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Sony Mavica CD1000 Sony packs a 156 megabyte CD-R into a 2 megapixel Mavica. (Wow!) Select a topic Reference: Datasheet CD1000 Sample Images --------------------------------- 1. Intro and Highlights 2. Executive Overview 3. Design 4. Viewfinder 5. Optics 6. Exposure & Flash 7. Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests 8. Operation & User Interface 9. Camera Modes & Menus 10. Image Storage & Interface 11. Video, Power, Software 12. Test Results & Conclusion --------------------------------- Print-Friendly Review Version Additional Resources and Other Links Reader Comments --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index <<Executive Overview :(Previous) | (Next): Viewfinder>> Page 3:Design Review First Posted: 7/17/2000

Design
As we pointed out in our original "First Look" review, Sony basically took the existing Mavica FD95 design and replaced the 3.5 inch floppy drive with a new CD-R drive, accommodating three inch (77 mm) CD-Rs. Therefore, the two cameras are nearly identical as far as body, electronics, controls and the majority of the operating menus are concerned. Aside from being an ultra-cool new toy to play with, the CD-R design provides enormous storage capacity, with 156 megabytes of space on each removable disk. We were already pleased with the performance of the FD95, and, in our humble opinion, the addition of the CD-R drive makes the CD1000 one of the most important digicam developments we've seen in the last year.

Weighing in at 35 ounces (990 g), including the battery pack, the CD1000 is just one ounce heavier than the preceding FD95 model. The camera's overall dimensions are 5.5 x 5.25 x 8.37 inches (137 x 131 x 212 mm), again, only slightly larger than the FD95. While the CD1000 won't easily slip into your coat pocket, (the size must accommodate the three inch CD-Rs and the very long-ratio zoom lens), the freedom conveyed by the CD-R technology and the camera's bountiful features easily make up for any inconvenience in size. Besides, the accompanying neck strap should quickly ease any portability woes.

Although we stated that the camera body, electronics and controls are essentially the same as the FD95, some things have been rearranged to make room for the CD-R drive and the hinged camera back. Thus, we'll take our usual "virtual walk around the camera" and have a look at the actual control layout.

From the front, the view is almost identical to the FD95, although the right side of the new model bulges a bit more to provide the diameter needed for the CD-R housing. You can't tell in this shot, but the handgrip on the CD1000 is slightly smaller than that on the FD95. The bulge on the left and bottom sides at the end of the lens houses the Steady Shot anti-vibration system used to reduce the effects of camera shake at long telephoto settings. This has been a feature of the top-end Mavicas since the FD91, although we think the Steady Shot system on the new FD95 and CD1000 is considerably more effective. (We haven't been able to test one of the new units side by side with an FD91, this is just our impression based on our recollection of the FD91's performance.)

The handgrip side of the camera is quite plain. On the older Mavica models, the handgrip also contained the opening for the floppy drive. Now it simply serves as the handgrip alone, accommodating the battery compartment which loads from the bottom of the camera. This view also shows the much-elongated top-mounted viewfinder of the CD1000. The new design is apparently to accommodate control buttons located on the other side.

On the opposite side of the camera are the majority of the controls, including the door latch for the CD-R drive. (The drive lives behind the camera's rear panel.) The Program AE, +/- buttons, and white balance controls have moved up from their positions on the FD95, and now live on the side of the viewfinder assembly. The A/V port has moved down to the bottom, underneath the lens barrel, while the external flash connector from the top of the FD95 has moved to just above the rear cover latch.

Many of the controls still remain on the back of the camera, although they've all moved above the LCD display screen. The "Display" button turns the information overlay for the LCD viewfinder on and off, while the "LCD" button does the same for the entire rear-panel LCD itself. (The tiny LCD that drives the "optical" viewfinder remains on at all times.) Also back here are controls for speaker volume, flash mode, spot metering, and macro mode. Menu navigation is controlled by a hemispherical rocker toggle control at upper right. The mode dial formerly on the back has moved to the top, and the power on/off switch is now on the right, where the floppy eject button was on the FD95. Additionally, the dioptric adjustment lever for the "optical" viewfinder has moved from the control side of the camera to a practically hidden spot underneath the eyepiece (we had to hunt to find it).

The top of the camera holds the mode control on the right, where it's easily reached by your right thumb. The shutter button is in the usual place, and the microphone has been moved atop the slanting front of the viewfinder assembly. The onboard flash and flash shoe mount round out the complement of top-panel accouterments.

The bottom of the camera holds the battery compartment cover, tripod mount, and (to either side of the tripod mount) side-mounted ports for A/V output and digital I/O (USB). Our one real complaint about the design of the CD1000, shared in common with the FD91 and FD95, is that the bottom really has too little flat area around the tripod socket. (Which at least is made of metal, to give credit where due.) This tiny footprint makes for a very unsteady tripod mount, which is all the more regrettable because it could have so easily been avoided: There's absolutely no reason (other than design aesthetic) for the tripod platform to be so tiny: It could easily have extended at least another half-inch or so in all directions, which would have dramatically improved tripod stability. (I guess we have to find one thing to dislike on every camera, and this is it for us on the CD-1000.)

We're not used to providing inside views of cameras we review, this is some kind of a first: Here are two views of the CD compartment, both with and without a CD in place. The entire back of the camera hinges open to provide access to the CD spindle.

As part of making the CD-R work in a handheld environment, we noticed that the Sony engineers have provided a very compliant mount for the CD: The whole mechanism "floats" on what feels like a stiff rubber suspension system, to reduce the effect of vibration while reading or writing the drive. It's not terribly clear in this shot, but the floating portion of the mechanism is the black-colored area on the right side of the compartment. We confess that the drive is the area of our greatest concern on the CD1000: CD-R technology requires fantastically close tolerances and precise head control. It made us a little nervous every time we inserted or removed a CD, with our fingers so close to the lens mechanism. Still, while we weren't overly rough with it (pretty darn cautious, given that this was one of only a few units in the world at the time of our initial testing), we found that the camera seemed to have no problems writing, even with pretty substantial amounts of handheld jiggling during the process. (I mean, we really tried to make it mis-write, but never succeeded, even when rapping it firmly on the top, sides, bottom, and back with our hand while it was writing a file. - Nary a problem.)