Sony Mavica CD200 Review

By Movable Type Admin

Sony MVC-CD200

Introduction & Physical Views

First Look posted 2/28/01
Full review posted 7/21/01

Click to take a QuickTime VR tour of the Sony MVC-CD200

Click on the CD200 to take a QuickTime VR tour

Just when it seemed like we had seen all the new cameras Sony had to offer, they go and announce two more Mavicas. The $999 MVC-CD300 and $799 MVC-CD200 are the latest Sony cameras to employ the spacious and economical CompactDisc storage technology. Last year's MVC-CD1000 was the first digital camera to use a miniature CD-Recorder instead of a floppy disk or a flash memory card. This year's Mavica CD300 and CD200 take that a step further, they're equipped with newly designed CD-Rewritable drives that can take both CD-R and CD-RW discs.

The CD300 and CD200 are very similar on the outside and differ by the resolution of their CCD imager (CD300 uses a 3.3-megapixel and the CD200 uses a 2.1-megapixel sensor), the lens (CD300 employs a Carl Zeiss 3x Vario Sonnar zoom and the CD200 has a Sony 3x (37-119mm 35mm equiv) aspherical zoom, and the CD300's 3fps burst mode and AE Bracketing feature.

Both cameras uses a 14-bit A/D converter allowing for more accurate capture of detail. The focusing system is equipped with an AF illuminator to adjust focus in poor lighting situations. The CD200 has expanded manual controls. Aperture priority lets the photographer decide depth of field, or how much of the scene is in focus. Shutter priority lets the photographer choose shutter speed to freeze action appropriately and, with full-manual control, both aperture and shutter speeds can be adjusted to best fit picture needs. The InfoLithium® "M" series battery allows for up to 3,000 shots on a single charge.

Sony MVC-CD200 Features:

1/2.7" 2.1 Megapixel Super HAD CCD image sensor
1600x1200, 1024x768 and 640x480 resolution still images in JPEG Normal or Fine and uncompressed TIFF formats
Records images to a 8cm Mavica CD-R or RW Disc (156MB capacity)
3x optical (37-119mm 35mm equiv) Sony aspherical zoom lens
High-speed scan AF with AF illuminator light and manual focus modes
2½" 123K pixel precision LCD viewfinder with solar assist window
13-step Aperture priority (F2.8 to F11), 39-step shutter priority (8 to 1/800 sec), manual exposure modes
3-mode auto pop-up flash w/selectable red-eye reduction, compatible w/HVL-F1000 flash
Center-weighted averaging and Spot metering
Adjustable white balance with four modes, including one-push manual.
ISO 100, 200, 400 and Auto
MPEG Movie, MPEG HQ, Voice memo, text modes
JPEG, GIF, uncompressed TIFF or MPEG file formats
UXGA/XGA/VGA, 3:2 UXGA image resolution
USB transfer allows use as an external CD-R/RW drive
InfoLithium® rechargeable battery, AC adapter/charger supplied

The Sony MVC-CD200 has a suggested retail price of $799.

Physical Views

The 3-megapixel Sony MVC-CD300 and the 2-megapixel MVC-CD200.

Continue on to
Page Two

MVC-CD200 Specifications

Imager	1/2.7" 2.1-megapixel CCD
Image Sizes	Still: 1600x1200, 1600(3:2) 1024x768, 640x480 MPEG: 320x240 and 160x120 ClipMotion GIF: 160x120 and 80x72
Recording Formats	Still: JPEG, TIFF, GIF Movie: MPEG EX (160x112 or 320x240 @ 8fps up to 90 secs) MPEG HQ (160x112 or 320x240 @ 16fps preset lengths of 5, 10 15sec)
A/D Conversion	14-bit DXP
Lens	Sony 3X F2.8-3.9 6.1-18.3mm (39-117mm 35mm equiv) 37mm filter threads
Focus	Contrast Detect w/AF illuminator light Autofocus 19.7" to infinity Macro AF 1.2" minimum 13-step Manual focus
ISO Sensitivity	Auto, 100, 200, 400
White Balance	Auto, Outdoor, Indoor, One-Push Custom
Exposure Metering	Center-weighted Averaging or Spot
Shutter Priority Range	8 sec to 1/800 sec in 39 steps
Aperture Priority Range	F2.8-11.0 in 13 steps
Manual Exposure	Yes with EV indicator
Program AE	Twilight, Landscape or Portrait
Exposure Compensation	+/- 2.0EV in 1/3EV increments
In-Camera Sharpening	+/- 2 in 1 step increments
Flash Modes	Auto, Forced, Redeye, Off
Flash Level Adjustment	Auto, High, Low
Flash Range	1 to 8.2 feet
External Flash	Optional HVL-F1000 via ACC port and flash shoe
Color LCD	2.5-inch 123,000 pixels TFT w/backlight and solar-assist window
Playback Zoom	1.1 to 5X in 17 steps
Playback Index	9 frames
Review / Quick Delete	Yes / Yes
Trimming / Resizing	Yes / Yes
MPEG 6X Cue/Review	Yes, EX or HQ
Storage Supplied	8cm (3-in) CD-R and CD-RW disc
Connections	Video, USB, AC power, ACC flash port
Battery Supplied	InfoLITHIUM NP-FM50 w/AC-L10 charger & AC supply
Supplied Software	MGI PhotoSuite 8.1, MGI PhotoSuite SE 1.1 Sony SPVD-004 USB driver
Dimensions	5-5/80 x 3-5/8 x 3-1/2 inches 143 x 92 x 89 mm
Weight (w/out battery)	22.0 oz (610 g)

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