Digital Camera News

Sony Presents Hybrid Cyber-shot DSC-M2 with Cell Phone Aesthetic

Las Vegas, Nevada, January 4, 2006 – Building off the previous Cyber-shot DSC-M1, Sony announced the 5 megapixel Cyber-shot DSC-M2 today. The digital camera is outfitted with a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 3x optical zoom lens and a 2.5-inch LCD monitor that flips outward. Like its predecessor, the M2 aims to merge a still digital camera with a high-quality video camcorder in a cell phone-like form. The compact digital camera will be available later this month for about $500.
"We recognize that some people don’t want to have separate imaging devices for their photos and video," said James Neal, director of digital imaging products at Sony Electronics, in today’s press release. "Our new Cyber-shot has been specifically engineered for these people."

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-M2 has separate still and movie modes, but merges the two with its Hybrid Record mode. This unique mode records five seconds of video, snaps a full-resolution still shot, then records another three seconds of video. The movie mode flaunts solid stats: optical zoom capabilities are available and 640 x 480 pixel video at 30 frames per second can be recorded with the Sony MemoryStick Pro.

The Sony M2 has a photo album function reminiscent of the Kodak EasyShare-one. The Sony M2 has a vast amount of internal memory that stores a 640 x 480-pixel duplicate of every shot taken up to 1,100 pictures. The on-camera photo album can then play slide shows with transitions like fades and wipes as well as preloaded music.

Sony included its staple Picture Package editing software, but also threw in Nero Vision Express 4 software so that video could be edited as well. Consumers will also receive the Sony Cyber-shot Station cradle for simplified transferring and printing.

The silver aluminum Cyber-shot DSC-M2 is extremely compact and allows users to shoot their still pictures or video clips one-handed. The camera’s predecessor, the Sony M1, has many of the same specifications. It has 5.1 megapixels, a 3x optical zoom lens, a 2.5-inch LCD screen, and a cell phone-like body design. One of the differences between the two cameras is that the M2 is marketed to have "advanced circuitry for bright, low-noise images," according to SonyStyle.com.