Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1

Sony DSC-R1

Type	Bridge digital camera
Sensor	21.5 mm × 14.4 mm CMOS
Maximum resolution	3,888 × 2,592 (10 million)
Lens	Fixed, 14.3–71.5 mm Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T*, 24–120 mm equiv. (5× zoom)
Shutter speed range	30–1/2000 s + bulb (3 minutes)
ASA/ISO range	160, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200
Focus areas	Multi-point AF (5 area auto select), Centre AF, Spot AF (flexible)
Focus modes	Single, Monitor, Continuous
Continuous shooting	3 frames @ 3.0 frame/s
Viewfinder	Electronic with diopter adjustment, 235,200 pixel 0.44" TFT LCD
Rear LCD monitor	2.0" top mounted flip and twist
Storage	Memory Stick (PRO), CompactFlash (CF) (Type I or Type II), Microdrive
Weight	995 g or 2.2 lb (including battery)

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1 is a bridge digital camera announced by Sony in 2005 (and discontinued in 2006). It featured a 10.3 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor (21.5 × 14.4 mm), a size typically used in DSLRs and rarely used in bridge cameras (which usually use 2/3" (= 6.6 × 8.8 mm) or 1/1.8" (= 5.3 × 7.1 mm)). This was the first time such a large sensor was incorporated into a bridge camera.^[1] Besides the APS-C sensor, the DSC-R1 also featured a 14.3–71.5 mm Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens, providing for an angle of view equivalent to 24–120 mm on a full frame camera.

Advantages

Compared to a standard DSLR the Sony DSC-R1 had the following advantages:

• since there is no mirror between the sensor and the lens, the lens can be positioned closer to the sensor, which improves the performance at wide angle. The back focal length of the DSC-R1 in wide-angle mode is 2.1 millimeters, which is much smaller than the wide angle back focal length found typically in DSLRs (up to 30 millimeters and more)^[2]
• the image in the EVF and LCD screen is bright and the light is amplified. An optical viewfinder instead does not amplify the light, so that it becomes difficult to frame and manually focus when there is not sufficient light.
• technically no dust problems, since the DSC-R1 has a fixed lens, though dust can enter the lens itself while zooming
• silent operation, as there is no swinging mirror or physical shutter system
• as there is no shutter system there is essentially no limit to flash sync; photographs can be taken in broad daylight with fill flash at speeds of 1/1,000th of a second or faster
• fewer movable parts, therefore greater reliability
• supports RAW^[3]

Disadvantages

and the following disadvantages:

• no interchangeable lenses: the supplied lens only covers the 24–120 mm zoom range.
• no optical viewfinder. Furthermore, there is some small time shift, i.e. the image appears with a small delay.
• Low frame rate and slow contrast-detection autofocus.^[3]

See also

• Sigma DP1
• Micro Four Thirds
• Sigma DP2

References

1. "Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1 announced" by ePHOTOzine
2. Späth, Frank (2005). Sony Cyber-shot R1. Baierbrunn, Germany: Point of Sale Verlag. p. 13. ISBN 3-925334-72-6.
3. Sony DSC-R1 review by Luminous Landscape

External links

Media related to Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1 at Wikimedia Commons

• Let's Go Digital review
• Imaging Resource
• Steve's Reviews
• DP Review
• Comparison between the R1 and its successor RX10 by ePHOTOzine