Sony CD Mavica MVC-CD350
Manufacturer: Sony Part number: MVCCD350
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- Though the CD350 takes good photos with little trouble, you pay for its mini CD media in size and weight.
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CNET editors' review
Sony CD Mavica MVC-CD350 price range: $999.00
- Reviewed by: Eamon Hickey
- Reviewed on: 11/04/2003
- Released on: 04/01/2003
The good: Pleasing photos; instant archiving on a mini CD; uncommon 640x480-pixel video resolution; many adjustable image-quality parameters.
The bad: Big and ungainly; subpar shutter delay and shot-to-shot times; little wide-angle capability; no custom white balance; no optical viewfinder.
The bottom line: Though the CD350 takes good photos with little trouble, you pay for its mini CD media in size and weight.
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| On the camera top, near the power button and the shutter release, is the simple mode dial. It provides access to fully automatic, program, scene, and video modes; setup menus; and image playback. | The zoom toggle falls under your right thumb. |
Controls cluster on opposite sides of the camera, convenient to either one hand or the other. The four-way switch on the left governs the menus, which spring from the bottom of the LCD in typical Sony fashion. Their logic and labeling are perfectly adequate, and they operate quickly. However, we were disappointed at having to use the menus to reach exposure compensation, since it doesn't have a dedicated button, and red-eye reduction is activated in the setup menu instead of via the flash-setting button. Another design flaw is in the battery compartment's door; it's surprisingly hard to open.
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| The four-way controller, located in the camera back's lower-left corner, lets you navigate the LCD menus, select a flash setting, switch to Macro mode, and quickly review the last image you shot. | With the three buttons below the LCD, you can activate the menu system, turn the screen on and off, delete images, and choose a picture-quality setting. |
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 The CD350 accepts mini CD-R/RW media. |
The CD350 doesn't provide manual or semimanual exposure control, but seven scene modes supplement the options for full and programmed automation. You can also apply exposure compensation to plus or minus 2EV. For white balance, you get an automatic setting and five presets, but regrettably, there is no custom selection. The four available light-sensitivity choices are auto, ISO 100, ISO 200, and ISO 400.
The CD350 can capture JPEG or TIFF stills at any of five resolutions. Two JPEG-compression levels are available. It's notable that TIFF mode stores your image in both TIFF and JPEG. E-mail mode operates on the same principle, saving a 320x240-pixel copy of your shot along with a JPEG file at the selected resolution. The unusually capable movie mode can record 640x480 MPEG video with sound; clip length is determined by your media's capacity.
The camera saves photos and video to 8cm rewritable CD-RWs or write-once CD-Rs. One of the latter can cost as little as 70 cents and store more than 150 full-resolution images. In theory, you can pop a mini CD into the CD-ROM drive of any Windows PC and view or transfer your pictures. However, some older drives don't support the format, so make sure your hardware is compatible before you purchase the CD350. Mini CDs are incompatible with Macs, but Mac OS X lets you download files via USB. Capturing shots to CD-R instantly archives them on nonvolatile media--particularly useful for business users and those who don't have another way of storing these "digital negatives."
Among the CD350's other notable features are a spot meter; flash-exposure compensation; voice captioning; manual focus at selectable distances; and adjustable image-quality parameters such as sharpening, color saturation, and contrast. There's also a burst mode that can record 16 low-resolution shots in as little as one second; they're saved in one image file that resembles a contact sheet. And an abridged continuous-drive mode snaps 2 full-resolution frames in one second.
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 The proprietary InfoLithium battery gave us 465 shots on a single charge--a good showing. The LCD's battery meter shows how many minutes remain, too, instead of just a vague little icon. |
On the upside, the big 2.5-inch LCD is sharp and shows 100 percent of the actual image. The screen also works well in bright outdoor light. That's fortunate because there's no optical or electronic viewfinder. If you prefer using an eyepiece, you can purchase Sony's eye-level viewer attachment. The lens zooms silently, smoothly, and precisely. The flash's 8-foot maximum range is somewhat subpar, but its 3-second recycle time is excellent. We were generally pleased with our CD350 test shots. Sharpness and detail, though not the best we've seen from a 3-megapixel camera, were quite good. Most of our exposures, using both the flash and ambient light, were accurate. Colors were also fairly true and nicely vivid without being oversaturated. There was a bit of noise in photos taken at ISO 100, but it was moderate. Predictably, the noise was severe at ISO 400. We noted little purple fringing or other artifacts.
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| Noise is low at ISO 100 (left), and the level rises to moderate at ISO 200 (center). At ISO 400, things get ugly (right). | ||
The camera had a modest tendency to blow out highlights, but we partly counteracted the problem by turning down the default contrast setting. Flash pictures occasionally came out with reddish skin tones, especially when our subjects had fair complexions.
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| Using the automatic white balance under tungsten lighting gave our pictures an unpleasant yellowish cast (left). The Incandescent white-balance preset produced much better results (right). | |
User reviews
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Chunky but spunky
by cbellar on July 14, 2006
Pros: Beautiful, crisp clear photos, hardy, nice video
Cons: Chunky; zoom is pretty lacking
Summary: I have had this camera for 3 or 4 years now and it is the best $350 I have ever spent. Aside from being a bit cumbersome to carry around, ...
Summary: I have had this camera for 3 or 4 years now and it is the best $350 I have ever spent. Aside from being a bit cumbersome to carry around, this camera has given me so much. The pictures are impressively clear, despite the 3.2 megapixals and enlarge up to an 8x10 without any quality loss.
It's very hardy as well. I've dropped it, thrown it into a purse without a case, traveled with it bumping around and have never had a single issue with it. Many a camera have perished at my hand… but not this one! Still going strong. I’m very reluctant to replace it!
The video quality isn't camcorder quality, but everyone who have viewed my videos have all commented on how they can't believe it came from a camera. I plug her right into the TV and we’re good to go!
The only down-sides to me is the zoom sucks and it's too chunky to toss into a pocket and go.
All in all, I've started turning to the Mavica to do portraits instead of my SLRs and nobody knows the difference.
So, yeah. I highly recommend it. -
BEST CAMERA ON MARKET
by lyrical56 on August 9, 2005
Pros: EASY TO USE, GOOD PIX, FUN
Cons: HAVEN'T FOUND ANY
Summary: Have read the other reviews, can't believe they aren't raving about this camera. I have FOUR girlfriends besides myself that have this camera and they ALL RAVE over ...
Summary: Have read the other reviews, can't believe they aren't raving about this camera. I have FOUR girlfriends besides myself that have this camera and they ALL RAVE over it the same as me. LOVE LOVE LOVE IT. Even my tekkie cousin "covets" my CD350! (after using it) and believe me, that's saying something. Got mine on ebay wouldn't trade it for ANYTHING. Buy it you'll LOVE it.
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Nothing but trouble with the CD
by TimWalter on April 19, 2005
Pros: Reasonable cost
Cons: CD trouble. Lost pictures. Repair bills. AND a lousy zoom.
Summary: The floppy Mavica cameras from Sony worked great (I had two) - however, the CD technology must not be ready for prime time. I am very dissapointed.
Summary: The floppy Mavica cameras from Sony worked great (I had two) - however, the CD technology must not be ready for prime time. I am very dissapointed.
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Cool concepts don't always translate into practicality
by chammi on March 24, 2005
Pros: Novel approach to media
Cons: Disc are pricey; Must hold camera still when recording; slow
Summary: When I first laid eyes on this camera I thought it was the neatest thing: Good thing I didn't pay the $400 price tag, though. This camera is typical ...
Summary: When I first laid eyes on this camera I thought it was the neatest thing: Good thing I didn't pay the $400 price tag, though. This camera is typical Sony: it's cute and novel-looking, but impractical, pricey and rife with Sony's proprietary tendencies.
The camera will take higher capacity mini CDs in a pinch, but it whines a bit when it realisesthat you're using them. "Sony Discs Recommended" literally flashes onto your screen. Well, Sony wants nearly $9 for Mini RWs (which are harder to find in most stores than mini Rs and full sized discs). The cameras also use Sony's special InfoLithium cells, so you'll need to invest in a couple of those, too-- though it's not a big deal if you already have a few for your other Sony devices.
I can't imagine using this camera "in the field" -- you have to wait for it to write files to disc (while holding it steady) and it requires a level surface and no bumping to perform other disc operations, like finalizing the CD.
That said, the digital viewfinder does the job, and similar to the 3.5" Floppy Mavica that this model replaces. The shooting mode knob is also the same, so this camera is an easy step for those familiar with the Mavica series. The camera hasa telephoto function that works for amature use, and you can do minor photomanipulation on the camera-deleting folders, resizing, and rotating--that sort of thing. The camera also includes a burst mode to fire 2 shots in quick succession. But my favorite part of the camera is the cute little startup noise it makes. That and the animated shutter click (which can be turned off) are just so slick they hav to be Sony.
Bottom Line: you can possibly get more functionality and certainly pay less with uglier models. Sonyphiles will snap this up. -
Very useful & multifunctional
Pros: Perfect results not only for pictures, but for CD/DVD label copy, OCR, fast computer screen copy with sound etc.
Cons: Low recorded sound quality (like old telephone), and initialization problems for CD-RW with more then 156 MB capacity.
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Repair Prone
Pros: Great pictures and easy to use. The disk idea is good.
Cons: In two years, I've replaced the Mode Control Knob and now the CD reader is gone!! All my vacation pictures are on disks that will not finalize and can't be read by another camera or computer.
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Pictures are blurry.
Pros: Great battery life. I like the easy laoding media, and storage. Pop the cd into the computer and view the pictures. The size doesn't bother me. I don't like tiny cameras.
Cons: I could have a lemon, but 50% of my pictures come out blurry even in default mode. Instruction manual is hard to read. Camera takes too long to recover after taking a picture. LCD screen is impossible to see outdoors. I purchased the optional view finder
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Great Camera, I really love it.
Pros: East to use and I like the CD media.
Cons: A little bulky but not really that bad.
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Easy to Use!
Pros: Easy to load CD. Excellant options. Seems the photos would be placed in the month the photo was taken, not just placed in "any" file or month. I truely am happy with this cameera, after all the different equipment I have purchased from Minolta(35 mm.) M
Cons: Too long to recharge flash for fast, multiple frame. Uploading photos are puts all in same file. Uploads are not separted into specific monthly or weekly catagories. Once the file is name, all photos are copid
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Excellent image quailty --- CD Storage!!
Pros: Great storage media-Excellent image quality - Great zoom lens LONG battery life On Camera image editing!!
Cons: None that I have found yet
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Sony
- Part number: MVCCD350
- Description: Now, 20% slimmer than previous CD Mavica models, Sony's MVC-CD350 Digital Still Camera features 3.2 megapixel resolution (effective), 3X optical/2X digital zoom, and the ability to write to affordable CD-R/RW media. Capture exceptional still images and MPEG video clips directly to convenient CDs measuring only 8 cm in diameter. And your picture-taking will get all the benefits of Sony digital imaging technology, including 3-Area Multi-Point AF (Auto-Focus) for super-sharp focus every time, and Multi-Pattern and Spot Metering AE. You also get a selectable Confirm Before Write option that allows you to preview images before writing them to disk.
General
- Product Type Digital camera - Compact
- Point-and-shoot highlights Having video capture capability adds convenience for the user.
- Resolution 3.2 megapixels
- Camcorder Media Type CD-RW (8 cm),
CD-R (8 cm) - Optical Sensor Type Super HAD CCD
- Total Pixels 3,340,000 pixels
- Effective Sensor Resolution 3,200,000 pixels
- Optical Sensor Size 1/2.7"
- Digital Zoom 3.2 x
- Auto Focus TTL contrast detection
- Auto Focus Points (Zones) Qty 3
- Digital Video Format MPEG-1
- Image Recording Format JPEG,
TIFF - Media Included Qty 2
- AV Interfaces Component video
Exposure & White Balance
- Light Sensitivity ISO 100,
ISO 200,
ISO 400 - Exposure Metering Multi-segment,
Spot - Exposure Modes Program,
Automatic - Shooting Programs Twilight portrait,
Twilight mode,
Sand & snow,
Beach & ski,
Hi-speed shutter,
Fireworks,
Landscape - Special Effects Solarization,
Negative Art,
Black & White,
Sepia - White Balance Automatic,
Presets - White Balance Presets Daylight,
Fluorescent,
Incandescent,
Cloudy,
Flash - Max Shutter Speed 1/1000 sec
- Min Shutter Speed 1 sec
- Exposure Compensation ±2 EV range, in 1/3 EV steps
Lens System
- Type 3 x x Zoom lens - 6.4 mm - 19.2 mm - F/3.8-3.9
- Focal Length Equivalent to 35mm Camera 41 - 123 mm
- Focus Adjustment Manual,
Automatic - Min Focus Range 19.7 in
- Macro Focus Range 4 in - 19.7 in
- Zoom Adjustment Motorized drive
- Filter Size 37 mm
Camera Flash
- Camera Flash Built-in flash
- Flash Modes Fill-in mode,
Slow synchro,
Auto mode,
Flash OFF mode,
Red-eye reduction - Features AF illuminator
- Effective Flash Range 1.6 ft - 8 ft
Additional Features
- Self Timer Delay 10 sec
- Flash Terminal Hot shoe
- Additional Features Audio recording,
Built-in speaker,
Multi-picture burst,
Digital noise reduction,
USB 2.0 compatibility Display
- Type 2.5 in LCD display
- Display Features Built-in
Microphone
- Microphone Operation Mode Mono
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x USB,
1 x DC power input,
1 x Composite video/audio output
Viewfinder
- Viewfinder Color Support Color
System Requirements for PC Connection
- Operating System Support MS Windows 98 SE,
MS Windows 98,
MS Windows XP,
MS Windows 2000,
Apple Mac OS X 10.2,
Apple Mac OS X 10.1,
MS Windows ME Miscellaneous
- Included Accessories USB cable,
Power adapter,
Lens cap,
Shoulder strap,
Storage media,
Audio / video cable Software
- Software PIXELA Image Mixer,
Drivers & Utilities Battery
- Supported Battery 1 x Li-ion rechargeable battery - 1180 mAh ( Included )
Memory / Storage
- Included Memory Card CD-R, CD-RW
- Image Storage TIFF 2048 x 1536 : 11 VA - With 156MB Mini CD-R / Mini CD-RW,
Fine JPEG 2048 x 1536 : 81 VA - With 156MB Mini CD-R / Mini CD-RW,
Standard JPEG 2048 x 1536 - With 156MB Mini CD-R / Mini CD-RW,
TIFF 2048 x 1360 : 13 VA - With 156MB Mini CD-R / Mini CD-RW,
Fine JPEG 2048 x 1360 : 81 VA - With 156MB Mini CD-R / Mini CD-RW,
Standard JPEG 2048 x 1360 : 145 VA - With 156MB Mini CD-R / Mini CD-RW,
TIFF 1632 x 1224 - With 156MB Mini CD-R / Mini CD-RW,
Fine JPEG 1632 x 1224 : 131 VA - With 156MB Mini CD-R / Mini CD-RW,
Standard JPEG 1632 x 1224 : 234 VA - With 156MB Mini CD-R / Mini CD-RW,
TIFF 1280 x 960 - With 156MB Mini CD-R / Mini CD-RW,
Fine JPEG 1280 x 960 : 194 VA - With 156MB Mini CD-R / Mini CD-RW,
Standard JPEG 1280 x 960 : 345 VA - With 156MB Mini CD-R / Mini CD-RW,
TIFF 640 x 480 - With 156MB Mini CD-R / Mini CD-RW,
Fine JPEG 640 x 480 : 655 VA - With 156MB Mini CD-R / Mini CD-RW,
Standard JPEG 640 x 480 : 1284 VA - With 156MB Mini CD-R / Mini CD-RW - Video Capture MPEG - 640 x 480,
MPEG - 160 x 112 Dimensions & Weight
- Width 5.2 in
- Depth 2.9 in
- Height 3.6 in
- Weight 1.1 lbs
Product series
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Manufacturer: Sony
Specs: 3.2 megapixels,
41 - 123mm F/3.8,
3 x x Zoom lens - 6.4 mm - 19.2 mm - F/3.8-3.9,
1/2.7",
Super HAD CCD,
CD-RW (8 cm),
CD-R (8 cm)
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Sony products on Shopper.com
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- Manufacturer:Sony
- Address:
16765 W. Bernardo Dr., San Diego, CA 92127 - Phone: 1-877-865-SONY
- Email: contact@sel.sony.com
- Fax: 941-768-7790
