Don't look now, but your point-and-shoot is about to get a whole lot smarter if it's rockin' a DSC-T700 or DSC-T77 label. Starting with the latter (which is Sony's thinnest model at less than 5/8 of an inch), you'll find a 10-megapixel sensor, ISO up to 3,200, eleven scene modes, in-camera image management, face detection and a 3-inch touchscreen to boot. Moving on, the brainy DSC-T700 does everything the T77 does but throws in 4GB of internal storage and a 3.5-inch LCD -- you know, so you can have a "photo album in your pocket." Both units sport a Carl Zeiss lens, 4x optical zoom, image stabilization and even an anti-blink function that snaps two successive shots if it notices anyone dozing during the capture. Also of note, the T700 packs a Picture Motion Browser application that "lets you downsize images from full-resolution to VGA and export them back to the camera's internal photo album." A bit gimmicky, sure, but a welcome addition nonetheless. Look for the T77 to land in brown, green, pink, black and silver in late September for about $300, while the T700 hits around the same time in red, champagne gold, pink, dark gray and silver for a Benjamin more.
Update: Gallery added. Inexplicably, no pics of that biggie 3.5-inch backside LCD were provided by Sony.
Update 2: Nabbed us a back-side photo of that hugeazz LCD. [Thanks,
Sony Insider]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
nak @ Aug 7th 2008 12:41AM
Looks like something Apple would make, sans screws and flash.
helloUser @ Aug 7th 2008 12:46AM
No it doesnt.
who? @ Aug 7th 2008 12:49AM
I sense a disturbance in the iForce. The Low Ranks cloud everything.
/poorly executed Star Wars joke.
Vagrant @ Aug 7th 2008 12:50AM
...and removable battery.
Metkis @ Aug 7th 2008 1:05AM
I have altered your comment ranks. Pray I do not alter them further.
who? @ Aug 7th 2008 1:10AM
The iPhone 3G has screws, doesn't it?
Nytrojen @ Aug 7th 2008 1:16AM
Apologies for the crappy photoshop
http://img45.imageshack.us/img45/5104/icamyo8.jpg
eddie_nutritious @ Aug 7th 2008 2:02AM
Apple made a camera in the 1990s. It looked like this: http://www.engadget.com/media/2006/04/quicktakesmall.jpg
All joking aside, though, hasn't Sony had a reputation for well-done, relatively minimalist design for many years? Despite what you may think of Sony as a company with its politics and all, most would agree that they make nice looking devices.
I know that Apple's hot now, but before about 1998, no one I know thought that they were a company that made pretty things. Companies like Sony (and B&O, Tag Heuer, Porsche, etc) have been creating functional products with great industrial design for a long time.
So, no, this camera looks like a Sony to me.
notYou @ Aug 7th 2008 7:07AM
This commenting deal is getting worse all the time.
nDee @ Aug 7th 2008 9:05AM
What the bloody hell does the flash goes with apple design?
I mean you can't even find one on iPhone3G
(just joking, you don't need one on iPhone)
who? @ Aug 7th 2008 12:45AM
Why so expensive? You could get a desktop computer for $300! Are there no good cameras under $100 these days?
hiko36 @ Aug 7th 2008 1:07AM
No
who? @ Aug 7th 2008 1:15AM
They make computers for $100 brand new these days, you would think there would be at least one company with a similar goal for cameras, (not plastic kid toys) wouldn't you?
CharlieX @ Aug 7th 2008 1:25AM
This line of Sony is thin. REALLY thin. 5/8 of an inch. No one else makes a half decent point/shoot so portable. That's what you're paying for.
Ayman @ Aug 7th 2008 1:47AM
They also make $10,000 computers, which shows preference in people.
Sony does have cheaper cameras that are good, they are the S series, the reason they are cheap i think is because they are made in China, while this one if I'm not mistaken are made in Japan. Similar with the VAIOs
Za @ Aug 7th 2008 1:50AM
There have never been good digital cameras for under a hundred and very few under two hundred.
Za @ Aug 7th 2008 1:53AM
Ayman, the W and T series are made in any combination of Indonesia, Malaysia, China, and Japan. I've checked [worked retail for a while].
Cassini @ Aug 8th 2008 6:21PM
@Who?
"Why so expensive? You could get a desktop computer for $300!"
I understand that you're frustrated that you can't find a decent camera for under $100, but why do you think a desktop computer should be the reference point for determining how expensive something else should be? What does a desktop computer have to do with a camera?
As you know, devices out there are of all shapes, sizes, feature sets, and costs. But those four things don't always intersect the same way all across the board within the digital landscape. Why are there thumb drives that cost $300, and phones that cost $1000? You can compare a camera with another camera; but you can't compare a device to one that is completely unrelated to it and then expect to extrapolate logic in regards to the pricing.
$300 or $400 might be more than you want to spend, but you're getting quite a bit for your money. Barring that, there's always Craig's List or eBay - you can often find really good deals there.
who? @ Aug 9th 2008 5:02AM
@ Cassini
I was making a reference to the fact that the cameras are supposed to cost $300, and my computer cost me that much! That camera isn't worth $300! A camera like that should cost you around $200, maybe less.
Yeah, I was stating my opinion, better lecture me again... I'm an awful human being.
Cassini @ Aug 9th 2008 7:36AM
@Who?
"Yeah, I was stating my opinion, better lecture me again... I'm an awful human being."
C'mon partner, you're taking this personal and for no reason. No one is saying you can't share an opinion. I understood what you were saying (which was why I said what I did), but you clearly missed my point. You seem to be confident that you understand the value of cameras and what not, and if that's what you think, then so be it. But once again, your computer has nothing to do with it.
I hope you find a camera you're happy with.
AJ in the East Bay @ Aug 7th 2008 1:04AM
Do they still make you use Memory Sticks?
AJ in the East Bay @ Aug 7th 2008 1:05AM
Ah, they do. Screw it, then.
Jeff @ Aug 7th 2008 1:19AM
Don't let a super cheap storage media restrict you from buying a good product. Yes they are Sony only and yes they are more expensive than SD cards but memory is memory.
Za @ Aug 7th 2008 1:52AM
You're not going to use more than a 4GB card in a point and shoot and they are something like $40 at a brick and mortar store. A high speed 4GB SD card will run you about $35 brick and mortar as well, and since you aren't carrying multiples, it's not a huge deal. People complain plenty but in usage, it's not much of a hindrance. All modern multiformat card readers will read MS Pro/Duo cards.
eddie_nutritious @ Aug 7th 2008 2:19AM
Really? I wouldn't let the memory card format deter me from buying a device that I liked. I have SD, Memory Stick Duo, and CF cards residing inside various devices that I own, and they rarely leave them, so it's no big deal that they aren't interchangeable. SD works great in the Blackberry, MS Duo in my Handycam, and CF in the DSLR.
This isn't 2000 when 32MB of flash cost hundreds of dollars, so you better make sure you get the right format and stick with it for life. As someone above posted, you can get multi-GB cards for next to nothing now.
If you like this camera, it isn't going to kill you to buy a Memory Stick.
Simon @ Aug 7th 2008 3:40AM
Yes, and your point?
Does Apple still force me to use iTunes?
Pepsipoint @ Aug 7th 2008 5:22AM
I own a dsc t300. nice camera. but like that one, you'll run out of battery LONG before you run out of memory space with a 2gb card that only costs 30 dollars.
zargon @ Aug 7th 2008 7:45AM
My memory stick problem is not just about it being a more expensive, it has to do with it being a proprietary format. I have multiple devices that out of the box can use SD. I don't want to have to worry about if my memory card will work in a device, with SD I know it will.
I guess it doesn't matter though, when I think cameras, I don't think Sony. While they make some of the sensors out there, Canon, Nikon and sometime Pentax is where its at with cameras.
Michael Scrip @ Aug 7th 2008 5:11PM
Most people buy one memory card when they buy their camera... and never remove it. So who cares what kind it is. And if you wait 2 or 3 years between digital cameras, your old card is far to small anyway. A 2GB card will hold 500 photos... 4GB will hold 1000... that's more than enough for a weekend.
Nick @ Aug 7th 2008 1:23AM
I'll stay away.. thanks, I'd prefer something thats on SD overall due to the same amount for a better price.
Canon's and ( somewhat HP's ) are a good choice atm if you don't want to buy Memory Sticks.
Cheers,
Nick
Za @ Aug 7th 2008 1:57AM
You must be joking about HP cameras. They are slow, gimmick-laden garbage. To put them in the same category as Canon is quite insulting. Overall, in the point and shoots, Canon is at the top, Sony second, Panasonic third, and Nikon fourth, with Olympus/Pentax/Fujifilm pretty comparable for the end.
The Canon/Sony/Panasonic cameras are solid all-around, whereas the ones after that tend to be more niche. Nikon's pocketable point and shoots really are not anything to write home about, while Olympus rests on the fact that it has waterproof cameras out. Pentax prides itself on small size but does shit if anything in small point and shoots in N. America. Fujifilm has phenomenal noise performance, but specifically in the bodies that are a bit larger [F vs Z].
But HPs? Have you ever used multiple point and shoots?
Za @ Aug 7th 2008 1:58AM
Point me in the direction of any HP camera comparable to either of these two. Thanks for playing.
mayhem85 @ Aug 7th 2008 4:05AM
HP cameras are awesome... thats why so many places carry them... oh wait no its everything but HP sorry got that mixed up (partly because HP stopped making point and shoots)... you might as well compare it to a kodak...
also to compare apples to apples youd have to buy a Ultra II SD card to be equivalent to the speeds of the sony memory stick pro duo... which will both run about the same price...
im surprised no one has commented on the noise you get with a 10 megapixels on a image sensor most likely designed for 6 megapixels..or how about how sony cameras will do 3200 ISO (looks likes a webcam photo with it that high...ive never seen my T series go that high by itself though...)
and just so you know a sony camera is normally cheaper than a similar canon... sony dscw120 compared to canon SD1100 $50 difference in favor of sony... jump up to the w150 for the same price as the canon and you get a wide angle lens and 5X over 3X zoom... personally i think the canon lens is better as its not a real carl zeiss lens on there, its a lens made to carl zeiss's specs a real carl zeiss lens would jump the price of those cameras up...
ill stick with my D-60 though (i know shouldve gotten the XSI but got it for free for working at a brick and mortar store... was that or the XTI... was a tough call...)... once you go DSLR you never go back to point and shoots...
im dont ranting...
Za @ Aug 7th 2008 1:53AM
No.
angeL @ Aug 7th 2008 2:27AM
Puts my old Sony Cybershot DSC-T1 to shame. I really need to upgrade and this is definitely a camera I will consider.
curiousgeorgieo @ Aug 7th 2008 2:52AM
Burger King makes one amazing burger for $200 so this camera better taste really really good
j @ Aug 7th 2008 3:21AM
sony = design + price²
sam @ Aug 7th 2008 4:32AM
anyone notice that theres 2 different versions of the w-t switch (on the upper right hand corner of the camera) in the different photos? these kind of look like photoshop mockups to me...
yode @ Aug 7th 2008 6:59AM
two different cameras = two different zoom switches
Bob @ Aug 7th 2008 5:39AM
What's a benjamin?
roberto @ Aug 7th 2008 7:21AM
that's a benjamin:
http://memehuffer.typepad.com/meme_huffer/images/2007/03/17/benjamin100.jpg
;)
Down @ Aug 7th 2008 7:06AM
Sony's T-series cameras are very well designed but they need to do more about the general quality of the photos, especially in low-light areas like restaurants, night clubs, etc.
rodman @ Aug 7th 2008 9:21AM
sony is waste of money!
neofolklore @ Aug 7th 2008 7:41AM
SONY: Putting the S in $
Chris Macdonald @ Aug 7th 2008 9:19AM
OMG LOL
Dr. Reverend Shmoove, PhD @ Aug 7th 2008 9:29AM
i'm rockin a 5.1mp DSC W1 that i bought new for $349 in '05. it's a brick but still titties. i believe the T77 will be my upgrade.
LHT @ Aug 7th 2008 10:42AM
There are pic of the 3.5-inch LCD on SONY's Japan site:
http://www.sony.jp/products/Consumer/DSC/DSC-T700/feat4.html
INSIDE THE MACHINE @ Aug 7th 2008 11:05PM
psssst the DSC-T700 will shoot 720p HD video, there is also an optional docking station with HDMI out... trust. You heard it here first.
KM @ Aug 13th 2008 8:48AM
There is no 720p video according to specs sheet on sony.com. Where have you got this finfo from? I surely hoped this were true...
tcw @ Aug 7th 2008 11:52PM
I'm just bummed that no slim P&S cameras have decent focus range for macro-lovers like me. I had a LITTLE clunky Konica Minolta KD-410Z, but gosh it could focus well at even 2.5 cm or so.
Am I the only person who thinks macro is important, too, in P&S? For people who like to document all the little things on a trip, I'd think it would be...