Sony DSC-P30

Equipped with a 3x optical 6.4-19.2mm (41-123mm 35mm equiv) F3.8-3.9 zoom lens. Filters or add-on lenses can be easily attached to the lens via the 37mm threads. The lens does not extend outward when in use so no special extension tubes are necessary.

The normal autofocus range is 19.7 inches to infinity and it can focus down to about 1.2 inches in macro mode. There is also a manual focus option with five presets for 0.5m, 1m, 3m, 7m and infinity.

To insure good autofocus in dim lighting conditions the camera has an AF Illuminator that works together with the passive TTL autofocus system. This option can be enabled or disabled in the Setup menu.

The Sony "P" series are basically advanced point-n-shoot cameras, the Mode Dial has positions for Setup, Movie, Playback, Record and Night Scene. See the next page for details on the exposure options and the menu system.

Below the battery compartment is the Memory Stick card slot. Sony includes a 4MB Memory Stick but any size Memory Stick may be used.

I/O ports on the side are for video out (selectable NTSC or PAL) and a high-speed USB port for downloading to the computer. MGI PhotoSuite software and appropriate USB drivers for Windows 98/2000/ME PC and Macintosh are bundled with the camera.

New to any Sony camera is the ability to use standard AA batteries to power the camera. A pair of AA alkalines are supplied with the camera.

Optionally you can purchase the Sony INFOLithium NP-FS11 3.6v rechargeable battery pack. The The NP-FS11 will give you a runtime of about 80 minutes in Record mode.

If using the NP-FS11 battery pack, the required AC-LS1 battery charger also doubles as an AC power supply.