(12 May 2008 6:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Sony India has unveiled new models in its Digital Imaging category with the aim to offer a simple and effortless experience to its consumers to shoot, play, share and enjoy prints at home.

Joining Sony India's range are five High Definition Cyber-shot digital still cameras, two High Definition Handycam camcorders, three compact Digital Photo Printers and two all new Digital Photo Frames. Incorporating super intelligent digital technology and revolutionary features, these products provide consumers with simple and innovative ways to capture, print and share digital images.

Sony India MD Masaru Tamagawa says, "Sony has always introduced products that redefine the market. Today's launch reiterates our commitment and sets the stage for products that are yet to come. With digital imaging playing a more significant role in consumers' lives Sony's solutions and smart technologies are designed to make it convenient for consumers to capture, share and print photo and movies at home. With a top of the line product range and four recording media options, no other company offers customers more choice or the utmost functionality to enjoy creating and viewing their memories in HD".

Sony expands its line of Cyber-shot digital still cameras with the introduction of five new models in the W, T and H Series. Featuring a new range of functions and digital imaging innovations by Sony, these latest additions deliver enhanced imaging performance with rich image capture and convenient photo viewing.

Sony's advanced Face Detection technology allows users to select either a child or adult as the focal point of the photo, automatically customizing exposure, focus and skin tone for natural, evenly-exposed images. The enhanced Intelligent Scene Recognition technology senses ambient conditions and automatically selects the optimal settings giving users a more accurate image reproduction.

Integrated with Sony's Smile Shutter function and the body-integrated Super SteadyShot image stabilisation system, the new Cyber-shot cameras ensures clear images, as well as high-definition (HD) viewing.

Leading the latest line-up of the Cyber-shot W-Series are the DSC-W170 and DSC-W150 that deliver up to 10.1 mega-pixel resolution. Incorporating a 5x optical zoom with their wide angle lens, the cameras offer convenient photo capture of distant objects, greater image depth enhancement and larger, sweeping perspectives.

Sony adds that the DSC-W300 is one of the most high-resolution point-and-shoot digital cameras featuring niche performance options. The camera integrates an ultra-high 13.6 megapixel CCD imager along with a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 3x optical zoom lens, a 2.7-inch LCD screen and an eye-level viewfinder in a compact size.

With its ultra-hard titanium coating, the model offers a premium look that is highly-resistant to scratches and messy fingerprints. The DSC-W300 features an 'extra high-speed' burst mode and 'extra high sensitivity' mode (up to ISO 6400 in this mode only) to help minimize blurry photos when shooting in challenging lighting conditions, even without a flash. Slim and compact, these W-Series models incorporate the BIONZ™ image processing engine and Carl-Zeiss lenses.

The 10 mega-pixel DSC-T300 camera features the Intelligent Scene Recognition mode and Smile Shutter function. In addition to a cover design that protects the camera lens and prevents dust build-up, its wide 16:9 aspect ratio LCD screen implements a high resolution touch screen interface, allowing for convenient operation. The large 3.5-inch screen is also layered with an anti-reflective AR coating to achieve high visibility even under strong sunlight.

The Cyber-shot H-Series: DSC-H50 utilises a Carl Zeiss 15x optical zoom lens that yields sharp, high-contrast images and reduces color fringing, even when shooting in telephoto ranges. Ideal for fast-action shooting, the 9.1-megapixel DSC-H50 digital camera is the perfect choice for people looking for high zoom, high-resolution and speed. The camera also features a large, 3-inch tilting LCD screen so you can shoot comfortably from nearly any position.

Its scratch-resistant, UV hard-coat finish adds a premium look that mirrors the performance of the model. The DSC-H50 combines high shutter speeds with predictive continuous auto-focusing so one can quickly focus and capture fast-moving subjects with minimal shutter lag - basically the time it takes for the camera to focus and shoot.

High Definition Handycam Camcorders: Sharing advanced imaging technologies from Sony's digital camera line, the HDR-SR10E and HDR-HC9E High Definition camcorders incorporate Face Detection Technology for both video and photos. Unlike other Handycam models with face detection, these camcorders allocate more pixels to the image for the best possible picture when people are the subjects.

Other technologies include ClearVid™ CMOS sensors with Exmor™-derived technology that utilizes column analog/digital conversion to minimize picture noise. Together with the high processing speed and noise reduction capability of the Bionz™ processing engine and Dynamic Range Optimization, the new camcorders produce high-resolution video and photos with natural color reproduction and rich details. HDR-SR10E records in Dolby® Digital 5.1-channel surround sound and have newly integrate built-in zoom microphones that zooms the audio along with the video for clear recordings of subjects. They also allow for quick data transfer via USB from the camcorders to compatible devices like DVD burners and recorders.

The 40GB HDR-SR10E camcorder provides extremely long continuous recording time (1920 mode) of nearly five hours. It also features Hybrid Movie recording on media cards, as well as built-in hard drives. Designed to deliver first-rate video performance with its Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* optics and Super SteadyShot optical image stabilisation, the DSC-HC9 presents smooth video and clearer photos.

Based on the HDV™ format for recording of 1920 x 1080 HD video the new HDR-HC9E camcorder offers compatibility with a wide range of video editing suites. It features Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* optics, a 3.2-megapixel ClearVid CMOS sensor, and 6.1-megapixel photo capture. This model offers extensive manual controls to meet the demands of advanced videographers, including 'focus to infinity' spot meter and focus to change exposure; center mark to use as a guide frame in the LCD screen or viewfinder; and peaking to facilitate better focusing by outlining objects with a colour line. White balance, shutter speed and focus can also be adjusted manually.