Click on the T1 for a QTVR tour

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T1 takes the same features found on full-sized digital cameras and squeezes them into a slim, stylish and durable metal body no larger than a deck of cards. The slim design of the T1 is attributed to a new Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar optical lens that operates within the camera rather than extending out. In spite of its compact design, the camera still features a five megapixel CCD image sensor and a 3X optical zoom to ensure great image quality.

Slide the front lens cover down and in just over one second, the T1's large 2.5-inch LCD viewfinder comes to life. It occupies roughly two-thirds of the camera's back-surface area, giving more room to see and show off images at the moment they are captured. Press the shutter release button and the camera demonstrates why it is perhaps the fastest five megapixel camera. Due in large part to Sony's Real Imaging Processor circuit, it shoots full-resolution images in one second intervals, and can capture four high-speed burst shots in less than two seconds.

But the camera offers more than just great still pictures, the T1 captures and plays back high resolution 640x480-pixel moving images in MPEG-VX Fine mode, good enough to make onlookers believe that it was captured with a digital camcorder.

The Cyber-shot T1 is packed with sophisticated auto-focus and auto-exposure options to help get the picture right the first time. Users can select from eight different shooting modes in accordance with the shooting conditions. The camera automatically makes the optimum settings to match the scene, making it easy to shoot high quality images even under difficult lighting conditions. In the Magnifying Glass scene mode, subjects that appear on the LCD screen are magnified up to 3.3 times,

Other miniaturization efforts include the development of a new rechargeable Infolithium battery system that is roughly the size of a matchbox and a tiny Memory Stick PRO Duo removable media slot. The USB port, A/V Out and DC jacks have also been relocated to the included camera docking station for charging the battery pack or connecting the camera to a TV or computer. The result is a camera that measures about 0.8 inches thin and 2.4 inches tall.

DSC-T1 Major Features:

• 1/2.4" 5.1-Megapixel Super HAD™ CCD for up to 2592x1944 stills
• JPEG (Fine/Standard), Voice Memo and E-Mail still image modes
• Carl Zeiss 3X Optical zoom lens (38~114mm 35mm equivalent)
• Auto, Program AE, Scene Mode (Twilight, Tw Portrait, Landscape, Snow, Beach, High Speed Shutter, Fireworks, Magnifying Glass)
• Auto Shutter range 1 ~1/1000 sec; Auto aperture f3.5, f5.6, f8
• Five area Multi-point Auto Focus, with AF Illuminator low light focusing assist
• Slow Shutter NR subtractive noise reduction for long exposures
• 49 Segment Multi-pattern measuring exposure system and Spot meter modes
• 4 Mode flash (Auto/On/Off/Slow Synchro), TTL Pre-flash metering, red-eye reduction
• White Balance (Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Incandescent and Flash)
• Live Histogram display in record and playback modes
• 4-shot 2.5fps Burst mode
• Auto-Exposure Bracketing 3 shots w/0.3, 0.6, 1.0EV steps
• MPEG Movie (w/audio) - VX Fine (640x480, 30fps), VX Std (640x480 16fps), email (160x112)
• 2.5" 211k Pixel LCD; Transflective design reflects ambient light for increased brightness
• Playback Zoom with selectable resolution trimming function, in-camera re-size and copy functions, A/V Output
• Memory Stick Pro Duo compatible to 512MB, 32MB included.

The Cyber-shot T1 camera will be available in January 2004 for about $550.