Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX70

Sony has just announced its Cyber-shot DSC-WX70 compact camera that is equipped with a 16 Megapixel CMOS sensor, a 5X optical zoom and a 3″ LCD high-quality display. The camera has built-in image stabilization system and can record 1080i video (60FPS) while shooting 12MP photos at the same time. Externally, it looks like a classic compact camera that is about the size of a deck of cards. At the bottom, you will find the battery compartment, and a nearby Micro-USB slot for transferring files to a computer. It wasn’t clear if the camera could be charged over USB (I believe that some Sony Cameras can). It is possible to connect the camera to a TV via HDMI and it wouldn’t be surprising if you could display 3D photos on a compatible TV as well (I haven’t tried yet).In addition to have been designed for low-light image capture, the Cyber-shot DSC-WX70 also comes with 9 built-in effect to make the photos more interesting or fun. This is clearly something that users love on smartphones, so there’s no reason not to have it on compact cameras.

At $229, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX70 looks like a very decent compact camera that has a classic design. I was particularly interested by the f2.6-6.3 lens, which should do well in low-light, when compared to other $200 cameras. The WX70 should be available in March in Silver, Black, Pink and Violet.