Sony update their digital compact range with the P10 and P92

Sony UK have announced two new Cyber-shot digital still cameras that deliver 5 effective megapixel resolution. According to Sony, the DSC-P10 is more compact than its predecessor the DSC-P9, and will appeal to the design-conscious. The DSC-P92 combines outstanding picture quality with uncompromising ease of use and is the perfect 'point and shoot' for the newcomer to digital photography. The cameras are also amongst the first Sony products to be compatible with Memory Stick PRO*, which delivers up to 1GB storage capacity when the camera is equipped with this optional Memory Stick.

"For the first time, we are offering 5 effective megapixel quality to people who want to take great pictures in a range of different environments," said Adam Williams, Product Manager for Digital Still Cameras, Sony UK. "The DSC-P10 contains a host of intuitive features that allow you to really personalise your shots and, if you are new to digital photography, the DSC-P92 is a great option as the camera automatically does all the work. These cameras make high quality digital photography accessible to anyone who wants to capture good quality images of treasured moments."

More quality, bigger prints
Both cameras provide superb image quality that produces great shots and prints, with an incredible level of detail, even in large formats. Five megapixel resolution also allows users to zoom and crop images to create their desired shot, as well as increase the size of images to produce large format prints. Furthermore, the new Smart Zoom function intelligently adjusts the zoom ratio according to the selected image resolution to achieve zoom ratios of up to 12x.

* Memory Stick Pro media is an optional accessory
Perfect every time
Both cameras also offer a wider choice of Scene Selection modes that automatically adjust the camera settings for a range of environments. In addition to "Twilight", "Twilight Portrait" and "Landscape," "Snow" lessens the greyness of images containing a large amount of white by adjusting colour temperature and enhancing luminance, while "Beach" emphasises blues and extends depth of field to make sea more vivid. For the DSC-P10, "High Speed Shutter" raises the shutter speed to minimise camera shake when shooting fast moving objects or subjects in darker environments. "Fireworks" adjusts the shutter speed, flash, focus and ISO level to take improved shots in darker situations.

The cameras are more intelligent in making adjustments to light conditions thanks to a number of improved features. A new exposure warning means users always have the correct exposure, as the camera detects the exposure level before taking the shot and a warning blink appears if the selected settings will not deliver the correct exposure. In addition, Slow Synchronized Flash operates at a slow shutter speed for shooting foreground objects with low-light backgrounds, giving clarity to the background as well as to the foreground. Alternatively, Auto Daylight Synchronised Flash automatically measures the exposure level for foreground objects which have light behind them. Flash White Balance helps to make colour tones more realistic in shots that contain a lot of reflective surfaces. In these conditions, the camera might detect all light sources around the subject, creating a colour distortion. Flash White Balance adjusts the white balance in the shot to restore colours to their true condition.

To achieve a further level of exposure control, the DSC-P10 provides a histogram display, which shows luminance distribution in the form of a graph, making it easy to judge the correct exposure levels. The camera also provides three step settings for contrast, sharpness and saturation to ensure natural, true colours.

In Burst Mode, the camera uses a buffer memory to take three shots in rapid succession for successful shooting of once-in-a-lifetime moments. Under extremely difficult conditions, or if users have just one chance to capture a particular moment, the DSC-P10 provides Auto Exposure Bracketing, which takes the same picture three times at different selectable exposure levels. The first shot is at the set exposure, the second is set lighter and the third is set darker.

With the DSC-P10, Continuous Auto Focus allows users to obtain the correct focus using the shutter button. As the shutter button is pushed down, when in this mode, the camera keeps on focusing until it reaches the correct level, rather than 'locking' the image when the button is pushed halfway.

Amazing STAMINA
The cameras are supplied with batteries that provide more capacity and have more stamina than their predecessors. The DSC-P10 is supplied with an NP-FC11 InfoLithium battery, and the DSC-P92 comes with two NH-AA-DA rechargeable Ni-MH batteries.

Be spontaneous
Many improvements have been made to ensure the cameras are easier and quicker to use so that perfect shots can be taken. Start-up times and shutter time intervals have improved and newly designed control functions mean that the cameras can be operated by little more than the touch of a thumb.

Make a movie
The MPEG Movie VX feature records video with audio at VGA frame quality and a smooth 16.6 frames per second which looks great when viewed on a full screen television. With an optional 1GB Memory Stick Pro, up to 44 minutes of video can be recorded.

The Cyber-shot range also includes a 3.2 effective megapixel version of the DSC-P10, the
DSC-P8, which contains many of the same features at a more affordable level.