Sony has today announced a revolutionary camera, which creates a class of its own, the company claims.

The Cyber-shot R1 camera is the world's first integrated lens digital still camera to combine a professional-grade, 10.3-megapixel image sensor and the flexibility of live preview while shooting.

With its ultra-wide Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T zoom lens (24mm - 120mm) and free-angle, two-inch LCD, the Cyber-shot R1 brings professional level imaging performance to mainstream consumers.

Unlike digital SLRs, the Cyber-shot R1 unit's sensor allows for a "live" preview thanks to Sony Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) technology. Until now, the extraordinary power consumption of these large sensors has limited their operation to image capture only - unable to support the benefit of a live preview. Sony's distinctive design is employed to reduce power consumption, as well as increase image processing speeds.

The camera's electronic viewfinder or two-inch LCD lets you evaluate scene conditions, such as exposure and how color is rendered before taking a shot. Because the R1 camera can preview electronically, using the image sensor itself in real-time, framing is always 100% accurate.


The R1's integrated Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar lens was carefully crafted to take full advantage of the resolution, clarity and color performance of its APS-class CMOS image sensor. Because of the sensor's live preview capability, there is no need for the camera to have a traditional "mirror and prism" construction common to digital SLRs. This allows a lens-to-sensor distance of as little as 2 mm, optimizing image quality and color accuracy.

The Cyber-shot R1 sports a two-inch, LCD screen that folds flat and swivels so you can shoot from nearly any position.

The new camera features a one-second shot-to-shot time, three frame-per-second burst shooting, and a shutter release time of only 7.5 milliseconds. Because it consumes 70 percent less power than Sony's previous processing circuitry, the camera has a battery life of up to 500 shots per charge, which can vary according to use and camera settings.

The Cyber-shot R1 camera will be available in mid-November for about $1,000 online at SonyStyle.com, at Sony Style retail and at select authorized dealers nationwide.

For the Cyber-shot R1 preview, visit LetsGoDigital.






























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