Consumer electronics giant Sony announced this week a digital camera
accessory—the model IPT-DS1, a camera dock
featuring Party-shot technology—and the first two digital cameras to employ
Sony’s Exmor R back-illuminated CMOS sensor
technology.
The TX1 camera will be available in silver, gray, pink and blue this
September for around $380, and the WX1 will be available in black this October
for around $350 (Sony said pre-sales will start in August). The DS1 accessory
will be available for around $150 this September.
The camera dock pans 360 degrees and tilts 24 degrees, automatically detects
faces, adjusts composition, and takes photos for the user. Party-shot uses the
camera's BIONZ image processor with its Face Detection and Smile
Shutter features to take photos. Sony is positioning the device as an ideal
replacement for a hired photographer at parties, and said the accessory makes
it easier to capture people spontaneously. The device is compatible with the
WX1 and TX1 cameras and is mountable on nearly any tripod.
“With the Party-shot personal photographer, you no longer have to worry
about taking photos when you are with your family or friends,” said Shigehiko
Nakayama, Sony’s digital imaging accessories product manager. “Party-shot
captures candid moments that tell natural life stories and also offers a new
style of photography that enriches time with your family and friends.”
The TX1 and WX1 cameras employ Exmor R technology to improve shooting in
low-light scenarios, thereby enhancing image clarity and reducing grain. By
positioning wires and other circuit elements behind the camera’s light-sensitive
photo-diodes, Sony improved the imager’s light gathering capability, which the
company claims results in approximately twice the sensitivity compared with conventional
sensors. To further extend low-light shooting performance, the TX1 and WX1
cameras incorporate the handheld twilight and anti-motion blur multishot modes.
These modes capture six images in less than a second and utilize the BIONZ
processor to combine the shots into a single image.
In addition to their low-light performance capability, the cameras also
include Sony’s Sweep Panorama and 10-frames-per-second burst shooting features,
first introduced with the HX1 camera. Using the Exmor R CMOS
sensor, the cameras shoot continuously while users sweep across the scene.
Using the BIONZ imaging processor, they automatically stitch the pictures
together to create one panoramic photo. Sony said the TX1 and WX1 can take up
to 185- and 256-degree panorama shots, respectively, in one press-and-sweep
motion with an image size of 7,152 by 1,080.
“With these new 'Exmor R' CMOS sensor
cameras, Sony has vastly improved the customer experience for taking pictures
with digital still cameras in low-light scenarios,” said Sony Electronics'
director of the digital imaging business, Phil Lubell. “We’ve all taken
pictures in dimly lit situations, like blowing out candles on a birthday cake,
and the results were grainy and unclear. By redesigning the way these cameras
capture light, Sony is leading the industry by creating this easy way to take
amazingly clear, vibrant photos in low lighting scenarios.”
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