Sony unveils new Cyber-shot V3

Something big has arrived on the digital camera scene, but not in terms of size. The traditional "rangefinder" styled Sony Cyber-shot V3 is a compact Cyber-shot camera with an immense resolution of 7.2 effective Megapixels and which features a powerful 4X Vario-Sonnar zoom lens from the world-famous Carl Zeiss company. That's not all- a large range of exposure modes on the camera offer full manual control or a choice of program and scene selection modes. The sizeable 2.5-inch LCD screen is also designed to give a full and clear picture, whether you're shooting, reviewing or setting the menu options. Another big feature is the file format- you can choose to save your high-resolution images in the professional RAW or TIFF data formats, keeping them uncompressed for use in graphics applications that require fine detail. In fact the only thing that hasn't been super-sized is the robust black aluminium metal camera body.

How will your photography benefit from the 7.2 effective Megapixels supplied by the Sony Cyber-shot V3? For one thing the image quality is higher because a 7.2 Megapixel camera has more pixels. Therefore, there is less chance that noise - caused by pixels misinterpreting the light values- will have a visible effect on the picture. Your pictures will be clearer, especially at the higher ISO sensitivity settings used for fast moving subjects and in low light situations such as when the unique Sony Night Framing feature is used. The high pixel resolution is also useful when trimming on a PC or when outputting your photographs as large sized prints; it also has benefits when using the digital Smart Zoom facility. The Sony DSC-V3 is truly a king among compact cameras, but the power behind the throne is the Sony Real Imaging Processor. Designed by Sony, this innovative chip ensures that the Cyber-shot V3 can provide up to 300 shots on one battery charge, while at the same time making the camera able to shoot faster, process images quicker and respond rapidly. It also produces excellent image quality, with greater colour reproduction and an enhanced signal/noise ratio. In addition, the Cyber-shot V3 can capture a high speed burst of eight shots at 2.5 frames per second and allows MPEG movies to be recorded with high enough quality to be played back full screen on a TV. Camera enthusiasts will love the design of the Cyber-shot V3. Tough and solid, its traditional ergonomics allow plenty of room for the large 2.5-inch LCD screen as well as plenty of controls for getting the perfect picture every time. Multiple automatic modes allow point-and-shoot simplicity while you'll find one of the seven Scene Selection modes for almost any picture setting or occasion. For more advanced photography, the camera also has a full manual mode, like a traditional SLR and offers Hologram AF features for shooting in low light situations as well as Sony's unique NightFraming/NightShot infra-red facilities for framing and shooting in complete darkness. In addition, you can manually select a focus point, or position a point anywhere in the frame with Flexible Spot AF. The camera also offers all the connectivity you'll need for everyday operation, including Hi-Speed USB 2.0 and the PictBridge facility for printing your photos directly to a compatible printer without the need for a PC. Last and certainly not least, a dual slot provides all-important storage for Memory Stick™ or Memory Stick Pro™ and Compact Flash memory cards.