	Auto, 100, 200, 400
Scene Modes	Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Landscape, Beach, Snow
Self Timer	Yes, 10 Seconds
Video Output	Yes NTSC / PAL Selectable
Still Image Modes	JPEG (Fine/Std.), Burst, Email, Voice Memo
MPEG Movie Modes	MPEG VX (640x480, 16fps, with audio) MPEG Video Mail (160x112, 8 fps with audio)
Clip Motion	Normal (160x120), Mobile (80x72)
Microphone / Speaker	Yes / Yes
USB Terminal	Yes, Supports USB 2.0
Memory Stick PRO™ Media Compatibility	Tested to support up to 1GB media capacity; does not support high speed transfer function; does not support Access Control security function
Battery Type / Capacity	NiMH AA, 2100 mAh rated
Supplied Software	Pixela™ Image Mixer Software for Sony v1.5, USB Driver SPVD-008
OS Compatibility	Microsoft® Windows® 98 / 98SE / Me / 2000 Professional / XP Home / Pro; Macintosh OS 8.5.1 / 8.6 / 9.0 / 9.1 / 9.2
Supplied Accessories	NH-AA-DA Rechargeable NiMH Batteries, BC-CS2 NiMH Battery Charger, A/V and USB Cables, Wrist Strap, MSA-16A 16MB Memory Stick® Media, Software CD-ROM
Dimensions (W / H / D)	4 11/16" x 2 1/4" x 1 5/16" (119.5 x 57.7 x 32.6mm)
Weight	9.5 oz (259g) (w/Battery, Memory Stick® Media, Strap)
Additional Features	2 Shot Burst Mode Clear Color / Clear Luminance NR MPEG1 Cue, Review and Divide 3:2 Aspect Ratio Mode Video Output (PAL/NTSC Selectable) 4 Mode In-Camera Picture Effects 5 Step Manual Preset Focus
Optional Accessories	ACC-3NP Starter Kit (AC-LS5, LCS-CP2, NH-AA-2DA, BC-CSQ) NH-AA-2DA / 4DA Rechargeable NiMH Batteries (2pk/4pk) AC-LS5 AC Power Supply LCS-PEA Soft Carrying Case LCS-CP2 General Carrying Case LCS-CSB Sport Style Carrying Case HVL-FSL1A External Slave Flash w/ Bracket VAD-PEA Conversion Lens Adaptor Mount VCL-DH0730 Wide Angle Conversion Lens* VCL-DH1730 Telephoto Conversion Lens* VF-30CPKS Polarizing Filter Kit* VF-30NK Neutral Density Filter Kit* VF-30SC Special Effects Filter Kit* MSA-32A, MSA-64A, MSA-128A Memory Stick® media MSA-128S2 Memory Stick® Media with Select Function (256MB total) MSX-256, MSX-512, MSX-1G Memory Stick PRO™ Media MSAC-HGA8 Memory Stick® Media Carrying Case MSAC-US70 Memory Stick PRO™ Media USB Adaptor / Mouse MSAC-US20 Memory Stick PRO™ Media USB Adaptor MSAC-PC3 Memory Stick PRO™ Media PC Card Adaptor VMC-14UMB Replacement USB Cable VCT-MTK Travel Tripod VCT-R640 Lightweight Tripod
.