Article: Hands On with Sony's Picture-Snapping Robot

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http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2351249,00.asp

Hands On with Sony's Picture-Snapping Robot
ARTICLE DATE: 08.06.09

By PJ Jacobowitz

Last week I got to play with some of Sony's new cameras and a stationary accessory that can rotate, spin, zoom and use face detection to take pictures of people, automatically.
The Sony Party-shot IPT-DS1 is like a stationary Roomba, but instead of cleaning your house, it takes pictures of your house party.

The Sony Party-shot IPT-DS1 will retail for $149.99 in October. It can be placed anywhere since it has no wires and is powered by two AA batteries, though an optional power adapter is available. A composite video-out connector is also available to plug into a TV for playback. Users can set the Party-shot to shoot freely or adjust settings to limit its range of motion and shooting frequency.
Unfortunately, the Party-shot will only work with the two cameras that were also launched today: the Cyber-shot DSC-TX1 and Cyber-shot DSC-WX1. The Party-shot relies on the new cameras' "Smile Shutter" technology, which detects faces and automatically fires the shutter release when a smile is detected. [Click here for a video demo of "Smile Shutter".]

The new cameras are part of a marketing concept Sony calls "Image3", or image cubed. This marketing speak was first introduced to their camera line with Las Vegas launch of a super-zoom Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1.

Cameras in the "Image3" family have three ingredients: a faster "BIONZ" image processor, a redesigned "Exmor R" CMOS sensor, and a premium "Carl Zeiss" or "G Series" lens. These additions will enable the cameras to produce higher quality images and offer software-driven features like quickly created panoramic images, advanced software noise reduction and high-definition video capture. [For more info on these technologies, click here .]

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX1 is the least expensive of the two new cameras; it will sell for $349.99 in October. It's marketed to photo enthusiasts looking for a compact point and shoot.
It features a wide angle 24-mm lens, a 5X optical zoom lens with maximum f-stop of f/2.4 at its widest angle (f/7.1 in the telephoto position). The f/2.4 aperture is larger than what most point –and-shoots offer, as it permits more light to pass into the lens to achieve faster shutter speeds and produce images with less noise. Sony also says the WX1 will have "super fast" autofocusing, as it can focus in 0.3 seconds.

The Sony DSC-TX1 will retail for $349.99 in October, and features a 3-inch touchscreen LCD. The user interface boasts improvements over past touch-screen cameras from Sony, such as the Sony-Cyber DSC-T90. The camera's home screen buttons can be customized, while gestures such as "drag and drop" will be available, and the overall aesthetic of the icons and text have more polish.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX1 - Front


Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX1 - Top


Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX1 - Side


Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX1 - Panoramic Mode Settings


Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX1 - Panoramic Mode


Sony Party-shot IPT-DS1 - Front


Sony Party-shot IPT-DS1


Sony Party-shot IPT-DS1 - Back


Sony Party-shot IPT-DS1 with Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX1


Sony Party-shot IPT-DS1 - Rotation Menu


Sony Party-shot IPT-DS1 - Rotation Menu 2


Sony Party-shot IPT-DS1 - Frequency Menu


Sony Party-shot IPT-DS1 - Main Menu


Sony Party-shot IPT-DS1 - Auto Shooting

Sony Style Product Page
Here

Hi Rez Picture
Here