Sony's new digital cameras that can 'see in the dark'

 

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Posted on 6 Aug 2009 at 11:13

Sony has announced two new cameras, the Cyber-shot TX1 and WX1. Both have a new 'Exmor R' sensor which Sony claims has an innovative structure that captures more light (around twice as much) compared to conventional CMOS designs.

We've criticised scores of compact digital cameras for noisy photos over the last year or two, so it's good to see that Sony appears to be taking steps to address the problem. Instead of simply ramping up the number of pixels to fight in the megapixel war, Sony has taken the refreshing step of reducing the number of pixels from the seemingly standard 12 megapixels to 10.2 in a bid to reduce noise, the coloured graininess that appears in photos, particularly those taken in dim conditions.

The WX1 is particularly interesting as it has a 5x zoom starting at the 35mm equivalent of 24mm, and a maximum aperture of f/2.4. This means it should let in considerably more light than most compact cameras, which means less noise and faster shutter speeds - for sharper shots.

Both models also have a new BIONZ processor which should mean they're a lot faster than previous models. Sony claims both can shoot at up to 10 frames per second in continuous mode. It also allows a Sweep Panorama mode which automatically captures panoramic photos as you move the camera horizontally or vertically, for a field of view up to 256 degrees on the WX1 and 185 degrees on the TX1.

Another feature we're keen to try out is the Twilight mode which superimposes six shots taken in burst mode to reduce noise even further. Plus, an Anti Motion Blur mode claims to capture fast-moving subjects in low light with reduced noise, which we assume will use the cameras' optical image stabilisation.

As you'd expect these days, both models can shoot 720p video at 30fps and you can use the zoom in movie mode. We'll have to wait until we get our hands on a review model to evaluate the quality of both still photos and videos, but it will be interesting to see whether the redesigned sensor, which is physically no larger than previous cameras', can live up to the hype.

No pricing has been announced, but the cameras should be available to buy in September.

Author: Jim Martin