Sony launches W-Series Cyber-shots

Five new mid-range compacts

23 January 2008 22:28 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

Sony is launching a line of new W-series Cyber-shot digital cameras in time for summer holiday camera-buying sprees.

Topping off the range is the 10.1-megapixel DSC-W170 and 8.1-megapixel DSC-W150 models that feature Carl Zeiss 5x optical zoom lenses and 2.7-inch LCD screens along with eye-level viewfinders.

Rounding out the series are the 8.1-megapixel DSC-W130 models and 7.2-megapixel DSC-W120 with 4x optical zoom and 2.5 inch LCD screens.

And bringing up the rear is the entry-level W110 that offers 7.2 effective megapixel resolution plus 4x optical zoom, Smile Shutter and Face Detection.

Newly-available across the W-series cameras is Sony’s "smile shutter" mode, that recognises adult or child faces to capture photos only when the intended subjects smile.

The W170 and W150 cameras feature new intelligent scene recognition (iSCN) technology, which automatically selects the optimal scene mode - regardless of the what the user has chosen - and takes a second shot to be on the safe side.

Ranging from $200 to $300 in the States, UK pricing has yet to be confirmed.

Cyber-shot W170
10.1 effective megapixels
Carl Zeiss 5x optical zoom lens with 28mm wide angle
High-resolution (230k dot) 2.7-inch Clear Photo LCD
BIONZ processor powers Smile Shutter and Face Detection
Super Steady Shot
HD Output
Intelligent Scene Recognition
W170: Mid April 2008

Cyber-shot W150
8.1 effective megapixels
Carl Zeiss 5x optical zoom lens with 30mm wide angle
High-resolution (230k dot) 2.7-inch Clear Photo LCD
BIONZ processor powers Smile Shutter and Face Detection
Super Steady Shot
HD Output
Intelligent Scene Recognition
W150: Mid April 2008

Cyber-shot W130
8.1 effective megapixels
Carl Zeiss 4x optical zoom lens
2.5-inch LCD
BIONZ processor powers Smile Shutter and Face Detection
Super Steady Shot
HD Output
W130: Mid February 2008

Cyber-shot W120
7.2 effective megapixels
Carl Zeiss 4x optical zoom lens
2.5-inch LCD
BIONZ processor powers Smile Shutter and Face Detection
Super Steady Shot
HD Output
W120: End February 2008

Cyber-shot W110
7.2 effective megapixels
Carl Zeiss 4x optical zoom lens
2.5-inch LCD
BIONZ processor powers Smile Shutter and Face Detection
HD Output
End April 2008