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Camera Lens News No. 6
Spring 1999 |
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Cyber-shot: SONY digital still camera with Carl Zeiss lens
Sony’s new digital still camera for demanding modern photographers is the DSC-F55E named ”Cyber-shot”. The camera is based on a Sony 1/2” CCD image receiver chip with 2.1 megapixel resolution. The image creator – the lens – of the new Sony DSC camera is a Carl Zeiss Distagon 1:2,8/6,85. The camera is supposed to be available in Europe from CeBIT on at a price around 1000 Euro.
Indicated by the ”…gon” in any Zeiss lens name, the Distagon 1:2,8/6,85 delivers images with a wide-angle perspective. In this case the perspective is similar to a 37 mm lens in 35 mm pho-tography. An additional 2.5 x digital extender may be applied by the photographer either during actual shooting or later during an in-camera editing process.
As indicated by the ”Dista…” this wide-angle lens is a special optical design with extended distance between the rear of the lens and the image receiver. This extended space would be used for the moving mirror in an SLR camera or, in case of the DSC-F55E, for filters and protective cover of the CCD.
A fixed focal length lens was chosen to provide ease and speed of use, f/2,8 for good quality indoor shots, reliable high resolution of fine object detail, and very small space requirements: The Cyber-shot camera has the size of an APS camera although it includes 2 inch color CCD monitor, built-in flash, rechargeable battery, Sony ”memory stick” inter-changeable data storage device, still and movie operating modes, voice recording, and many more possibilities. | |
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