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February 13, 2006 – Sony has redesigned their popular W-series to look more stylish with today’s announcement of the Cyber-shot W50 and W30 models. The two digital cameras keep a traditional look but are much more compact than earlier W-series offerings. The W50 and W30 both have 6 megapixels in compact silver-colored metal alloy bodies. The W50 has a 2.5-inch LCD screen and will retail for $250 in March. The W30, which has a 2-inch LCD screen, will be available this month for $230.
"These new models will be attractive to people who prefer the look and feel of a traditional camera, but without the bulk," said James Neal, director of digital imaging products at Sony, in today’s press release. "We’ve also increased the light sensitivity, which minimizes the need for flash photography, and improved the cameras’ user interface for better photography results and overall camera experience."
Many manufacturers are adding higher light sensitivities to compact models this year and Sony is no exception. The new Cyber-shots will have ISO 1000 settings so users can take more natural-looking pictures in dim lighting. Sony also made some user-friendly improvements like an in-camera help guide that explains icons.
The Sony Cyber-shot W50 and W30 will have both optical viewfinders and large LCD screens. The W50 will house a 2.5-inch LCD screen with 115,000 pixels. The W30 has a smaller screen at 2 inches with even less resolution, at just 85,000 pixels. The cameras’ specs are otherwise the same.
Both digital cameras have Carl Zeiss 3x optical zoom lenses, 32 MB of internal memory, and movie modes that shoot 640 x 480 pixel video at 30 fps – assuming users also buy the optional Sony MemoryStick Pro. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W50 gets 390 shots per charge from its lithium-ion battery. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W30 gets ten more shots per charge on the same battery.