San Diego – Sony introduced Monday its spring camera offerings, including a pair of super-zoom bridge models, a 20x Cyber-shot point-and-shoot, a new “super-entry-level” Cyber-shot model and the latest Alpha mirrorless compact system camera.
New models include the DSC-HX400V (shipping in March at a $499 suggested retail), DSC-H400 (March, $319), and DSC-H300 (February, $219) bridge cameras; the DSC-WX350 (March, $319) compact point-and-shoot; the DSC-W800 ($80); and the new Alpha-series a6000 APS-C mirrorless compact system camera (shipping in mid-April at $799 with a 16-50mm kit lens).
The HV400X features a 20.4-megapixel CMOS sensor, 4K digital still image playback capability on compatible TVs, a 50x optical zoom with a 100x digital Clear Image Zoom boost, 3-inch LCD monitor, optical SteadyShot, up to 12,800 ISO sensitivity, 10 fps burst shooting speed, FullHD video recording, Zeiss optics, pop-up flash, and built-in Wi-Fi connectivity with NFC.
The H400 is a stripped-down version of the HV400X that steps down to a 20.1-megapixel CCD sensor, 63x optical zoom, 210x (VGA) smart zoom boost, 3-inch LCD, 3200 ISO, 0.8 fps burst shooting, lithium-ion battery, pop-up flash and 720p HD movie capture.
The H300 features a 20.1-megapixel CCD, 35x optical zoom, 3-inch LCD monitor, Optical SteadyShot, 3,200 ISO, 0.8 fps burst shooting and four AA-battery operation.
The DSC-WX350 point-and-shoot has a 18.2-megapixel CMOS sensor, 20x optical zoom with up to a 40x Clear Image Zoom extension, 3-inch LCD, Optical SteadyShot with Intelligent Active Mode, 12,800 ISO, 10 fps burst shooting, 4K still image output, FullHD video capture, Triluminos Color, a Sony G series lens and built-in Wi-Fi.
The DSC-W800 is a new super-entry-level camera featuring a 20-megapixel CCD with a 5x optical zoom lens.
The Alpha a6000 incorporates a 24.3-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, ISO 25,600 (51,200 in Multi Frame NR), Fast Hybrid AF system with 179 phase-detection AF and 25 contrast-detection AF. It has a SVGA OLED electronic viewfinder with 100 percent coverage, a 3-inch tilting LCD screen, 11 fps continuous shooting, 1080/60p/24p movie capture, built-in Wi-Fi with NFC and access to PlayMemories camera apps.
Sony said the top priorities in designing the a6000 were maximum image quality, responsiveness and mobile connectivity.
The camera offers a smaller and lighter body, making it easier to carry around. It is also the second mirrorless compact system camera in the Sony line to be launched under the combined Alpha family, after the company decided to drop the NEX sub-brand designation for mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras.
Sony said the new hybrid AF system is the world’s fastest for a camera with an APS-C-sized sensor.
