Sony Cyber-shot
DSC-S85

The Sony DSC-S85 CyberShot has the distinction of being the first four megapixel digital camera to be priced below $1000, in fact it has an unbelievable MSRP of just $799. On the outside it's physically identical to the Sony DSC-S75 except it's finished in all black. Inside there's a new 1/1.8" 4.1-MegaPixel Super HAD CCD capable of creating images up to 2272 x 1704 pixels. Images can be stored as JPEG compressed with three quality levels or as uncompressed TIFF to produce the best possible photo-quality prints. The internal RAM buffer has been increased to allow for a three-frame burst mode and an AE Bracketing mode has been added to the exposure options.

The S85 is equipped with a sharp and fast Carl Zeiss F2.0 3X optical 7-21mm (34-102mm 35mm equiv) Vario Sonnar zoom lens and a fast accurate auto focus system. It has both an optical view finder and a 1.8-inch EX Bright, 123,000-pixel color LCD display. In addition to still images the S85 also captures motion video in MPEG format. MPEG HQ offers full screen playback and the MPEG EX mode can continuously record video up to the capacity of the flash media. This means that 90 minutes of video at can be continuously recorded on 128MB Memory Stick media. Both MPEG modes capture sound as well as video. JPEG, TIFF, Text or Clip Motion (animated GIF) formats.

Sony DSC-S85 Features:

• 4.1-Megapixel Super HAD CCD, images up to 2272 x 1704 pixels
• Sharp and fast 3x Carl Zeiss 34-102mm F2 zoom lens
• 14 bit A/D converter for more accurate capture of detail
• Fast autofocus with AF illuminator and manual focusing via jog dial
• Program AE, Aperture priority, Shutter priority and full Manual
• Auto exposure bracketing
• Images stored as compressed JPEG or uncompressed TIFF
• 1.8-inch EX Bright color LCD
• Optical eyelevel finder with dioptric adjustment
• MPEG motion video with audio, MPEG EX for unlimited clip lengths
• Up to 10 frames can be saved as a Clip Motion GIF
• Shutter speeds from 1/1,000 to 8 seconds
• Apertures from f/2.1 to f/8.0
• Exposure compensation, +/-2EV in 1/3EV increments
• Spot metering and AE Lock functions
• Built-in flash with four modes plus variable output intensity
• External flash connection jack and shoe for the HVLF-1000 strobe
• Adjustable white balance with presets and one-push custom
• Picture Effects: Solarized, sepia, B&W, Negative Art
• Image Tone and Sharpness settings
• Automatic ISO or fixed at 100, 200, or 400
• Sony InfoLithium® "M" battery, up to 3,000 shots
• Images stored on removable MemoryStick media, 16MB included
• High-speed USB connection for image downloading

Physical Views

The DSC-S85 and the Nikon 990.