Sony Mavica CD200 Review

By Movable Type Admin


Steve's Digicams

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.


Sony MVC-CD200

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



Sony MVC-CD200

Sony MVC-CD200


Sony MVC-CD200 Sony MVC-CD200

Sony MVC-CD200

Sony MVC-CD200





Sony CD300 and CD200

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







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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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