Sony Mavica CD400 Review

Click on the CD400 to take a QuickTime VR tour

Last year Sony introduced two Mavica CD-based cameras, the CD200 and the CD300. These were the first digital cameras to incorporate a CD-RW drive for image storage. For 2002 Sony is introducing two new compact cameras using rewriteable CD drives, the CD250 and the more advanced CD400. Both cameras share the new MPEG HQX Movie mode that records QVGA resolution video with audio at 16fps and the length of the video clip is limited only by available storage space. There's also a three-shot burst mode for taking photos in rapid succession and multi-point auto focus to allow the camera to automatically find the best focus among three different areas within the picture. The CD400 expands this by automatically or manually selecting the best focus from five separate parts of the picture.

The Mavica CD400 employs a high-resolution 4.0 megapixel (effective) CCD imager that captures still images at up 2272x1704 pixels and a sharp and fast f2.0 Carl Zeiss 3x optical zoom lens. It features the Hologram AF focusing system first introduced with the Cyber-shot F707, a Sony- exclusive laser focusing system designed to achieve accurate focus on subjects with little contrast, even in dark conditions.

The CD400 gives you complete control over the photographic process with a choice of exposure modes; Program AE including four Scene modes, aperture and shutter priority and full manual. There is also the advantage of exposure bracketing and the addition of a standard flash hot shoe for connectivity with a wide range of external flash options. Allowing the camera to more accurately calculate exposure, Sony's pre-flash exposure metering actually calculates exposure with light from the flash itself. To provide accurate exposure in uneven lighting, multi-pattern metering divides the scene into a matrix of 49 separate cells, each of which can be metered independently.

Maximizing the benefits of writable CD photography, Sony's new CD400 Mavica digital still camera incorporates focus, exposure and archiving features that help make every picture worth keeping. CompactDiscs are easy-to-use, long-lasting, and allow instant archiving of pictures - a lot of pictures. The CD250 Mavica comes with a a media pack of six CD-Rs and one CD-RW disc, giving the user over one gigabyte of available storage.

MVC-CD400 Features at a Glance:

• 4.0 Megapixel Sony Super HAD CCD imager
• Carl Zeiss 3x optical (34-102mm) F2.0 lens
• 5 area AF w/user selectable AF point
• MultiPoint AF and 13-step manual focus
• Class 1 laser hologram AF assist for low light
• Multi Pattern, Center-weighted or Spot metering
• 8cm (3-inch) CD-R / CD-RW storage, 156MB per disc
• Program AE, Shutter priority, Aperture priority or Manual
• Slow shutter speed Noise Reduction
• 4 Scene modes: Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Landscape, Portrait
• 2-1/2 inch, 123,000 pixel color LCD w/solar assist
• Compressed JPEG or TIFF image storage
• MPEG HQX movie mode, 320x240 @ 16fps w/audio, unlimited length
• 3-frame Burst mode at 2fps
• White balance - 5 presets plus custom one-push
• Hot shoe flash (a first for Sony!)
• Optional HVL-F1000 external flash
• Sony InfoLITHIUM NP-FM50 rechargeable battery

The Sony MVC-CD400 will be available in May for a suggested retail price of $899.

Physical Views

The 4-megapixel MVC-CD400 and the 2-megapixel MVC-CD250.

MVC-CD400 Specifications